a case study of paradigm shift among teachers

A Case Study of Paradigm Shift Among Teachers

by Lim Hong Koon, Marsyitah Ismail and Chun Mee Lee

• Basic Information:

• Subject: A secondary school in Klang Valley. • Population: Teachers--180, Students-- 4,000. • Facilities: • Students--Two computer labs with 40 computers each, no internet

access( operate by out-sourced company) • Teachers--One computer lab with 12 computers, with internet

access • Library--10 computers with internet access, free to use by all • Classroom-- Nine classrooms equipped with LCDs and screen, no

internet access • Science Labs-- Five labs equipped with LCDs and screen, no

internet access

Why??

Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.

Marc Prensky

digital immigrants..

Students• There always been MTV• MJ had always been white• Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave• Petrol has always been unleaded• Cannot fathom not having a remote control• What is Pac Man?• The Web has always been an online tool• Ctrl+Alt+Del is as easy as ABC• VR has always been available when the real thing failed• Email / SMS• Autobiography = MySpace / Facebook• Research = iPod + Wikipedia

• Most (if not all) the students in the classroom are digital natives

• This brings challenges to teachers at all levels

generation gap

Identified Root Causes of Problems

•Based on all the phenomenons observed, and analysis of the potential causes, we found that there are one major and one subsequent root causes in this issue.

(1)The Major Root Cause : mindset of the digital immigrant

• technology is not a must in teaching and learning • technology is not meant for me, it is for someone else •

(2)The Subsequent Root Cause: non-motivating pedagogy

• pedagogical practices are not motivating or inspiring to paradigm shift

Discussion on the root causes:

Digital Immigrants vs Digital NativeThe students in our classrooms are 'Digital Natives' .The way they deal with technology is very much different to those of us who are teaching them, the immigrants. They have grown up exposed to different learning opportunities. To them, digital technology is part of their life, digital tools are part of their body.

Proposed Solutions•

There are a few approaches regarding how to promote paradigm shift among teachers in school. These approaches are to work together.

Mindset TransformingExposure/Campaign

• Find research on how technology have been used (successful stories) in other schools / countries • Identify digital native’s learning style so that a digital immigrant teacher can re-evaluate his/her teaching styles to conform to their learning

style •

Pedagogical Supportconduct practical e-Courses

• Identify which web 2.0 tools that are suitable for teaching and learning • Introduce the suitable web 2.0 tools to the digital immigrant teachers • suggest revised Bloom’s Taxonomy which includes rubrics that are more inclusive of technology • Identify the 21st century skills that a digital immigrant teacher need to possess in order to make use of web 2.0 tools effectively • conduct step-by-step follow through training series • follow-up activities

• Contest and Rewards :e.g. lesson plan contest / the best website ... • mentor system • trouble shooting

• Give questionnaire to find out / identify the reasons for digital immigrant teachers are not making use of the technology. • From the questionnaire, analyse the reasons and find solution for each reason. For example, if the reason is fear of technology, find solution

on how to eliminate the fear. • Administrative Support

• long term encouragement and follow-up • reports and news-update • conducting administration practices using similar technology • careful planing of training program (from basic to higher level)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Bloom%27s_Rose.png

Why Wiki?

an effective tool for group work

Students really become content

producers and not just receivers