Information Technology in Support of Student-Centered Learning

The idea of student-centered learning is not a recent idea. In fact, as early as

the 20th century, educational educators such as John Dewey argued for a highly
active and individualized pedagogical methods which place the student at the
center of the teaching-learning process.
In this lesson, we shall see how the teacher can expand his options to make
himself more effective and relevant in the 21st millennium information age. In
particular, the lesson shall respond to questions on student-centered learning
approaches in the classroom. From the traditional teacher-centered learning
approach, practical helps on designing and adapting student-learning activities shall
be examined.
In addition, suggestions shall be made on how a student-centered classroom
(SCL) can be supported by information technology (IT).

The traditional classroom

It may be observed that classrooms are usually arranged with neat columns
and rows of student chairs, while the teacher stands in front of the classroom or sits
behind his desk. This situation is necessitated by the need to maintain classroom
discipline, also to allow the teacher to control classroom activities through lecture
presentation and teacher-led discussions.
Noticeably, however, after spending so many minutes in lesson presentation
and class management, students can get restless and fidgety. Often enough, the
teacher has to also manage misbehavior in class as students start to talk among
themselves or simply stare away in lack of attention.

The SCL classroom

John Dewey has described traditional learning as a process in which the
teacher pours information to student learners, much like pouring water from a jug
into cups. This is based on the long accepted belief that the teacher must perform
his role of teaching so that learning can occur. This learning approach is generally
known as direct instruction, and it has worked well for obtaining many kinds of
learning outcomes.
The problem with the direct instruction approach to learning, however, is the
fact that the worlds societies have begun to change.

Generally, the new school classroom environment is characterized by student

individually or in groups:

Performing computer word processing for text or graph presentations.

Preparing power-point presentation
Searching for information on the internet
Brainstorming on ideas, problems and project plans
As needed, the teacher facilitating instruction, also giving individualized
instruction to serve individual needs.

Observably, there is a departure from traditional worksheet, read-and-answer,

drill-and-practice activities.

Cooperative Learning with the Computer

Singapore has set the global pace for student-centered learning with a 2:1 (2
pupils with 1 computer) ratio in its masterplan for IT in Education.
The creativity of the teacher will have to respond to the situation, and so
cooperative learning will likely be the answer to the implementation of IT supported
learning in our schools.

Defining cooperative learning

Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students
who work together in a common learning task. It is often also called group learning
but to be truly cooperative learning, 5 elements are needed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

A common goal
Interdependence
Interaction
Individual accountability
Social skills

Therefore not every group work is cooperative learning since students working
on their work sheets physically sat around a table may be working together without
this features of cooperative learning.
From several studies made on cooperative learning, it is manifested that
cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Encourages active learning, while motivating students

Increases academic performance
Promotes literacy and language skills
Improves teacher effectiveness

In addition, there are studies which shows that cooperative learning

enhances personal and social development among students of all ages, while
enhancing self-esteem and improving social relationship between racially and
culturally different students.

Cooperative Learning and The Computer

Researchers have made studies on their learning interaction between the
students and the computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long
standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders
the development of the students social skills.
Now this mythical fear has been contradicted by the studies which show that
when students work with the computers in groups, they cluster and interact with
each other for advice and mutual help. And given the option to work individually or
in a group, the students generally wish to work together in computer-based and
non-computer-based activities.
Therefore researchers agree that the computer is a fairly natural learning
vehicle for cooperative (at times called promotive) learning.

Components of cooperative learning

Educators are still wary about the computers role in cooperative learning.
Thus they pose the position that the use of computers do not automatically result in
cooperative learning. There therefore assign the teacher several tasks in order to
assure collaborative learning. These are:

Assigning students to mixed-ability teams

Establishing positive interdependence
Teaching cooperative social skills
Insuring individual accountability, and
Helping groups process information

These are in addition to assigning a common work goal in each member of

the group will realize that their group will not succeed unless everyone contributes
to the group success. It is also important for the teacher limits learning group

clusters (six is the ideal number in a group) so that there can be closer involvement
in thinking and learning.

About the microLESSONS

Introduction to the microLESSONS research project
In line with the IT Master Plan for Education, there is a need to investigate how
IT can be integrated fully into the school curriculum.
Teacher training plays a vital role in the successful implementation of the IT
Master Plan. As part of the Initial Teacher Training programme, the School of
Education (SOE) conducts training in the use of IT, especially in the integration of IT
into the school curriculum. In the IT Foundation and Elective courses conducted by
the Instructional Science Division, trainee teachers, in collaboration with faculty
members, produce IT instructional materials. We call these computer-based
instructional materials microLESSONS.
The microLESSONS are focused IT-based instructional components that are
developed to teach specific objectives within a lesson. The microLESSONS could
consist of instructional activities, simulations, games, problem-solving activities,
mother-tongue materials, and teacher-presentation materials. They are developed to
fit the instructional needs of teachers and students and their production is based on
sound Instructional Design principles.
Teachers have problems locating commercially developed materials that are
suitable to our schools' curriculum and thus there is a need to produce our own
materials. In this project, the microLESSONS will be developed, evaluated, selected
and compiled into a resource for school teachers and will be categorised into subject
areas and into primary, secondary and JC levels. This R & D project will help to fill the
need for locally produced instructional materials.

Objectives of the microLESSONS research project

1. To develop guidelines for microLESSONS development.
2. To conduct training sessions on microLESSONS development.
3. To design and develop evaluative tools for selection.
4. To conduct evaluation and selection of microLESSONS.

5. To produce prototype microLESSONS.

6. To test prototypes for quality.
7. To evaluate the effectiveness of the microLESSONS in schools.
introduction | objectives | funding | personnel | address | top
Funding
The microLESSONS project started in 1998 as an NIE funded research project
(RP4/98 PW). A number of samples of microLESSONS were brought before various
presentations and exhibitions and the response from teachers were very positive. In
early 1999, NIE produced a sample microLESSONS CD-ROM and response from
teachers and trainee teachers was good. In Jan 2000, Ednovation approached NIE
expressing interest in distributing microLESSONS to schools and a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) was signed on 16 February 2000. In the MOU, Ednovation will
provide further financial and technical support to develop the microLESSONS.

Are microlessons always videos?

Nope!
Microlessons can be any format, but there is a focus on web-deliverable
media. Additionally, they should be small enough/simple enough to download
quickly to the student's browser. Videos and games are nice due to the ability to
feed multiple senses at once, but text based information is fine as well.
As a general rule of thumb, though, if the page has a scroll bar, it will take
more than 90 seconds to read.
Additionally, not all instruction has to happen through microlessons.
Microlessons should replace all parts of instruction designed to statically
communicate facts, but there is no need to replace activities or curicular elements
which are already highly interactive. This means it is entirely acceptable to design a
project that takes more than 90 seconds to complete, or to design a game that
takes more than 90 seconds to play, provided that it is engaging. On a similar note,
if music is still engaging after 90 seconds, it may be acceptable to use it as an
instructional element. On the other hand, what happens if you play the song at
double speed?

What are microLESSONS?

microLESSONS are IT-based

instructional materials that are
used to teach specific objectives.
They are small and specific unitsof
instruction for teachers to use within
lessons. The microLESSONS
developed span many curricular
content areas, and are suitable for
supporting a wide variety of learning
outcomes. The majority of the
microLESSONS are studentcentered materials that incorporate
various computer features (e.g.
animation, graphics, sound,
interactivity) that will enhance the
teaching-learning process.

1st generation
microLESSONS
In the first generation
microLESSONS, the projects were
mainly student-centered projects
adopting a direct instructional
approach. Most of the microLESSONS
developed under this phase adopted
one of these common modes of
instruction: tutorial (teach some
content and then test the students'
understanding of the
content), drill or informational mult
imedia. These are mainly used
for transmission of knowledge in
curricular areas. Multimedia features
are also used in these microLESSONS

Five Instructional Approaches

How MicroLESSONS Can Be Used in
Schools
We can now classify these
microLESSONS into five types:
1) Resource-based
In this approach, various links to the
WWW can be established and
students will access the web sites to
collect information, facts, opinions
and then synthesize them or compare
the different viewpoints.
2) Problem-based
microLESSONS can now be used to
present "instructional problems" in a
multimedia fashion through which
activities can be formulated and
where students can be engaged in the
process of investigation and problemsolving. For example, a video-clip of a
water shortage problem in Singapore
can be presented and students would
be made to undergo a scientifically
sound investigative process where
possible causes and solutions found.
3) Case-based
Another more generic approach
besides the problem-based method is
for a "case" or scenario to be
presented to students through the
microLESSONS. Through such an
approach, students would have to
consider the learning situations and
the problems associated with it. From
the considerations of problemidentification, students can then be
made to determine the possible
solutions and alternatives. Through

to help enhance the learning process.

2nd generation
microLESSONS
In the second generation
microLESSONS, the learning paradigm
has shifted from knowledge
transmission (as in the 1st Generation
lessons) to one which allows students
to explore, construct and create
knowledge through various
computer-based learning activities.
Generally, these microLESSONS
consist of two parts. In the first part,
students are presented with some
multimedia instructional materials
and these could be in the form of an
ill-defined problem, a case study, a
scenario, or a situation. In the second
part, the students may access some
linked documents that requires them
to be involved in some form of higher
order activities such as generating
possible solutions, solving complex
problems, accessing the web to
collect information, exploring a
simulation or to collaborate on a
piece of work.

the process, students need to access

other resources most possibly from
the WWW.
4) Collaborative-based
In this approach, students can be
asked to work collaboratively or in
pairs to undergo an instructional
activity presented intentionally in the
microLESSONS to be jointly worked
through. For example, tasks can be
assigned to different individuals and
they work on different pieces of the
"puzzle" and later come together to
co-construct the entire "jig-saw
puzzle". Because microLESSONS can
be linked to other applications, the

Objectives
1. The primary objective of this project is to develop highly focused teaching
materials that use the power of IT to enhance the learning process. These
teaching materials are not major development units (such as those that may
be found in many CD-ROMs). Those types of materials are usually intended to

comprise an entire lesson (such as teaching students how to multiply

fractions).
Our microLESSONS, as the name implies, are instructional materials that are
specific enough for teachers to use within larger lessons. They are not intended
to cover a whole lesson or section of the curriculum.
2. A second objective of this project is to make the lessons available to all
Singapore teachers in an easily accessible form. The microLESSONS you will
develop will span many curricular content areas, and will be suitable to support
a wide variety of learning outcomes. We intend to distribute these materials to
schools via Intranets, and in the future, through the Internet. These
microLESSONS will serve as resources for teachers who wish to incorporate IT
into their teaching. This is one way of overcoming the shortage of appropriate
software for our school curriculum.

The software tool

MicroLESSONS are developed on Powerpoint. We are using Powerpoint as a tool
because all schools havePowerpoint on their computers. If we use other software,
schools then need to buy additional software and to install various kinds of
application programs. Also, Powerpoint is relatively easy to use and all teachers have
been trained to use it.
Powerpoint navigational guide - This site provides guidelines on how to
do the nece ssary tasks when designing your MicroLESSONS (once you are at the site,
click the bottom right button to view FULL Screen)
Types of projects
We envision several types of projects that could be developed at NIE:
Using the enhanced features of Powerpoint 97 (e.g. hyperlinks, animation,
builds, etc.), microLESSONS that incorporate simple but effective presentation
techniques can be developed. They can also permit a useful degree of interaction.
MicroLESSONS can be prepared for use as self-instructional mater ials: the students
(either individually or as a group) sit at the computer and engage in the materials.
We are proposing 5 different learning models for you to follow:

Resource-based learning

Problem-based learning

Case-based learning

Collaborative-based learning

Simulation-based learning

What you should concentrate on

Do not be concerned with the colours and design of the microLESSONS. Instead
be concerned with the teaching strategy that you use. We are providing some design
templates that you can use so you dont have to worry whether your design looks
good or not. Instead concentrate on the content and the teaching strategies. In other
words, ask yourself: how can you help the students learn? What kinds of learning
activities have you designed? Do the activities promote thinking?
You should also plan your microLESSON carefully before you start. We are also
providing a planning guide, a content checklist and a design checklist to make
it easier to generate th ese lessons.

Some Do's and Donts

Since we are distributing materials to teachers in the schools, we have to
provide some do's and donts so that we do not run foul of the law or breach good
ethical behaviour.
A couple Donts

Don't extract any text from printed materials, the Internet, CD-ROMS, or other
sources without quoting the source. If you use someone else's words and do
not attribute them, you are plagiarising (a serious ethical, and sometimes
legal, offense).

Dont overuse animation effects found in Powerpoint. (E.g. dont use the
"typewriter" effect with sound on every slide and on every text that appears. It
gets irritating after a while.)

Don't use commercial and/or copyrighted materials videos, pictures, cartoon

characters, music.

Specifics:

No trademarked characters from books, websites, etc. This also means

scanned pictures from textbooks or storybooks are not allowed. (E.g. All
of the Disney characters are corporate trademarks, so you may NOT use
them. The same goes for the Simpsons, Peanuts, etc.)

No copyrighted graphics, pictures, sounds, or video clips from the

Internet.

No materials from school textbooks, e.g. Pets workbook materials.

No video materials from videotapes, VCDs, DVDs, or other CD-ROMs.

No pictures from copyrighted CD-ROMs.

No copyrighted music from audio CDs (e.g., no music clips from The
Titanic).

Some Do's

Do reword and rephrase text you find from an outside source. Remember
copyright does not apply toideas but to the expression of ideas.

Use pictures from many of the clip art CD-ROMs that can be easily found in
software stores or in our ECL library.

Use royalty-free pictures from Internet (please cite web address in your
"credits").

Use only public-domain sound clips from Internet (e.g., speeches, classical
music MIDI files, etc.).

Use historical pictures from magazines, books, but not from commercial CDROMs (e.g., dont use World War II pictures from Microsoft Encarta) again,
please cite all sources from where you obtained this kind of information.

Include music from royalty-free CD-ROMs.

Do seek written permission if you use any copyrighted materials.

Content Planning for microLESSONS

(You may download a Word document version of this page here.)
1. Identify your learners.
2. Brainstorm: identify some problem areas in your curriculum
subject.
Examples: a section of a topic that is very hard to teach in a traditional manner; an
abstract topic; a difficult problem to solve; something that is best taught by using

lots of visuals or animations. Make sure your topic is relevant to the school
curriculum.
3. State clearly the objectives that you hope to achieve.
When you write objectives, state what the students can do at the end of the lesson.
Remember this is a microLESSON. Therefore, try to satisfy one or two objectives
only. Use Blooms taxonomy to formulate higher level objectives.
4. Choose appropriate examples, scenarios, case studies, stories,
questions or problems that will help you to achieve the objectives.
Develop your ideas and stories here. Sketch out your plan and discuss it with your
tutor for feedback. Be innovative! Check previous examples of microLESSONS to get
some ideas. You can prepare storyboards to help in your planning.
5. Design student activities that will promote thinking rather than
just recall of information.
Powerpoint presentations can also be linked to an Excel spreadsheet, a Word
document, a web page with Java applets, etc. You can also use the Internet as a
resource for your lessons.

Checklist for appropriate content

Does your microLESSON follow any of the following formats?
Problem-based learning
Where the students are given ill-structured problems and are required to source
for information to solve the problems or to suggest possible solutions to the
problems.
Case-based learning
Where students are given well-defined problems or scenarios from which they
have to source for information in order to suggest possible solutions.
Resource-based learning
Where students can source for print or non-print resources that will provide
them with a better understanding of the task at hand. This category can also be

part of problem-based learning and case-based learning.

Simulation-based learning
Where students take into account the information given or source for
information in order to "experience" a situation from which they learn.
Collaborative-based learning
Students can be asked to work in pairs or in small groups on an exercise. For
example, tasks can be assigned to different individuals and they work on
different pieces of the "puzzle". Later they come together to construct the
entire "jig-saw puzzle".
Note: the examples shown to you during the tutorials or provided at
the website will better illustrate the format of the microLESSON.

GENERAL
What is a "second generation" microLESSON?
It is a PowerPoint based lesson that fulfils one or two specific objectives and
encourages higher order thinking/skills, e.g. decision making, hypothesis testing,
collaborative work, role play, etc. Very often, such lessons will launch external files
(Word documents, interactive Excel spreadsheets, Java or javascript enhanced HTML
files, web pages, etc) to enhance the learning experience.
There are no sample microLESSONS for the subject that I shall teach.
Can you put some up on the website in future?
Ideally there should be a sample for each subject. But this is not practical nor
necessary.
The samples put online serve to illustrate the ideas or approaches that may be
used in producing a microLESSON. Having an example of various approaches for each
subject is time- and space-consuming. Instead, you can apply the ideas from a
sample into any microLESSON that you design and construct. You may also combine
ideas or come up with your own.

POWERPOINT

Can I use FrontPage to produce a microLESSON (i.e. create web

pages)?
No, microLESSONS are PowerPoint based. However, you may produce HTML files to
support your microLESSON.
Why are microLESSONS PowerPoint based?
PowerPoint is a common tool in schools and most teachers are familiar with it.
Teachers can easily modify microLESSONS to suit their needs. Many teachers do not
know how to produce or edit web pages. (Not yet anyway.)
Can I prepare my microLESSON with PowerPoint 2000?
Yes, but remember to save it in a format that PowerPoint 97 can read. (Note that
some projects prepared in PowerPoint 2000 are larger than if prepared in PowerPoint
97.)

COPYRIGHT / IMAGES
Can I use scanned images from a text/reference book?
No, the images belong to the publisher of the book and are therefore copyrighted.
This also applies to any magazine, newsletter, postcard or even pamphlet where the
publisher is stated.
What can I scan? What alternative sources of images are there?
You may choose to scan your own photographs, drawings or even 3-D objects. You
may use the MS clip art collection that comes as a standard with MS Office. You may
also use the numerous clip art and photo CD-ROMs that NIE has bought (look for
them in ECL 1 and 7). You may use your own clip art CD-ROMs if you wish but
remember to state the publisher of the CD-ROM. If you decide to use images or clip
art from the web, remember to check the terms of use at that web site (ask the
webmaster of that site if in doubt) and acknowledge the site in your microLESSON.
Can I photograph or scan logos or labels?
These items are trademarks and should not pose a problem. (If anything at all, they
provide free advertising for the company or organsation!) However, you may opt to
blur, smudge or pixelate the brand name if you do not want to create a bias. An
alternative to this is to create fictitious names for shops or naming items Brand X and
Brand Y.

TEMPLATES

Must I use every slide in the templates provided?

No, you may add any slides you need or remove those you do not require. For
example, your microLESSON might have four sections while the template provides
only three. Or the template may include a Q&A section that you do not need.

MISCELLANEOUS
I have a question that is not addressed here. How can I get help?
First make sure that you have read the information in the other sections of this
website. Next approach your tutor for advice. Finally you can e-mail the Project
Officer (Mr Wan Fareed) or the Principal Investigator (A/P Philip Wong).
I would like to join the team of project editors. How do I do this and
what requirements are there? Can you provide details about what the
editors do?
E-mail the Project Officer and indicate your interest.
Ideally, a project assistant should be a teacher or teacher trainee who has a
good sense for design and an eye for detail. It helps if you are creative and take pride
in your work. You should be competent with the standard MS Office software and one
image editing program (e.g. Adobe Photoshop). That aside, it is more important that
you are committed, willing to learn and able to interact well with workmates.