Various Aspects of the Educational System - Essay Example

Introduction There are many various aspects of the educational system – the teachers, the educational environment such as the society, the tools and or equipments used for educating, and of course the students or the learners itself (Bruner, 1996). All these aspects should go hand in hand in establishing an effective educational system, which would mean for a continuous increase in frequency of students’ continued development. Teachers, for instance, are an important factor to students’ learning (Bruner, 1996), especially those middle school teachers who’s been the starting point of the many firsts experiences that a learner could have, and the stepping-stones for the learners. To be an effective educator, it is not enough that a teacher knows how to teach the subject tasked to him/her, but also the teacher must learn to keep and maintain the power of enhancing your students’ ability and skills through motivation. Another factor that will add up to a successful establishment of students’ development is the use of good and effective instructional designs (Bruner, 1996). The proponents of education must learn to accept that one learner is totally different from the other. Hence, every educator must take into consideration the various personalities, upbringing and most especially cultural background of each and every learner. The use of different visual aids, and or instructional materials greatly affects the learners’ interests to learn. A good educational system should provide appropriate teaching materials and equipments, and a place conducive to learning so as to augment the students’ concentration to enjoy and continue learning. The visual aids and other teaching equipments vary, of course, to the age of the learners (“Robert Glaser: Contribution to Instructional Design”, 2004). Hence, if a teacher are teaching in a middle school, teachers should have materials that are not too “kiddie” in nature (like the coloring books) nor too “adult” (like those of laboratory machines). The very area where the school or the classroom is located should be that which would promote learning, and not that of sleeping or making noises. And to this very aspect where the interference of the society could comes in. All the members of the society could help in maintaining an educational institution that foster camaraderie and lifelong learning for the student. On the other hand, the students themselves play a very crucial role in their own successful learning (Bruner, 1996). They must be optimistic in every learning endeavor that they will undergo in their everyday life. They must learn how to be open-minded and understand (not only accept) what knowledge is being offered to them. Lastly, they, themselves, must have the initiative and the willingness to learn. Indeed, the success initiating student’s continued development lies in many factors. It is not solely dependent on the students’ intellect but on the way the educators or the teachers facilitate the learning. In lieu of this all, a lot of changes have been going on in the education sector so as to augment the methods of which teachers facilitate the learning. The most recent development is the inclusion of technology-based instructional materials in day-to-day school activities of the students. Objectives of the study The objective of the study is to find out if technology can help improve student learning. Different literatures are evaluated and cited to analyze the advantages and/or possible disadvantages of using technology as part of the student learning activities. Specifically, the following questions shall be tried to answer thoroughly: When did the use of technology in the classroom started? What kind of technology can be used in students learning? How can the technology help and improve students learning? What are the outcomes using the technology in students learning? Significance of the Study With the continuing changes in the educational sectors nowadays, more and more school facilitators and/or teachers have been trying various means in order to maintain high educational achievements of the students. In significance to this situation, this study will be able to identify if the use of technology can really help improve students’ learning and how is it possible. Results of the findings may be one useful aid in further identifying and designing school curriculums which can be of help for the school organizations’ leaders and enablers. Methodology Theoretical Framework Much research has been done in analyzing various types of instructional materials that are effective in ensuring students’ learning improvement. There are also enough studies conducted correlating specific instructional material to various student behaviors. As there are numbers of possible resources available, it is then important to assess the common denominator between these resources, hence this study. The suggested theoretical framework to successfully analyze if technology-based instructional materials help improve students’ learning is: Hence, this should then be the focus when analyzing the impacts of technology-based instructional materials to students. In doing so, several types of technology-based instructional materials are presented one by one and will have to be sought out (either from available literatures or from professional or experts in management) and will then be compared. Theories of Learning In the period of development from 1900 to 1960, there were numerous theorists who contributed to the rise of behaviorism in the psychology of learning. These early theorists, e.g., Pavlov, Thorndike, Watson, Guthrie, Hull, and Skinner, were the promulgators of the stimulus-response theory or now more commonly known as the S-R Paradigm. An S-R paradigm suggests that stimulus has been the term to indicate any energy change in the environment. Response is a reaction to a stimulus. The S-R paradigm indicated that the stimulus-response description pointed to a causal mode without any mediation, or thinking, or feeling between the stimulus and the response (Bell-Gredler, 1986, pp 32). Relative to the S-R paradigm, are three basic components in the learning model of social learning (Bell-Gredler, 1986): 1. Behavior model 2. Consequences or the results of the model's behavior. 3. Internal cognitive and affective processes of the observer. There are three kinds of behavioral models: The real live model, e.g., parent, or teacher; the symbolic model, e.g., television or video screen; and the verbally described model, e.g., oral or written descriptions of heroes or heroines. When we examine what happens to the model's behavior we must discuss how the behavior is rewarded or punished. There appears to be a much more interpretive kind of reinforcement in human behavior than direct reinforcement. For Thorndike and Skinner there was only direct learning and direct reinforcement. Today, we refer to at least three kinds of reinforcement in human behavior (White, 1989): a) Direct reinforcement. The model's behavior is followed by an external reward. b) Vicarious or emotional reinforcement. The observer sits, looks, and listens and learns. He does not have to be active to learn. Since every one of us has an autonomic nervous system, we can have feelings of emotions of hope and fear. We are speaking of internal, emotional feelings we have when we observe the consequences of the behavior of the model. c) Self reinforcement. Direct and vicarious reinforcement result from consequences delivered by the external environment. Self reinforcement is centered within the individual. Individuals become capable and learn self criticism and self rewarding behaviors. These self-rewarding behaviors make the individual free and responsible. The psychology of self reinforcement focuses on the internal cognitive and affective processes of the learner. Understanding human learning is to believe that learning resides in the internal states of cognition (thought processes) and in internal states of emotions (attitudes and feelings). Two of the most powerful principles in social learning emerge out of our understanding of self reinforcement: a) Self regulatory behavior. The learner must learn how to learn. He must learn self discipline by establishing personal goals and by monitoring progress to those goals. b) Learning depends primarily on the observer. Learning is not manipulated by the presenter or by the teacher. Teachers don't cause learning directly; they condition the environment so that learning takes place by the actions of the learner (Bandura, 1982; Bell-Gredler, 1985; White, 1989). At least three basic principles or components of pedagogy emerge out of the three basic social learning principles (White, 1989): a) The teacher selects suitable and reinforcing models for the students. The teacher also chooses the appropriate textbooks and narrative for students so that adequate verbal models are presented b) The teacher establishes the functional value of behavior. Teachers must explain the "why" of behavior. Teachers must move away from the traditional model of insistence upon learning because the State says so, or the principle, or teacher says so. The teacher should not cognitively stuff facts into students. The active brain of the student must associate other information with new learning so that the long term memory may store facts with meaning and, therefore, facilitate retrieval. c) The teacher should engage the cognitive and affective systems of the learner. In instructions, the pedagogue should be ever conscious of what each individual already knows or doesn't know. The presentation of thought or feeling or attitude by the teacher must direct and stimulate in the learner similar thoughts and feelings. The teacher should create the environment so that students learn from the adequate models in that environment. In lieu of all the recognized theories of learning initiated by Thorndike, Pavlov, and Watson among others, it can be easily assumed that it is because of these theorist why the there is continuous development in the teaching-learning approach. The Use of Technology in Schools On-line learning or the use of computer-assisted instruction is one of the newest technological innovations that utilize computers as an aid in the learning process. In a forward-thinking technology district, administration is constantly challenged to come up with new and creative ideas for faculty and staff support and development (Johnson, 2006). In response to the challenges that the educational system is faced with technological advancement, it must come up with the best way of dealing with the students wherein its professional staff should as well be prepared to work hand in hand with technology for the best learning experience for the students as well as to them. Computer-Based Technology as Part of Students’ Learning The use of computers as part of the learning materials and/or instructions is gradually becoming the trend in today’s educational institutions. Recent reports on the use of computers for instruction are beginning to show evidence of relationships between computer use and academic achievement (Wenglinsky, 1998). Other researchers are finding positive relationships between using computers and improved performances by young children (Salerno, 1995). As it has already been established that part of the teachers’ and the educational institutions’ task is to provide a well-rounded learning instructional plan. This is exactly where the idea of introducing the computer-based technology to teaching students comes in. It should be noted that learning is always a collaborative activity for the learners. Collaboration in learning is significant for the cultural development of the young students. This can be in comparison with computation as an integral part of mathematical learning. If collaboration is for the cultural growth, computation is important for the “cognitive tradition and construction to the constructivist tradition”. Thus, in summary, the use of collaborative learning is to enhance the chance of teachers in providing “a structure of support for children-learners who are aiming at achieving a goal, which is enhanced knowledge” (Crook, 1994 pp12). In lieu of this, Crook (1994) has instigated that the use of computers can be play a significant role in facilitating a collaborative learning for students. Crook (1994) also provides various categories with which computers can be used to facilitate the learning. These include: 1. Inducing the student’s social character By allowing the children-students to use and play or learn around different programs in the computer, their minds are stirred thereby awakening their ability to create social characters and be creative in doing so. “Collaboration with computers sometimes is an idea that brings to mind a solitary, individual sitting at a keyboard working on a computer program. But, collaboration with computers is the goal of making such programs in order to "reproduce the social character of a face to face tutorial dialogue” (Crook, 1994, pp 14) 2. Encouraging teacher-student support Using computer-based technology as part of the teachers’ instructional plan creates a venue for the teachers to reach out more to their children-students (Crook, 1994). This further provides a one-on-one interaction wherein the teachers will try their very best to accommodate each students questions and/or in ensuring that the learners are greatly interested with the computer peripherals in front of them. 3. Stimulating group activity and shared learning “Collaboration at computers refers to times when small groups of learners work on the same computer activity at the same time. Two students working on the same task, such as drawing a picture using a Paint program” (Crook, 1994 pp 14) It is just customary that schools could not accommodate a 1:1 ratio of the numbers of computers to the number of students and at some point in time, this is not highly suggested. This is because the idea of shared learning can also benefit the students, however young they may be. Two or three students who may be sharing in one computer to finish the tasks assigned by the teacher, will not only learn how to exactly do and finish the particular task, but will also learn how to interact with his/her group mates. This is how confidence and interpersonal communication are also developed. “Collaboration around computers refers to learners working together more informally than when a small group is working at a computer on a common task. Material environments will constrain and facilitate a whole range of social interactions that can occur within them” (Crook, 1994, pp14) 4. Enabling to view of the world With computers, students will be able to use and/or access the Internet at a specified time and to the suggested websites only. This alone will give ample idea for the students’ mind to know and realize how wide and rich the world really is. He/she will be able to discover some things which may not be present in his/her current environment. He/she may be able to see and meet new people just through browsing the Internet. He/she can actually see different places through the images in the Internet. In retrospect, the student will be able to see the world and broaden his/her knowledge through the use of computer-based technology. There are several number of ways for the teachers to use successfully the computer-based technology as part of their teaching materials. The best way to facilitate the collaborative learning through computer-mediated means is by (Shade and Watson, 1990): 1. Discussing computers and other related issues. 2. Discussions should be based on printed material illustrating computers at several places, printers, and other devices. 3. Having some visits to places where computers existed (outdoor visits, field trips, etc.) 4. Bringing a real computer in the classroom where children could experiment and practice with the new tool. E-Learning – A Classical Example of Technology-Infused Learning With thousands of Internet users and the continuing rising number of the advantages of using Internet, most educational institutions have decided to go along with the trend and maximize the use of internet in the pursuit of promoting education. Electronic learning or e-learning is the new recognized method of getting an education nowadays (Yamagata-Lynch, 2002). E- Learning is a form of learning that is stirred primarily through the use of telecommunication technologies, such as electronic mail, bulletin board systems, electronic whiteboards, inter-relay chat, desktop video conferencing and the worldwide-web (Carlson & Repman, 1999). E-learning may seem a bit different from the traditional classroom style of education. The differences between classroom learning and e-learning include: In traditional classroom settings Key interactions that affect learner attitudes and performance often occur spontaneously (Carlson & Repman, 1999). Class room instructors interpret verbal and nonverbal cues, clarify expectations, facilitate activities, promote discussions, elaborate concepts, render guidance and provide timely and appropriate feedback as they present content in a clear and engaging manner. (Carlson & Repman, 1999). Classroom instructors can also make up for flaws in design by utilizing their appeal to gain and sustain learners' attention and their experience to shed light on complex or confusing content matter. (Carlson & Repman, 1999). In E-Learning Approach Communications are predominately asynchronous and mediated by technology. Opportunities to interact in "real-time" are moderately confined (Carlson & Repman, 1999). Key interactions that occur spontaneously in traditional classroom environments must be carefully designed and sequenced as an integral part of e-learning (Carlson & Repman, 1999). Benefits of using e-learning services include easy access to required education through self-paced courses, capability for easily updating the courses and its usefulness to better attract and retain qualified nurses and physicians among others (Goettner, 2000). More so, online learning provides easy access to required education through self-paced courses that are available anytime, anywhere. E-learning guarantees consistency of the message- everyone in the school institution gets the same information in the same way at the same time, which is crucial for compliance courses. It is also worth noting that training delivered via the Web can be easily updated. If one is to outsource his Web-based learning, he can gain the added benefit of solutions that are simple, inexpensive and quick to deploy and maintain (Goettner, 2000). Not all preschool managed to have a computer in their classroom. For that reason teachers can arrange some visits to the Department's or school’s computer laboratory where the student will have the opportunity to experiment with various software packages such as drawing packages (Paint and Dazzle), Word processing packages and other multimedia software . Collaborative patterns will surely be noticed when children interacted with the computer. Moreover, teachers without basic computer skills would need some technology training to initiate computer-based instruction. Teachers, especially those with no prior technological experience, should ask technology assistance from parents, community members or other teachers or relying on school-based technology consultants. Needless to say, teachers need vision more than technological know-how to incorporate computer-based activities into a literacy program (Watson, 2001). Conclusion With all of these being said, there is one very clear concept that has been established. This is the fact that the inclusion of technology in teaching the students will greatly improve their learning. These computer-based materials can help the teachers increase students’ exposure to information. Teachers can also support skill development and activate meaning construction though the computer-based technology. The addition of customized materials as part of the learning instructions also increases variety and the amount of personal involvement to and from the teachers and students, as well as from the students to other students (Watson, 2001). However it is also strongly recommended that teachers take into consideration the fact that, a lot of technologically advanced means of teaching may always be developed and introduced to every learning institution. But this does not mean that educators need not work on their instructional designs anymore. It is a primary concern of every educator to maintain an effective instructional design, and that is what should always be. Moreover, the cultural and cross-cultural issues attached to the instructional design can always be prevented if the educator knows how to maintain a highly effective and interesting instructional design process. Hence, it is strongly recommended that with whatever medium of instruction – may it be on an on-line or electronic education or a classroom-based instruction – the traditional instructional design process is maintained. It is only through this design where the educator can evaluate if he/she was able to teach successfully his/her students and was able to address various concerns especially on cross-cultural differences. References Bandura, A. (1982). Self efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37, 122-147. Bell-Gredler, M. (1986), Learning and instruction. New York: Macmillan Corporation. Bruner, J. (1996). The Culture of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Carlson, R. D., & Repman, J. (1999). Web-based interactivity. WebNet Journal, 1(2), 11-13. Crook, C. (1994). Computers and the collaborative experience of learning. London: Routledge. Goettner, Pete (2000) “Effective E-learning for Healthcare.” Health Management Technology. 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