SMART SCHOOL

In 1996, Malaysia identified information and communication technology (ICT) as one of

the key foundations for its projected transition from a production-based economy to a
knowledge-based economy by 2020. In declaring these goals, the government also
acknowledged that such a transition will require a workforce capable of exploiting ICT to create
new economic opportunities. In order to develop this talent pool, the government announced
under the Eighth Malaysia Plan the need to re-engineer the country’s education system and
align it with its Vision 2020. Malaysia intends to transform its educational system, in line with
and in support of the nation’s drive to fulfill Vision 2020.

This Vision 2020 calls for sustained, productivity-driven growth, which will be achievable
only with a technologically literate, critically thinking work force prepared to participate fully in
the global economy of the 21st century. At the same time, Malaysia’s National Philosophy of
Education calls for “developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so
as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced
and harmonious.” The catalyst for this massive transformation will be technology supported
Smart Schools, which will improve how the educational system achieves the National
Philosophy of Education, while fostering the development of a work force prepared to meet the
challenges of the next century. The Smart Schools initiative is one of the seven flagship
applications that are part of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project.

The Malaysian Smart School is a learning institution that has been systemically
reinvented in terms of teaching and learning as well as the improvement of the school
management processes in order to help students cope and leverage on the Information Age.
The Smart school education programme is a systematically designed programme that integrates
teaching and learning with IT applications, which include computer based teaching and web-
based learning. But, Smart School is not just about ICT intervention in teaching and learning.
The Malaysian Smart School Flagship was premised on the strong belief that information and
communication technology is a key enabler to imparting the learning desire to all. The impact of
technology on education and future generations is undoubtedly enormous.

Specifically, Smart School teaching-learning principles and practices aim to develop and
produce future generations who are technologically literate, who can think critically and
creatively and are able to manage and apply knowledge effectively as well as innovatively. To
function effectively, the Smart School programme requires appropriately skilled teaching staff
and well designed supporting processes including technological infrastructure. At the onset of its
implementation, the programme identified four subjects (English, Bahasa Melayu, Science and
Mathematics) to be taught the smart-way.

The national curriculum and pedagogy are given the highest importance, with the role of
teachers, administrators, parents and the community enhanced in the education of the
Malaysian students. Individuality, creativity and initiative amongst the students are prioritized.
However, ICT is critical in making the teaching and learning processes easier, more fun and
effective, as well as making communication and management among the stakeholders more
efficient. The Malaysian Smart School is a place where all students can learn within a conducive
learning environment. It offers various curricula with on-going evaluation, handled by
professional administrators and teachers.

Transforming the educational system will entail changing the culture and practices of
Malaysia’s primary and secondary school, moving away from memory-based learning designed
for the average student to an education that stimulates thinking, creativity, and caring in all
students, cater to individual abilities and learning styles, and is based on more equitable access.
It will require students to exercise greater responsibility for their own education, while seeking
more active participation by parents and their wider community.

There are a few differentiations between smart school and normal national school. The
implementation of Smart curriculum requires a paradigm shift in the teaching and learning
process. In the traditional environment of teaching and learning, there are transfers of
information from the teacher to their students but for the Smart curriculum, it is need the quest
of information by students. The students of traditional learning are study on memory based
learning, different from the smart school students who are study on analytical and creative
thinking. Besides that, these two types of schools are differing in the medium of study where in
the traditional learning environment, they are using textbooks but it is used global context in
smart school.

In the traditional learning environment, it is the teacher who transfers knowledge to the
learner through the medium of printed materials, particularly textbooks. There is no technology
usage, and the practice of asking students to collaborate is often lacking. On the other hand,
online learning is a form of education that occurs through the Web, which it does not consist of
any physical learning materials issued to students or actual face-to-face contact. ‘Pure’ online
learning is essentially the use of e-learning tools in a distance education mode using the Web
as the sole medium for all student learning and contact. This type of learning environment has
been claimed to promote opportunities for collaborative learning and explorative learning or
engaged learning.

Web-based learning is more than an information environment. It enables the students to

do their own exploration into the wealth of information and resources. It also allows learners to
determine their individual pace of study with a set of tools that enables personalization of
content and allows them to choose the way in which they learn most effectively. The
combination of the communicative features, access to resources and the integration of various
media leads to unique learning experiences whereby students have the luxury of
comprehensive learning experiences, from synchronous learning to threaded discussions then
to self-paced study, all involving a combination of various strategies (Harasim et al, 1997).

For the traditional environment of teaching and learning, there are isolated units of
individual classroom but there are student centered for the smart school curriculum which
divides into two; autonomous learners and active learners. In the current schooling system,
students are placed in the classroom with little understanding of their individual needs and
capabilities. Any diagnosis, if done at all, is to stream students to different classes according to
overall academic achievements. The individual’s strengths and weaknesses are seldom
assessed, and their different learning styles are usually not catered to. Teachers often cater to
the average in the classroom.

The students of normal national school are more to teachers oriented differ from students of
smart school students because in the smart school, the students are teaches to learn more
based on integration of technology. The Smart School process will change the way children are
taught; their diversity is regarded as a strength rather than a barrier to teaching. Children’s
individual differences, needs, capabilities and learning styles are diagnosed early to enable
teachers to plan the children’s learning experiences more effectively. Learning is then optimized
to each child. Individual minds, spirits and physical selves are catered to rather than the
treatment of the class as a homogeneous collective whole. In an effort to reinforce and enrich
learning, there should be a merger of the two learning environments. According to Damoense
(2003:1), the combination of both learning environments can result in “effective learning since
the learners acquire spheres of knowledge that will enable them to become lifelong learners”.

Online learning brought about an increased tendency toward collaborative learning

among students and teachers, not only in a particular classroom, but also between classes
located elsewhere. This type of interaction is in contrast to the traditional learning environment,
whereby each classroom is a self-contained and isolated unit. Interaction can now be easily
done online, via email and conferencing. Discussions and access to other students, which will
enable the students to learn from other students’ experiences anywhere in the world, bring
about a paradigm shift in the process of teaching and learning. The selection, processing and
packaging of content by the teacher are now controlled by the learner. Such autonomy brings
with it responsibility, whereby learners must possess initiative and self-discipline to study and
complete assignments.

There are seven important components of smart school which are smart school
management system, teaching-learning materials, technology infrastructure, smart school
assessment system, professionally trained teachers, systems integration and support services.

Malaysian Ministry of Education state that,

“Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards further developing the potential of

individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are
intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm
belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are
knowledgeable and competent, who posses high moral standards, and who are responsible and
capable of achieving high levels of personal well-being as well as being to contribute to the
harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large.”

In Malaysia, Smart Schools are not only categorized by the introduction of technology
which is a critical component but more importantly, by their ability to deliver education in a better
way. The Smart School initiative has five main goals which focus on the need to develop a
skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote the goals of the National Philosophy of
Education. Two of these goals are targeted at the individual. Firstly, to encourage all-round
development of the individual covering the intellectual, physical, emotional, and spiritual
domains, and secondly, to provide opportunities for the individual to develop his or her own
special strengths and abilities.

The third goal relates to the needs of society. There are to produce a thinking workforce
that is also technologically literate workforce. The fourth and fifth goals are targeted at the
system of education, to democratize education such that every child has equal access to
learning, and to increase the participation of all stakeholders such as parents, the community
and the private sector, in the education process.

Learning areas present a very important concept in the Smart Schools. They are
designed to help students achieve overall and balanced development with which goals are
aligned. Transforming the educational system will entail changing the culture and practices of
Malaysia’s primary and secondary schools. It will especially require students to exercise greater
responsibility for their own education, while seeking more active participation by parents and the
wider community. At the same time, Malaysia’s National Philosophy of Education calls for
"developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce
individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced and
harmonious" (Ministry of Education, 1998).

Such objectives signal that the Malaysian Smart School is intended to be different from
any existing Smart Schools anywhere around the world. This stems from two main factors
shaping the current education system in Malaysia and will continue in the Smart School. Firstly,
the National Philosophy of Malaysian Education that will be the main component of the Smart
School curriculum. Secondly, the moral values that has been stressed in present curriculum and
will go on into Smart Schooling. These two foundations of Malaysian Education will not be
negotiable in the Smart School curriculum. Upon that, the objectives of the Malaysian Smart
Schools have articulated to serve in development of loyal united Malaysian nation who believe
in God and possess high moral standards, knowledge competence, and who are capable of
achieving high personal well being. On the other hand, it is expected that Smart Schools will
provide all the Malaysian children with equal access to a high quality education.

In order to achieve the goals and objectives of smart school, the roles played by teacher
and parent are very important. Teachers and parents are the main stakeholders who are
involved in the delivery of smart school teaching. But, what are their roles and what kind
knowledge, skill and attitude do they have in order to achieve the objectives of smart school?
Teachers and parents will have specific responsibilities in the overall implementation of smart
school. They need to be equipped with specific skills and have the requisite knowledge base
and the right attitude to carry out their respective responsibilities.

Teacher

Teachers play a key role in achieving the vision of a fully functioning smart school
scenario in Malaysia by 2020. Therefore, teacher development will be the most critical
component as teachers will be the primary deliverers of Smart School teaching. They
also can call as Facilitators of learning. Teachers will now play the role of ‘a guide on the
side’, thus doing away with their traditional role of ‘the sage on the stage’. To play their
responsibilities, teachers should know and be able to do in carrying out their professional
practice. Firstly, teachers should planning and preparation of the curriculum contents.
This mean that teachers should know how organize contents and how it is translated into
activities and exercise in the classroom. Therefore teachers will identify goals, define
direction for their students, pilot their progress towards these goals and then step back
to allow the students to learn at their own pace.

Besides that, teachers should know to managing a technology enriched

classroom. This is because the kind of classroom interactions that establish a
comfortable and respectful classroom environment needed to promote a culture of
learning. Therefore they will need intensive training on Information Technology skills and
technology integration into classroom instructions to enhance thinking and creativity.
Towards achieving this, teaching has to allow students to determine for themselves
when and how they learn. Training needed for teachers to support their effort to improve
this includes taking advantage of other delivery vehicles such as interactive multimedia
and the internet and using technology to enhance co-operative learning skills. To make
the best use of new ideas and tools, teachers must understand the relevance,
usefulness and usability of those ideas or tools. Teachers need to be computer literate
themselves and be confident in the use of ICT in order to understand what ICT can do to
enhance their own development and to enrich the learning experience of their students.
Teachers also need help and support when things go wrong or technology does not
function.
 Teachers also should delivering effective instruction which they should organize
and present the content, and the roles to assume in encouraging their students to take
charge of their own learning. Therefore they should facilitating students in cognitively
stimulating activities and utilizing technology for effective instruction. Using technology to
enhance learning is a major responsibility expected of Smart School teachers.
Technology is used as a tool and should be integrated into the curriculum rather than be
taught separately as an end in itself. It is best learned within the context of meaningful
tasks.

To achieve the goals of smart school, teachers should know their responsibilities
in handling professional tasks as an educator. These responsibilities range from self
reflection, the maintenance of records and other paperwork as well as interaction with
the families of students and the larger community. Skills and knowledge needed include
communicating with colleagues and parents and selecting use of effective technology-
based resources. Teaching in Smart Schools needs to help students develop sound
moral reasoning skills to reach the higher stages of moral development. Teachers need
to integrate activities that focus on moral development which include forming values,
organizing a value system and developing consistent philosophy of life.

Teachers also should give psychological support and encouragement to their

student. They should know education not for the sake of passing examinations and
scoring excellent grades but one that will help the child meet challenges effectively. In
addition, they will periodically step in to check progress, applaud strengths and efforts,
identify weaknesses, and decide what kind of practice their students will need. These
strategies are important in order to achieve the goals and objectives of smart school. In
short, teachers will be instrumental in creating conditions that will promote self-directed
learning which is creative and independent. In addition, to improve student’s perception
on task values, teachers can provide them with learning tasks that are interesting,
challenging, motivating, exploratory, and constructive in nature. Furthermore, as smart
schools are IT-integrated schools, teachers can also utilize the available technology to
produce and design interesting learning materials and learning tasks. For instance,
students can be asked to design a web site for a History project, present their English
essays with PowerPoint presentations, or complete their mathematics exercises using
educational software.
 As a conclusion, teachers are at the heart of any education change and
ultimately it is they who have the power to ensure whether change is implemented
successfully or not in the classroom.

Student

Beside teachers, students also play important roles as active learners in order to
achieve the goals and objectives of smart school. Students play a pivotal role in making
the Smart School vision a success. They need to reap the benefits of self-paced
learning, learning away from school and making learning a creative and enjoyable
experience. The Smart School scenario calls for redefining the role of the teacher and
the student, which would sometime result in role reversals where the students are
encouraged to play a more active role in the teaching-learning process instead of being
mere passive recipients of knowledge.

In the smart learning scenario, students will make extensive use of facilities that
can help them learn in the school as well as away from it. The formation of help-groups
such as the “Bestari Brigade”, where students help with troubleshooting and
maintenance of the ICT infrastructure in schools heralds changes in the role of students
in the teaching-learning process. The ultimate vision of the Smart School is where
students work in distributed, collaborative groups, playing a more proactive role in the
teaching-learning process. Learning will eventually become student-centric, with the
students becoming experts in “managing” the learning environment.

It can be concluded that both teachers and students had adequate IT skills and
were competent in IT to enable them to use technology as a tool in the teaching and
learning of English.

Parent

Parents of Smart School children play a critical role in achieving the goals of
Smart Schools in delivering education and developing balanced and holistic students.
They are personal charger of children’s learning experience. Firstly they should guide,
motivate and council their children. Then, they also should monitor children’s progress.
 For normal school’s students, report card day used to be a time of reckoning. If they had
goofed off all quarter, mom and dad would find out once they handed over their report
cards. But, in Malaysian Smart School, parents can check their children's grades and
attendance online daily. In some districts they can also receive e-mails updating them on
assignments, homework and teacher comments. This mean that, online academic
progress systems keep parents more involved in their children's schoolwork, encourage
students to keep better track of their grades and make pupils more accountable to their
teachers. Therefore parents should monitor children’s progress and motivate their
children in order to achieve the goals of smart school. Research has also shown that
children are more successful in school when parents are involved in their education.

Besides that, parents also have to support school activities. There are a number
of strategies that can be adopted to increase the participation of Smart School parents
both in the delivery of education as well as in the supervision of children outside of
school. Example, National campaign on parents in Smart School, join “IT Camps” at
schools, basic IT skill training at school level and also counseling and motivation
seminars. Parent also should involve group monthly meetings in smart school in order to
play the roles and responsibilities in Smart School and to know educational processes
such as in teaching learning, development of educational materials and assessment.

Teachers are now faced with the challenge of dealing with a learning environment, which
is borderless, offers multi-modal learning pathways, and is resource rich. This implies that the
teacher needs to understand how an ICT-based learning environment as intended by the Smart
School education concept affects the student's training and learning. Although the teacher is
mainly responsible for what takes place in the learning environment and in relation to
technology applications, the students should also play an active role in determining the direction
of their learning by virtue of their participation and activities. Software that is designed to
facilitate students’ active, creative and critical engagement with the content can help enhance
the active construction (construction and reconstruction of ideas and experiences) of their
understanding of the content presented.

The knowledge and skills of a teacher is very important in the new millennium to play an
effective role in smart school education. Teachers are the key to the successful integration of
ICT into education. They manage the processes of teaching and learning. Without the active,
enthusiastic and skilled participation of teachers, innovations to enrich education with the
advantages offered by technology are doomed to fail. The full participation of teachers in
adopting new technologies to enhance education requires a commitment to ongoing
professional development of teachers. In any ICT in Education professional development
programme, teachers first need to gain the knowledge and judgment to be able to select and
evaluate ICT resources that are suitable for teaching and learning in their own subjects. In
particular, teachers need to be able to use the internet to search and select, with a critical eye,
information and resources that are relevant for their subject and their students.

Secondly, teachers need to be able to judge when and how to integrate ICT into their
lessons. Many aspects of education can be enriched with the judicial use of technology while
some topics and aspects cannot. A teacher needs to be able to distinguish between these, and
finer, distinctions.

Thirdly, teachers need to able to evaluate the effects of ICT on their teaching and on
their students’ learning. If the curriculum is defined in terms of learning outcomes, and
standards for ICT-enriched teaching and learning are clearly defined in measurable terms, then
the teacher would be able to apply the outcome measures, both to their own teaching and to
students’ results.

In ensuring that the concept of Smart education can successfully breed and nurture
lifelong education at the school level, several recommendations have been suggested. Schools
need to be equipped with sufficient computer labs. Continuous connectivity and accessibility to
the Web should be ensured. Teachers, on the other hand, need to be continuously trained in the
use of technology for the purpose of teaching and learning. Their knowledge of IT should be
upgraded from time to time. In addition, teaching practices should emphasize on critical thinking
element as this aspect was found lacking. Students need to be trained on how to become
effective self-directed learners to enable them to determine the direction of their learning, while
integrating the applications of IT.