SK DATO KAYAMAN DAN BOLA TAMPAR

Ayuh Proses Hati

Malam itu damai. Angin bertiup seperti biasa.
Saya bersama lapan lagi sahibah seusrah duduk menikmati udara malam.
"Saidina Umar dulu, pernah beliau bawa sahabat duduk dalam satu bilik dan bertanya, kalaulah kamu diberi peluang membuat permintaan, apa yang kamu minta?" Saya bersuara. Satu persatu wajah sahibah saya pandang.
"Perabot."
"Keselesaan."
"Ukhwah."
Pelbagai jawapan yang muncul, menggamitkan suasana.

AJAR MURID MENYANYI DENGAN LIRIK

ICT MEMANG SYOKK..

ICT and English

By clivechung

As you are no doubt aware, the national curriculum orders for English outline the subject-specific requirements for the use of information and communications technology (ICT) as part of the teaching and learning of English. Statutory requirements aside, ICT can be a massively successful and, yes, exciting aid in the English classroom, both as a presentational tool and as an interactive learning aid. However, it is important to remember that not all lessons will be better off delivered using PowerPoint or the IWB, and that ICT is used most effectively when it is used as a resource, not as the lesson itself. The following ideas provide some pointers for those who have yet to have the opportunity to explore the possibilities afforded by ICT in the English classroom.

That the Internet is an invaluable research tool for pupils and teachers alike goes without saying. What needs to be remembered is that the Internet alone is simply a tool, and its effective use in the classroom requires specific guidance and aims. The too-easily available plethora of coursework essays and unsavoury websites aside, Internet research can end up as an inefficient trawl through endless pages with little actual focus. Try putting ‘Shakespeare’ into a browser and the million-plus pages that come up can be daunting to say the very least. When using the Internet with a class, the same rules should apply as they would to any lesson – clear and specific aims and objectives should be the sustained focus.

For example, to maintain the focus of the class and help keep their twitchy fingers away from games and ring tones, give pupils specific websites to search for particular information. If you are researching Shakespeare, have a very specific focus – his life, or the Globe Theatre, for example – and arm your pupils with the addresses of websites you have already checked for suitability, and task sheets that can only be completed using information found on directed websites. This also allows for differentiation as pupils can be directed to different sites and search for information of varying degrees of complexity. Be sure, too, that the information is then used for a purpose – group presentations or comprehension, for example – rather than being an end in itself. There is sometimes a tendency for lessons such as these to be a little lacking in direction and, therefore, real purpose. The Internet cannot take the place of a well-planned lesson. What it can do is provide an effective resource for that well-planned lesson to succeed.

Word-processing packages can enable pupils to edit and re-sequence text efficiently. This in turn can enable pupils to make editing decisions which explore style, meaning and structure. Texts can be transformed to meet the needs of different audiences and purposes, and spelling and grammar checks can help improve accuracy. This is not to suggest that word-processing is not without its problems. Often, pupils use word-processing simply to produce a ‘best’ copy of an essay or piece of work. While this may sometimes be unavoidable, it is not the most efficient use of ICT. The real worth of word-processing lies in its flexibility. Pupils should use ICT to enable them to re-draft and edit meaningfully, rather than simply as a typewriter. This can be practised by, for example, giving pupils sequencing or editing tasks as part of their study of a text. Pupils need to be made aware of the limitations of spelling and grammar checkers. While these features are valuable tools, they do not do away with the need for accurate spelling. Many spelling mistakes, especially of words that sound alike, may not be picked up. Word-processing can also be used effectively in the creation of collaborative texts, where groups of pupils construct a text as a combined effort. This will mean saving and retrieving work from common folders, but it can be very effective.

Presentational tools such as PowerPoint can be very effective in the classroom. As a teacher, you can present ideas and key points clearly and without turning your back to the class. Many pupils respond well to the use of image, colour and sound that is available in presentations of this kind. Avoid using too much writing in your presentation – key points should be flagged up with further information provided through talk. PowerPoint can be used interactively, too. Clicking on the barely visible triangle that presents itself on the bottom left-hand corner of each slide enables you to change the pointer to a pen. This can be used by you or by pupils to annotate text, add punctuation and so on. The IWB can allow pupils to interact with text in an immediate and creative way. Pupils can sequence texts; design sets for plays; look at video clips of plays while reading text or questions; create professional-looking adverts; annotate extracts as a class; listen to speech while completing exercises on accent and dialect – the possibilities are endless. The IWB allows pupils to transform, create, explore, organize, analyse, modify and model a wide range of text types.