By Ji Lina
Is that possible for naked eyes seeing a voice? The teacher applied acoustic sensor to carry out a contrast test with a “visible” voice and an intuitive visual experience for students in a course “Scientific Workshop” in Quyang No.4 Primary School. It is hard to imagine that the abstract knowledge can be taught in a concrete expression in the classroom without introducing the information technology.
The city already has 18 schools like Quyang No. 4 Primary School which introducing information technology in teaching. The 18 schools vary from kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, high schools and various schools in different categories and levels. These schools are test units of structural reform of national education pilot projects “A Test for Developing Digital Teaching Environment Construction and Learning Revolution”. The Ministry and Shanghai cooperation project, which is commonly known as “e-schoolbag”, has started making experience since 2010 in our district. The practice and exploration have generally gone through two major stages, “Whole Conception” and “Focus Subject”, in the past five years. Currently, it has all achieved breakthroughs from restructuring top-level design, deepening system development and practicing school experiment.
In the traditional education, there are many all-too-familiar classroom circumstances, such as dictating and board writing among teachers, listening and note-taking among students. How digital curriculum environment brings revolution in learning methods? The director of Education Bureau considered that, under digital curriculum circumstances, students were provided learning resources through video, PPT and many other ways on the internet, only teachers changed their roles from knowledge possessors to knowledge promoters can they drive today’s classroom.
Thus, on the basis of 18 test schools, the District Education Bureau chose Sports Kindergarten, Quyang No. 4 Primary School, Jiangwan Junior Middle School, Zhongshan Senior Middle School and other 8 schools as key school projects in the earlier phase to focus on fundamental subjects, expand research course and other subject fields, explore ways and approaches of the revolution for learning methods. Every school starts from their own connotation, to integrate school characteristics, curriculum revolution and subjects information application, display distinctive and various development trends. For example, Jiangwan Junior Middle School has realized micro-film supporting rotating course in mathematic subject, Zhongshan Senior Middle School applied “17English Online Reading and Writing System” to improve learning initiatives and motivations among students.
The integration of information technology and subjects teaching has attracted different feedbacks from different schools, and meanwhile, facing new challenges. “After introducing technology, students’ minds are very active, even ahead of the teachers.” Ding Bei, the headmaster of Jiangwan Junior School believed that, “Information Course” is more demanding for teachers’ knowledge reserve. “Traditional teaching theory and methods is deep-rooted in teachers’ minds”, Zhang Benrong, the headmaster in Quyang No.4 Primary School believed that the practice of projects are pushing forward the revolution of teaching and learning, only change the way of teaching can the students’ learning methods be changed.
The director of the District Education Bureau implied some points to make efforts on how to bring more teachers attend into the projects practice, they are: first, provide convenient technology, no more burdens on teachers; second, fully fulfill the guiding functions of subject research staff; third, cultivate some key teachers who can promote and set example for more people. Therefore, the District Education Bureau is now practicing a project “play with play with curriculum”, creating “curriculum samples”, and promoting in the entire district.