The Smart Schools initiative is one of the flagship application that are part of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) projected. The Government of Malaysian aims to capitalize on the presence of leading-edge technologies and the rapid development of the MSCs infrastructure to jump-start deployment of enabling technology to schools. This project will be done by creating a group of 90 Pilot Smart Schools by 1999. The Pilot Smart School serve for the teaching and learning concepts and materials, skills and technologies.
The Smart School has their own objective such as the project will develop individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious. The Smart Schools will transformed the culture and practices of Malaysian primary and secondary schools that moving away from memory based-learning but it will stimulate the individual to think more creative and caters individual abilities and styles of teaching and learning concept. Besides, the individual get more knowledge about a technology and became a responsibility person in their education life. The Smart School objectives will increase participation of stakeholders and it also democratize education. The project also prepare the citizens for the information age through an innovative education delivery process.
The Malaysian Smart School is a learning institution that systematically reinvented in terms of teaching and learning component. There are four waves of the Smart School implementation such as the first wave are The Pilot Phase in 1999-2002. The second wave are The Post-Pilot in 2002-2005, it involved the lessons learnt from the Pilot. The third wave are the making all schools Smart in 2005-2010 and the fourth waves is the consolidate and stabilize, technology becomes an integral part of the nation’s learning process in 2010-2020. The objectives of the Smart School are to produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce and democratize education. It also to increase participation of stakeholders and to provide opportunities to enhance individuals strengths and abilities in education.
The pilot phase is the pelan of the original implementation Pelan, it use to prepare a Master Pelan to ensure that all schools in the country become smart schools in stages by the year of 2010. The Government of Malaysia is expected to play the role of architect and driver for the Smart School project in the few way such as they prepare the guideline and provide the basic amenities to schools according to their individuals needs. The Government also actively encourage all schools to become Smart Schools on their own initiative by using their own financial resources and expertise. The pilot phase also introduced the ICT infrastructure and system, supported service in the form of centralized Help Desk and a data centre, the provision of training for teachers, Principals and Schools Heads in smart teaching and learning, the use of the application software, courseware and ICT literacy. The Pilot Phase also involved the post of an ICT Coordinator for Smart Schools approved by the MOE and made available to assists teachers in the day-to-day operation of infrastructure and the dedicated software.
The second wave Of the Smart School are Post Pilot Phase that are involved ICT as a key enables learning. This will obtain more stakeholders support to the nationwide implementation of the Smart School. The second wave also monitoring and corrective action to achieved and attaining target in the Smart School vision. The third wave of the Smart School are Making All Schools Smarts (MASS) is one of the MOE’s strategies to complement the National Education Policy which calls for holistic development of students and teachers. There are the policy statement of National Education Policy such as ICT for all students, ICT as a teaching tool, ICT as a subject and ICT as a subject component and ICT to improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of the management system.
The four wave of the Smart Schools are consulate and stabilize. Therefore, technology becomes key enable in teaching and learning and the computers will be made available for teachers use so that they can manage the learning process better. The measure will be taken to enhance the infrastructure in localities where electricity supply is a problem such as for example, battery-powered computers will be used in places that are prone to electricity shortage.
The Smart School Initiative in the Teaching and Learning Component
The Smart School initiatives are focusing in teaching and learning component, there are four main areas which are curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and teaching-learning material. The Smart School curriculum must achieved the goals of National Philosophy of Education. The curriculum must be socially responsible, multicultural, reflective, open-ended, goal-based, technological and meaningful.
The curriculum shall promote holistic learning, and it allowing children to progress at their own way and think in their capabilities. It also educated children to think more creative thinking skills and helps students achieve overall balanced development. The overall balanced development involve communication, cognitive, affective and physical or social. The curriculum also integration of knowledge, skills, values, and correct use of language across the curriculum. The integration of elements is suitable for the Information Age. In addition, the curriculum activities shall make the teaching and learning process become more interesting and more fun for students to involved. The example of activities are community service activities, subject-related activities and so on.
The pedagogy of the Smart School is important to achieved the high level of thinking skills and to improve the students knowledge in ICT. It also provide the different learning experience for the student. The pedagogy will make learning more interesting, motivating, stimulating and meaningful to all students. The Smart School pedagogy is student-centred learning. This make students have challenge to get information from other people. The pedagogy also involve the children minds, spirit and bodies in the learning process. It also builds the basic skills as to prepare the students greater challenges over time. The pedagogy also encouragement of learning activities to promote creativity and experimentation with content-independent subjects while maintaining sufficient rigour in content-dependent subject. The pedagogy can manage the student behavior and it also can manage classroom procedures.
The Smart Schools assessment are to integration of technology as a tool enables the on-line assessment and conducted in order to show the strength and the abilities of the student. The Smart School assessment will be flexible and learner-friendly. It assure the information are good quality. It also provide an accurate picture of a student’s performance. The teaching learning material of the Smart School is designed to achieved the objective of the Smart School concept. The teaching and learning materials will help the students to get a better understanding of the lessons and it will motivates students to learns and encourages active participation of the students. The element-based assessment focuses on the elements that students possess or must develop through the subject in the school curriculum. The example of subject and the element are the communication and social-emotional development. Through communication, the element that can students achieved are the ability to demonstrate their ideas. While in social-emotional development, students will able to work cooperatively in a group and share their knowledge.
The other component are teaching and learning materials. The teaching and learning materials can make students to better understanding of the subject in the classroom. The teaching and learning material make students become a cognitively challenging, attractive, motivates students to learn and encourages active participation of the students. The students will take responsibility for managing and directing their own learning. There are five main criteria for the selection and evaluation guideline for teaching and learning materials such as the cosmetic adequacy, technical adequacy, instruction adequacy, cost effectiveness and curriculum adequacy. The cosmetic adequacy involved graphic quality, video quality, animation quality, layout quality and other.
Besides, the technical adequacy must user friendly and clear and comprehensive manuals and guides. The curriculum adequacy must promote values skill, knowledge and language across the curriculum. The cost effectiveness is value for money and the instruction adequacy are promote vertical and horizontal integration. The students have different learning style, thus they need a variety of materials to maximize their learning potential. The use of conventional media such as 3D objects and audio or visual material still feature in Smart Schools but it is highly integrated with computer based media. The teacher must know how to use ICT with teaching and learning materials in their classroom to promote students to focus in their teaching.
The Use of the Technology as Enables Contained in the Smart Schools Concept
To prepare the students for the challenges of the new era of technologies, Smart School program are introduced with ICT. ICT literacy is emphasized in the Malaysian education system to develop learning skills such as critical thinking, analysis of information, effective communication and problem-solving. It also provides support to learning, teaching, administrative and management processes within the education system. Multiple intelligences thinking, essential for personalized learning, is incorporated into the school curriculum to enable students understand concepts and ideas.
Technology plays a significant role in developing these intelligences. Personal, social, knowledge, acquisition, scientific, generic, mathematical, environmental, creativity and skills are integrated across the curriculum. In order to ensure the Smart School program to be success, The Ministry of education Malaysia has formulated a national ICT policy in education, and a master plan to implement policies, with sufficient allocation of budget to ensure effectiveness. There are some uses of ICT that have been identified.
ICT is a key enabler for learning. In Smart School, the use of ICT as supporting tool in teaching and learning process has the implication to the process. For each teaching-learning practices, ICT is widely use throughout the process. For example, in self learning, the uses of computer provide the source of latest educational materials in a single click, as well as to external resources such as reference books and journals. For collaborative learning, ICT is used as a tool that facilitates group work within the class and across the class. Distance learning also can be convenient by using ICT that enable long distance communication using technology such as video conferencing or email. The use of software or courseware helps the student to stimulate learning in experimental learning process and very useful for drill and practices purpose, where it allows the students to practice on their own or with peer. In research, reference and data collecting, ICT act as a tool to search, collect and collate information. By using ICT, the electronic assessment can be performing by using built-in assessment courseware.
Through ICT, teachers are able to create interactive classes and make the lessons more enjoyable, which could improve student attendance and concentration. Teachers can use ICT devices such as projector, interactive whiteboard and computer in order to enhance their teaching process. Schools need to work towards increasing use of ICT in education. ICT has the potential to be an effective teaching and learning tool. The use of ICT provides greater efficiency throughout the school, increase in communication channels through email, discussion groups and chat rooms, and a motivational influence on students learning. By using these devices, teachers are able to create interactive classes and make their lessons more enjoyable. Furthermore, students also will give their full attention during the teaching and learning process. Students learning experiences and learning outcomes can be improved by the use of ICT. Students and teachers will also can develop their new strategies and ways of thinking in response to new experience and the lifting of existing constraints.
ICT can improve the retentive memory of students. Through ICT, images can be used in teaching in the class and improving the retentive memory of students. This is because developing children have high memory skills. They are also easy to absorb new things that they had learned. In Smart School program, government had provided so many devices and applications that can help the students to improve their retentive memory such as computer and application software. For self-exploratory learning of students, every computer shall have access to the latest educational materials available locally, as well as to external resources. Although using ICT in their learning process, students also should be able to discuss with their friends through collaborative learning. In Smart School program, there are provided with the tools that facilitate group work within the class and across classes. By using this way, students can improve their memory skills when discuss with their friends. For the disabilities student, inclusive educations are provided. It is a tool to help students with disabilities cope with learning more effectively.
By using ICT in teaching and learning process, teachers can easily explain complex instructions and ensure student’s comprehension. To strengthen their teaching, therefore teacher need considerable support and adequate training both in learning to use technology and in thinking through how to integrate its use into the day-to-day work of the class. This provides opportunities for development in ways in which they themselves feel appropriate. It is helpful for teachers to have knowledge of ways in which ICT can improve student understanding when planning learning sequences and guidance on what is available and how and when it might used.
Through ICT, teachers can easily explain complex instruction such as during experimental class. During experiential learning, teachers can use simulation software and virtual reality to stimulate learning. By this way, students are able to understand more. For the research, reference and data collection, there are tools for students and teachers to search, collect and collate information. The IT implications in Smart School also provide students and teachers with electronic assessment which is on-line assessment via standard database and built-in assessment courseware.
ICT also gives benefit to school management such as for school governance. ICT can be implies using computer communication such as video conferencing to link the school to the Ministry of Education for administration and policy implementation purpose. School management such as student affairs department, can stores information about their students efficiently using computers and database instead of stores manually to maintain student profiles. By using this way, teachers can store the information about their students safely without thinking of data to be lost.
Teachers also can get their educational resources using computer communications to link the schools databases to central resource database to regulate and organize educational resources. Schools also can manage their financial using computer communication to link to the schools database to facilitate budgeting, accounting and reporting. For human resource management, ICT can implies by using computer communication to link the schools databases to the State Education Departments for human resources management purpose. For the technology management, schools can use computer communication for the purpose of acquiring centralized IT support for the school.
ICT also give benefits for linkages to external constituencies. For the example, ICT implication of linkages to constituencies such as to the other schools, optimal sharing of information and resources to encourage collaborative learning on a subject among schools. Besides, by using ICT distance learning enables students to keep track of school work even when they are not physically in school. Parents also can access the school for feedback on their children’s progress. The Smart School can be a community centre to enable community involvement in school activities. The community can also use the Smart School as an on-going learning centre. Smart School also provides libraries with research, reference and data collection resource available on-line. Schools also can link with the certain universities and colleges by using ICT. Distance learning on topics by experts in the field and research data can be conducted. Furthermore, school also can access to information on industries, and career opportunities, industrial practical training and sponsorship programs offered by these industries.
Overview the progression made so far since inception of Smart School in Malaysia
Since the inceptions of Smart School in Malaysia, there are a lot of progression had being conducted to match with goal. These are the outline of the progression had been carried out in the period from 1998 until 2008 which are reviewing the implementation of Smart Schools and the training of Bestari teachers in Malaysia.
Started from 28 September 1992, the proclamation of Malaysia become a develop nation in its own mould by 2020, form a starting point for developed of a cluster of smart schools. It would require the implementation of the formation of seven applied multi-media corridor. Early 1996, there was discussion about Smart School by the Ministry of Education on the concept and it implication on the Malaysian education system. Late 1996, the Smart school became one of the seven flagship application of Multimedia Super Corridor. In January 1997, the vision of the Smart School in the document “Smart School in Malaysia: A Quantum Leap”. This type of blueprint was produced by February 1999 until June 1999 and establishment of a project team comprised by the industry representatives, multimedia development corporation officers, and officers of the ministry of education. They were charged with the task of proposing the necessary guideline for launching the Smart School. The team obtained various kind of resources by made the study visits to Smart School various part of the world and reported their finding.
Started from 1999 until 2002, 88 schools were selected to run as smart school, of which 82 were existing institutions and six were new ones: SMK Putrajaya 1, SK putrajaya 1, SK Putrajaya 2, SMK Seri Bintang Utara, SK Seri Bintang Utara and SK Seri Bintang Selatan. These schools are all provided with ICT equipment, including 5809 computer sets and 261 computer technician. In 2003 the education system had started the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in public school to be conducted in English and the using of interactive courseware during class. In 2006 until 2010 the government has implemented the “in cultured school with smart technology” program as an agenda in the education development master plan (EDMP). This program was to ensure the achievement of more Smart Schools. The implementation of this program, the government can optimize its expenditures on setting up a Bestari school by utilizing and improve the existing infrastructures.
Bestari training in Malaysia
The training smarts school was conducted for teachers from the pioneer Smart School project. At the early stage, on 1998 until 2000 the duration of Bestari teachers training was 14 week. However, 2001 until 2003 the training become in-serving course (KDP) of 12 week to satisfy teachers training requirement in Sarawak. This is because to attend this training programme, the teacher are required to satisfy the condition that they are already confirm in service, whereas teacher selected in Sarawak were not confirm their in service. Thus the services period was reduced from 14 weeks to 12 week. During that time of training, all the teachers participated had been supplied with computer laboratory facilities.
In 2004 until 2005, the training period once again changed from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. This is because another issue was come up about teacher being away from school and it gave effect to the school which faced with the shortage of teachers. In 2007 the training mode changed to 4 week. This training mode was project-based learning and it was implemented to first two cohorts. The teacher was required to have the training in two week at institute teachers education (IPG) and another two weeks at school. The training mode continues with the changes for three weeks at IPG while one week at school from the aspect of methodology. During this training, teacher was exposed to the implementation of Bestari through the development of specific project.
Challenges since implementation of Smarts schools in Malaysia
There are several challenges since the implementation of Smarts school such as most of the teachers are still using the traditional ways of teaching even they already received the Bestari training programmed. They also refuse to integrate the teaching and learning with ICT. This is because they are worried about not being able to complete the syllabus. Based on the study conducted by Mahani Wahab (2006), regarding the use of electronic resource materials among the Bestari teacher in Selangor found that 64% of the respondent prefer to complete the syllabus using the traditional method and 72.4%of the respondents agree with the view that only a small number of student can be manage in the computer laboratories which make the teaching and learning less effective. Abd Rahim (1999) found that teacher who undergone Bestari training was less creative and innovative. They were still continue the existing pattern of teaching and did not able to generate mental development among the student.
Apart from that, there were also voices of rejection towards this change. This is because they are worried as how far the Smarts school can ensure the achievement of excellent student because the last thing being evaluated is the achievement in examination. These worries arise because they were still thinking that the existing system is good enough. Based on the study conducted by Sharifah (2000) which states the changes in the educational system is still cannot achieved because of the individuals who are in charge are still imprisoned by the old belief.
There is also problem arise with the software which is currently used since the implementation of Smarts school. It has been criticized by the parents and teachers because the software provided were sub-standard and did not suitable for the high achieving student. Education Minister, Razak (1999) has admitted that the ministry’s courseware is not up to the standard. But he explained that it was for temporary used and would be replaced with the second version of software. The ministry also has confessed the mistake for not taking views from teacher and student before.
Apart from that, there were many complaints about the shortage of computers. One teacher said: “the facilities, the computers and equipment are limited”. This problem arises when there were the increasing of students which cause each computer have to be shared by two students and this may reduce the opportunity of using computer equally. One teacher said: “We had the computer in the old classroom but not in the new one. This is due to the moving of classroom to the new building which takes a long period to set the new cabling. Other than that, one of the schools had problem with the outdated and slow computer. One student said: “We need high speed computer”. One teacher said: “The cost providing computers and the maintenance in all smarts school are very high and the government cannot afford that”. At the end they just turn back to the traditional ways, do the talk and chalk.
Exam centered learning also become one of the challenges during the implementation of Smarts school programme. One student said: “Learning using the computer is only deepening your knowledge but it does not help you in your examination”. Most of them would prefer to study for the examination rather than to attend the computer literacy class. In their opinion, the skill in computer can be learnt at anytime but preparation for the examination is always comes first. They also did not bother if the teachers just teach without the using of ICT. Their also would prefer to use the national text book compare to Smarts school textbook because the national text book is more compatible with the examination
References
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