Smart School

Smart School Introduction

The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Smart School Flagship Application Conceptual Blueprint was launched in July 1997 by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia. The MSC Smart School Flagship Application is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). The Smart School Flagship was conceptualized out of the vital necessity for Malaysia to make the critical transition from an industrial economy to a leader in the Information Age. It was developed on a strong belief that technology in education and communication is a key access to convey the learning desire to all.

The Smart School Flagship aims to reinvent the educational system in Malaysia in order to ensure the achievement of Vision 2020. Through a partnership between the Governments, the Ministry of Education (MOE) implements the Smart School Flagship, the private sector and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC).

            Based on Malaysia's National Philosophy of Education, the objectives of the Smart School are as follows:

1.      To produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce

2.      To democratize education

3.      To increase participation of stakeholders

4.      To provide all-round development of the individual

5.      To provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities

Smart School Initiative

There are five main goals of Smart School initiative which focus on the need to develop a skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote the goals of the National Philosophy of Education.

            Firstly is workface is to provide all-round development of the individual that are intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. Secondly is to provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities. Thirdly is to increase participation of stakeholders. Next is to produce a thinking and technology literate workface. Lastly is democratise education.

Some strategies were made to achieve all these goals. Strategies for the first goal are broad curriculum will be provide to all, teach value and language across the curriculum and emphasis thinking skills. Second goal strategies are provide electives curriculum and allow for vertical integration. Next goal strategies are teaching across the curriculum and apply technology in teaching and learning. Fourth goal strategies are provide equal access to learning opportunities and provide differing abilities, styles and paces of learning. Strategies for last goal are create awareness of what happen in schools, enable easy and speedy communication with the school using technology and also provide opportunities for stakeholders to participate.

Smart School Teaching & Learning Component

The Smart School teaching and learning environment will be shaped in four main areas, each of which will be a critical element in defining the overall teaching and learning experience for Smart School children:

1.      Curiculum

2.      Pedagogy

3.      Assessment

4.      Teaching and Learning Materials

            The curriculum covers the same content as the existing science curriculum, it has a different format in that the intended learning outcomes are explicitly stated at different levels. This ensures that all students gain equal access to quality learning and allows for self-paced learning across grades. Furthermore, Knowledge to be infused in the Smart School curriculum in an integrated manner, values and correct use of language. Moreover, curriculum also includes integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes suitable for the Information Age. The benefit of the curriculum area are children educated with critical and creative thinking skills, inculcated with values, and encouraged to improve language proficiency. Beside holistic learning promoted children allowed to progress at their own pace Students’ varying capabilities, interests, and needs catered for

            The values to be infused in the Smart Schools are the same 16 values documented in the Mainstream science curriculum, the skills covered for the former are wider, and include information technology skills and the ability to select and use IT tools. The 16 value are:

1.      Compassion

2.      Self-Reliance

3.      Respect

4.      Love

5.      Freedom

6.      Courage

7.      Physical and Mental Cleanliness

8.      Co-operation

9.      Diligence

10.  Moderation

11.  Gratitude

12.  Rationality

13.  Public Spiritedness

14.  Humility

15.  Honesty

16.  Justice

            Second component for teaching and learning is pedagogy. The characteristic of pedagogy are appropriate mix of learning strategies to ensure mastery of basic competencies and promotion of holistic development. Second characteristic is allowance for individual differences in learning styles to boost performance, and lastly classroom atmosphere compatible with different teaching-learning strategies. The benefit that gains from this component are learning becomes more interesting, motivating, stimulating and meaningful. Furthermore, the mind, spirit, and body of the child are involved in the learning process. Besides, it can also provide basic skills to prepare children for greater challenges over time. A range of diversities in needs and capabilities catered for.

For the third component of Smart School teaching and learning concepts is assessment. Based on Palomba and Banta, assessment defined as a systematic collection, review and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving student learning and development. Assessment is an on-going process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves making our expectations explicit and public, setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality, systemically gathering, analysing and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards, and using the resulting information to document, explain and improving performances.

  These are the types of assessment that can be applied in schools;

1)      Formative assessment

2)      Summative assessment

3)      Tools assessment

4)      Benchmark

5)      Capstone project

6)      Competency test

7)      Criterion-referenced

8)      Course–embedded assessment

9)      Evaluation

10)  Holistic assessment

11)  Indicator

12)  Item

13)  Journal

14)  Method of assessment

15)  Learning outcome

16)  Outcome–based education

17)  Performance–based assessment

18)  Portfolio

19)  Rubric

20)  Self-assessment

21)  Standardized test

There are many types of assessment that can be carried out in school in order to achieve the National Philosophy of Education which seeks to ensure the holistic development of students, well balanced in their intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual development, will provide the platform for a new approach to assessment. The assessment is a crucial component in all schools including the Smart School because it is important to realize, that all learners have different styles and rates of learning and that given sufficient time and provided with the right opportunities, all learners can become successful. This makes a flexible and individualised system of assessment imperative. The Smart School’s assessment system will be holistic, element-based, criterion-referenced, learner-centred, on-line, conducted in various forms, using multiple approaches and instruments and on-going.

Holistic :

Assessment in the Smart School will be holistic in that it covers readiness, progress, achievement and aptitude.

Element-based :

Assessment will focus on elements rather than subjects or topics. Elements are things that learners possess or have developed through a programme of learning as a result of classroom instruction. Elements might include such things as the ability to write, knowledge about certain concepts, the ability to estimate quantities.

Criterion-referenced :

Learners’ performance is evaluated based on individual performance against a predetermined set of criteria. This criteria will be based on Educational Standards which will consist of the National Criteria and the National Performance Indicators determined by the Ministry of Education.

Learner-centred:

The assessment system will be conducted on the premise that learners are assessed when they are ready and assessment result will be recorded accordingly. In this way, learners who have different styles and rates of learning, when given sufficient time and right opportunities, can all become successful.

On-line :

Assessment will be provided virtually on an on-demand basis as the items for assessment will be stored in a computerised item bank. These items are made accessible through a computer network.

Conducted in Various Forms :

Assessment will be conducted in various forms to allow different demonstrations of strengths, abilities and knowledge on the part of the learner. Assessment will then take place primarily at the following levels:

· Classroom

· School-based

· Centralised.

Use Multiple Approaches and instruments :

The assessment will utilise a variety of approaches i.e. traditional and alternative. Multiple instruments such as tests, portfolios, school projects, exhibitions will also be used.

On-going :

The assessment is part and parcel of the teaching and learning process and must therefore be on-going in nature. To accomplish the above aims, the following three main enabling factors have to be materialised:

· On-line Assessment System

· Life-time Database

· Trained Assessment Workers.

Next, the characteristics of the Smart School’s teaching and learning material will meets curricular and instructional needs, is cost effective, as well as cosmetically and technically adequate. Second characteristics are cognitively challenging, attractive, motivate students to learn and encourage active participation. Next is combines the best of network-based, teacher-based and courseware materials. Conceptual selection and evaluation guidelines for teaching and learning materials will cover 5 main criteria of quality:

1)        Cosmetic adequacy

Graphic quality, video quality, animation quality, voice and sound quality, layout quality, colour and fonts quality.

2)        Technical adequacy

User-friendly, clear and comprehensive manual and guides.

3)        Instruction adequacy

Promotes vertical and horizontal integration, considered different capabilities of students and teachers, suitable for a variety of learning environments, well designed interface, professionally done and adaptable to different teaching-learning styles.

4)        Cost effectiveness

Value for money.

5)        Curriculum adequacy

In-line with curriculum specifications ; Promotes values, skills (especially thinking skills), knowledge, and language across the curriculum, consistent with teaching-learning objectives, content is accurate and up-to-date, content is relevant to student’s environment and assessment is built-in.

Other than component of quality, teachers need a variety of material to maximise their learning potential because children or students do not have the same learning styles. The Smart School teachers will be enabled, through the use of technology, to consider students individual learning preferences in designing and recommending instructional methods and materials. Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways," according to Gardner (1991).

According to this theory, "we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains." Below is the multiple Intelligences (MI) Chart that based on Howard Gardner theory.

Figure 1 : Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Theory

Next, the other teaching-learning material is conventional media, which commonly used in today’s educational settings, will still feature in Smart Schools. They can be divided into three main categories:

Printed (paper based)	3D Objects	Audio/Visual
Examples: -Books · Encyclopaedias · Magazines · Newspapers · Documents · Flat Pictures · Drawings/Paintings · Maps · Graphs/Charts/ Diagrams · Posters · Cartoons/Comics	Examples: · Globes · Puppets · Models · Mock-ups · Collections · Specimens	Examples: · Slide-Tapes · Filmstrips · Radio Programmes · TV Programmes · Motion-picture films · Microfilms/ Microfiches · Audio Cards · Audio Tapes

Table 1 : Three main categories of conventional media

For the third Smart School’s teaching-learning material is combined the best of network-based, teacher-based and courseware materials. For example, computer-based media which included presentation software, animation software, interactive TV, on-line library, search engines, distance learning, database software and others. The teaching-learning materials will be acquired from a wide range of sources, and will no longer be limited by resources within schools. In addition to libraries, businesses, homes, government departments, others sources include :

1.                  Edunet

2.                  Internet

3.                  Classified Printed Directoriees

Technology As Enabler

            Based Gan (2000 ,p.81) maintains that, on the basis of the conceptual definition for Smart Schools that rests on the premise to educate Malaysian children for and with the tools of Information Age, “ Smart Schools without IT will definitely not be able to produce generation of IT-literate Malaysians ready for the challenges of the Information Age”. Technology will help the Smart Schools to achieve their goals quickly and efficiently because as we know that now the global worldwide are powered by technology. The blueprint gives example of IT-enriched teaching and learning practices and their implications for IT. For instance, in self-exploratory learning, the implication would be, “every computer shall have access to the latest educational materials available locally, as well as to external resources” (ibid., p. 102).

Overview of Progress

The first waves of the Smart School implementation plan are SSI rolled out to 87 pilot school. In order to implement the Pilot Project, a smart partnership was forged between the MoE, TSS and MDeC, ensuring involvement from both the central and state levels. The MoE provided the educational expertise while the industry partner, TSS, was instrumental in realising the two-pronged objectives of the MSC and provided the solutions to fulfil the requirements and objectives of the Smart School.  The technology-enabled teaching-learning environment and school culture is anticipated to produce future scientists and inventors for a knowledge-based economy by 2020.

The second wave is consolidation of smart school principal. The Roadmap outlined in the subsequent sections advocates a way where the ICT as a key to implement ICT-integrated teaching more effectively and to obtain all stakeholders’ support to the nationwide implementation of the Smart School. The monitoring and corrective measures are so critical that negligence in addressing constraints highlighted in the various studies will jeopardise the successful implementation of  the Smart School. There is an urgent need for supervision and support. Hence, the Roadmap will need to incorporate this as an integral part of the expansion plan for Smart Schools.

Third wave is Makes all school smart by 2010 (10000 Smart School) and Fourth wave is consolidate and stabilise Technology becomes key enabler in teaching and learning. Keeping in mind the critical milestones for Smart School, a strategic Roadmap has been developed in order to put in perspective the objectives, the time-frame, the stakeholders and their key responsibilities. This Roadmap is a strategic one, and not a operational plan. Details of its execution will have to be worked out between the various divisions of the MoE and its partners. The Roadmap comprises the following key components identify the stakeholders as customers, identify the roles of different stakeholders and customers, Performance-based management for the implementation of the Roadmap, Set clear attainment targets and fixed timelines from 2005 to 2020, and  Concretise a Malaysian Smart School scenario in 2020. The Roadmap begins with the setting of targets to realise an advanced Smart School scenario by 2020. These targets will clarify the deliverables expected of the main players and stakeholders consisting of representatives from the MoE and its industry partners, parents, teachers and students.

Challenges Faced By During Inception Of Smart School In Malaysia

Although valuable lessons may be learned from best practices around the world, there is no one formula for determining the optimal level of ICT integration in the educational system such as the Smart School. Significant challenges that policymakers and planners, educators, education administrators, and other stakeholders need to consider include educational policy and planning, and infrastructure. To enable the smooth transition to Smart School, some policy changes will be necessary. These would encompass schooling structure, training and personnel requirement and certification conditions.

Moreover, the Ministry of Education realises that  it has to bring in leading-edge thinking and knowledge on Smart Schools to find the most practical solutions to the complex tasks inherent. To develop and fund this ambitious project, it will have to form smart partnerships with leading private companies, not only for the implementation but also for the conceptual design phase. Effective implementation of Smart Schools will require funding for the building of new schools with its entire multimedia infrastructure, upgrading facilities in existing schools and teachers training institutions, and for the maintenance of new technology introduced. This Smart School initiative has so many challenges in order to achieve the objectives. Over the duration of the project, this will require high cost. While the dramatic increase in budgetary allocation is necessary, it is unlikely that it will be sufficient to fund this mega-project. All the instruments that was use in this project such as computer, projector and others must consume high cost to make it available.

The second challenge is lack of awareness in the society about the Smart School Project. They do not have enough information about the Smart School. They feel that the Smart School is are same as normal school. So, there is not enough support from the society about the importance of the Smart School. Furthermore, some of the society thinks that the Smart School was for smart student only. We can actually change this mind set if we expose them to the Smart School situation so that they will know more and give their support to achieve the objectives.

 The reasons for studying teachers and students views are grounded in the assumption that this views have significant influence on many attempts to implement major changes successfully in schools. So, the third challenge is the readiness of the teacher and students to teach and learn trough ICT. Teachers are the core of any education change and ultimately they have the power to ensure whether change is implemented successfully or not in the classroom. Teachers need clear information and guidance in implementing educational reform. Flores (2005) said that teachers claimed a lack of training, information and resources that clearly illustrate the role and task expected from them. Teachers complained that their notion of professionalism was compromised by the unclear position which resulted from the new educational reform. These all things increases resistance in change initiatives. Harris (2001) suggested a transition phase to deal with emotional and social issues relating to change. Experiential learning before any reform takes place can help teachers to experience the future tensions and dilemmas within the changing process, thus enabling them to take more control over the change process when time has come.Teachers are ready to change and respond positively, if they feel and think that the change is necessary and really needed. The same principle should apply to the students because they always feel left out and rarely think of themselves as participants in process of change.

The fourth challenge is the problems integrating with existing computer systems. Sometimes the use of Information Technology does not necessarily make teaching and learning process easier. For example the internet problems. The connection of internet is sometime very slow and jammed. It is also difficult to use the internet as a learning tool since the information is “scattered” and not related with the lessons. Software problem also make the thing become worse. Teachers have to prepare at least ten minutes earlier if they want to use a computer lab for teaching.

There are challenges faced by the various stakeholders especially the parents. The study found that students were not aware that the Smart School Management System (SSMS) was being used in their schools. Similarly, parents too were not well informed about the unique features of their children’s ‘smart’ school, though they knew that their children attended a ‘smart school’. Most of the parents in Smart School is not ready to accept the Smart School concept. Some of them never know how to surf the internet and surprisingly some of them don’t have even one computer at home . Beside, for an academic background parents, this won’t be any problem to them. They can accept the Smart School concept and enjoy it. This problem is common at the rural area where they do not have internet network.

Conclusion

The Smart School concept is very relevant to us as the Information age society. However, the implementation has its own resistance to deal with. So, various stakeholders include Ministry of Education, teachers, parents and students are committed to play their role effectively. Establishing a scientific and progressive society as to fulfill Vision 2020.

References

Assessment Definition. Retrieved from http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/grad_undergrad/senate/committees/assessment/dev/info/what/ on 18 October 2012.

Carla Lane. Multiple Intelligence: The Distance Learning Technology Resource Guide. Retrieved from http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html from 18 October 2012.

Concept RFP for the Smart School Assessment System (1997). Retrieved from http://www.moe.edu.my/btp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/CRF_00011.pdf on 18 October 2012.

Eng-Tek Ong (2006).The Malaysian Smart Schools Project : An Innovation to Address Sustainability.Retrieved from http://www.google.com.my/url?sa=t&rct=j&q&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teo-education.com%2Fteophotos%2Falbums%2Fuserpics%2Fong_6B.doc&ei=7DKAUJ39FdCsrAf-g4CQBg&usg=AFQjCNFm6asTDOpukd FwkVgVmYV5bdZ3g&sig2=LE_Q4aZsotiisssNb-MLdQ on 15 October 2012.

Ong Eng Tek, Kenneth Ruthven. The Character Of Science Teaching In The Malaysian Smart Schools : Results From Classroom Observation Records. Retrieved from http://www.recsam.edu.my/cosmed/cosmed09/AbstractsFullPapers2009/Abstract/Science%20Parallel%20PDF/Full%20Paper/S17.pdf on 16 October 2012.