Cher Ping LIM
Professor LIM Cher Ping is a Chair Professor of Learning Technologies and Innovation from the Curriculum and Instruction Department at The Education University of Hong Kong. He has led several large scale research projects that include the Effective Integration of ICT in Singapore Schools – Policy and Pedagogical Implications, Using WAP and GPRS Technologies to Support E-discussions and E-sharing, Gaming in 3D Virtual Environments - Exploring Communities, Student Engagement, Learning Objects and Cultural Settings, Digital Curricular Literacies, Improving the Quality and Quantity of Teachers in the Asia-Pacific and Using Digital Representations of Work for Authentic and Reliable Performance Assessment in Senior Secondary School courses. These projects have significant impacts on the teaching and learning practices and education policies in the region; raising a greater awareness among educators and policymakers of the need for evidence-based practices and policies. He has worked on various education projects with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Links, UNESCO, USAID, Inter-American Development Bank, SEAMEO, Microsoft, ACER Computers, Asian and Australian schools and various government and non-government organisations.
Professor Lim has published internationally in different areas of education technologies, namely ICT-based learning environments in schools, teacher education and corporations. A Selection of his key publications are:
- Lim, C.P., Tay, L.Y., & Hedberg, J.G. (2011). Employing an activity-theoretical perspective to localize an education innovation in an elementary school. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 44(3), 315-340.
- Lim, C.P. & Cheah, H.M. (2010). Situating practitioner research in future schools (pp.2-14). In L.Y., Tay, C.P., Lim, & M.S., Khine (Eds.), Research by Practitioners for Practitioners: A School’s Journey into the Future. Singapore: Pearson.
- Lim, C.P., Cock, K., Lock, G., & Brook, C. (Ed.) (2009). Innovative Practices in Pre-Service Teacher Education: An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
- Lim, C.P. & Chai, C.S. (2008). Rethinking Classroom-Oriented Instructional Development Models to Mediate Instructional Planning in Technology Enhanced Learning Environments. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(8), 2002-2013.
- Lim, C. P., & Chai, C. S. (2008). Teachers' pedagogical beliefs and their planning and conduct of computer-mediated classroom lessons. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 804-828.
- Lim, C.P. (2007). Effective integration of ICT in Singapore schools: Pedagogical and policy implications. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(1), 83-116.
- Lim, C. P., Nonis, D., & Hedberg, J. (2006). Gaming in a 3D multi-user virtual environment (MUVE): Engaging students in Science lessons. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37(2), 211-231.
- Lim, C. P., & Barnes, S. (2005). A collective case study of the use of ICT in Economics courses: A sociocultural approach. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 14(4), 489-526.
- Lim, C. P., & Hung, W. L. (2003). An activity theory approach to research of ICT integration in Singapore schools. Computers and Education, 41(1), 49-63.
Phone: +85229487049
Address: The Hong Kong Institute of Education
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po
New Territories
Hong Kong SAR
Professor Lim has published internationally in different areas of education technologies, namely ICT-based learning environments in schools, teacher education and corporations. A Selection of his key publications are:
- Lim, C.P., Tay, L.Y., & Hedberg, J.G. (2011). Employing an activity-theoretical perspective to localize an education innovation in an elementary school. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 44(3), 315-340.
- Lim, C.P. & Cheah, H.M. (2010). Situating practitioner research in future schools (pp.2-14). In L.Y., Tay, C.P., Lim, & M.S., Khine (Eds.), Research by Practitioners for Practitioners: A School’s Journey into the Future. Singapore: Pearson.
- Lim, C.P., Cock, K., Lock, G., & Brook, C. (Ed.) (2009). Innovative Practices in Pre-Service Teacher Education: An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
- Lim, C.P. & Chai, C.S. (2008). Rethinking Classroom-Oriented Instructional Development Models to Mediate Instructional Planning in Technology Enhanced Learning Environments. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(8), 2002-2013.
- Lim, C. P., & Chai, C. S. (2008). Teachers' pedagogical beliefs and their planning and conduct of computer-mediated classroom lessons. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 804-828.
- Lim, C.P. (2007). Effective integration of ICT in Singapore schools: Pedagogical and policy implications. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(1), 83-116.
- Lim, C. P., Nonis, D., & Hedberg, J. (2006). Gaming in a 3D multi-user virtual environment (MUVE): Engaging students in Science lessons. British Journal of Educational Technology, 37(2), 211-231.
- Lim, C. P., & Barnes, S. (2005). A collective case study of the use of ICT in Economics courses: A sociocultural approach. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 14(4), 489-526.
- Lim, C. P., & Hung, W. L. (2003). An activity theory approach to research of ICT integration in Singapore schools. Computers and Education, 41(1), 49-63.
Phone: +85229487049
Address: The Hong Kong Institute of Education
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po
New Territories
Hong Kong SAR
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Books by Cher Ping LIM
To address these challenges, UNESCO Bangkok in partnership with The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) launched a two-year project to build the capacity of HEIs for blended learning. One of the outcomes of the project was this book by a team of blended learning experts and leaders in the region. Blended Learning for Quality Higher Education presents a framework and self-assessment tool developed from a holistic view of building institutional capacity to drive, sustain, and scale up blended learning. It incorporates case studies from experienced HEIs in the region to demonstrate how the framework and its dimensions could be operationalised, and how the gaps identified in the self-assessment exercise could be addressed.
This book documents Beacon Primary School’s journey towards growing a community of reflective practitioners. The school leaders and teachers harness upon practitioner research and reflect upon the impact of education innovations on current teaching and learning practices, especially in the area of seamless integration of ICT into the curriculum for engaged learning. Practitioner research allows teachers to examine best practices through the review of up-to-date research studies, experiment with innovative teaching and learning strategies, and review and evaluate their practices by collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. Through this systematic approach, teachers look and reflect more deeply into their practices and hence increasing the likelihood of achieving a transformation in their practice and behaviour. The school could also share its experiences with both local and international audiences through conferences, publications, and professional learning visits to the school.
Beacon Primary School is located in the west of Singapore. It began operations as the pioneer future school under the FutureSchools@Singapore programme with its first intake of Primary 1 pupils in 2008. The FutureSchools@Singapore programme is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education (Singapore) and the Infocomm Development Authority. Beacon Primary School seeks innovative teaching approaches that leverage on technologies to better engage this new generation of learners. The core belief at Beacon is that to meet future challenges, pupils and teachers must extend their learning beyond knowledge, skills, and values to envision for the future and contribute to making a difference. Emphasis is placed on integration of technology into the standard curriculum with adaptations for digital age learners. Learning spaces have been configured to take advantage of the affordances of technology. Three programmes anchor learning at Beacon. They are Media and Arts Channel, which aims to nurture creativity through integration of language learning with Art, Music and Social Studies; Investigative Channel, which fosters curiosity and inquiry and reasoning skills through learning of Mathematics and Science; and Wellness Channel which promotes healthy living and the skills, values and attitudes for self-directed learning, tapping on Physical Education, Health Education, Civic and Moral Education and Pastoral Care. Together, they provide a holistic education and aim to develop the pupils in their academic, physical, and social emotional well-being.
In Chapter 1, Lim and Cheah provide an outline of situating practitioner research in the future schools. They explain how practitioner research may be made an integral part as the school embarks on the concomitant adjustments in the curriculum, organisational processes and structures, and professional development practices to support whole-school integration of ICT into teaching and learning. They further argue that practitioner research would bring significant impacts on the following areas: informing and shaping own practices and professional learning; changing conditions of practices; shaping other teachers’ practices; and informing education researchers and policymakers. The initial findings suggest that: (1) teachers are taking ownership of change and learning; (2) teachers are also constantly sharing and coaching among themselves; (3) there is also a strong presence of leadership support; and (4) teachers are also challenging the existing forms of knowledge through their in-depth reflection and analysis of their practices.
Chapter 2 by Tay, Lim, and Lim propose practitioner research as a form of professional learning that could possibly inform and transform the teachers’ practices. A framework for practitioner research in ICT-enriched learning environments based on the setting up of the necessary socio-cultural conditions (people, resources, and systems) is put forward to better support practitioner research in schools, just like the conducive environment in a garden for its plants to blossom. Continuous professional learning is essential for teachers to keep abreast of the latest updates and developments in their professional practice. The framework proposes an active, collaborative, and systemic approach towards professional learning of teachers with a potential of transforming teaching practices in an ICT-enriched teaching and learning environment.
Tay, Nair, and Lim, outline the school’s journey towards one-to-one computing initiative in Chapter 3. This Chapter describe how the tablet PCs are being deployed and used in the classrooms vis-à-vis the other technologies (e.g., the wireless environment and interactive whiteboards). The authors report that the tablet PCs are being used as a productive tool to create digital stories. Pupils were observed to have higher levels of engagement with a high frequency of technology use in the classrooms. The importance of non-ICT activities was also highlighted. The above outcomes could be attributed to the high level of competency and continuous professional development of the staff, expectation of being a future school, good management of the deployment of technology, and great division of labour. They call for a curriculum that purposefully integrates ICT, enhancing teachers’ competencies and changing their beliefs, the blending of ICT & non-ICT activities, and the use of substitutive instead of transformative approach for such an initiative.
Transformation of Practices in Action
Chapters 4 to 7 provide more details of the research studies carried out by the teachers in Beacon Primary School.
In Chapter 4, Ng, Chai, Wen, and Lim study the benefits of weaving activities and practices of journalism into the learning of Chinese language with collaborative strategies. Pupils emulate the roles of the journalistic community. Pupils learn to interact with each other while engaging in group learning. They examine the effects of collaborative learning using pre and post tests of the pupil created digital stories. Findings indicate significant improvement in the vocabularies used. The digital stories by the pupils are also more coherent and meaningful.
Chapter 5 by Abas, Fong, and Yu, describe their experience with their use of digital storytelling using tablet PCs with two classes of primary ones (7 years old). The authors have observed that tablet PCs offer greater opportunities for pupils when it is used to support digital storytelling. Indeed, the tablet PCs offer great opportunities for classroom teachers but using it to support digital storytelling also presents other challenges.
In Chapter 6, Lye, Saban, and Churchill describe how they use Web 2.0 tools with their pupils. They examine and share their implementation of a blog-based learning environment for information dissemination, teaching and learning for young children aged 7 to 8. The findings indicate the emergence of positive home-school relationship between the teachers and parents. Pupils are also observed to be more independent and productive learners with technology.
For Chapter 7, Suleiman, Kaliamoorthy, and Khine leverage on ICT to better engage their young pupils in the learning of Malay and Tamil Languages. Although there are challenges to be addressed in the implementation and integration of ICT into their classrooms, pupils are observed to exhibit greater interest and confidence. The authors provide recommendations for future considerations.
Sustaining Change and Transformation
In the concluding Chapter (i.e., Chapter 8), Lim, Tay, and Hedberg, describe the role of practitioner research as a change agent for possible pedagogical transformation and change. This Chapter also looks into the different phases of change and the learning points gathered. One major challenge identified is the sustainability of this transformation process.
Concluding Remarks
We have begun the practitioner research journey in Beacon Primary School with the intention of building a community of reflective practitioners; practitioners who constantly reflect upon their existing practices based on the evidences from their own classrooms and other research studies, and attempt to transform these practices to improve upon students’ learning outcomes. By engaging in practitioner research and documenting the processes and outcomes, the teachers and school leaders in the school have not only reflected upon and transformed their own practices, they have begun the quests of informing the practices and policies of other schools and guiding national policymakers in the formulation of education policies to better support education innovations in schools. We hope that this book will acquaint the readers — teachers, school leaders, teacher educators, policymakers, and education researchers — to the concept of practitioner research and its documentation of how education innovations have been integrated into the school and classroom practices to enhance students’ learning outcomes.
It used to be the belief that the new generation of teachers would be ready to use technology since they grew up in the age of the Internet. However, this belief is unfounded. Using ICT for personal purposes is drastically different than for education.
Teacher education institutions (TEIs) are tasked with the responsibility of preparing high-quality teachers, who must be able to use ICT competently and creatively in educational settings. TEIs have to provide ample opportunities and engaging environments to help new and returning teachers develop such capabilities.
But TEIs face challenges as well. A majority of teacher educators have not been prepared to teach with ICT. Moreover, TEIs lack the vision, plan, infrastructure, and resources required for future teachers to develop ICT skills for education.
This toolkit aims to help TEIs meet these challenges. It contains comprehensive, research-based, and action-oriented ideas that TEIs can adopt to build, improve, and sustain a sound education environment for teachers to become proficient in using ICT for education. This toolkit can be used in a variety of ways and contexts, as both the commonality and variety of the nature of institutions and ICT situations in different countries are presented.
This book aims to document these best practices and lessons learnt from the various TEIs in the region, and generate discussions of pertinent issues in pre-service teacher education such as pedagogical beliefs, theory-practice gap, curriculum and assessment, and ICT in education. Drawing upon leading scholars of teacher education from the Asia-Pacific region, the 12 chapters in this book are divided into three main sections:
– Examining Pre-Service Teacher Education
– Engaging Partners in Pre-Service Teacher Education
– Emerging Practices in Pre-Service Teacher Education
The first section of this book provides insights into the whys, whats and hows of pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific: Why is there a need for change in pre-service teacher education? What are the changes in pre-service teacher education? How are the changes of pre-service teacher education meeting the changing needs of schools and their society? The three chapters in this section provide examples of how teacher education institutions in the region are considering the needs of their respective education systems within their courses. Two of the chapters discuss changes of the paradigm and implementation of key components of teacher education courses, while the third chapter examines pre-service teacher epistemological and pedagogical beliefs.
Cheng, in the first chapter of the book, discusses how pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a new paradigm. He suggests that since the 1980s there have been three waves of paradigm shifts, providing an overview of each wave, before exploring the implications for and challenges to the first two waves. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to discussing the third wave in detail. In doing so, Cheng provides empirical evidence of the positive impact of the third wave paradigm shift on indicators of secondary school student learning. In addition, he analyses pre-service teacher education in terms of the third wave aims, curriculum and pedagogy.
Northcote and Lim review the state of pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region. In the first part of the chapter they discuss how teacher education institutions are responding to the demands of teaching in the twenty-first century. While acknowledging variations in teacher education courses throughout the region, they describe the common aims and tasks of these courses. Northcote and Lim then move on to providing introductory comments on the role of partnerships between teacher education institutions and their education systems in responding to the needs of these systems. In the second part of the chapter, the authors identify the key components of pre-service teacher education courses, and then provide a general discussion about how teacher education institutions implement these components. The final part of the chapter presents a series of case studies from teacher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, which are specifically linked to the implementation of the key components.
In the third chapter of this section Khine, Atpusthasamy, Chai and Teo discuss Singaporean pre-service teacher epistemological and pedagogical beliefs. After reviewing the literature on understanding personal epistemologies and teachers’ epistemological and pedagogical beliefs, the authors discuss research they undertook at Singapore’s National Institute of Education. Their study involved 340 postgraduate diploma in education pre-service teachers completing a questionnaire on personal beliefs and conception about teaching and learning. The structure of the questionnaire is outlined, and the results discussed and analysed, with the authors outlining recommendations based on their analysis of the collected data.
The second section of this book examines aspects of engaging partners in pre-service education. The concept is examined in terms of partnerships developed between the pre-service teacher institute and schools, as well as one chapter highlighting partnerships set up between the private sector and schools to enhance the quality and the nature of learning. The chapters indicate the importance and relevance of partnerships particularly to the TEIS that are seeking work-place experience for the students. All four chapters in this section help us to reflect on the nature of partnerships and where the power lies in the relationship. They examine how partnerships can be developed to become of mutually beneficial and hence just not rhetorical. The reader is urged to consider to what degree the examples described in each of the chapters satisfactorily meet the need to address issues around sharing of power and the mutual benefits to each party. Related closely to this are the aspects relating to the sustainability of the partnership. The sustainability and the valuing of the partnership to some degree will be dependent upon each party being able to readily identify ‘what’s in this for me’.
Lock and Yardley in chapter 4 focus upon the administrative structure developed to enhance relationships between government schools and the School of Education. The authors describe partnership relationships established with two school districts within the Western Australian Education Department. These partnerships provide both practicum placements for the student teachers, and professional development opportunities for the teachers within the schools, thus ensuring gains for both the School of Education and the school site. The chapter emphasises the need to have appropriate administrative structures to enable the partnership; the importance of decision making being a collaborative endeavour between all the stakeholders resulting in sharing of the power.
In chapter 5, Suratno and Cock use a case study to explore the enhancement of school-university partnerships within the Indonesian context. They do this through examining the implementation of a particular programme known as ‘lesson study’ into schools. The partnership described incorporates collaborative efforts of the schools, school system, teacher associations and the university. The study provides some insight into the constraints, blocks and rhetoric that surrounds the notion of partnerships between schools and TEIs, and demonstrates the power of partnerships if the mutual benefits can be readily recognised by all parties.
In Chapter 6, Quah examines the nature of public-private partnerships through examples within the project, Microsoft’s Partners in Learning. Once again in this chapter the need for collaborative decision making between partners for ‘mutually agreed objectives to be achieved’ is highlighted. Quah demonstrates the value of partnerships and the influence such partnerships can have upon the reformation of teaching and learning in schools, especially when one of the partners is able to bring to the table resources to support reform. The challenge then for pre-service education is what it can bring to the school institute partnership that will help to resource school improvement.
Wong and Goh in Chapter 7 describe Singapore’s National Institute of Education’s experience in setting up partnerships with schools for teaching practicum. The authors highlight that some partnerships are ‘born out of necessity within a specific context: for example, the need for TEIs to find places for student teachers’ practicum. For the partnership to become strong there must be mutual benefits for each party and there must be some equality of power sharing, hence reinforcing the message which each of the chapters in their own way have addressed.
The third section of this book discusses emerging innovative practices using ICT in pre-service teacher education. The chapters within this section present interesting insights into how teacher education institutions offering pre-service teacher education courses are effectively using ICT to enhance pre-service teacher learning. These cases are of particular relevance as the need to prepare teachers who are open to new ideas, practices and information, together with being able to use ICT in both their learning and teaching becomes increasingly important. For university academics, who have had to learn to use digital technology in their teaching, and who are endeavouring to develop learning experiences for their digital age pre-service teachers, the cases reveal strategies worthy of consideration. Overall, the chapters illustrate different examples, from a variety of tertiary institutions, of how ICT can be integrated into the learning and teaching experiences of pre-service teachers.
Lim in Chapter 8 considers the implementation and evaluation of a program designed to improve pre-service teacher use of technology in their classroom teaching. He discusses an educational program at Seoul National University, which aims to develop pre-service teacher knowledge and skills to enable them to successfully integrate ICT into their teaching. In a different context, Lane describes the innovative use of digital technologies to promote learning and engagement in pre-service teacher education courses at Edith Cowan University. She uses two case studies in Chapter 9 to illustrate, firstly, how digital web 2 technologies are integrated into the design of coursework to accommodate pre-service teacher preferred learning styles, and secondly, how pod casts are used to match postgraduate and undergraduate learning needs and styles.
In chapter 10, Halim, Meerah and Modd explore yet another use of ICT in pre-service teacher education at Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia. They present two case studies, one from a Teaching Training Institute and the other from their university, in which electronic portfolios are part of course assessment requirements. As a result of their research, the authors reveal the impact of portfolios on pre-service teacher learning, while outlining issues requiring close attention. In chapter 11, the integration of technology, using a blended approach to teaching and learning, with content and pedagogy in a postgraduate pre-service teacher group is investigated at the Hong Kong Institute of Education by Ng. She reports on the learning experiences in which pre-service teachers were engaged in face-to-face and online activities by referring to quantitative and qualitative data gathered during her research.
The final chapter in this section differs from the previous four, in that it considers the use of ICT to develop reflective practices in an entire pre-service teacher education course at Edith Cowan University. Yardley, Lock and Walsh discuss the development, implementation and evaluation of a professional learning journal as it evolves from print to eportfolio format. They show how pre-service teachers are able to monitor and self-report on their progressive achievement of course outcomes, together with outlining the structures put in place to support this process.
This book has started out by highlighting the urgent need to improve the quality of teachers, especially pre-service teacher programs. The chapters that follow discuss how various TEIs response or address this need. However, it is often a difficult task for the teacher education program to help pre-service teachers change their underlying beliefs about teaching and learning and equip them with all the competencies that they need to be an effective teacher in school. Even if the beliefs of pre-service teachers have been successfully shifted towards a more constructivist one, the question is whether it will necessarily bring about transformation in their instructional practices. When they enter the real world as classroom teachers, the school culture or/and the pressures of being a practising teacher may nurture or destroy their constructivist pedagogical beliefs. A supportive environment is indeed an important factor in fostering constructivist practices amongst teachers. In such an environment, teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are likely to be reinforced by the consensus of their professional peers and by the expectations of students in their classrooms. At the same time, the professional learning of teachers is a continuum from pre-service through to induction and in-service. TEIs should not feel pressurised to overload the curriculum in order to prepare graduates who are fully competent when they first walk through the school gate. TEIs should instead work closely with schools, and public and private organisations to build the skills of teachers at each stage of their career.
There are eight chapters in this book. The purpose and aims of the book and the key concepts are defined in Chapter One, together with a discussion of the affordances of ICT situated in the complexities of the learning environment. It is emphasised throughout the chapter that what is afforded may not automatically be taken up; and hence, the need for activities supporting and being supported by ICT. This is followed by Chapter Two that describes the different levels of contexts that ICT is situated in by providing an overview of the Singapore education system and its policies. It makes explicit the relational aspect of these different levels of context; where the effects between the various levels of context are multidirectional. The level above and below each level of context affects and is affected by its activities, norms, goals, motivations, and beliefs. This provides a more holistic account of ICT integration in schools. The chapter, however, focuses on the ICT Masterplan implementation process in Singapore. It identifies the key elements of the ICT Masterplan for Singapore schools and describes how ICT has been used to facilitate the teaching and learning processes in schools. It also highlights the transition process from ICT Masterplan 1 (MP1) to ICT Masterplan 2 (MP2).
The formulation of the theoretical framework for studying the integration of ICT in Chapter Three informs most of the studies discussed in this book. The analytic study of ICT as a single learning and teaching variable is rejected for a study that focuses on the context in which the ICT tool is used. This means a rejection of the widespread conception of cognition as the property of the mind for a sociocultural perspective of cognition. From this perspective, ICT is a mediational tool to cognitive development, incorporated within its learning environment of participants and tools. In order to work around the problematic analysis of the various elements in the learning environment and its ecological setting, the expanded mediated triangle by Engeström (1987) is adopted as the unit of analysis. It is then incorporated into Cole’s (1995) culture-as-garden metaphor to account for the ecological setting.
In Chapter Four, the findings of the collective case study of the 10 schools in Singapore are reported and discussed. Each case study is instrumental to learning about how and where ICT is situated in the school. To ensure the accuracy of conclusions drawn, the data from observations, face-to-face interviews with teachers, head of the ICT department and principal, and focus group interviews with students are collected, analysed and triangulated. This chapter discusses classroom management issues that provide the necessary pedagogical conditions or create a conducive environment and scaffolding issues that provide the sufficient pedagogical conditions to facilitate the effective integration of ICT in the schools. In such a learning environment, students are more likely to be task-oriented and reflective, and hence more likely to engage in the learning process. The discussion of the findings is framed by the activity theory.
Chapter Five examines the supporting strategies that are employed by the schools in the collective case study to overcome the barriers to ICT integration. The strategies include the appointment of technical support staff, appointment and training of student ICT helpers, planning time for teachers to prepare for ICT-mediated lessons, collaboration among teachers in preparing ICT-mediated lessons, support provided by school leaders in addressing teachers’ ICT concerns, and professional development for teachers on how to incorporate ICT into classroom instruction. This account provides guidelines for education stakeholders to manage the barriers to support effective ICT integration in schools.
The findings discussed in the last two chapters are based on data collected in the collective case study of the 10 schools. Based on Singapore experiences of the professional development for teachers, Chapter Six provides a descriptive and interpretive account of how the Ministry of Education (MOE), National Institute of Education (NIE), schools and other external agencies collaborate to build teacher capacity for ICT integration in the school curriculum. This chapter examines the critical issues involved in the building of teacher capacity for the integration of ICT in the curriculum, and generates a list of lessons learnt and recommendations from pre-service to in-service teacher education. Teacher educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders of education may then reflect upon these accounts, lessons learnt and recommendations, and formulate their own strategies or policies to build teacher capacity for ICT integration.
The affordances of emerging technologies in education are explored in Chapter Seven based on two case studies: one situates a game-liked three-dimensional (3D) Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) in the primary school curriculum and the other integrates Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) into pre-service teacher education courses. From the discussion, implications are drawn for teaching and learning with emerging technologies where the real challenge is not so much in bringing these technologies into education institutions but rather changing the cultures of these institutions to be organised around learning instead of the current form of social control.
The conclusion of the book is in Chapter Eight. Since personal interpretation plays a significant role in the book, the chapter first traces the beginning of the book: my initial thoughts, as well as the conceptual anchor where the thoughts are grounded. It then provides a summary of the book addressing the key issues of taking up the cognitive affordances, the design of the system of activities, and the role of the teacher. Although the sociocultural settings of the studies discussed in this book are unique ones, the operations and relationships among the tools, participants, systems of activities and ecological settings are not random ones. Therefore, several points are raised regarding the integration of ICT in education.
The main argument of this book is that for ICT to be effectively integrated into education, it must be situated in the learning environment and its ecological setting such that its cognitive affordances are perceived and taken up, activities and strategies are designed and carried out to support and be supported by it, and teachers play a pivotal role in these activities, and school management a pivotal role in these strategies. By presenting an account of where and how ICT can be situated in schools, this book provides accumulated and useable knowledge for existing and prospective adopters of ICT in schools. It may not initiate big changes to learning, teaching, the curriculum and assessment, but it will most certainly promote small and local evolutionary adoptions of ICT in schools. By doing so, it will also be the beginning of endless discussions and debates regarding the pertinent issues of the situation of ICT in education.
Papers & Chapters by Cher Ping LIM
To address these challenges, UNESCO Bangkok in partnership with The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) launched a two-year project to build the capacity of HEIs for blended learning. One of the outcomes of the project was this book by a team of blended learning experts and leaders in the region. Blended Learning for Quality Higher Education presents a framework and self-assessment tool developed from a holistic view of building institutional capacity to drive, sustain, and scale up blended learning. It incorporates case studies from experienced HEIs in the region to demonstrate how the framework and its dimensions could be operationalised, and how the gaps identified in the self-assessment exercise could be addressed.
This book documents Beacon Primary School’s journey towards growing a community of reflective practitioners. The school leaders and teachers harness upon practitioner research and reflect upon the impact of education innovations on current teaching and learning practices, especially in the area of seamless integration of ICT into the curriculum for engaged learning. Practitioner research allows teachers to examine best practices through the review of up-to-date research studies, experiment with innovative teaching and learning strategies, and review and evaluate their practices by collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. Through this systematic approach, teachers look and reflect more deeply into their practices and hence increasing the likelihood of achieving a transformation in their practice and behaviour. The school could also share its experiences with both local and international audiences through conferences, publications, and professional learning visits to the school.
Beacon Primary School is located in the west of Singapore. It began operations as the pioneer future school under the FutureSchools@Singapore programme with its first intake of Primary 1 pupils in 2008. The FutureSchools@Singapore programme is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education (Singapore) and the Infocomm Development Authority. Beacon Primary School seeks innovative teaching approaches that leverage on technologies to better engage this new generation of learners. The core belief at Beacon is that to meet future challenges, pupils and teachers must extend their learning beyond knowledge, skills, and values to envision for the future and contribute to making a difference. Emphasis is placed on integration of technology into the standard curriculum with adaptations for digital age learners. Learning spaces have been configured to take advantage of the affordances of technology. Three programmes anchor learning at Beacon. They are Media and Arts Channel, which aims to nurture creativity through integration of language learning with Art, Music and Social Studies; Investigative Channel, which fosters curiosity and inquiry and reasoning skills through learning of Mathematics and Science; and Wellness Channel which promotes healthy living and the skills, values and attitudes for self-directed learning, tapping on Physical Education, Health Education, Civic and Moral Education and Pastoral Care. Together, they provide a holistic education and aim to develop the pupils in their academic, physical, and social emotional well-being.
In Chapter 1, Lim and Cheah provide an outline of situating practitioner research in the future schools. They explain how practitioner research may be made an integral part as the school embarks on the concomitant adjustments in the curriculum, organisational processes and structures, and professional development practices to support whole-school integration of ICT into teaching and learning. They further argue that practitioner research would bring significant impacts on the following areas: informing and shaping own practices and professional learning; changing conditions of practices; shaping other teachers’ practices; and informing education researchers and policymakers. The initial findings suggest that: (1) teachers are taking ownership of change and learning; (2) teachers are also constantly sharing and coaching among themselves; (3) there is also a strong presence of leadership support; and (4) teachers are also challenging the existing forms of knowledge through their in-depth reflection and analysis of their practices.
Chapter 2 by Tay, Lim, and Lim propose practitioner research as a form of professional learning that could possibly inform and transform the teachers’ practices. A framework for practitioner research in ICT-enriched learning environments based on the setting up of the necessary socio-cultural conditions (people, resources, and systems) is put forward to better support practitioner research in schools, just like the conducive environment in a garden for its plants to blossom. Continuous professional learning is essential for teachers to keep abreast of the latest updates and developments in their professional practice. The framework proposes an active, collaborative, and systemic approach towards professional learning of teachers with a potential of transforming teaching practices in an ICT-enriched teaching and learning environment.
Tay, Nair, and Lim, outline the school’s journey towards one-to-one computing initiative in Chapter 3. This Chapter describe how the tablet PCs are being deployed and used in the classrooms vis-à-vis the other technologies (e.g., the wireless environment and interactive whiteboards). The authors report that the tablet PCs are being used as a productive tool to create digital stories. Pupils were observed to have higher levels of engagement with a high frequency of technology use in the classrooms. The importance of non-ICT activities was also highlighted. The above outcomes could be attributed to the high level of competency and continuous professional development of the staff, expectation of being a future school, good management of the deployment of technology, and great division of labour. They call for a curriculum that purposefully integrates ICT, enhancing teachers’ competencies and changing their beliefs, the blending of ICT & non-ICT activities, and the use of substitutive instead of transformative approach for such an initiative.
Transformation of Practices in Action
Chapters 4 to 7 provide more details of the research studies carried out by the teachers in Beacon Primary School.
In Chapter 4, Ng, Chai, Wen, and Lim study the benefits of weaving activities and practices of journalism into the learning of Chinese language with collaborative strategies. Pupils emulate the roles of the journalistic community. Pupils learn to interact with each other while engaging in group learning. They examine the effects of collaborative learning using pre and post tests of the pupil created digital stories. Findings indicate significant improvement in the vocabularies used. The digital stories by the pupils are also more coherent and meaningful.
Chapter 5 by Abas, Fong, and Yu, describe their experience with their use of digital storytelling using tablet PCs with two classes of primary ones (7 years old). The authors have observed that tablet PCs offer greater opportunities for pupils when it is used to support digital storytelling. Indeed, the tablet PCs offer great opportunities for classroom teachers but using it to support digital storytelling also presents other challenges.
In Chapter 6, Lye, Saban, and Churchill describe how they use Web 2.0 tools with their pupils. They examine and share their implementation of a blog-based learning environment for information dissemination, teaching and learning for young children aged 7 to 8. The findings indicate the emergence of positive home-school relationship between the teachers and parents. Pupils are also observed to be more independent and productive learners with technology.
For Chapter 7, Suleiman, Kaliamoorthy, and Khine leverage on ICT to better engage their young pupils in the learning of Malay and Tamil Languages. Although there are challenges to be addressed in the implementation and integration of ICT into their classrooms, pupils are observed to exhibit greater interest and confidence. The authors provide recommendations for future considerations.
Sustaining Change and Transformation
In the concluding Chapter (i.e., Chapter 8), Lim, Tay, and Hedberg, describe the role of practitioner research as a change agent for possible pedagogical transformation and change. This Chapter also looks into the different phases of change and the learning points gathered. One major challenge identified is the sustainability of this transformation process.
Concluding Remarks
We have begun the practitioner research journey in Beacon Primary School with the intention of building a community of reflective practitioners; practitioners who constantly reflect upon their existing practices based on the evidences from their own classrooms and other research studies, and attempt to transform these practices to improve upon students’ learning outcomes. By engaging in practitioner research and documenting the processes and outcomes, the teachers and school leaders in the school have not only reflected upon and transformed their own practices, they have begun the quests of informing the practices and policies of other schools and guiding national policymakers in the formulation of education policies to better support education innovations in schools. We hope that this book will acquaint the readers — teachers, school leaders, teacher educators, policymakers, and education researchers — to the concept of practitioner research and its documentation of how education innovations have been integrated into the school and classroom practices to enhance students’ learning outcomes.
It used to be the belief that the new generation of teachers would be ready to use technology since they grew up in the age of the Internet. However, this belief is unfounded. Using ICT for personal purposes is drastically different than for education.
Teacher education institutions (TEIs) are tasked with the responsibility of preparing high-quality teachers, who must be able to use ICT competently and creatively in educational settings. TEIs have to provide ample opportunities and engaging environments to help new and returning teachers develop such capabilities.
But TEIs face challenges as well. A majority of teacher educators have not been prepared to teach with ICT. Moreover, TEIs lack the vision, plan, infrastructure, and resources required for future teachers to develop ICT skills for education.
This toolkit aims to help TEIs meet these challenges. It contains comprehensive, research-based, and action-oriented ideas that TEIs can adopt to build, improve, and sustain a sound education environment for teachers to become proficient in using ICT for education. This toolkit can be used in a variety of ways and contexts, as both the commonality and variety of the nature of institutions and ICT situations in different countries are presented.
This book aims to document these best practices and lessons learnt from the various TEIs in the region, and generate discussions of pertinent issues in pre-service teacher education such as pedagogical beliefs, theory-practice gap, curriculum and assessment, and ICT in education. Drawing upon leading scholars of teacher education from the Asia-Pacific region, the 12 chapters in this book are divided into three main sections:
– Examining Pre-Service Teacher Education
– Engaging Partners in Pre-Service Teacher Education
– Emerging Practices in Pre-Service Teacher Education
The first section of this book provides insights into the whys, whats and hows of pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific: Why is there a need for change in pre-service teacher education? What are the changes in pre-service teacher education? How are the changes of pre-service teacher education meeting the changing needs of schools and their society? The three chapters in this section provide examples of how teacher education institutions in the region are considering the needs of their respective education systems within their courses. Two of the chapters discuss changes of the paradigm and implementation of key components of teacher education courses, while the third chapter examines pre-service teacher epistemological and pedagogical beliefs.
Cheng, in the first chapter of the book, discusses how pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a new paradigm. He suggests that since the 1980s there have been three waves of paradigm shifts, providing an overview of each wave, before exploring the implications for and challenges to the first two waves. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to discussing the third wave in detail. In doing so, Cheng provides empirical evidence of the positive impact of the third wave paradigm shift on indicators of secondary school student learning. In addition, he analyses pre-service teacher education in terms of the third wave aims, curriculum and pedagogy.
Northcote and Lim review the state of pre-service teacher education in the Asia-Pacific region. In the first part of the chapter they discuss how teacher education institutions are responding to the demands of teaching in the twenty-first century. While acknowledging variations in teacher education courses throughout the region, they describe the common aims and tasks of these courses. Northcote and Lim then move on to providing introductory comments on the role of partnerships between teacher education institutions and their education systems in responding to the needs of these systems. In the second part of the chapter, the authors identify the key components of pre-service teacher education courses, and then provide a general discussion about how teacher education institutions implement these components. The final part of the chapter presents a series of case studies from teacher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, which are specifically linked to the implementation of the key components.
In the third chapter of this section Khine, Atpusthasamy, Chai and Teo discuss Singaporean pre-service teacher epistemological and pedagogical beliefs. After reviewing the literature on understanding personal epistemologies and teachers’ epistemological and pedagogical beliefs, the authors discuss research they undertook at Singapore’s National Institute of Education. Their study involved 340 postgraduate diploma in education pre-service teachers completing a questionnaire on personal beliefs and conception about teaching and learning. The structure of the questionnaire is outlined, and the results discussed and analysed, with the authors outlining recommendations based on their analysis of the collected data.
The second section of this book examines aspects of engaging partners in pre-service education. The concept is examined in terms of partnerships developed between the pre-service teacher institute and schools, as well as one chapter highlighting partnerships set up between the private sector and schools to enhance the quality and the nature of learning. The chapters indicate the importance and relevance of partnerships particularly to the TEIS that are seeking work-place experience for the students. All four chapters in this section help us to reflect on the nature of partnerships and where the power lies in the relationship. They examine how partnerships can be developed to become of mutually beneficial and hence just not rhetorical. The reader is urged to consider to what degree the examples described in each of the chapters satisfactorily meet the need to address issues around sharing of power and the mutual benefits to each party. Related closely to this are the aspects relating to the sustainability of the partnership. The sustainability and the valuing of the partnership to some degree will be dependent upon each party being able to readily identify ‘what’s in this for me’.
Lock and Yardley in chapter 4 focus upon the administrative structure developed to enhance relationships between government schools and the School of Education. The authors describe partnership relationships established with two school districts within the Western Australian Education Department. These partnerships provide both practicum placements for the student teachers, and professional development opportunities for the teachers within the schools, thus ensuring gains for both the School of Education and the school site. The chapter emphasises the need to have appropriate administrative structures to enable the partnership; the importance of decision making being a collaborative endeavour between all the stakeholders resulting in sharing of the power.
In chapter 5, Suratno and Cock use a case study to explore the enhancement of school-university partnerships within the Indonesian context. They do this through examining the implementation of a particular programme known as ‘lesson study’ into schools. The partnership described incorporates collaborative efforts of the schools, school system, teacher associations and the university. The study provides some insight into the constraints, blocks and rhetoric that surrounds the notion of partnerships between schools and TEIs, and demonstrates the power of partnerships if the mutual benefits can be readily recognised by all parties.
In Chapter 6, Quah examines the nature of public-private partnerships through examples within the project, Microsoft’s Partners in Learning. Once again in this chapter the need for collaborative decision making between partners for ‘mutually agreed objectives to be achieved’ is highlighted. Quah demonstrates the value of partnerships and the influence such partnerships can have upon the reformation of teaching and learning in schools, especially when one of the partners is able to bring to the table resources to support reform. The challenge then for pre-service education is what it can bring to the school institute partnership that will help to resource school improvement.
Wong and Goh in Chapter 7 describe Singapore’s National Institute of Education’s experience in setting up partnerships with schools for teaching practicum. The authors highlight that some partnerships are ‘born out of necessity within a specific context: for example, the need for TEIs to find places for student teachers’ practicum. For the partnership to become strong there must be mutual benefits for each party and there must be some equality of power sharing, hence reinforcing the message which each of the chapters in their own way have addressed.
The third section of this book discusses emerging innovative practices using ICT in pre-service teacher education. The chapters within this section present interesting insights into how teacher education institutions offering pre-service teacher education courses are effectively using ICT to enhance pre-service teacher learning. These cases are of particular relevance as the need to prepare teachers who are open to new ideas, practices and information, together with being able to use ICT in both their learning and teaching becomes increasingly important. For university academics, who have had to learn to use digital technology in their teaching, and who are endeavouring to develop learning experiences for their digital age pre-service teachers, the cases reveal strategies worthy of consideration. Overall, the chapters illustrate different examples, from a variety of tertiary institutions, of how ICT can be integrated into the learning and teaching experiences of pre-service teachers.
Lim in Chapter 8 considers the implementation and evaluation of a program designed to improve pre-service teacher use of technology in their classroom teaching. He discusses an educational program at Seoul National University, which aims to develop pre-service teacher knowledge and skills to enable them to successfully integrate ICT into their teaching. In a different context, Lane describes the innovative use of digital technologies to promote learning and engagement in pre-service teacher education courses at Edith Cowan University. She uses two case studies in Chapter 9 to illustrate, firstly, how digital web 2 technologies are integrated into the design of coursework to accommodate pre-service teacher preferred learning styles, and secondly, how pod casts are used to match postgraduate and undergraduate learning needs and styles.
In chapter 10, Halim, Meerah and Modd explore yet another use of ICT in pre-service teacher education at Universiti Kebangsan Malaysia. They present two case studies, one from a Teaching Training Institute and the other from their university, in which electronic portfolios are part of course assessment requirements. As a result of their research, the authors reveal the impact of portfolios on pre-service teacher learning, while outlining issues requiring close attention. In chapter 11, the integration of technology, using a blended approach to teaching and learning, with content and pedagogy in a postgraduate pre-service teacher group is investigated at the Hong Kong Institute of Education by Ng. She reports on the learning experiences in which pre-service teachers were engaged in face-to-face and online activities by referring to quantitative and qualitative data gathered during her research.
The final chapter in this section differs from the previous four, in that it considers the use of ICT to develop reflective practices in an entire pre-service teacher education course at Edith Cowan University. Yardley, Lock and Walsh discuss the development, implementation and evaluation of a professional learning journal as it evolves from print to eportfolio format. They show how pre-service teachers are able to monitor and self-report on their progressive achievement of course outcomes, together with outlining the structures put in place to support this process.
This book has started out by highlighting the urgent need to improve the quality of teachers, especially pre-service teacher programs. The chapters that follow discuss how various TEIs response or address this need. However, it is often a difficult task for the teacher education program to help pre-service teachers change their underlying beliefs about teaching and learning and equip them with all the competencies that they need to be an effective teacher in school. Even if the beliefs of pre-service teachers have been successfully shifted towards a more constructivist one, the question is whether it will necessarily bring about transformation in their instructional practices. When they enter the real world as classroom teachers, the school culture or/and the pressures of being a practising teacher may nurture or destroy their constructivist pedagogical beliefs. A supportive environment is indeed an important factor in fostering constructivist practices amongst teachers. In such an environment, teachers’ pedagogical beliefs are likely to be reinforced by the consensus of their professional peers and by the expectations of students in their classrooms. At the same time, the professional learning of teachers is a continuum from pre-service through to induction and in-service. TEIs should not feel pressurised to overload the curriculum in order to prepare graduates who are fully competent when they first walk through the school gate. TEIs should instead work closely with schools, and public and private organisations to build the skills of teachers at each stage of their career.
There are eight chapters in this book. The purpose and aims of the book and the key concepts are defined in Chapter One, together with a discussion of the affordances of ICT situated in the complexities of the learning environment. It is emphasised throughout the chapter that what is afforded may not automatically be taken up; and hence, the need for activities supporting and being supported by ICT. This is followed by Chapter Two that describes the different levels of contexts that ICT is situated in by providing an overview of the Singapore education system and its policies. It makes explicit the relational aspect of these different levels of context; where the effects between the various levels of context are multidirectional. The level above and below each level of context affects and is affected by its activities, norms, goals, motivations, and beliefs. This provides a more holistic account of ICT integration in schools. The chapter, however, focuses on the ICT Masterplan implementation process in Singapore. It identifies the key elements of the ICT Masterplan for Singapore schools and describes how ICT has been used to facilitate the teaching and learning processes in schools. It also highlights the transition process from ICT Masterplan 1 (MP1) to ICT Masterplan 2 (MP2).
The formulation of the theoretical framework for studying the integration of ICT in Chapter Three informs most of the studies discussed in this book. The analytic study of ICT as a single learning and teaching variable is rejected for a study that focuses on the context in which the ICT tool is used. This means a rejection of the widespread conception of cognition as the property of the mind for a sociocultural perspective of cognition. From this perspective, ICT is a mediational tool to cognitive development, incorporated within its learning environment of participants and tools. In order to work around the problematic analysis of the various elements in the learning environment and its ecological setting, the expanded mediated triangle by Engeström (1987) is adopted as the unit of analysis. It is then incorporated into Cole’s (1995) culture-as-garden metaphor to account for the ecological setting.
In Chapter Four, the findings of the collective case study of the 10 schools in Singapore are reported and discussed. Each case study is instrumental to learning about how and where ICT is situated in the school. To ensure the accuracy of conclusions drawn, the data from observations, face-to-face interviews with teachers, head of the ICT department and principal, and focus group interviews with students are collected, analysed and triangulated. This chapter discusses classroom management issues that provide the necessary pedagogical conditions or create a conducive environment and scaffolding issues that provide the sufficient pedagogical conditions to facilitate the effective integration of ICT in the schools. In such a learning environment, students are more likely to be task-oriented and reflective, and hence more likely to engage in the learning process. The discussion of the findings is framed by the activity theory.
Chapter Five examines the supporting strategies that are employed by the schools in the collective case study to overcome the barriers to ICT integration. The strategies include the appointment of technical support staff, appointment and training of student ICT helpers, planning time for teachers to prepare for ICT-mediated lessons, collaboration among teachers in preparing ICT-mediated lessons, support provided by school leaders in addressing teachers’ ICT concerns, and professional development for teachers on how to incorporate ICT into classroom instruction. This account provides guidelines for education stakeholders to manage the barriers to support effective ICT integration in schools.
The findings discussed in the last two chapters are based on data collected in the collective case study of the 10 schools. Based on Singapore experiences of the professional development for teachers, Chapter Six provides a descriptive and interpretive account of how the Ministry of Education (MOE), National Institute of Education (NIE), schools and other external agencies collaborate to build teacher capacity for ICT integration in the school curriculum. This chapter examines the critical issues involved in the building of teacher capacity for the integration of ICT in the curriculum, and generates a list of lessons learnt and recommendations from pre-service to in-service teacher education. Teacher educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders of education may then reflect upon these accounts, lessons learnt and recommendations, and formulate their own strategies or policies to build teacher capacity for ICT integration.
The affordances of emerging technologies in education are explored in Chapter Seven based on two case studies: one situates a game-liked three-dimensional (3D) Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) in the primary school curriculum and the other integrates Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) into pre-service teacher education courses. From the discussion, implications are drawn for teaching and learning with emerging technologies where the real challenge is not so much in bringing these technologies into education institutions but rather changing the cultures of these institutions to be organised around learning instead of the current form of social control.
The conclusion of the book is in Chapter Eight. Since personal interpretation plays a significant role in the book, the chapter first traces the beginning of the book: my initial thoughts, as well as the conceptual anchor where the thoughts are grounded. It then provides a summary of the book addressing the key issues of taking up the cognitive affordances, the design of the system of activities, and the role of the teacher. Although the sociocultural settings of the studies discussed in this book are unique ones, the operations and relationships among the tools, participants, systems of activities and ecological settings are not random ones. Therefore, several points are raised regarding the integration of ICT in education.
The main argument of this book is that for ICT to be effectively integrated into education, it must be situated in the learning environment and its ecological setting such that its cognitive affordances are perceived and taken up, activities and strategies are designed and carried out to support and be supported by it, and teachers play a pivotal role in these activities, and school management a pivotal role in these strategies. By presenting an account of where and how ICT can be situated in schools, this book provides accumulated and useable knowledge for existing and prospective adopters of ICT in schools. It may not initiate big changes to learning, teaching, the curriculum and assessment, but it will most certainly promote small and local evolutionary adoptions of ICT in schools. By doing so, it will also be the beginning of endless discussions and debates regarding the pertinent issues of the situation of ICT in education.
The chapter begins with an overview of e-portfolios as digital assessment tools. A typology of e-portfolios is then presented to analyse the situations where e-portfolios are applied in higher education. The chapter goes on to argue for two essential affordances of e-portfolios, namely: (a) empowerment and ownership of learning for students, and (b) feedback and interactivity by drawing on digital technology. This is followed by a discussion of challenges and opportunities of e-portfolios in meeting conventional assessment criteria, including: reliability, validity, authenticity, and honesty. Key pedagogical factors influencing the use of e-portfolios as digital assessment are then examined, giving rise to four strategies for effective implementation of e-portfolios:
Analysis of students’ learning needs and contexts for using e-portfolios
Constructive alignment between learning, teaching, and assessment
Scaffolding of students’ learning progress through task design
Capacity building and sustained support for students and teachers
By considering these strategies, teachers of HEIs are likely to maximise the affordances of e-portfolios, and ultimately enhance the quality of learning outcomes. Along with these strategies, this chapter points out several aspects of e-portfolio implementation that warrant future research
Objective(s) and motivation(s):
At the end of the workshop, participants would be able to: (a) identify the affordances offered by digital teaching portfolio to enhance teaching and learning practices; (b) reflect upon their existing teaching and learning practices and identify gaps for improvement; and (3) develop an outline of their own teaching portfolio.
The main motivation for the workshop participation are to be acquainted with and experience the following affordances of digital teaching portfolio: (a) enables participants to critically reflect upon their pedagogies and formulate plans for future professional development; (b) provides opportunities to engage in constructive dialogues regardless of time and location; (c) facilitates participants to collect evidence of effective teaching and learning; and (d) offers a platform to showcase one’s work and achievement for formative and summative purposes.
Based on the lessons learned from the pilot studies that include establishing buy-in from staff and students, developing support resources and system, and re-thinking and re-designing assessment tasks, this session shares with participants the key components that support the scaling up of the e-portfolio initiative in the Institute. The components include: professional learning sessions and walk-in clinics for students and staff, partnerships with staff to co-develop the assessment tasks and learning activities, senior management buy-in of the initiative for the core courses, support resources for self-learning, and ongoing evaluation of the implementation to refine the process.
produced and shared digital stories about their everyday lives and local cultures, with students being invited to give
feedback on the language and content of the stories produced by their overseas peers. The main lessons learned during the
project involved the need to seek common ground between the expectations of the Chinese and Australian partners. These
pertained to five main categories: motivation, educational culture, organisation, technology, and pedagogy. Despite the
challenges, students engaged in some valuable language and cultural learning, teachers developed some insights into the
learning possibilities at the intersection of pedagogy and technology, and the researchers are beginning to develop a list
of key recommendations to consider when setting up such cross-cultural, technology-supported projects.