Beacon Primary School, Singapore

I selected and explored one of these case studies

Collective Case Study of Promising Practices Moscow, Russian Federation: UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education

It was...
Beacon Primary School, Singapore, by Lee Yong TAY and Cher Ping LIM.

Then, I reflected upon the following questions:

• Role of teachers: Given the promising practices in the case study, how would you describe the role of the teachers in these learning environments?
• Capacity of teachers: Having identified the role of the teachers, can you list and explain the competencies that they will require to take up the role effectively?
• Supporting conditions: What are the supporting conditions (at the school and system level) and how do they support the teachers in these learning environments?

Role of teachers

Teachers in the ICT-mediated learning environment as this case have to take on the more demanding role of MEDIATOR and knowledge breaker to provide guidance, strategic support, and assistance t help students at all levels to assume increasing responsibility for their own learning.    

Capacity of teachers

Some competencies as a facilitator could be: 

Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes. For example; the application Flipped classroom as a form of blended learning in which students learn online at least part of the time while attending the conventional schools.  In the reviewed document pointed out that Mathematics teachers experimented with the flipped classroom concept to engage and enhance students´academic performance. Students learned the content from teacher-created online videos on the solving of mathematical problem sums before they come to class. The students then focus on practicing their sums in class with guidance from the teachers. Both students and teachers welcome this approach and they feel that this approach helps with their learning and academic performance, especially for mathematics.

Another competency is Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems. For example Use of blogs and open- source software applications.  This school uses such online software applications quite extensively for all students for the various subjects taught (i.e., English, Mathematics, and Science). All teachers used blogs in their sessions, and they were not only used for information dissemination and online collaboration, they are an online platform that linked to other online software applications (e.g., links to online videos, games and etc.); in other words, the blog site became the gateway to other applications. The blogs as the reviewed document described were also used as a platform for students to do online asynchronous discussions.  In that way, learners of Beacon Primary School become creators of multimedia. 

The third competency, Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on maker spaces or in the field. For example, the digital storytelling pedagogical approach, where students create their own digital stories with text, images, sound and record their voices for language learning is integrated as part of the languages curriculum. This digital storytelling approach is the school´s signature approach to the integration of ICT into the learning of languages. By telling a story learners reflect on what they know, examine their views and record their own personal experiences, while teacher monitor and guide this process. Teachers motivate and also can assess students using this strategy. In fact, with digital tools, it is even easier to share, revise and even critique stories and learn from one another... and teachers also learn. :) In this kind of practice, it is seen another competency... Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections. 

Teachers in Beacon Primary School also Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instructions. The document points out that the alternative assessments include the evaluation of students´drama perfomarce, audio recordings, digital stories, journals and portfolios. Students are also given termly progress cards to update parents of their progress. Technology also enabled teachers to eplore alternative assessments forms. For example, the audio recordings by pupils, in preparation for oral examinations, enable teachers to better facilitate pupils´practice. Other forms of assessmnt implemented, also involved various skateholders in the learning process including self, peers and teachers.  Pupils are also actively in reflections as they developed their initial personal portfolios. The wide range of assessments has allowed he school to report on the pupils´development beyond academic results and inform pupils, parents and teachers on specfic aspects of the pupils´development in a broader range of areas. 

Supporting conditions

The supporting conditions which support these teachers in the learning environment of Beacon Primary School are: 

• Policy and School Leadership 
• Curriculum and Assessment
• Profesional Development
• Physical and Technological Infrastructure
• Partnership and engagement

Policy and School Leadership: School policies and national policies are needed to ensure the effective implementation of ICT in classrooms. 

Curriculum and Assessment: ICT integration required modifications in the curriculum and assessment method in this school. This reform in the curriculum should be consistent with the national ICT policy and curriculum. This reform should take into consideration teachers´personal perspectives, teaching practices, and support. 

Professional Development: This school focuses on helping teachers to gain sufficient competencies in the areas of curriculum design and integration, pedagogical approaches, assessment practices, technology integration, and educational research. Teachers are provided with professional development opportunities through on- line platforms, workshops and conferences, internal and external sharing sessions and discussions, spanning subjects and levels. This will enable teachers to be both pedagogically and technically competent to contribute to and facilitate teaching and learning with ICT. 

The initiative of practitioner research where teachers become researchers to systematically reflect, learn to improve and share their practices. Since 2008, several interesting and innovative teaching pedagogical practices have been developed.

Physical and Technological Infrastructure: In terms of hardware, the school started implementing it's one- to- one computing efforts from 2008, when it opened its door to its first cohort of Primary1 students. Each classroom was equipped with an interactive whiteboard and two LDC projector. Also, the tablet PC was stored in a wooden storage and charging units. Each unit could only house six tablets PCs The mobile storage and charging units were initially shared among the eight Primary 1 classes. A wireless environment was also set up int he classrooms to further the one- to- one effort.  THe school continues being equipped.  THe school has equipped key learning facilities as personal learning devices. 

The classrooms were furnished to allow flexible use of space, enhance mobility of teachers and encourage various types of interactions..  Seating has been arranged in groups signaling the importance of collaborative learning. In addition to the building of a physical infrastructure, the schools has successfully adopted the use of an open- source software infrastructure to provide essential teaching and learning facilities o teachers an students. 

Partnership and engagement: The Future Schools@Singapore program is a joint project between MOW and IDA. Officers from both agencies have worked with the school since December 2006 during the planning phase of making the school a Future School. Their school community consists of their parents, school administrators, teachers non-academic staff, the MInistry of Education, Infocomm Developments Authority, Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) and industry partners. 

I want to visit this school in Singapore!!!!! Does anyone want to invite me? :)