This is a collaborative action research conducted by five Primary 4 English
teachers and one Curriculum Development Officer in the academic year
2000-2001. The objectives were to find out how the teachers could use the
IT package effectively to provide students with more exposure to authentic
communication and more practice in communication so as to enhance their
confidence in listening and speaking. It was also hoped that teachers could
share understanding and learning in the process of integrating the IT package
with the existing English curriculum so that they become a meaningful
whole.
This is basically a qualitative research and six students from a class were
chosen as the focus group to gather more in-depth information on students’
learning. Interviews, questionnaires and observations were used to examine
the impact on learning through the use of IT in the English class. All data
showed that students were more eager to learn and they were motivated to
communicate in English. The impact of IT on learning and teaching has been
very positive and encouraging.
During the research process, the teachers were impressed by the students’
enthusiastic response towards learning on the computer and their
development in different skills. The teachers have developed better
understanding and strategies in using IT to enhance learning. In this report,
teachers’ learning is shared: the need for teachers to have professional
knowledge in and clear purposes of using IT, the significance of teachers’
role and change in perception of language learning, interaction between
teachers and students, interaction among students, the different stages in
using IT and the need for a variety of resources. The report also discusses
the difficulties the teachers have encountered in using IT in class.