REPORT SMART SCHOOL
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE PROGRESS OF SMART SCHOOL IN
MALAYSIA
The
Malaysia Smart School is a learning institution that has been systemically
reinvented in terms of a teaching-learning practices and school management in
order to prepare children for the Information Age. As we know, our country
needs to make critical transformation like Japan that use 100% technology in
education. The progress of Smart School made so far is the schooling culture
has been change from one that is memory-based to one that is informed,
thinking, creative and caring through leading-edge technology. In the pilot,
the Smart School Integrated Solution (SSIS) was rolled out to 87 schools in the
country at the cost of about RM 300 million. The Smart School is implemented by
the Ministry of Education (MoE), Malaysia. Then, there are four waves of the
Smart School implementation plan are wave 1 from 1999 to 2002, the
implementation on 87 schools, wave 2 from 2002 to 2005, lessons learnt from the
pilot, wave 3 from 2005 to 2010, extending the digital transformation to all
and wave 4 from 2010 to 2020, technology becomes an integral part of the
nation’s learning process.
Firstly, from 1999 to 2002, the 87 pilots
schools were identified to act as the nucleus for the eventual roll-out of
Smart Schools concepts, materials, skills and technologies. As stated in the
Smart School Conceptual Blueprint, the Smart School concept is a work in
progress and remains open to evolutionary refinement, including advances in
pedagogy and improvements in information technology. To date 2005, there have
been several enhancement efforts by various parties to expand the role of ICT
in Malaysian schools. There are mainly the ICT-enabled teaching of Science and
Mathematics in English (PPSMI), the government’s school computerization project
aimed at equipping all schools with PC’s and a computer lab. As with the PPSMI,
the SSIS must make the transition to English for Science and Mathematics
teaching. As the PPSMI produces teaching courseware and the SSIS produces
learning courseware, a combination of the two will strengthen teaching-learning
in the classroom.
Then, from 2002 until 2005, in order
to implement ICT-integrated teaching more effectively and to obtain all
stakeholders’ support to the nationwide implementation of the Smart Schools.
After that, The Smart Schools Management System (SSMS) holds the promise of a
total, comprehensive and complete approach to learning. Measures to improve the
SSMS and schools’ transition to a knowledge culture will be facilitated
strongly. While improving the user-friendly aspect of the SSMS, steps will also
be taken to integrate parallel efforts such as the PPSMI, the school
computerization program and the School-Net project.
Besides, timeline from 2005 until
2020, following the Pilot Project in 1999 until 2002, the MoE has developed a
visionary plan for the roll out the Smart School during 2006 until 2010. The
plan to “make all schools smart by 2010” will leverage on all the initiatives
MoE has undertaken prior to and since 1999, as well as future initiatives.
Thus, by 2010, the target is to have 10,000 Smart Schools in Malaysia. Hence,
each of the 10,000 schools turning smart in 2010 will have many facilities,
such as wireless, notebooks for all teachers (for subjects of Science and
Mathematics in English) and broadband access. Moreover, under this period,
teachers will undergo a programmed of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
as they will be continuously trained to enhance the teachers’ competency in
integrating ICT in teaching and learning. Training of teachers by 2010 will
cover educational TV, smart teaching learning and a module on integrating the
ICT initiatives in a lesson.
A long-term implementation plan for
the period 2005-2020 will set performance targets that will have to be met by
the major players. The plan would have to get the approval and full backing of
the government in terms of its commitments to the goals of the Smart Schools.
Having relevant policies in place is an important factor to enhance
implementation. Support will also be provided in terms of making available the
necessary human, financial and physical resources required by the initiatives.
In other hand, other government agencies, such as the Ministry of National and
Rural Development, Tenaga Nasional Berhad can play significant roles,
especially in providing for the needs of rural areas. This will have a positive
impact on the Smart School.
1.2 CHALLENGES
FACED SINCE THE INCEPTION OF SMART SCHOOL
Malaysia is fast moving towards
becoming a united and fully developed nation by the year 2020. Towards this
end, Malaysia need to strategize and take step to ensure that the nation will
achieve its goals. However, Malaysia
need to be innovative to venture into new fields and focus on new emphasis in
order to be able to compete with other developed nations. Extra efforts must be
taken to face new challenges ahead in this era. Challenges which the nation
need to face are mostly from globalization and liberalization as well as from
the rapid development of information and communication technology. The great
challenge Malaysia is facing at the moment is to extend the concept of smart
learning to all schools (there are about 8000 primary schools and 3000
secondary schools). With the rise of K-economy, the new economic challenges and
the knowledge-based workforce, Malaysia needs to manage its education system in
a more creative and innovative manner.
Firstly,
teachers are now faced with the challenge of dealing with a learning
environment, which is borderless, offers multi-modal learning pathways, and
resource rich. The implies that the teacher needs to understand how an
ICT-based learning environment as intended by the Smart School education
concept affects the student’s training and learning. Teachers
also need more training on ICT programs than the students. It’s important to
ensure teachers capability to deliver their curriculum
and so that all teachers can contribute towards achieving the nation’s
educational direction and goals together. Thus, a great need to train and
retrain teachers to the new concept of teaching-learning. Teaching should be
student-centered whereby learners are allowed to access knowledge at their own
pace. Teachers should be innovative and use the internet as an important
resource.
In addition, limitation
of infrastructure, such as computer labs and continuous limitations to access
the network hamper the effectiveness of technology supported teaching and
learning. So, the extension of the smart school concept; Teaching–learning
processes should be run. It helps the students learn effectively and
efficiently. It also enable students to self-accessed and self-directed
learning. It also cognitively, attractive, motivates and encourage students to
learn and active participation. Moreover, combinations of network-based,
teacher based and course-ware materials will become more attractive.
Next, students nowadays
are passive. It is also one of the challenges that we faced today. They hope
everything from their teacher. Although the teacher is mainly responsible for
what takes in the learning environment, the students should also play an active
role in determining the direction of their learning by virtue of their
participation and activities. Apart from that, majority of the parents are not
involved in this project. Most of them busy with their work so that can upgrade
their life. In their opinion, this programmers is the work for government.
Thus, they do not care about it.
Then, schools are
supposed to have enough technical expertise or technology coordinator to
maintain the ICT infrastructure. Besides that, they also responsible for
supporting teachers in the overall deployment of multimedia and other
technologies in the delivery of Smart School teaching. It is because, sometimes
the old teacher do not know how to used the computer. So, we need technical
expertise to help and guide teachers in delivering effective technology supported
instruction. Apart from that, the technology coordinator will also supervise
maintenance of all technical equipment and liaise with the school technical
support staff team for equipment repair, replacement and facility upgrading as
and when necessary.
After that, the problem
of face breakdown of electricity supply also should be considered. Thus, the
authorities should play their roles in improving the management of smart
school. The constant breakdown of electricity supply especially in the rural
schools. This is due to the inability of the existing system in schools to cope
with increase usage of electricity. For an example, Tenaga Nasional Berhad
(TNB) has already held the powetron electricity generation project to overcome
the problem of Sabah’s electricity supply shortage.
2.
SMART
SCHOOL INITIATIVE
The
Smart School initiatives has five main goals which focus on the need to develop
a skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote goals of the
National Philosophy of Education which is produce thinking and
technology-literate workforce, democratize education, increase participation of
stakeholders, provide all-around development of the individual and provide
opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities. All this should be
achieved to make sure the Smart School in Malaysia is the best around the
world.
All
around development of individual include intellectual, physical, emotional and
spiritual. This element of individual development is important for student to
achieve their goals in the future. As a student, they should know their needs
for the balance development in their life. Strategies that can be taken are
provided a broad curriculum for all students and teach values and language
across the curriculum. By the way, students are able to active with their
curriculum activities such as club and sports. This provide student to achieve
the first goals of Smart School which is all around development of individuals.
Next is emphasized thinking skills. Thinking skills is about the way student
should think to resolve the problem. Student should be creative and think
widely across their mind. At the end, they can generate a new idea or theory
for future development of our country.
Besides,
provision to develop individual strengths and abilities. Individual strengths
and abilities are very important towards student because they have many
obstacles that should be faced to success in their study. Provide elective in
the curriculum and allow for vertical integration (virtual express class) can
though the student to face the reality nowadays. They should alert with the
environment and try to adapt with the surrounding. Brilliant student should know
their strengths and abilities to make sure their weakness can be cover and try
to develop a new skill to protect their original strengths and abilities.
Teachers are ready to guide and help is necessary for students to develop their
own strengths and abilities.
Next,
produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce. An integrated set of
strategies will be employed to achieve this goals are teach thinking across the
curriculum and apply technology in teaching and learning. Application of
technology in teaching and learning is the best way to implement student to
approach this goal because students are able to communicate with the world and
positively can bring something new to Malaysia specifically. Malaysia need
someone that can think widely and know about technology nowadays because in
these era, world is using technology and this is the right position of our
country to be and posited beside the best country in the world such as Japan
and United State. Malaysia can compete with the others country if this issues
is taking seriously by our government to successfully develop The Malaysia
Smart School.
After
that, democratize education also the goal of The Malaysia Smart School. An
integrated set of strategies will be employed to achieve this goals are provide
equal access to learning opportunities and provide for differing abilities,
styles and paces of learning. Different people have different style of study.
So, as a good teacher they should know and try to make a new thing and
variation their style of teaching to make sure student are not boring with
them. Student also a teenagers and they are attracted with the new thing
especially about technology. The school environment is important because
teacher should know and play their role to attract student during teaching
process with the school environment. As a student, they also know their part
and try to fulfill their own hope and if the education provided is suitable,
they can go through and the goal of Smart School is achieved.
Last
but not least is increasing participation of stakeholders. There are some
strategies to fulfill the last goals of The Malaysia Smart School which is
create awareness of what happens in schools, enable easy and speedy
communication with the school using technology and provide opportunities for
stakeholders to participate. We should take an action before anything bad is
happen in the future. Prevention is better than cure. It is the best word can
be said to show that we should awareness of what happens in schools. To success
this goals, we should easy and speedy communication with the school using
technology. Parents and community can easily get the information about their
children and schools. This is the best way for parents to know about the
curriculum and academic achievement of their children.
The
school management should provide opportunities for stakeholders such as parents
and community to participate. This can increase participation of stakeholders
if the opportunities provided to the stakeholders are successfully full by the
school management. The relationship between community and the school is closer
and fulfill the objective of The Malaysia Smart School. All this goals should
be achieved to make sure the Smart School in Malaysia is the best around the
world.
The
successful of Smart School is not depends on the planning of the project, but
the responsibility of stakeholders in many aspect that taking care across the
Smart School programmed. The stakeholders can deliver services with ease and
facilitate processes, they need to identify common goals that alike Smart
objective. One of the main goals in Smart School is to increase participation
of stakeholders. In other word, all citizens have responsibility in increasing
the level of national education in the world view.
The
government has provide much money to set up teaching and learning facilities
especially teaching aid like desktop, laptop, projector, internet connection,
hardware and education software. Smart School also provides opportunities to
enhance individual strength and abilities. Every assessment or work given is
point to this objective. Some of them might be given through online. So,
teachers, students and parents should be able to access on-line assessment
items. This smart school assessment will be flexible and learner friendly,
while assuring the quality of the assessment information by using multiple
approaches and instruments. This is important to make sure the students also
can undergo their learning at anywhere, anytime and anyone can help them.
The
teacher is an important component in the teaching and learning situation. His
or her knowledge, skills and attitude are equipments in creating the best
conditions for their students learning. What we can say here is, the teacher is
an important factor that can determine and influence the future of young people
than do the members of other professions. So, we can consider that teachers
play an important role to provide education and other moral good human
behaviors to students.
Good
and creative teacher is a person who can designed their own creative teaching
methods and play with emotions, factual data and moral values broaden the
learning experience and make it more relevant to everyday life situations. If
the role of a teacher is to teach, the role of a student must be to learn.
However, it has been agreed that learning is not only an exercise in reading
and reciting facts, but in gaining a deeper insight of events and situations.
Through the use of drama and dramatic conventions a teacher does not only teach
and learn the materials but also the why and how the materials do.
Smart
School teachers need to learn to facilitate and encourage students in taking
charge of their own learning. Teachers will continue to be the students mentor.
Each student will have one or several virtual mentors who can be accessed
anytime they want like in class and through the online. These mentors will
monitor the online activities of their area, offering advice, suggestions and
feedback. Such mentors will also report any significant happening in the
child’s learning to the parents, teachers and any other interested
stakeholders. The teachers not only teaching, but their work includes as a
mentor, manager and reporter. They are mapping of performance goals with
student activities, offering real-time course corrections, replacing evaluation
through periodic tests. Each transformation that teacher make in the class will
continuously until the objective of Smart School achieve.
The
changing from normal school to smart school will need changing the culture of
school, moving away from classic memory-based learning. It give a chance for
students to thinking, be creative, and caring in all students. So, the students
need more exercise on each topic and have responsibility on their own education
and their future. It is because Smart School gives opportunity to students to
decide their way but still under teacher attention. Here, the students can
explore the knowledge with their own creativity.
The
ways of the student works play the major role to determine the successful of
Smart School. The students should participate actively in all teaching and
learning process. If the students become passive in class, the expansion of
knowledge and transferring knowledge is not occurring perfectly. The students
mind set to achieve glory in their education must set in the early age. They
must work harder and not depend on someone to explore something new in their
life.
In
the smart learning scenario, students will make extensive use of facilities
that can help them learn in the school as well as away from it. They must know
that the facilitator or teachers is useful for them in each learning
activities. The students also must courage to work in distributed,
collaborative groups, playing a more proactive role in the teaching-learning
process. It is for their future life especially in their work time. Learning
will eventually become student-centric, with the students becoming experts in
managing the learning environment. The power of controlling is given to them by
the teacher because the teacher has become as facilitators who only giving help
and clues for them to make an exploration of knowledge easier.
When
parents are involved in their children's education, both children and parents
are likely to benefit. Parents can play the major role in helping Smart School
provide individualized education for students. Research has shown that students
do better when their parents are involved. Researchers reports that parents
participation in their children's schooling frequently enhances children's
self-esteem, improves children's academic achievement, improves parent-child
relationships, helps parents develop positive attitudes towards school and a
better understanding of the schooling process.
Despite
these advantages, it is not always easy for parents to find time and energy to
become involved or to arrange their time with schedules for school events. Some
of them might sense as an uncomfortable experience and have their hands full
with a job and other children. Recently, teachers and other school staff have
made special efforts to increase communication with parents and encourage
involvement in children's learning experiences via technology progress by the
government.
Parents
are welcome in school like to involve in teaching-learning, participating in
developing of educational materials and planning the assessment for their
children. Parental involvement can be seen to fall into three types,
behavioral, intellectual and personal. Actively participating parents help
their children in their academic development by going to schools and
participating or supporting school programs. The caring parents can also
motivate teachers to become more careful in dealing with particular student. It
is also give opportunity for parents and teachers to take care more on the
students.
Time
that has spends by the parents in the school is a very quality time. Parents
should give some time in this field because their children are in the
transforming time to the more matured in life. But, parents must be widely
acknowledge and accepted, in order to create significant buy-in for parents to
assume a much stronger role in the Smart School education process. This process
is not at school only, but also at home. The parents also must monitoring their
children progress, become a guider who are motivating and counseling children
in each time.
The
understanding parents are need in planning and working of Smart School. Even
teachers can supervise their children, parents are should not giving fully
responsibility to the teachers only because parents also have their own
responsibility on their child. While it is possible for a teacher to implement
such a parent involvement program alone, it is much easier if the school and
the whole is committed to the Smart School program. Administrative staff can
relieve some of the burden of implementing a comprehensive parent involvement
program, and can offer help and support to teachers.
The
effectiveness of teaching and learning is depending on the skill and knowledge
of the teachers. This aspect is the major factor that can determine the
successful of a smart school before taking other factor. The skill is the
ability of someone to do something and the knowledge in this view is the
information that the teachers have. The continuous professional development of
teacher in their knowledge and skills will benefit their students.
The
important things of teacher duty are to prepare students for the Information Age.
There are a few strategies that the teachers must take care. Firstly, they must
provide all round developments with provision for individual abilities,
offering a broad curriculum for all, with electives, that is vertically
integrated, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. To provide all this kind
of behaviors, the teachers must provide all this with them before can teach
others. The skill that the teachers need is the psychology skills to influence
the students. To understand the teenagers behavior, the educators must study
the teenagers development theory. From that, teacher might use soft skill to
bring and guide the students on a right way.
The
second perfect strategy is emphasized intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and
physical growth, concentrating on thinking, developing and applying values, and
using correct language across the curriculum. Teachers who work in Smart School
must encourage their students to have good critical thinking. Despite giving
much knowledge to their students, they also must know how to understand each
learned by their self. In developing students mind set, the teachers also can
applying good moral values in each aspect of learning due to the government
principle to provide integral human for nation in the future. In this millennium
era, the teenagers had confused with their identity especially in their acting
and language. They had influence with the west culture. The major thing that we
can see is mixing language. Malaysian will lose their identity if the younger
do not appreciate what they have. All this kind of acting can be change by the
teachers, they should use appropriate language in class. It is important to
foster the teenagers to use correct language, but some term in some language
need word or sentence in others language to explain it. So, it can be excuse.
The
Smart School had been developed in such powerful and had big impact of their
curriculum. The smart school curriculums are meaningful, socially responsible,
multicultural, reflective, holistic, global, open ended, goal-based and
technologically. The educator must know each kind of Malaysian culture in a
large aspect. So, the curriculum itself shall promote holistic learning and
allowing children to progress at their own paces.
The
institution that provide teachers must produce teachers with technology
literate that can think critically, encouraging thought and creativity across
the curriculum and applying technology effectively in teaching and learning.
Before entering any class, teachers are responsible to know and study about the
issue that will discuss with their students. It is involve how to use a
computer, projector, microphone, speaker, scanner or other equipments that can
be use in the class. Have a creative ways of delivering will make a good attractions
to the students to focus to the teacher in each second of learning time.
Although the teacher has ability to use the digital media in their class, they
also must know how to manage the instrument correctly like maintain the ability
of the instruments.
The
other skill, knows how to be democratize in learning. They must offering equal
access to learning opportunity and accommodating differing learning abilities,
styles and paces. Its mean, they must manage each step they take in class to
make sure the facilities provide is enough for every students. It also to
prevent buyers for some student especially the passive students and minority
races.
Our
education system had go several revolution in making a world class of education
system. The expansion of Malaysia Education must follow the recent world
expansion especially the expansion of latest technology. Introduction to
technology in education field like Smart School is one of the steps to achieve
National Vision and increasing the value of national education. To achieve this
kind of golden goals, all participants are responsible to create thus education
vision successful. If these visions are successful, it will give benefit to
Malaysia totally. Finally, developing national education is not only government
or Ministry of Education responsibility, but all Malaysian are involved in
bringing national education through excellent.
3.
TEACHING
AND LEARNING COMPONENT WITHIN THE MALAYSIAN SMART SCHOOL
The idea of Smart Schools is
dedicated to the task of regaining excellence in Malaysia education. It
restructures Malaysian education as evidenced by changing the teaching and
learning environments in schools in order to prepare children for the
Information Age. There are several components in the Malaysian Smart School. One
of the components in the teaching-learning processes which are the core of the
Smart School. The processes relating to curriculum, pedagogy, assessments, and
teaching-learning materials, are reinvented to help students learn more
effectively and efficiently. The school enable students to practice
self-accessed and self-directed learning at their own learning pace.
3.1 Curriculum
Every school have their own
curriculum objectives include the Smart School curriculum. The main objective
is to promote holistic learning. The curriculum of the Smart School emphasizes
seven learning areas. They are language and communication, science and
technology, social studies, physical and health development, vocational and
personal awareness, practical and creative arts, and values development.
Learning areas represent a very important concept in the Smart Schools. They
are designed to help students achieve overall and balanced development with
which the goals are aligned. In Smart Schools subjects no longer stand alone. In
each learning areas, subjects are taught through various perspectives of
knowledge, skills, values, and language. Each subject is divided into several
levels for students with different learning abilities. Therefore, students may
learn at to their own pace.
3.2 Pedagogy
Pedagogy is also the component of
teaching-learning in the Smart School which make the learning more interesting,
motivating, stimulating, and meaningful. It is because pedagogy involves the
student’s minds, spirit, and bodies in the learning process to prepare them for
greater challenges in future. The process in the Smart School pedagogy involves
specific method like student-centered learning. This innovative and effective
method is used to provide different learning experience for the student. For
instance, the possible role of students and teacher in classroom is range from
teacher-centered to student-centered. Pedagogy has its own learning strategies
by mix of appropriate learning to ensure mastery of basic competencies and
promotion holistic development. It also accommodates individual different
learning style to develop great performance. Besides, pedagogy shall foster a
classroom atmosphere that is compatible with different teaching-learning
strategies.
3.3 Assessment
The other component of the Smart
School is assessment which is distinctly different from other schools. It is
element-based, criterion-referenced, and diagnostic. The system is developed so
as to measure student achievement in cognitive development, communication, social-emotional
development, and science and technology. This assessment will be flexible and
learner-friendly, while assuring the quality of the assessment information by
using multiple approaches and instruments. The integration of technology as a
tool enables the on-line assessment and conducted in various form to perform
strength, abilitie, and knowledge. This assessments also can be open to
continued improvement on a lifetime. Authentic, alternative, and performance
are examples of assessment approaches, while anecdotal records, calendar
records, checklists, work samples, and exhibitions are some examples of
assessment instruments. Certification serves as a learning record and is
subject to life-long updating.
3.4 Teaching-Learning
Materials (TLMs)
The last component is the
teaching-learning material that is designed for the new teaching strategies.
Smart School teacher must be able to use ICT application as a tool in teaching
and learning process and also consider the students learning preferences in order
to maximize their learning potential. The teaching-learning materials in Smart
School to be compared with the ordinary schools are cognitively challenging and
motivating by combining the best of network-based, teacher-based, and
courseware materials.
4.
TECHNOLOGY
AS AN ENABLER
Technology infrastructure shall form the basis of the Smart
School upon which all of the applications shall reside and operate. Although
the Smart School is curriculum driven, technology nevertheless plays a crucial
role as a prime enabler and one of the critical success factors for the Smart
School. The Technology Infrastructure
for the pioneer Smart Schools may comprise some or all of the following
components like hardware such as end terminal devices and servers, software
such as operating system, graphical user interface, and IT security software.
Besides that, Local Area Network (LAN) components, such as network interfaces,
network operating system, network system management, physical cabling, hubs,
routers and access equipment. In addition, video conferencing and its related
components, Non-IT Support Equipment such as overhead projectors and
audiovisual equipment. The Technology Infrastructure shall be able to support,
fulfill and integrate the Smart School. Its design shall take into account the
migration of hardware and software applications from one level of technology to
another. Levels of Technology are made necessary by differing readiness of
infrastructure and
budget restrictions.
Unfortunately, there have been disputes as to whether Smart
Schools are associated with information technology (IT), and that smart
teaching and learning can be implemented with or without IT. 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 Malaysian[s] ready for the challenges of the
Information Age”. Furthermore, it has been persuasively argued that, “The
journey of the Smart School project might otherwise be a long and gradual one,
but we can now use technology to take us there quickly and efficiently” (SSPT,
1997a, p.37). The corollary that stems from such argument is that science
teaching and student learning can be made more efficient and enabling with the
use of technology.
The blueprint gives examples 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). Nevertheless, the blueprint suffers from a lack of
specific examples as to how technology could be used as enablers in science
classes. This void is only partially filled when one refers to the science
syllabuses that provide one or two-sentence descriptions on the suggested
IT-enabled science teaching approaches such as the use of simulation, modeling,
and computer-assisted experimentation to teach certain concepts.
5.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Malaysian government has made an ambitious and
bold initiative and has laid the foundation for our school children, the future
citizens, to progress towards achieving Vision 2020. It is now up the various
stakeholders to play their part and ensure that the path towards achieving the
goals is obstacle-free.
6.
REFERENCES
