TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED LEARNING

IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Some Aspects of Forming Reflection and Assessment Skills to Young Pupils

Rumyana Papancheva and Krasimira Dimitrova

University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”, Bourgas, 8000 Bulgaria

Keywords: Reflection, Critical thinking, Evaluation, Constructivism, Project-based learning.

Abstract: The information society we are living in is looking for new ways to help the new generation in the process

of forming skills and knowledge about the use of new technologies. One of the main accents is on the

abilities of forming skills for reflection, critical thinking, evaluation and self-evaluation. To form and create

successful personalities who will manage to develop their talent and to implement their abilities in complex

way, a systematic and purposeful education has to be proposed. Earlier the education process starts, more

real the desired results will be obtained. The paper considers the constructivism’s ideas of reforming the

learning process. A model of technologies integrated learning in the Primary school that was approbated in

the pedagogical practice is described. A way of forming skills for reflection and assessment – skills so

important for one to have really successful realization in life – is proposed.

1 INTRODUCTION

The informational revolution leads to changes in all

sectors of the social life. Society’s changes

necessitate one person’s changes – the way of

thinking, the quality and the content of knowledge,

the behavior. The process of permanent expansion of

new, powerful and modern technologies requires

people to have skills to work with them. The

development of the informational technologies and

their implementation reveals new opportunities for

the educational system. In the same time, this

development brings before the educational system

new challenges.

For a person to be successful in future, should

start his/her education at early age. But, how one

would do this? Which one is the new educational

paradigm that will guarantee competitive

personalities?

The paper makes an attempt to show some

possibilities of forming skills of reflection,

evaluation and self-evaluation during technologies

integrated learning in the Primary school, based on

some constructivism ideas. Some practical

experience is presented.

2 THEORETICAL ANALYSYS

During the last few years psychologists, pedagogues

and teachers turn their attention to the ideas of the

constructivism and put them in the center as a new

educational paradigm.

The constructivism has a long story. It is related

to names of Lev Vigotski, Jean Piaget and John

Dewey to numerous varieties of the pedagogical

theory. The constructivism studies the learning

theories (how the person assimilates knowledge and

skills) and the characteristics of the knowledge itself

(epistemology).

D. Jonassen defends the idea that the education

should be realized in an environment that resembles

different aspects of real society. Within traditional

model of learning the students obtain separated

portions of knowledge that they can’t use as unity.

He suggests the accent to be put on the construction

instead on reproduction of knowledge; students to be

involved in authentic, real problems and activities,

i.e. content instead of abstract learning; the

educational environment to be based on real

situations; the self-reflection and the rationalization

of the experience should be stimulated; the joint

efforts during knowledge construction to be

415

Papancheva R. and Dimitrova K. (2009).

TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED LEARNING IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL - Some Aspects of Forming Reﬂection and Assessment Skills to Young

Pupils.

In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Computer Supported Education, pages 415-418

DOI: 10.5220/0001972204150418

 SciTePress

supported instead of basing it on competitive rivalry

among students (Jonassen, 1997).

The student is an active subject during the

learning process. He/She learns by action. The

student is put in the center; it is assumed that he/she

is a creator, an acting subject that gains knowledge

through his/her personal experience. In this way the

knowledge acquires value and motivates the person

to form skills that will help him/her to manage in

real-life situations. The learning process, based on

the constructivism’s model helps in forming a lot of

qualities and skills of the students like tolerance,

critical thinking and self-evaluation and so on.

That’s why the problem of first significance,

according the constructivism theory is the

development of critical thinking (Cluster, 2001).

The critical thing is a skill to one to make a

decision to what to believe and to what – to not

believe (Norris, 1985).

The aim of critical thinking is the achievement of

understanding, evaluation of view points and solving

problems. Since all three things involve the asking

of questions, we can say that critical thinking is the

questioning or inquiry we engage in when we seek

to understand, evaluate, or resolve (Maiorana, 1992).

The critical thinking develops mental processes,

connected to the perception and the processing of

information and forms valuable standpoints. “Habits

of thinking” that contribute more exact and precise

perception and rationalization of knowledge are

formed though critical thinking. The critical thinking

assumes reflection skills.

The term reflection is used in order to describe

the processes of thinking. The reflection is an action.

By it people go through the experience, think over it,

and estimate it.

The main points of reflection are described in

four classical theoretical accents. According Dewey

the reflection is thinking about “myself” as an

individual and about “my function” as an individual.

The reflection is seeking of strong and weak features

of a person (Dewey, 1933). For Kolb learning is

described as process of learning by doing.

According the Kolb’s cycle the model of learning

suggests that a participant has a Concrete

Experience, followed by Reflective Observation,

then the formation of Abstract Conceptualizations

before finally conducting Active Experimentation to

test out the newly developed principles (Kolb,

1984). Schon distinguishes between ‘reflection-in-

action’ and ‘reflection-on-action’ (Schon, 1983).

Habermas studies the use of reflection as one of the

process that human being adopt in the generation of

particular forms of knowledge. He describes the

process of construction of new knowledge, and new

theories (Habermas, 1971).

Generalizing describer theories Moon states that

the reflection “is a mental process with purpose

and/or outcome that is applied to relatively

complicated or unstructured ideas for which there is

not an obvious solution” (Moon, 1999).

The following kinds of reflection are

differentiated:

 Intellectual reflection – thinking about thinking;

 Personal reflection – self-knowledge of a

subject;

 Dialogic reflection – self-knowledge by and

through dialogue with others;

 Praxeological reflection – self-knowledge

through one’s actions and creations.

The intellectual reflection is divided to

intellectual reflection in learning (learning

reflection) and intellectual reflection in science.

Strong criteria about the stage of the critical

thinking in young pupils are not formulated.

Concerning mental development the following

criteria are used: skills to operate with abstract

terms; logical thinking; working mentally.

The formation of critical thinking and reflection

skills are precondition for forming skills for

evaluation and self-evaluation. The estimation in the

Primary school is based on personality-oriented

approach. The self-control also has its place and role

in the Primary school.

3 MODEL FOR TECHNOLOGY

INTEGRATED LEARNING IN

THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Following theoretical formulations and principles,

we have developed and approbated a model for

technology integrated learning in Primary school.

The experimental work was launched in 2005.

The approbation successfully passed during the

school years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. Two

schools from Bourgas – the fourth largest city in

Bulgaria, were involved. Eight teachers and 225

students – 50 students from first grade, 75 from

second grade, 55 from third grade and 45 students

from fourth grade – worked on different educational

projects.

The work within the Model is based on school

projects that cover topics of the curriculum and

provide activities requiring the use of information

technologies. Team work and interdisciplinary

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416

approach are used. The assessment is a crucial

element of the model. The assessment is carried out

on the basis of criteria and indexes. The developed

system provides: Estimation that the teacher gives to

each team and to each student individually;

Estimation that the student gives him/herself;

Estimation that a student gives to his/her teammates.

Theoretical basis for the development of the

project is the project-based learning. The

modification of project-based learning for the

Primary school is indicated with the term project-

oriented learning. From first go fourth grade step by

step the transition from situational to project-

oriented education is realized.

Main focus of the work on the project is the use

of information technologies by the students. An

important accent in the Model is the development of

skills of children to present their work. Students

work on teams into the computer lab. They usually

have two assignments – one on computer and one

accompanying task that do not require work on the

computer (Papancheva, 2006).

4 FORMATION OF REFLEXIVE

AND CRITICAL THINKING

SKILLS, AND SKILLS OF

EVALUATION AND

SELF-ASSESSMENT

The formation of reflexive skills, critical thinking,

skills of assessment and self-assessment in the

proposed methodology is based on theoretical

analysis considered shortly here. All these skills

should be considered as a unity even so they have

their specificity as well. Encouraging acts of

reflection of small pupils goes along with the overall

learning activity. The formation of reflexive skills is

aimed at the four mentioned types.

In the first grade the students are given the

opportunity to record their opinions about three

randomly selected children from the class. The

requirement for writing only positive qualities and

skills is being set to the children. So far students

have studied and played together, but have not been

provoked to peer at their classmates. The work on

this task supports the formation of skills of critical

attitude of the thought.

This line continues in the second grade, when on

the basis of the already formed skills students

created a skill to look at themselves. In front of the

students is placed a task to present them as they

describe qualities and skills of their character that

they consider to be their strengths. This assignment

provokes students to look at themselves and seek

their positive qualities to represent them in the best

manner.

In the third and fourth grade the formation of

reflexive skills are directed to the school and

praxeological reflection through appropriate learning

tasks. Students face a problem that they have to

resolve. They are confronted with a deficit of

knowledge and here it is particularly important the

manifestation of reflection.

The formation of critical thinking is a long and

complicated process. Its purposeful conduct in the

proposed methodology is implemented in three

parallel lines.

In the first manifestation of critical thinking the

students are proposed a large quantity of information

on the topic. They are acquainted with it and on the

base of their experience derive the most important

and essential on the topic, the things that they need

to complete the set task.

The second line, used to work for the formation

of critical thinking skills is the ability to formulate a

question on certain criteria, using the received

information. In first grade students work on a project

"Carnival of professions”. In this point they meet

with parents who tell them about their jobs. On the

base of what students have heard and based on their

personal experience, they have to ask different

questions to the parents. The question must be

adequate to the situation and to request information

not given by the parents till that moment.

In second grade the requirements in front of the

students are increased. They work on the project

"Spring Carnival", and do surveys of different

themes and objects related to spring (birds, animals,

trees, flowers). They are presented some information

on the topic. They in turn are required to obtain

additional information on the topic. Their task is to

formulate an interesting and curious question for the

object. Students prepare an electronic quiz with

interesting questions, which present in front of their

parents.

During the next grades the work on the second

line continues, and in the fourth grade students

prepare and conduct a discussion related to the

issues of energy. The thematic gradation is

expanding the range of vision of the students – from

the world around them to substantial problems,

common for the people. The leading of a discussion

requires a good basic training in the subject in order

to formulate specific and precise questions and

adequate answers, reasoned defense of their own

position, etc.

TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATED LEARNING IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL - Some Aspects of Forming Reflection and

Assessment Skills to Young Pupils

417

The third line for the formation of critical

thinking occurs in relation to the used applications

for the realization of the set tasks. After the

theoretical treatment of the problem, students must

realize and accomplish it in practice. The selection

of an appropriate computer programs and

technological tools implies good technology culture.

Of particular importance here is the manifestation of

learning reflection.

The formation of skills of assessment and self-

assessment does not take place in isolation but is in

direct connection with the work on the formation of

reflexive and critical thinking skills.

Cards for evaluation and self-assessment are

introduced and their complexity increases with the

age of the students.

In first grade students are required to assess the

behavior of their classmates, using a picture of a

smiling or frowning face. They are offered two

levels of evaluation – good and bad.

In second grade an upgrading in two aspects is

carried on. There are three stages to evaluate the

behavior of a teammate – bad, good, excellent.

Images of men are used again, but they have a

characteristic color (by analogy with the traffic

light). At the beginning of the period the evaluation

of one’s own behavior (self-assessment) during the

academic activities is introduced. In the middle of

the period a big step in terms of personality, self-

reflection and self-assessment is made. The students

are required to assess their work using the already

known scheme. In the third and fourth grade the

evaluation cards are considerably more complicate.

5 CONCLUSIONS

Technology integrated learning must not be

considered as something isolated or as an end in

itself. It should support the process of learning by

offering new digital working environment to

students. The realization of the constructivism’s

ideas in pedagogical practice in the Primary school

and the integration of the technologies in the

learning process is very difficult task, as the main

researches are on theoretical base only.

Based on formulated theoretical postulates and

on the changes in the educational paradigm one can

describe the following conclusions about how

quality and innovative learning to be realized:

 The accent should be shifted from the cognitive

to the motivational, emotional area with

balance between;

 A special learning environment should be

created. This environment should offer

conditions for student to achieve more

complex knowledge and to develop their

cognitive potential;

 The assessment process must not be an isolated

process, but integrated into the learning

process, based on different theoretical

approaches;

 The reflection should be a key factor of the

learning process;

The learning process in the Primary school

should be placed in a way to stimulate and to

develop the reflexive skills to young pupils. In this

way student could form abilities for self-evaluation

of their possibilities, evaluation of the information

available, and this will help them in their realization

in live.

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Maiorana, Victor P., 1992. Critical Thinking Across the

Curriculum: Building the Analytical Classroom.

ERIC/REC at Indiana University, Edinfo Press, p. 6.

Moon, J., 1999. Reflection in learning and professional

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Some possibilities for integration of the technologies

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