Information and communication technology (ICT) is essential in daily life and must be integrated into the teaching of subjects enabling students to relate better to what is being taught. But first, teachers themselves must be qualified and fully equipped to implement the new teaching methods. Recognizing
this need, the English Language Teaching Center (ELTC) has brought in the Intel Teach Program, empowering them to embrace the use of technology in education. The program has changed the teaching landscape at ELTC, and teachers like Rohani Haji Ahmad, sing the praises of what the program
has done to enrich teachers and students’ learning progress.
Challenge
Teachers’ perception that ICT is a subject on its own needs to be changed.
Effective and innovative ICT integration into teaching and learning activities of
There is a need for appropriately developed projects and activities for ICT.
Approach
Educate and train teachers on how to use technology to enhance their lessonsvin the classroom to help students acquire 21 st century skills.
Use effective strategies featured in Intel Teach Program such as project-based integrating technology learning, higher order thinking skills and 21 st century thinking skills to make into the English learning meaningful to students.
Benefits
Through the Intel Teach Program, teachers understand the role of ICT and develop skills to incorporate ICT into the subject matter.
Improved instruction from teachers will translate into positive results for thousands of students across the country, enabling them to learn the skills they need to succeed in the knowledge economy.
“There is now a visibly higher degree of awareness of integration of ICT in the teaching of English language in the classroom. ”
Dr. Choong Kam Foong
Director of ELTC
The role of English as the language of international communication, commerce, and science and technology demands that future leaders of the country are proficient in the language. To fulfill this need, the English Language Teaching Centre, Malaysia (ELTC) was established in 2002, with the purpose of providing in-service English Language Teacher Education by enhancing the quality of teaching and learning of English through the development of innovative courses.
Jayanti S. Sothinathan and Joy Quah, lecturers at ELTC in the Department of Language & Technology, are tasked with developing programs that integrate technology meaningfully and purposefully into the teaching of English in the classroom. “We were exploring the use of multimedia in the English language class and the Intel Teach Program arrived at an opportune time,” says Joy. “The program fits into our basic
philosophy of education and pedagogical practices that we are trying to promote.” Jayanti recalls the difficulties English
language teachers faced: “They would approach us saying ‘we have computers, but we don’t know what language skills we can
teach with the use of the computers. And they used to teach students how to type out essays on Microsoft Word* and had them
hand these in as assignments, thinking that that’s integration of technology in language but it’s not.”
After being first exposed to the Intel Teach Program in 2006, Jayanti & Joy found that it gave them the opportunity to enhance their teaching methodology in the classroom and that technology provided the vehicle with which they could teach language more effectively.
Jayanti is also of the opinion that literacy is not confined to words alone : Visual literacy and digital literacy are as equally important, and technology enhances all the different types of literacy. When teaching language skills, reading for example, the use of hyperlinks allows a text to be interactive and at the same time technology has provided the means in which students can explore beyond the written page.
For Joy, mastering the language involves reading extensively in English, being exposed to materials in English and being able to write in English. “We have to get the students to think and function in English. And by bringing the Internet into the English language classrooms, we bring language resources to our students,” she explains.
Even though Intel provides the framework and theory, Jayanti and Joy bring in their own experience and input to enable teachers who are attending the course to better understand it. “Teachers need to learn how to translate 21 century skills into classroom activities, and as the content that Intel provides is flexible, it lets teachers develop it themshelves,” explains
Jayanti.
After attending the Intel Teach Essentials Course, the teachers realized that they have new ways of teaching English. It has opened up a whole new perspective to them, changed the way they approached technology and how it can be a valuable and effective tool to make their language classes more interesting and relevant to students.
One of these teachers was Rohani Haji Ahmad, an English language teacher at Sekolah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 9(1). “The course had taught me that the learning process need not be limited to within the four walls of the classroom or just by using
textbooks. It can be extended to their surroundings and environment,” she says.
Rohani shares that her teaching methods are now more student-centered, where students have to source for information, express their own ideas and generally be more creative. Students are also exposed to elements of collaboration and cooperation during their lessons and also given the opportunity to project their ideas. “When I’m away for meetings and courses, I still set projects and
assignments for my students via my blog and I’m also able to correct and comment on their work after they’ve posted their answers
there.”
ncorporating ICT into her lessons has boosted her students’ interest in learning, notes Rohani. “They’ve come up to me and say that they enjoy the lessons and that they love creating their own blogs and being given the choice of presenting their assignments in their own way.”
Being exposed to self-learning has also made her students more outspoken and confident. Rohani could see the changes her students have gone through. “Not only has their self-esteem improved, but their level of teamwork and cooperation has also been
enhanced through collaboration in projects and sharing of knowledge,” says Rohani.
Commenting on the role that educators play in integrating ICT into the teaching of English language in the classroom, Dr. Lee Boon Hua, former Head of Department of Language & Technology at ELTC says, “Teachers need to understand the role of ICT in education. Just using the computer to teach is not integration of ICT at all, that is just a technologically enhanced lesson.”
Dr. Lee goes on to explain that the objective is for students to use what they have learned. For example, the student obtains information from the website, reads it and responds through the use of wiki, blog and even creating a website, and presents his project using MS PowerPoint*. “ICT has already changed the lives of almost everybody, and if language teaching does not keep up with or incorporate these developments, it will be out of sync with real life and be irrelevant to students.” Intel brought in material that has already proven workable worldwide with excellent results, which only needed slight adaptation or localization to fit the Malaysian context. Dr. Lee acknowledges that it would have been a mammoth task to develop a module with the small team in the department. Results and benefits from the implementation of the Intel Teach Program have been encouraging and trainers in ELTC have moved from strength to strength. Not only were they developing through local networking, but they were also given the opportunity to do so internationally, enabling them to understand challenges in other countries and gaining a wider
perspective.
“It has been an enriching experience for me,” says Jayanti, who deals with teachers with different levels of skills, adding that the program has given her a choice of how she wants to teach and learn. She has also presented papers based on her work on the Intel Teach Program at conferences, detailing how it has helped both teachers and students to be technology savvy.
Joy’s exposure to Intel Teach Version 10 kickstarted her exploration of Web 2.0 technology, which she credits as the springboard for her own personal development. “I became totally convinced of the value of this technology for the English classroom,” she enthuses. “It’s a very hands-on experience and the students find learning how to blog and using wiki extremely interesting. It was daunting for them at first, but they began to feel very clued-in when they’re dealing with this kind of technology as it’s very relevant to real life needs.”
Dr. Choong Kam Foong, Director of ELTC notes that there is now a visibly higher degree of awareness of integration of ICT in the teaching of English language in the classroom. “Lecturers and staff are given support in the form of infrastructure such as a computer each and encouragement and flexibility to attend courses and conferences for personal development,” she says. Dr. Choong also commented that lecturers are now more aware of how much technology can do to raise students’ interests and help to engage them in class.
Spotlight: The English Language Teaching Center, Malaysia
For more information, visit
www.eltc.edu.my*.
Intel Teach has been the driving force behind the change in teaching and learning since 1999 with over 5 million teachers trained in more than 50 countries. Using the Train-the-Trainer model, teachers learn from other teachers the how, when, and where of incorporating technology into their teaching to enhance student learning.
In Malaysia, Intel works with the Ministry of Education and teacher training institutions as well as university teacher training faculties to integrate the Intel Teach curriculum into national pre-service and in-service teacher training. The Intel Teach Essential course provides practical instruction for in-service teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning. Teachers are then able to develop lesson plans that engage students in the use of technology to conduct research, compile information and communicate results. Since the Intel Teach Program was introduced in Malaysia in 2000, more than 50,000 teachers have been trained.
When the Intel Teach Program was first introduced to Dr. Lee, the then Head of Department of Language & Technology at ELTC, the first thing that struck him was that that was exactly what the department wanted. “ICT skills are learnt not for their own sake, but for improving, enhancing and strengthening the delivery of the teachers’ lessons,” he emphasized. With the opportunity that Intel provided, the ELTC team was able to connect with people who were also interested in this area such as lecturers from other colleges, which facilitated inter-college discussion on the matter.
An institute that caters to the needs of inservice teachers, ELTC strengthens ELT teachers‘ knowledge by helping them approach English in a varienty of ways, for example through technology. Now with Mathematics and Science subjects taught in English as well, the role of ELTC has expanded. Having pioneered the development of the ETeMS modules, ELTC has diversified its clientele to include Science and Mathematics teachers. “Our main role is to impact the use of the English language in this country at all levels. That is the path we’re taking and hope to strengthen,” says Jayanti.
ELTC is also in the development stage for a new high-tech campus in Nilai scheduled to be functional in 2 years’ time. “The demand for courses has increased so tremendously that we need more facilities to cater to this need,” says Dr. Choong, “And with more courses to conduct comes the need to have more lecturers who are well versed in both ICT and language and the Intel Teach Program helps us produce lecturers with these qualities.”
“By clarifying the role of ICT in education, the Intel Teach Program has shown that technology has a place
to help enhance the education process and to enable students to grow. ”
Dr. Lee Boon Hua Former Head of Department of Language & Technology, ELTC
Intel® Education Initiative
The Intel Education Initiative is Intel's sustained commitment to prepare all students, anywhere, with the skills required to thrive in the knowledge economy by improving teaching and learning through the effective use of technology and advancing math, science, and engineering education and research. Through a sustained public-private partnership with educators and governments in more than 50 countries, Intel works with international organizations and governments at an international, national, and local level and invests approximately USD 100 million per year in education programs adapted to address the needs of each country to advocate for 21 st century educational excellence through policy work and awareness efforts.
This document is for informational purposes only.
INTEL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT.
Programs of the Intel® Education Initiative are funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation.
Copyright 2008, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Education Initiative, and Intel Teach Program are
trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and the other countries.
* Other names and brands are the property of their respective owners.
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