This document outlines an active learning science course that integrates information and communication technologies (ICT). The course aims to teach strategies that promote active learning and critical thinking through ICT tools like blogs, simulations, claymation, webquests and games. Participants will learn about constructivism, active vs. passive learning, inquiry-based learning and how to design lessons, develop assessments and evaluate ICT-integrated science lessons that enhance active learning.

1. RC-SS-137-3: Active Learning of
Secondary Science through the
Integration of ICT
Apr 29 – May 23, 2013 (4 Weeks)
Course Supervisor:
DR. C.ANNAMALAI

2. RATIONALE
• ICT has been playing a more significant role in the
classrooms recently.
• Newer ICTs are much more interactive and offers
potential for sustaining strategies that promote
active learning in the classroom.
• Teachers need to encourage students to think
critically
• Strategies that promote active learning are
encouraged to be used extensively in the science
classroom as it improves student understanding.

3. Objectives
The main objective of this course is to provide participants with an
understanding of how strategies that promotes active learning
which can be enhanced by the use of ICT.
At the end of the course, participants are able to:
• Acquire understanding of various strategies that enhance active
learning and development of critical thinking skills;
• demonstrate skills in using ICT tools for active learning of science;
• develop assessment tools that measure successful use of strategies
that enhance active learning in an ICT integrated environment; and
• use the lesson quality improvement process to design, develop and
evaluate active learning enhanced ICT integrated science lessons

4. Learning Theories:
Constructivism Current issues &
Active & Passive Learning INPUT
INPUT Trends
Inquiry-based Learning
Active Learning
of Secondary
Science
ICT Tools: through the Assessment:
Blogs, Interactive Integration of Rubrics
Simulations, Claymation, Online Assessment
INPUT ICT INPUT
Webquests and Game-
Tools (Such as Socrative
based Learning
and Fluid Survey)
OUTPUT
Outcome/lesson plan exemplars:
At least four exemplars through
the integration of ICT using
Blogs, Claymation, Webquests
and Game-based Learning

5. Social Constructivism
• One version of constructivist learning theory,
social constructivism, emphasizes
consideration of the ways a culture influences
its people’s mental constructs. One major
assumption about social constructivism is that
“learning is collaborative with meaning
negotiated from multiple perspectives (Smith
& Ragan, 1999, p. 15).

6. • Constructivism blends well with a variety of
classroom practices. Constructivist perspectives,
according to Cadiero-Kaplan (1999, p. 15), lead to
“discovery learning, authentic (real world)
classroom tasks, social discourse as part of
learning, the teacher as facilitator and resource
provider, and most importantly, the students as
agents over the classroom environment and
learning.” (See also Randolph & Everston, 1994;
St. Pierre-Hirtle, 1996)

7. Active learning, Critical Thinking & ICT
• Fisseha (2011) and Tinio (2002) argue that learner learn as they do
and, whenever appropriate work on real-life problems in-depth.
Moreover, ICT makes the learning less abstract and more relevant
to their life situations.
• In contrast to memorization-based or rote learning, that is the
feature of traditional pedagogy; ICT-enhanced learning promotes
increased learner engagement. ICT-enhanced learning can also be
‘just-in-time’ learning that the learners choose what to learn when
they need.
• Li (2010) and Richardson’s (2004) argue that active learning
involves problem-solving and enables learners to develop their
critical thinking skills. They suggested weblogs or blogs have great
value in the development of critical thinking skills, writing skills, and
information literacy. Critical thinking is a required competency for
successful learners and educators.

8. WEB & CONSTRUCTIVSIM
• Constructivism proposes that the learner actively
participates in the learning process.
• This is in synchrony with the Web 2.0 paradigm,
which is a highly interactive platform that
stimulates user involvement and participation in
the development and maintenance of content.
• Web 2.0 provides leverage for the active
participation of the learner in constructing their
learning processes by stimulating the individual
learner to construe meaning out of the content
being learnt. (Enonbun, 2010)