The Future Use Of Ict In Education And Mathematics Classroom

THE FUTURE USE OF ICT IN EDUCATION AND MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM

Education Tony Blair (DFEE 1997) laid down vision of the role of ICT in education as that of transformation. This quest for ICT to transform education was funded generously and had yielded positive result as most schools are now connected to the internet, ICT equipments are widely available in many schools and most teachers have at least a basic level of competence in using the ICT (Dawes 2000, Watson 2001). However, the envisioned transformation of education is still elusive and the future direction of educational ICT is still emerging.

Existing literature on the future of educational ICT are positive but tentative as to the exact nature of ICT in education, (for example Hennessy et al. 2005,) Fisher (2006) interrogated the notion of "transformation" in the context of education and concluded that when transformation is used in terms of education and ICT, it connotes more than an incremental change but a fundamentally different future (pp.295). Watson (2001), on the other hand, argued that our perception of knowledge is outdated hence the task should rather be an interrogation of the exact knowledge that is needed in the 21st century and how ICT can support an educational system that would deliver a "21st century knowledge". This view was corroborated by Conlon &Simpson (2003) citing Spencer, who warned that any computer set up should be informed by the change in educational purpose, curriculum and pedagogy. In sum, the implication is that education itself as we know it needs to change.

Consequently, a change in ICT in education policy is inevitable. Many writers (Selwyn, Somekh 2000, Watson 2001, Lewin 2004) have indicated that a policy shift that is pedagogy driven rather than technology driven would enable a more effective use of ICT in the classroom. In addition, the positive attitude of teachers and the greater availability of ICT coupled with improved access would enhance the confidence of classroom practitioners. Although Selwyn (1999) contends that schools might be unable to adapt ICT like the business and industry but the government unrelenting investment and commitment which results in the provision of ICT infrastructure would necessarily compel schools and teachers to embrace ICT and ensure that its use impact the teaching and learning.

On the contrary, Loveless (2003) reported teachers' view on how classrooms might look in the next ten years. It was stated that the classroom would basically remain the same but with more ICT resources. Although, the classroom interaction would be altered as confidence and competence; with regards to using ICT, increases among teachers. Consequently, "front-of-class teaching" might be replaced by an increased use of paired students and group of students using laptops (Sutherland 1994). The teaching and learning of mathematics would also witness change in the future. As more teachers go beyond the "early adoption stage" and become competent users. Thus the central role of teachers can not be ignored.

Mathematics classroom The national curriculum of mathematics in England (DFEE 1999) outlined the format of a typical mathematics lesson. Lessons are expected to last for about one hour and follow a standard format of three phases; the first phase is the mental/oral starter, followed by the main teaching part of the lesson and lastly the plenary. During the main part of the lesson, the teacher introduces the topic to be learnt in that lesson after which the students solve questions from the textbook. The plenary could be used to summarise the main points of the lesson, give feedback, assess students' work or encourage reflections. The contemporary mathematics lesson described here does not deviate so much from the traditional mathematics classroom which was characterised by rote memorisation and drill and practice (Goldsmith & Scifter, 1997).

The failure of school mathematics to impart students with mathematical skill required real life, university mathematics and the world of work had been a major concern to academicians, employers and policy makers (Cockcroft 1982). However it is proving difficult to the decide what mathematics to teach, to whom it should be taught and how it could be taught such that everyone would be mathematically equipped to participate in real life, professional mathematics or employment (Anderson 1999). In addition to this ICT is also impacting mathematics by opening up new possibilities and challenges. The response from policy makers, researchers and classroom practitioners themselves had been varied but good teachers had been identified by all to be the key to bring to reality the envisioned "ICT future"

Some are of the opinion that a change in the mathematic curriculum is inevitable (e.g Kaput & Roschele 1999) but the onus is still on the teachers to usher school mathematics into the information age (Fey 1989, Mee 2007). Although it is widely acclaimed that technology could impact teaching positively, good teachers are still important in the teaching mathematics (Kutzler 2000, Wood et. al 2005.).

Conclusion

Research had highlighted the importance of teachers in the successful integration of ICT into the classroom. Mathematics teachers are using ICT to support learning and teaching but it was reported that : The use of ICT to enhance teaching and learning, though improving, is not as effective as in many other subjects.. (ofsted 2004)

This research will examine teachers' use ICT resources in the mathematics classroom, and its effectiveness in positively affecting learning outcomes. In order to do this, the following questions would be investigated How does policy document construct effective use of ICT ? The notion of effectiveness Teachers' use of ICT, is it effectivess?

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