Information and communication technologies in schools: a ...

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154 ICT IN SCHOOLS A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS describe what you are doing in the language of programming. And so working with the Agent mobilizes as well the student’s expertise and pleasure in motion. It draws on students’ well-established body-geometry as a starting point for the development of bridges to formal geometry. Students’ first goal in this microworld is not to learn formal rules but to develop insights into the way objects move in space. These insights are described in the Agent’s language and thereby become programs and procedures for the Agent. For example, suppose a child wants to teach the Agent to draw a house. First of all, it is necessary to make an Agent draw a square, then a triangle on top of it. A teacher may provide helpful hints on how to write a proper command. A more complicated problem arises when it comes to making an Agent that can move only along straight lines draw a circle. A teacher does not provide answers, but rather introduces students to a method for solving, not only this problem, but a large class of others as well. This method is simply to play the Agent – that is, for students to move their body as the Agent would move on the screen in order to draw a desired pattern: when you walk in a circle, you take a little step forward and you turn a little, and you keep doing this until the full circle is completed. It is worth noting than such geometry is not insignificant. Thus, students are led imperceptibly to an intuitive grasp of physics, calculus and mathematical modelling that is used in many other areas of contemporary science, technology, and humanities alike. Building learning aids No less important, by teaching the microworld’s Agents, students learn to design and construct their own software tools and aids to be used in learning the hard
items of the standard mathematics curriculum and other subjects. The first project of this kind was successfully implemented in the mid-1970s, and the corresponding methodology has been used ever since. The story is described by Seymour Papert in his book, Mindstorms (1980), and goes something like this. A class of fourth-graders had just started to study fractions and, as often happens, many appeared to be rather slow in grasping the issue. Traditionally, in such cases, the backward ones would have been given additional instruction and tuition. Now, instead, they were equipped with Logo microworlds (already familiar to them) and invited to find and develop some means for explaining and teaching fractions to themselves and others who needed help. They were also provided with seed ideas on how to think of themselves as collaborators in the project and its data collection, processing and reporting. Each day, before going to the computer, the students spent 5 to 7 minutes writing their plans and drawing their designs for making, comparing and analyzing fractions, presented as graphic objects in their personal designer’s notebooks. Then they worked at computers for 40 to 55 minutes individually or in groups, having full freedom to choose which concepts they wanted to teach, what the sequence of their lesson should be, and what instructional games, quizzes and tests to include. The amount of time spent at the computer was limited in order to fit the project into the schedule of the class and of the school. Over the course of four months, the class had developed several programs on teaching fractions that were diversified conceptually and quite useful in classroom practice. Judging by pre- and post- tests, students’ ability to work with fractions, as well as with the microworld proper, had increased considerably. They had not only discovered that fractions are everywhere and can be easily explained in their becoming, but also acquired fluent ability to do other problems by manipulating fractions. The very integrating of mathematical concepts, drawing, constructing and writing made these disciplines mutually supportive. The possibilities of microworlds in education are limitless. Supplemented with specialized tools, they enable students to create environments for the entire range of learning activities, from producing animated cartoons on central themes of literature and history to conducting scientific exploration and constructing advanced industrial machinery. Above all, they enhance students’ general competence and confidence in active learning. ICT in Learning and Teaching 155
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3 SCHOOLS IN TRANSITION TEACHERS AN
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2 Communication is an exchange of m
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Observation, reflection, imitation
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a field of science in order to gras
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much to the resolution of the vario
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Through this millennial old legacy,
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• Teachers draw or use ready-made
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Page 17 and 18: to proliferate the same pattern in
Page 19 and 20: Eventually, all these tests, rather
Page 21 and 22: Unfortunately, as Gardner and Paper
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Page 25 and 26: As a kind of modelling, visualizati
Page 27 and 28: mission of particular knowledge and
Page 29 and 30: What does this mean, functionally,
Page 31 and 32: prose and poetry via a word process
Page 33 and 34: 4 ICT IN LEARNING AND TEACHING The
Page 35 and 36: already doing?” By their very nat
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Page 39 and 40: This technology allows for clearer
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Page 43 and 44: Modern electronic digital media suc
Page 45 and 46: In the traditional school, the stud
Page 47 and 48: Cooperation and sharing Students si
Page 49 and 50: Teachers’ notes Notes can help te
Page 51 and 52: For another example, the concept of
Page 53 and 54: In solving algebraic equations, stu
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Page 57 and 58: MORE COMPLEX EDUCATIONAL EVENTS In
Page 59 and 60: At the same time, modern children a
Page 61 and 62: When it comes to evaluate their pro
Page 63 and 64: ability to have written, and, somet
Page 65: An Agent is capable of performing a
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Page 71 and 72: • contacting experts, group discu
Page 73 and 74: All these decisions and changes sho
Page 75 and 76: • access to individualized curric
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