| Purpose |
The present study centred on two aspects of language learning-writing and e-learning, and their connection is shown in the purpose of the present study: to examine the potential contribution of e-learning to the learning and teaching of P3 English writing. Four yardsticks were applied to gauge to what extent the purpose was achieved: |
| 1. |
Students' ability to generate ideas |
| 2. |
Students' ability to organise ideas |
| 3. |
Students' ability to work on the e-resources with each other |
| 4. |
Infusion of e-resources in a traditional English writing lesson |
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| Research question |
| In view of the purpose of the study, the following core research question was formulated: |
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To what extent did e-learning resources enhance the learning and teaching of a primary 3 writing class? |
In the course of the planning and implementation, the following sub-research questions were also addressed: |
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Learning |
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Did e-learning activities improve students' ability to generate ideas? |
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Did e-learning activities strengthen students' ability to organise ideas? |
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Did e-learning resources facilitate in-class peer learning and sharing? |
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Teaching |
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Was e-learning smoothly and appropriately infused into the L/T process? |
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| Participants |
Two P3 Bring-your-own device (BYOD) classes participated in the study. These two P3 BYOD classes, with 60 students in total, attended the English lessons with their iPads as well as paper materials such as books. They could only take out and use the device upon receiving instructions from the teachers.
To examine the effectiveness of the planned e-teaching materials/activities, nine students from each of the two classes were selected. The eighteen students from both classes fell into three levels of English proficiency: high (six students), average (six students) and low (six students). |
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Design of the project |
Given that e-learning is a comparatively recent initiative among teachers and its smooth integration into the traditional L/T mode in a classroom context is a prime concern, the present study adopted Gagne's theory of instruction, which is a 'primary' model for educational technology (Hricko, 2008), as the guiding framework to assist the planning and implementation of different e-activities in a step-by-step manner. In the model, nine steps of instruction are stated as the base for designing instructions systematically for a lesson, and Figure 2 illustrates how Gagne's instructional model was used as the frame for planning an e-writing lesson in the present study, with the e-resources stated in brackets:
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Fig. 2 Gagne's instructional model and an e-writing class
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| Strategies used |
Some examples of teaching strategies in an e-writing class developed from Gagne's instructional model are given below:
Step |
Examples of teaching strategies |
Gaining attention |
Presenting some stimulus to students, e.g. asking students some engaging questions or broadcasting an interesting video |
Informing the learner of the objective |
Telling students that they are going to complete a writing task |
Stimulating recall for prior learning |
Asking students to connect the stimulus or objective to their own knowledge or learning experience |
Presenting the stimulus |
Presenting the target content/language or the task, e.g. with the use of PowerPoint slides |
Providing learning guidance |
Guiding students to acquire the content/language or complete the task with appropriate strategies, e.g. by drawing and referring to an electronic mind-map |
Eliciting performance |
Asking students to write and report on their learning |
Providing feedback |
Giving constructive feedback |
Assessing performance |
Making use of self- and formal assessment |
Enhancing retention and transfer |
Recording and AirPlaying students' written work |
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In the above sample lesson, four e-resources, each fulfilling specific roles at different stages, were utilised at different events in a lesson. They were Popplet, PowerPoint slides, Google Slides and Puppet Pals: |
| 1. |
Popplet was chosen as the tool for students to present their ideas in the form of mind-maps. Not only could they present their ideas, but they could also organise their thoughts by designing a number of levels of boxes called 'popples' and colouring them differently to show the nature of the ideas (e.g., 'what', 'where' and 'why'). They could even accompany the ideas with photos or pictures in the popples. |
| 2. |
PowerPoint slides were principally used by the teachers to present the task and revise the target language structures. |
| 3. |
Google slides served as the platform for students to work on some in-class tasks individually or with their peers. They could share their work simultaneously with the whole class. Students could also refer to the work done by their peers while working on their own. |
| 4. |
Puppet pals helped students record their written work with voice and animation added. They could share the recorded version of their writing with the whole class if time allowed. |
The above e-resources are to be revisited in the section ‘Action Plan’, with more details about how they actually worked at different stages of the lesson. |
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| Data Collection |
Two writing samples, both of which were picture description and narration, were collected from the selected students. The two writing samples differed in terms of the mode of the writing class: writing from a paper-mode writing class and that from a paper-and-e-mode writing class. The collection of the writing samples done in a paper mode class was crucial in that the samples served as the baseline data for comparing the performance of the students in the two different modes of writing instruction. |
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| Data Analysis |
| Students' performance was examined via both quantitative and qualitative means. The writing samples were analysed in terms of the following variables: |
| (a) |
no. of words written |
| (b) |
no. of elaborations (excluding those in the dialogues)# |
| (c) |
no. of elaborations in the dialogues (the language focus of the textbook units concerned)* |
Apart from the above quantitative variables, teachers’ observations of students' performance in lessons, coursework and examination were also summoned as valuable qualitative evidence of students' learning. |
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# An elaboration was defined as a complete idea (e.g., 'It is Mother's birthday.'). Ideas joined by connectives were counted as two elaborations (e.g., ‘Mother likes the dress and she feels very happy.).
*In the analysis, those elaborations inside a dialogue were collated separately. |
