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Technology for Improved Learning
Outcomes
Mr. / Girgis
Aims
This program aims to leave the traditional
methods
which depend on attainment and learning by heart.
It also
calls for implementing active learning as a
method of teaching , solving
problem method of
teaching, brain-storming method of teaching,
beside using technology in teaching.
It
helps learners to rise from the first 3 low
standards of learning according to Bloom's
taxonomy
which include knowledge, understanding
and applicability to the other 3
high standards of
learning which include analysis, synthesis and
evaluation, then creation and innovation.
Critical thinking:
According to the first 3 levels of
learning, Bloom's
taxonomy, learners must know, understand and
apply.
We need to raise the standards of our
learners' learning to the second 3
superior levels
of learning. I mean that learners must learn how
to do
analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
Critical thinking -based learning is a step to enable
the learners to acquire the spirit of
exploration and
researching to reach the knowledge by themselves
under
the guide, monitoring and supervision of the
teacher. The learner can
agree with or disagree with
something or someone expressing his point of
view.
The teacher monitors and guides in an assembly
similar to the one
of great scientists.
In
dealing with analysis and synthesis thesis,
learners learn how to deal
with Venn diagram to
show the similarities and difference. Learners
deal
with charts of arranging events specially in
presenting novel
events.
They use charts of columns of "KWLH specially in
presenting the "
Warm up" and doing feedback.
They use mind
mapping diagrams or mind map
electronic program to learn how to generate
new
ideas. It is a great method of teaching.
Use of technology:
TILO project basically focuses on the
use of
technology in teaching and learning. It offers us a
lot of
electronic programs that help the teacher to
implement the
activity-based teaching method and
helps the learner to use technology
to explore his
knowledge by himself as an independent learner.
Both the
teacher and the learner can use several
like the following:
( Word program, Excel program,
Power-point
program, Access program, MS picture
management program,
Movie-maker program,
Free-mind program, Lingoes program, Celestia
program, Yanka program, Anki program, Jing
program, Hot potatoes
program, MS Mathematics
program, the Sage program, Chemistry crocodile
program, Physics Crocodile program and a lot of
other electronic
programs. Electronic teaching
enables the teacher to do an electronic lesson
plan and give an electronic lesson presentation.
John Beed, deputy mission director for USAID, said
that the
contributions of educational establishments
throughout the country “had
been instrumental to the
success of these schools and to the expansion
of the
program to others in their provinces”.
The program, he added, had “achieved extraordinary
success”. The TILO program has equipped the
schools with technology
and digital resources, and
delivered hands-on training to teachers,
supervisors,
and local administration. Throughout Egypt 400
schools
participated in the project, and 18 schools
Greater Cairo.
“To date over 255,000 students and 21,000 teachers
from nine provinces have participated in the project,”
according to Salem“The total number of schools in
focus provinces were 192
elementary schools, 58
experimental language schools, and 127
preparatory
schools,” she added.
Lisa Franchett, director of educational activities for
the TILO programme, said that this is the first time
such educational
technology programs have been
established in Egypt.
“We care a lot
about the quality of education to
spread technology and new software to
help
children to improve their learning methods,” she
said. “The program has helped to improve students
absorption of information
through the improved
software.”
The TILO project comprises four components
focused on
improving the quality of teaching and
learning through introducing
education technology
through school reform activities; providing
hardware which schools can manage; training
teachers, supervisors, and
inspectors in using
technology tools in specific ways; and through
introducing digital resources and active learning
methods to increase
knowledge, critical thinking
and problem solving skills.
“I want to emphasize the teacher training
component of the
program,” said Franchett.
“The support to school administration that
this
critical component provided needed time in
order to prepare the
teachers in using such
technology.”
Another component of the program involves
partnerships
with educational establishments
which aim to increase innovation and
share
responsibility through building on best practice
through
collaboration with the private sector,
leveraging resources and expertise, and sustaining
the management of education technology through
shared responsibility among the Government,
the private sector, schools, and communities.
“I’ve observed huge commitment from the govern
orates
involved,” added Frenchett. “The program
has really helped improve the
level of education in
the schools. One of the important things happening
in Egypt at the moment is the improvement in early
grade reading because
a few years ago we took a
sample from early grade students, grades 4
and 5
they couldn’t read at all.”
“Over the last two and half years, however, there
has been a significant improvement here. In fact,
last week we had Government officials from Yemen
who came here to observe how the Egyptian
government did early graders’ reading. Egypt has
become a significant
example in this matter,” she
added.
“The situation in Egypt after the revolution is one
of instability and political unrest, which has caused
several problems in the implementation of the
program, but the
cooperation of the Egyptian
Government, especially the Ministry of
Education,
has had a significant impact on the success of this
experiment.”
The TILO program also seeks to improve the
capacity for
the effective management of education
technology through working in
tandem with the
Ministry of Education and communities to develop
effective ways to manage and sustain technology
in schools.
Another aim of the project is to measure the
impact of
technology on teaching, learning, and
management, through monitoring and
evaluating
project inputs, processes and impact.
Franchett also said that education needs to pay
attention
to job creation factors appropriate to the
needs of the market and to
combine private and
professional schools.
“We need to encourage cooperation [between
the public and
private sectors] because there is
currently mistrust between the Government
and private sector,” she said. “But with our
[USAID’s]
contribution, both of them will become
convinced that such partnerships
can be
productive”.
She added that the US Government had
already begun, in
cooperation with the Egyptian
Government, the development of the
technical
education sector three years ago with an
estimated budgeted
$5m in order to develop
and support schools with technological means.
Franchet pointed in particular to the STAMP
programme, which will focus in the coming period
on making available technological devices such
as laptops for early graders or preschool infants,
and will focus on technology programs to support
in mathematics and science
education with
estimated budget $2.5m. She stressed the
US’s commitment
towards Egypt regardless of
“the problems with The World Bank or any
other
funding problems”.
“Regarding women, we are planning an initiative to
help
them participate in the economic sector and to
encourage more effective participation in the
government sector as well,” she revealed
“For universities we will hold a dialogue with
Alexandria University next Monday to encourage
the involvement of university
professors in
development programs to help improve
educational methods by using technology.”
Franchett also added that the importance of such
programs in creating a favorable environment for
undergraduate students.
Launched in May 2007, the TILO programme was
extended to last until August 2013 as requested
from the undersecretaries, the
educational
administration and directors at the Ministry of
Education.
The project is implemented in cooperation with the
Ministry
of Education and is financed under the
USAID Partnership Strategic Objective Grant
Agreement for Basic Education.
The Technology for Improved Learning Outcomes
(TILO) Programme is a
combined effort between
USAID and Egypt.
It is a program that aims to
improve the teaching
and learning quality in schools across nine
regions of the country through technology.
USAID and the Egyptian government are working
with the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry
of Communication and Information Technology to
better integrate different
technologies to schools
and school-based programs, to hopefully increase
the overall learning of the students and teachers.
It is currently in effect in over 400 schools across
Egypt, in two different types of
schools: TILO
“Smart Schools” (which were transformed from
prep
schools), and “School Based Reform”
schools. In each case, the general
idea is the
same; to improve the quality of education through
technological advances and reforms.
The program content included:
The program content included:
1-The Change:
We as teachers should accept the change
of our
methods of teaching from being traditional methods
that depend on attainment , recitation and learning
by heart into methods that depend
on thinking,
analyzing, application, evaluation and creation.
We should
accept what matches our culture and
environment . It is necessary to
know about the
changing world in the world of education to be
able
to match the revolution of information all
over the world.
2-Education of a good quality:
A-Vision:
Vision means the dream we seek for to
achieve
our hopes in education. What we look forward to
in our field of
education. What we wish to see in
our schools and with our learners.
2-Mission:
Mission means the strategies we need to
get to
the vision we dream of. For example, we can use
individual work,
pair work and group work. We can
use technology and experimentation to
have
practical learning. We should encourage the spirit
of exploration
with our learners. The mission
should be smart.
3-National standards of education:
1-The vision and mission.
2-A successful school administration.
3-An excellent teacher.
4- A developmental curriculum.
5- Social participation.
4- Active learning:
A-The learner-self -centered
teaching method:
It means that education should be changed from
a teaching that depends on the teacher into a
teaching that
depends on and is centered
around the learners and their participation
and
integration in the method of education.
It is the stage of learners'
production. The learner
asks and answers. He should imagine, create and
evaluate to solve problems.Learners must listen,
see, watch
technological teaching programs
,interview, speak, talk, act, mime, play,
sing and
practice. He must transmit what he learns to others
through the principle of learning through teaching.
B-Classroom and time management:
Classroom management means that learners
should work in pairs or in groups. In pair work,
pupils must think,
pair and share. In group work,
Learners should form groups. Each group
should
include a leader, a presenter, an organizer, a
dictator, a timer
and an evaluator. Learners play
these roles of the co-operative
learning. They can
change the roles when projects are changed.
There
must be a demonstration or illustration
to our practical learning.
Learning through
problems solving, brain storming and doing
projects can appear clearly in pair work and
group work. Learning through doing
researches
through the internet sites and visiting the real
institutions
in our daily life like museums and
exhibitions can be applied through group work.
Teacher must have the cleverness of managing
time of the lesson. I mean that every lesson
objective must have a method, a teaching aid
or an electronic learning program as well
as a
certain limited time to be implemented during
presentation.
The
other objectives must have the suitable time
each, to be implemented
through the guided and
free practice of the new vocabulary and new
grammatical structure. If not, then, the teacher
has no clear plans.
Usually in mathematics teaching and learning,
only lower-order thinking
skills are
emphasized.With calculators, teachers can focus
on developing students’ higher-order thinking skills
once their students have fully
mastered the
basics.Why?
Calculators handle tedious, mundane
calculations so that teachers can focus on higher-
order thinking.
Higher-order thinking is an ability
that forms the basis of critical thinking.
