Siu Cheung Kong

A curriculum framework for implementing information technology in school education to foster information literacy

A literature review of the development of the information technology (IT) curriculum in recent decades in Hong Kong reveals that the aim of the curriculum has shifted from Computer Studies to the development of information literacy (IL). Based on a survey of all schools in Hong Kong and in response to the demand for IL in society, a curriculum framework is proposed that fosters the IL of students. The curriculum framework is based on the rationale of significant learning and designed on the principles of providing authenticity and creating reflection. It consists of three parts: a core IT curriculum; use of knowledge about IT and information processing across curricula; and a school culture that fosters IL. Four issues that are critical for the successful implementation of the proposed curriculum framework are discussed: school-based implementation models; the provision of service learning activities; support from parents; and reduction of the digital divide between students.

A cognitive tool for teaching the addition/subtraction of common fractions: a model of affordances

The aim of this research is to devise a cognitive tool for meeting the diverse needs of learners for comprehending new procedural knowledge. A model of affordances on teaching fraction equivalence for developing procedural knowledge for adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators was derived from the results of a case study of an initial prototype of a graphical partitioning model. Offering affordances in our model makes available profitable spaces for learners to interact in ways that meet their needs. This model of affordances was evaluated by a pre-test--post-test control group design to study the performance of the experimental group in learning with the model. Results of the study indicated that the model afforded learners, with various abilities for learning, knowledge of fraction equivalence. The key for mediating the generation of procedural knowledge for adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators in working with our cognitive tool was the concept of fraction equivalence and the capability of computing this.

The development of a cognitive tool for teaching and learning fractions in the mathematics classroom: A design-based study

Two cycles of design-based research of a cognitive tool (CT) for teaching fractions have been completed. Following the success of a quasi-experimental study of the enhanced CT derived from the second cycle of design-based research, this article reports the findings of a pre-test-post-test control group empirical study using the enhanced CT in the classroom. The results indicate that there were no statistically significant differences in learning outcomes between the exploratory learning approach, using the CT, and the traditional direct teaching approach. The CT enabled students to generate a procedural knowledge of adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators through an exploratory learning process. Teachers asserted that the CT was effective for stimulating reciprocal tutoring among students, and students were enthusiastic about using the CT as an educational tool. Hence, the CT has potential for further development as a tool for promoting collaborative learning in the classroom.

Using a web-enabled video system to support student-teachers' self-reflection in teaching practice

With the goal of promoting student-teachers to reflect on their teaching performance, a web-enabled video system was developed to permit them to record their classroom performance and then retrieve online videos of their teaching for self-reflection. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of online videos in facilitating self-reflection amongst student-teachers. Eight student-teachers from four disciplines were invited to use the video system to reflect on their teaching in two lessons. A content analysis was conducted to compare the reflective notes made by the student-teachers before and after browsing the videos of their teaching. The results indicated that video browsing prompted student-teachers to generate an additional 50 per cent of reflective notes and stimulated them to significantly increase the depth of their reflective thoughts in the areas of discipline and classroom management, and professional knowledge on teaching. Building on the gains achieved in this way, student-teachers can subsequently engage in in-depth professional dialogue with their teacher supervisors.

The Development and Validation of an Information Literacy Model for Hong Kong Students: Key Issues in the Professional Development of Teachers for Capacity Building.

An information literacy (IL) framework has been proposed for Hong Kong students to adapt to the emergence of the knowledge‐based society, digital culture and globalisation. The aims of the study reported herein were to validate the proposed IL model and collect the views of practitioners and representative stakeholders on the possibility of its successful implementation. The findings of a survey, focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews indicate that the aims and scope of the IL model were recognised as being relevant. Three key issues of professional development in the IL education—the realisation of capacity building, obtaining the consensus and support of school principals and teachers, and allowing practitioners the flexibility to organise their own development—were identified from amongst the concerns of practitioners and representative stakeholders. Nine modules for teacher professional development are proposed here to address these issues.

Guest reviewers: volume 10

Contributing reviewersThe Editors express their thanks to the persons named below for contributing to the review process in respect of paper submissions received in 2015.

An empirical study of school‐based planning for the use of information technology to improve the quality of education in the twenty‐first century

This study aims to provide recommendations on school‐based planning for the use of information technology (IT) to improve the quality of school education. Focus group discussions and case studies were conducted to collect the views of school practitioners on the need for IT in education and related areas of school‐based planning. The results of this study indicated that schools in Hong Kong recognise the importance of Twenty‐first Century Knowledge, the role of IT and the need for school‐based IT in education plans. The schools put considerable effort into curriculum re‐interpretation to accommodate the use of IT to improve learning and teaching, and have shown determination in their leadership to provide and manage IT infrastructure in response to the trend towards the integration of IT into school education. Four sets of school‐based strategies are recommended to promote the role of IT in enhancing school education, namely the use of IT to foster the capability of enquiry learning, the promotion of self‐regulated learning involving the use of digital resources, the use of digital student learning records to encourage assessment for learning, and the creation of a digital campus for effective learning and teaching.

Going beyond textbooks: a study on seamless science inquiry in an upper primary class

This paper reports an initial study on investigating inquiry-based learning in science in an upper primary class guided by an inquiry-based learning model in a seamless learning environment. Two questions are addressed: (1) how students advanced their domain knowledge?; and (2) how students developed their inquiry skills? One teacher and 27 Grade-four students from a local primary school were involved in the study. Six inquiry-based learning lessons focusing on a scientific “rustproofing” learning unit were conducted in a seamless learning environment, initiated in a digital classroom and extended to online discussions on a social network platform. Qualitative data were collected and analysed over two weeks. The results show ways that the students advanced their domain knowledge and developed their inquiry skills.

A conceptual model of knowledge-based time-tabling system

Abstract This study aims to model a high school time-tabling task using the knowledge-based approach. The body of knowledge consists of a structural data set, rules sets and heuristics. A scheduling model is articulated to allocate teaching assignments to the time slot system by applying appropriate heuristics and rule sets. A scheduling engine is devised to allow the defining of assignments in any desired order using a heuristic function for enhancing the performance of the system; and to allow a search for the best slot on multiple feasible slots. The rule priorities may facilitate different time-tabling approaches.

Using Mobile Devices for Learning in School Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using mobile devices for promoting subject learning in school education. A total of 43 Chinese students from two Primary 4 classes in a primary school in Hong Kong participated in this study. One class was randomly assigned as the experimental class, while the other class as the control class. Students in the experimental class used mobile devices to learn about perimeter of polygons while those in the control class learned the same topic with paper-based materials. The results of pre-test and post-test show that students in the experimental class achieved a significant improvement in their learning performance. Furthermore, the responses from student interview indicate that students in the experimental class were generally satisfied with classroom learning with mobile devices because of two reasons: i) an increased level of student control, and ii) an enhanced communication between peers and between the teacher and students. These findings reveal the pedagogical potential of mobile devices to promote deep learning through classroom-based dialogic interaction in class time.