ICT integration in Teaching and Learning mathematics for Grade III

Grade: III                  Subject: Mathematics                       Topic: - Mass             29/10/2019

Integration of ICT into the classroom has been used as one of the most effective tool for motivating students to learn in a different way. As a teacher, I assure that, integration of ICT into the classroom has been found so effective, efficient, dynamic and interactive over the last few months of my implementation for ICT419 module in my Distant Education Program. 

On 28^th October 2019, the children of class III were provided with 3 questions on the topic “Mass” as below:

1. What is mass?
2. What instrument do we use to measure mass?
3. What is the unit for measuring mass?

They were asked to write the answers of the questions by accessing internet using their parent’s mobile at home for day scholars and for boarder students they were asked to use the school IT Lab during their free time.  On the next day, I recapitulated the previous lesson by asking them what they have learnt and the task provided to them as a homework in which few volunteers were made to read out the answers they got from the internet. The magical thing that happened was, while I was asking for few volunteers to read out the answers, most of the children stood up in chaos saying “Sir, sir! I want to read!” in which students were eager to share their answers after having accessed to the internet. I was so impressed to see my children being motivated and interested in sharing their write ups after browsing the net which was a positive sign of the impact of using and integrating ICT in my teaching learning process. The curiosity in them made me sense the actual learning taking place in them and felt the greater impact in their learning achievement. The class was much interactive then before as they came up with various answers and opinions. 

However, some of the challenges that I came across was, children were not able to segregate the information as required. They wrote every information they got from the Google without analyzing the correctness of the definition. For instance, some of the children didn’t write the answers as expected.  They wrote the definition of the mass as “A large number of people or objects crowded together” instead of writing as “The mass of an object are the amount of matter in it.” Thus, it is obvious that children at this stage they are not aware of the ICT usage and more over they are into the initial stage of browsing net at these level and look for the information.  

  

Nevertheless, to overcome the challenges, I always feel that such type of task has to be given frequently and teach them how to make choices of the information given in the Google. Moreover, I am optimistic that children for eternity would discover more knowledge and information through usage of ICT as it gives them immediate access to richer source materials.  Hence, I always consider that, the rapid growth of technology of today’s world and the impact of ICT usage, always pushes teachers and learners to integrate ICT into their daily teaching and learning processes and make it as a part of lives.   

Glimpse 

ICT integration in Teaching and Learning of Mathematics in Grade 3

Grade: III

Subject: Mathematics

Topic: - Collecting and Organizing Data

14^th October, 2019

In this 21^st century, ICT is seen as tools to enable and support teachers in creating more “Learner-Centric” learning environment. ICT integration has greater impact in challenging learner’s understanding and thinking either through whole class discussion and individual / small group work which results in reinforcing of traditional pedagogical practices. The integration of ICT has been widely used by the educationist in delivering the concept and letting the learners search in information and get abreast with information and ideas.

The lesson on collecting and organizing data for class 3 was taught though self created tutorial and power point presentation. Children really enjoyed the lesson as they could feel the reality in such tutorial when they saw my image and the presentation made in the tutorial. They were so exited and they even asked me to play the tutorial for the second time. The presentation was supplemented by PPT on “Collecting and Organizing Data” which made children clear about the concept. The presentation was followed by the whole class activity in collecting the age of each individual and putting them into tally sheet.

Some of the challenges that I came across was, while creating tutorial we need to have basic knowledge on editing videos, and need to be fluent in language while presenting. It took so long to create the tutorial as it was handling for the first time in which I have to delete several clips and re-do the recordings. I felt that one should have skills and hands on experience to use the software.  However, it was a great experience that I ever gained in my life. I can now try out creating such tutorials for other lesson as it was found effective in teaching and learning processes.  

ICT Integration for mathematics in Class III

Teaching and learning of Division as Repeated Subtraction through ICT integration for mathematics in grade III. 
23/9/2019

A new Approach to Primary Education shifted focus from “Teacher centered to Child centered learning”. The mathematics curriculum is designed to help students appreciate the value of mathematics and make connection to real-world experiences. There is now a greater emphasis on the need for the students to understand the mathematics they learn rather than to memorize rote procedure. When discussing mathematical ideas, we expect students to use the processes of problem solving, communication, reasoning, making connection and representation. There is an increased emphasis on problem solving in mathematics but Bhutanese students are academically challenged to solve various mathematical problems. These fallouts are attributable to many factors such as inappropriateness of curriculum standard to their cognitive abilities like logical reasoning, deterred linguistic development and ability especially in English, lack of reading habits and inadequate vocabularies and other subject teachers not applying Language across the curriculum. Hence, integrating of ICT in mathematics would certainly address some of the issues in finding difficulty with mathematics.

Basically, ICT integration into teaching and learning is found to be dependable on creativity and motivation of an individual teacher whereby a teacher has to maximize the impact of ICT by providing access to ICT resources for all the children and boost their learning and incorporating the use of ICT equipments in teaching. To my experience, ICT tools motivates and makes children interested in learning mathematics and improved their performance and achievement in the class.

The fourth lesson that I have integrated ICT was on “Division as Repeated Subtraction” for grade III in which two video clips were shown. During the lesson, children participated actively in watching the video clips on and carrying out the activities effectively. In essence, the video clips emphasized the connections among mathematical concepts and to connect abstractions to real-world setting. As a follow up activity, children were made to solve questions (provided worksheets) associated to the clips. Almost all the children were able to solve the questions correctly but to those few children who lacked the listening and comprehension skills were guided after going around the class. 

 

I have learnt that ICT integration helps to build on their prior knowledge and skills and it’s one of the fun ways of learning mathematics as they loved watching movies at home and they even requested me to show other clips related to mathematics. However, due to time constraints, I couldn’t show the related video clip but I have agreed to show other video clips in the next lesson for their better understanding. The lesson went effectively as the objectives of the lesson were fulfilled as children could get the clear concept of the lesson through ICT integration.

Thus, integrating ICT in teaching and learning helps to achieve the objectives of the lesson effectively, obtain active participation from the student and assist in teaching difficult concepts.  

ICT Integration for mathematics

Class: III

Topic: Division as Equal Grouping

Date: - 10/9/2019

My teaching experience has been incredible and I think I learned as much from the class as the students did. Teaching is not everybody’s cup of tea. It is a demanding profession, in which we need lots of content knowledge, planning, ideas, skills and patience. I have learned that teaching is not just reading of text, notes and guiding children through them but it requires lots of planning, reflection, reinforcement, seeking feedback, skills, delivering of content and being mindful.

Teaching has been a very difficult task for me as I encounter difficulty with learners and the frequent change in curriculum. Every learner that we come across doesn’t always have the same abilities to capture what has been taught. There are times when students can seem uninterested in learning and disruptive to the classroom environment. Hence, ICT integration for teaching mathematics has been found so meaningful and interesting for the learners. For instance, before I began with the lesson, I provided children with questions such as “What is division? Write down 2 examples of division as an equal grouping, etc.” Then I took my children in IT lab and let them browse internet and watch youtube on “Division as equal grouping” and ask them to look for the answer. 

 

However, nothing seem easy if children are not able to handle the computer and it was bit challenging in the beginning but with the two IT assistants, I could manage to let children experience browsing of net and to look for the answers. Children were so excited and couldn’t even wait for the teacher’s instruction. But gradually I could make them follow the instruction by projecting on how to go about searching for the information step by step.

As a follow up activity, I made them to share their experiences while using the computer and asked them to share what that have seen in the video clip with few examples of “Division as an equal grouping”.

Hence, to make the lesson much more effective, I took note of giving them basic ideas and information about handling computers before letting them to handle the computers.