IT for Interactive Learning

Gingerbread Man, the crocodile or the narrator, as well as the sort of language used for interacting with their peers about the play itself.

The experience helps learners develop empathy, critical thinking, collaboration skills, creativity and positive attitude in the use of English for purposeful communication.

• Show-and-tell:

Young learners are eager to talk about what they like and find an interest in. Show-and-tell is an interactive and meaningful language activity. Learners can bring to class something they want to talk about. They can talk about their favourite toys, storybooks they have read, songs they like or poems they have created, or photographs or drawings they have. The teller is encouraged to be creative and the learners who listen are encouraged to participate by asking questions after the show. The teacher has to model questioning and encourage elaboration and clarification. This can be a group activity as well as a class activity from Key Stage 1 onwards.

The following are activities that illustrate effective use of IT for promoting independent and interactive language learning:

• As almost all electronic storybooks integrate the use of text, graphics, sound and animation to help young learners understand the stories, teachers can identify some of them which are related to the topics covered in the General English Programme or Reading Workshops and ask the learners to view, read and share their evaluation or re-creation of them with their peers via electronic or other modes. They can also do some language arts activities as a follow-up.

• Some CD-ROMs on phonics may generate a large number of examples for practice games or exercises. Some skilled-based programs on vocabulary building may require learners to classify words under different themes. Some authoring programs can facilitate the development of language skills and language development strategies through turning mechanical and boring pronunciation drills into interactive games which young learners enjoy playing. The computer acts like an untiring tutor, giving instant feedback to learners and providing assistance in learning English, as they often include answer keys and explanations, which learners may refer to immediately and as often as they like afterwards. To build a closer tie between classroom learning and self-access learning, learners may be allowed self-access to these resources as many times as they like. Learners can also be asked to record their choices, attempts and results for themselves, as well as to make recommendations for their peers. This not only provides opportunities for young learners to progress at their own pace and control their own learning, but also nurtures learner independence and autonomy.

• While some multi-media learning resources act as an untiring tutor, some application software, such as word processors, can provide untiring help. There is software, e.g. children word processors, which enables young learners to draft, revise, edit, extend and present their writing tasks with very little manual effort. They facilitate the drafting and revision processes in writing as learners do not have to

Learners can also be asked to work in groups looking at a piece of work together on the screen at a work station, rather than blocking each others’ sight over an exercise book on a pupil’s desk. The practice of process writing is greatly facilitated.

• There are packages that facilitate collaborative learning and self-improvement, e.g. some presentation tools enable young learners to present their group projects neatly and to work collaboratively to generate more ideas and strive for better products.

• The Internet provides quick and easy access to information on a wide range of topics, products and formats. The homepages of different organizations, products and services are vast sources of information.

For example, learners can search for information or make use of e-books, e-greeting cards, cartoons, games, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, etc. which are free in the public domain according to their needs and interests. With guidance from the teachers, they can work collaboratively on a project or investigate the use of words or language features in texts they come across.

• The Internet enables young learners to communicate electronically with one another through e-mail. It also offers additional authentic opportunities for communication in English, such as uploading learners’ work onto the school or class homepage. The viewers, including the learners themselves, can then be invited to read this, contribute ideas and comments or ask a question (e.g. tell why they like a specific poem, story, pet or drawing, or ask a question to elicit more information). With some encouragement and organization by the teachers, learners from different year levels may even share their knowledge or work on a similar topic. This enhances purposeful communication in English.

EXEMPLAR 9

Attainment Targets for IT Skills

The following table lists what learners in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are expected to achieve in the development of IT skills:

Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2

Operate computers and multi-media educational software.

Use a number of software packages, such as simple word-processing and graphical

packages for communication and learning purposes.

Communicate and handle

information with simple IT tools in writing and other learning activities.

Select and determine

information from a variety of sources, such as electronic encyclopaedias on CD-ROMs and the Internet.

English teachers in primary schools need to consider the above in designing IT-supported language learning tasks so that learners use IT to learn English and learn IT skills at the same time.