Multimedia in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics - Math Problem Example

Multimedia in the Teaching of Science and Mathematics Introduction: As the change in the social structure and economical environment are becoming more prominent the new demand for structuring the education system is also increasing day by day. The changes are already taking place, and there is almost no doubt about the fact that such advances in the field of educational technology have already transformed the classrooms all over the world. 1. The teachers of the modern era also enjoy access to different Internet sources, which their predecessors would not even have imagined. The teachers are now equipped with internet sources which provide still images and video of global events, all the statistical data sets on population and economy, environmental information like ocean currents, weather related information and also any other chosen topic that are required for analysis and research by the students. 2 The advances in the field of technology and its appropriate use in the field of education, especially science, have made it possible for students to go in for virtual trips to some remote locations and geological sites sitting in the classroom itself. Also with the help of multimedia the representation of complex structures like in the case of molecules and biological cells can be enlarged and color-coded to make the students understand the subject better. There are other benefits of multimedia as the students can observe the animation process of various biological events as well as chemical reactions such as protein synthesis, salt dissolving in water etc. 3 Likewise the teachers and the home based tutors finds it comfortable while dealing with different categories of students, as with the help of multimedia the teacher can reach out to the students in many different ways. The mix of approaches like animation, videos, and sound help to build the interests of the students and eventually the concepts get conveyed with much ease. 4. But there are other relating factors which influences the introduction of multimedia in these fields of study. This report in particular focuses on four basic parameters for judging the viability of introduction of technology in education. The four parameters, to be discussed here are the change in learning environment with the introduction of technology in education, usage of different pedagogical approaches, the change in roles of the teachers and finally the outcomes of the students. These parameters have introduced and developed teaching through multimedia tools highly effective and have put the education sector, especially science and mathematics, in a competitive scenario. Learning Environment: The increase in the dependence on information and communication technology the classroom structure and the its environment is changing day by day and it can be said that the learning environment that is now prevailing in the classrooms are more technology-rich in nature when compared to their conventional forms.5 The classroom environment changes as the way of delivering knowledge is becoming more innovative. This section of the report will focus on this technology rich classroom environment, which delivers the study and the course materials to the students in different formats. Technologies behind the computers and network communication has made it possible for every student to get access to different information, which supports the exploration and the construction of knowledge. One of the major changes, which are noticeable, is that now the classrooms are more focused on providing information and knowledge that will eventually help the learner to structure the gathered understanding and develop skills, which are relevant to solving specific problems.6 Unlike the previous learning methods the classrooms now are not merely feeding the students with a huge lot of information which they were unable to comprehend and structure. According to the constructive perspective of learning, knowledge is something, which is being built by the learner and cannot be injected by the teacher. The learning environment, which the technological changes are offering, should balance the flexibility of constructive development and the proper guidance and support from the teachers. According to the earlier approach of teaching the method of learning was observed as a communication process, where the teacher was the one who would send the message and the students were the recipients of the message7. But in the newer version of teaching method, the process of learning is more focused on mental operation and the knowledge, which is being constructed from the continuous process of learning. The students with the help of information and communication technology are becoming more independent in their learning process. With the help of the information and communication technology the learning environment is changing in such a direction that the teachers now can provide opportunities for the students not only to learn but also to think critically and they can also have valuable discussions with their peers on the discussed subject matter with the help of forums and blogs8. Thus we can see that the learning environment apart from delivering knowledge is also focusing on developing individual competencies, which will help them in future course of action, especially in the case of group and community participation. Among all the multimedia technologies available the Web source is identified as the place where most constructive learning takes place among the students9. It must be ensured that in the class environment there are certain principles, being followed while using this Web source. Firstly the students must get access to the correct sources of information, which will help them in the constructive learning process. Secondly the environment should encourage the students to make meaningful interactions with the content or the information that are being provided in the web source. This step actually helps in developing the analytical and reasoning abilities of the students. The students get a chance to think over the subject matter and develop individual point of view and opinion about it. Once the individual opinion building is done in the next step, the classroom-learning environment should bring the students together so that they support, challenge and respond to each other’s opinion about the subject. This learning process helps in developing new ideas and generating alternative perspective about any given topic. The process is more relevant in the field of science and mathematics due the fact that these fields encourage more alternative thinking and problem solving methods. One of the most important factors influencing the learning environment in the recent era of science education is the change in course curriculum. The new format of science educational curriculum actually reflects the social aspiration of upgrading education, the urge for development of the standard of the content, adequate researches conducted on the subjects, a proper assessment system and also focus on the professional development of the students10. Though with the advancement of technology the learning processes of the students are becoming more independent in nature, at the end of the day it is the educational authority that decides the content of the study material. The standards set on education actually provide the guideline for developing the curriculum. The learning environment here is thus guided by three control parameters. Firstly as mentioned already, the standards determine the course content. The school or the district then makes decision about the composition of textbooks and multimedia sources that they should introduce in their respective schools. Finally the third parameter of control is the teachers, as it is the teachers who would determine the activities that the students must undergo11. While planning the course it must be kept in mind that a proper balance should be maintained between the flexibility of learning and the degree of control imposed upon the students. The new learning environment definitely encourages the students to develop their individualist opinions about subject matters. But the designated authority, in most cases the teachers, should guide course content or the subject matter. The change in the pattern of education is possible with a proper classroom balance and a student teacher interaction. An educator constantly has to keep in mind that the classroom should be interactive in nature so that it somehow represents the social aspects. A proper student teacher co-ordination is possible if there is an appropriate classroom balance. Thus it can be said that the school authorities now are focusing more on the aspects like interactive classroom environment backed by adequate multimedia support so that the students develop the ability of constructive learning and eventually they can provide valuable inputs on the subject which will help the society on a whole. The modern day curriculum emphasizes on fundamental scientific concepts and enhancing intellectual capabilities of the students rather than the conventional concept of focusing on providing more facts and information, which will eventually generate less constructive ideas. Pedagogy: In the previous section we have observed how teachers, being the third control parameter, actually determines the activities and process of information delivery, be it multimedia or regular text medium. Now as the influence of technological sources increase day by day, the teachers have to more equipped with the information and just cannot play the role of a subject specialist. This section of the report describes the concept of the pedagogical content knowledge. The pedagogical content knowledge can be defined as the transformation of different types of knowledge (which includes subject matter knowledge) required for teaching and thus it represents the unique domain of knowledge required by the teachers12. Planning the activities and teaching any subject matter demands highly complex cognitive activities where the teacher must apply knowledge from different domains especially in this process of multimedia oriented teaching. Now the teachers with versatile and complete knowledge will enjoy greater authority in the present market scenario compared to those who have only fragmented subject knowledge. The current aim of sophisticated teaching of science is to design and guide the learning experiences, which will help the diverse group of students develop their scientific knowledge and opinions13. This subject now becomes more relevant as more scientific and science education communities all over the globe have developed the notion of science education for all children and this subject cannot be confined to some selected groups of students14. To facilitate the implementation without disturbing the nature of science education and also the nature of appropriate pedagogy, the American Association of Advancement of Science and the National Research Council have produced publications in support of the cause. But for the subject to be successfully implemented among all the children quality pedagogical approaches are essential. These approaches should not only be authentic keeping the traditional aspect and nature of the subject in mind, but they must also address the needs of the children from diverse background15. Also with the increase in the use of information and communication technology (multimedia) these approaches are now becoming more concentrated in nature. In many parts of the world there is large proportion of minority whose writing and speaking ability of English is different when compared to the other sections of the society16. That is the reason why in many cases these students lag behind in the traditional form of pen and paper examinations conducted in the schools. But with the advent of multimedia a different pedagogical approach is now being expected. The concept building process in science education is now becoming more visual and as a result of that incorporating more students of diverse background is possible. The constructive learning process is enabling the students to develop certain ideas, which they would not have developed only by theoretical studies. As a result these pedagogical approaches are dismissing the prevailing presumptions of incapability of learning science and also with the help of advanced technology in the field of education, the subject is being de-mystified for the students. The efforts and the pedagogical practices must be directed in such a way that the students can readily relate the subject matter to the environment to which he or she belongs. For attaining the desired system, working on one specific standard is not enough. According to the researchers, two separate standards one which will address the understanding of the content knowledge and the other standard will address the pedagogy of teaching science17. These two standards are interlinked with each other. This interconnection of standards actually forms the concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which is regarded as the most crucial element in the modern day science education18. As already mentioned that the two separate standards for content and pedagogy cannot be considered as isolated ones but there are certain instances wherein these two concepts overlap one another. The content section expects that the teachers may easily be able to make connections and observe the relationship existing between the concepts, and the pedagogy section helps the students to sought and learn about various scientific problems. Also the content section expects the teachers of science to learn and teach about the process of inquiry, while the pedagogical section expects teachers to plan the desired experiences for the students who will make inquires19. This shows how the two separate standards are interlinked and how such similar connections facilitates the understanding of the content the students are learning and also along with that the way they are acquiring the knowledge. The term “Pedagogical Content Knowledge” can be thus defined as the way of representing knowledge, which would be appropriate for the learners. It can be observed as the intersection point between the content and the pedagogical section. Here both the perspective of the teachers as well as students is being considered. From the discussion made so far it is being realized that pedagogy is mostly influenced by many factors for both the teachers and the students. The teacher’s approach towards teaching influences the teacher’s skill of teaching as well as his pedagogical content knowledge. On the other hand also the subject knowledge of the teacher also influences the pedagogical content knowledge, which eventually guides the learning outcomes. In the recent times as information and communication technology has occupied a large part of the process of science teaching its influence on the pedagogy of teaching is essential to be studied. With the technological support in the form of multimedia the teachers now can find out things from a variety of sources and they also can select and synthesize the right information, which according to them will meet actual needs of the learners20. Also now the teachers have the ability by virtue of the information and communication technology tools to develop and mold the ideas of the learners and to refine their work accordingly. The total learning process now encourages exchange and sharing of information and also helps the teachers to evaluate the works of the students and determine critical factors affecting quality of progress. The pedagogical standards are now becoming more refined with the help of information technology as the teachers are getting a more interactive platform and a wide range of knowledge source. With the help of these two, the teachers are now being able to determine the right kind of knowledge that they require to transfer to the students and also the way the knowledge should be delivered. Teacher’s role: The current reforms related to science education are actually demanding teachers to teach the subject in a way, which is fundamentally different from the way they were taught. The constructive point of view of knowledge on which the modern science education is based is drastically different from the behaviorist view, which was predominant in the earlier decades21. Also for many teachers the approaches to teaching of science based on the constructive views of knowledge and learning is not similar to their existing beliefs and orientation to teaching science. In the given situation with a complete transformation of the role of knowledge and beliefs in teaching science the difference in perceptions have serious implications for the teachers both pre-service and also during the service tenure22. Also due to the fact that pedagogical content knowledge demands knowledge and information from other domains of study, the role of the teachers has changed, because now they just cannot present themselves as subject specialists. The limitations, on the part of the teacher, to only subject specific knowledge necessarily hinders the process of developing pedagogical content knowledge which is a critical factor for modern day science education. The teacher’s pre-existing knowledge about the subject and his or her belief in the process of teaching actually serves as filters through which the teacher understands the components of pedagogical content knowledge23. This level of understanding actually helps the teacher to determine the way in which the specific components of pedagogical content knowledge can be utilized effectively when they are entering the classroom scenario. The teachers’ knowledge and beliefs are important resources and constraints in developing a perfect learning environment. Due to the mismatch in most of the cases between the knowledge and belief of many teachers and those, which are required to meet the requirements of the current reform in the education system, the teachers are required to change their role and method of delivering the knowledge. In such situations the same knowledge, which generally acts as filters through which changes should have taken place, becomes the targets for change24. The programs designed to make these changes permanent should focus on challenging the pre-existing perceptions of the teachers. For instance, the modern constructive model of science education believes that the students can benefit from the continuous process of planning, conducting and determining the best suitable conclusion. The teachers should be guided in such a manner that they should readily incorporate such activities, which will help in the growth of the students in the desired direction. Thus the teachers’ role is different here when compared to the behaviorist model where teaching is viewed as the process of transforming information. Also in the constructive learning process the role of the teacher is different when compared to the cognitive constructive notions, which generally deal with learning from individual level of perceptions. In this case the teachers must change their underlying assumptions and perceptions about teaching and learning so that they can enact accordingly. But it is being observed that for teachers, even if they have compatible views about the methods it is a hectic time consuming process to develop and transform the knowledge base so that they (teachers) act according to the complex and sophisticated process of Guided Inquiry25. The issue can be resolved only if the educators of the teachers readily understands the teachers’ perceptions and the alternative concepts of teaching science. This level of knowledge is crucial on the part of the educators (of the teachers) for building and conducting programs that bring about the change in the process of science education. It is also important for the educators or the science teachers to incorporate the conceptual development by providing opportunities for the later to gradually examine, elaborate and also incorporate the new conceptual knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning in their existing systems of knowledge and beliefs. The science teachers through activities involving observation, analysis and reflection of each other’s teaching methods can achieve this desired state. Some educators are also including multimedia for teaching them (science teachers) so that they get readily involved with the teaching environment, which is being desired from them. Some multimedia programs have been designed to introduce and facilitate new forms of science teaching as the teachers now get an idea about the process by assessing videos of lessons. These approaches are necessary to upgrade the entire system of constructive learning. This new form of learning actually demands the teachers to be researchers in the sense that the teachers of science must care about other subject domains and the current global scenario. They (the teachers) should try to make this information accessible to the students26. The teacher must be fascinated by the different possible ways of engaging more people in the process of information sharing and the way by which people would make sense of the proposed theory and findings. The teacher must find out critical issues in his or her subject matter, which would contribute to some theoretical and pedagogical discussions on the development of human learning. This is actually the desired stage for every teacher of science and mathematics in the modern era of education. When the term researcher is being used, the teacher can be recognized as the participants who are in the process of improving instructions through continuous exploration of questions related to learning of the students27. Though there are certain level of controversy related to such upgradation of the teachers and due to this fact some analysts restrain them from using the term “researcher”. Rather they want to label the new generation of science teachers as the formal investigators. In the general sense, as constructive form of learning demands high degree of knowledge and information from various domains, research here refers to the continuous act of generating knowledge. At one side of this act, the process includes the ways and means by which the teacher should combat the questions of the students and how they can make the learning more interactive, while on the other hand the teacher also should concentrate on sharing the gathered knowledge and information. Thus the teachers in the constructive form of learning should perform a dual role of subject specialist and as well as active participants in the continuous process of learning. Student’s outcome: Starting from the lower level to the highest level of learning the competency of the teachers in both subject matter and pedagogy determines the advancements of the students. But unfortunately enough researchers found out that many teachers, especially in the primary classes, believe that their role is confined to delivering facts and figures to the students. The research conducted by Wenglinsky in the year 2002 shows that the level of professional development has a very strong influence on the classroom practice of the teacher28. This is the reason why the quality of information delivery and learning, serves as a key requirement for helping the students meet high standards. In spite of the growing level of awareness very few schools give emphasis on the importance of providing adequate training to the students with which they can ensure their professional development29. Constructive learning process backed with the information and communication technology helps the students to develop individual analytical power and the ability to interact in a group. Such competencies often help a student achieve further goals in the areas of science, mathematics and technology. The increase in the use of multimedia actually opened the way for much experimentation with the learning methods. Moreno and Mayer in their studies found out the level of meaningful learning that some college students enjoyed when they were exposed to some multimedia games such as designing a plant30. This multimedia game involved designing and testing plants so that it can withstand alien conditions. This game actually helps the students to observe all the necessary elements of a plant and individually they sorted out the elements, which would be necessary for the survival of the plant in the extreme conditions. This process of learning actually includes knowledge from many domains and encourages the students to build on their own constructive idea regarding the subject matter with some degree of control. The constructive learning process of science and mathematics also makes sure that the process of information delivery does not produce any hindrance to any student no matter what background they belong to. The process of information delivery actually enables the students to understand and grasp the subject matter quickly with much more ease. Even with the help of multimedia the visual effects of all the scientific processes create long lasting impact on the minds of the students. Once the information is well received the next duty of the teachers is to encourage the development of personal level perception among the students. This process not only helps the individual in making his or her own point of view but these opinions actually help them to interact freely in group, which is actually a very critical element of professional development of the students. Apart from the teachers and the way of information delivery, the students are also influenced by the set standards of teaching science and also the course curriculum. It is the standards, which determine the degree of individualism that the students and the teachers will enjoy in the process of science education. These standards actually guide the course curriculum for learning science. Thus it can be said that the student’s ability and understanding of the subject is actually determined by various parameters of control. It is not the extent of exposure that is important for the student, but it is actually the process of learning and analyzing information, which helps the students in their further development. Expectation from the teacher’s: So far we have discussed about the roles the teachers are expected to fulfill with advent of constructive learning in the global scenario. However, to back this constructive learning process with proper exposure the teachers all over the globe must require certain level of technical skills. As already mentioned earlier that now the teachers specially the science teachers cannot afford to be only subject experts, a lot of other domain knowledge is required from them and knowledge about Internet and other multimedia sources are critically essential. The teachers must be at least aware of the basic computer operations and should know the basics of Microsoft Office tools so that he or she can demonstrate the work to the students. The teachers also must know the integrities of Internet connection and should have knowledge about proper Internet sources. If the teacher does not provide the students with valuable up to date information about the subject, the constructive learning process cannot be completed. Apart from these the teachers must have access to the sophisticated video clips which shows in details all the scientific and biological processes, and also grows interest of the students. Most of the science teachers around the world have these required levels of competencies but few are still lacking. Compared to many genuine subject expert teachers, computer and multimedia are new things to deal with. But it can be safely said that with the degree of advancement in technology and its increasing contribution in the field of education within the next twenty-five years a lot will change. The concept of video conferencing is becoming more popular and within the next few years it may be possible that students can attain the class, sitting at a different city or state from where the teacher is sitting. Conclusion: Thus when we analyzed the effect of multimedia on teaching science and mathematics using four different parameters, in general we observed that for continuing a successful learning process, the four parameters should follow one another. One cannot individually identify and separate any one of the four parameters and control its influence on the constructive learning process. A well-organized constructive learning method demands a proper learning environment where the students get maximum exposures to the information and communication technology tools. These tools help the students in obtaining a concrete and clear idea about the scientific events and experiments. The constructive theory of learning, which is applicable to the modern day science teaching, also encourages individual thinking on the part of the students. The exchange of information, which is a critical component of the learning process, is also enhanced by the technological advancements. Thus the report emphasizes on the importance of the new form of learning science and the ways and means with the help of which multimedia plays an important role in this shift of education pattern. But there are other issues, which are related to this change. The second and the third parameters discussed in the report focus on such critical issues. The advancement in the technology cannot be a single factor, which will transform the entire science education system. The teachers also play a very vital role and it is being observed that along with the subject knowledge the teachers need to develop pedagogical content knowledge to make the education complete. This modern approach actually helps in the formation of a more interactive environment. From the report it is being observed that the teachers now cannot only consider themselves as subject matter experts. With the advent of constructive knowledge the teachers now have more responsibility to incorporate more knowledge related to other fields of study to make their work more relevant to the students. As the main aim of constructive learning is to encourage more students into creative thinking, the measured approaches discussed in the report helps in finding the path of such desired learning process. The effective use of multimedia has gradually led to the development of a different era of science education and as a direct result of this the entire society would be benefited. References 1. Irving, Karen E. “The Impact of Technology on the 21st Century Classroom”. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 2. Wetzel D. August 4, 2008. “Multimedia Advantages When teaching K-12 Science”. Teaching internet-based resources increase interest in learning: website: < file://localhost/D:/Multimedia%20in%20the%20teaching%20of%20science%20and%20mathematics/Multimedia%20Advantages%20When%20Teaching%20K-12%20Science_%20Teaching%20with%20Internet-Based%20Resources%20Increase%20Interest%20in%20Learning%20_%20Suite101.com.mht> (accessed on October 8, 2009) 3. Khine, Myint Swe. “Creating a Technology-Rich constructive learning environment in a classroom management module”. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2003 4. Bybee Roger W. “The Science Curriculum: Trends and issues”. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 5. Magnusson S, Krajcik J, Borko H. “Nature, Sources and development of Pedagogical content Knowledge for Science Teaching”. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic publishers, 1999. 6. Dyasi Hubert M. “Celebrating Diverse Minds: Using different Pedagogical Approaches”. . Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 7. Enfield M. N.d. “Content and Pedagogy: Intersection in the NSTA Standards for Science Teacher Education”. Michigan State university, website:< https://www.msu.edu/~dugganha/PCK.htm ( accessed on October 8, 2009) 8. Loveless Avril, Ellis Viv. “ICT, pedagogy, and the curriculum: subject to change”. London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2001. 9. Newsome Julie, Lederman Norman. “Examining pedagogical content knowledge: the construct and its implications for science education”. USA: Springer, 1999 10. Zee Emily H, Roberts Deborah. “Engaging teachers in Research on Science Learning and Teaching”. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 11. Holloway John H. “Advancing student Achievement Through Professional Development”. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 12. Mintzes Joel J, Leonard William H. “Handbook of college science teaching”. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press, 2006 13. Kimmel H, Deek F P, Frazer L. “Technology and hands-on strategies for teaching science and mathematics”. New Jersey: New Jersey Institute of Technology. Website: < file://localhost/D:/Multimedia%20in%20the%20teaching%20of%20science%20and%20mathematics/TECHNOLOGY%20AND%20HANDS-ON%20STRATEGIES%20FOR%20TEACHING%20SCIENCE%20AND%20MATHEMATICS.mht> ( accessed on October 8, 2009) 14. Frear V, Hirschbuhl J, J. “Does interactive multimedia promote achievement and higher level thinking skills for today’s science students”. London: British Journal of Educational technology. Volume 30, No 4, 1999. Read More