Technical Vocational Education

and Training in the Philippines

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES:

NEW TOOLS FOR LEARNING AMONG FILIPINOS

By

Felix Librero, PhD

Professor of Education and Development Communication
University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU)

Introduction

Principles of Learning

There’s a very thick scientific literature on principles of learning. What many call principles
of learning, however, are also referred to as theories of learning. They deal with the same
elements and components. We shall refer to these in this paper as principles of learning.

Learning has a long history, and there are many experts who have undertaken serious and
useful research on how people learn. There are far too many pronouncements regarding
how humans learn, but we shall consider summaries of these scientific studies.

According to learning experts from the Carnegie Mellon University, learning principles may
be summarized into seven general statements or principles.

General Principle 1. Students’ prior knowledge can help or hinder learning. Students
are not entirely devoid of knowledge when they begin to learn new things. In fact, they have
gained knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes in their previous learning experiences and from
daily life. This knowledge influences how the student filters new information and knowledge
that comes through his senses. What’s the advantage of this existing knowledge? When a
___________________________________
Outline of lecture-discussion, Strategic Management Training Program for Vocational School
Administrators, DepEd-Tech-Voc Education Task Force, Royal Palm Resort, Bay, Laguna, 27
October 2009.
student starts learning new things and his stock knowledge enhances his ability to
understand the new information or knowledge, then such stock knowledge becomes an
advantage. However, when such stock knowledge hinders the student’s ability to
understand more quickly and efficiently how a new concept, for example, works, then such
stock knowledge becomes a disadvantage. Therefore, the stock knowledge of a student will
definitely affect his ability to learn new things.

General Principle 2. How students organize knowledge influences how they learn
and apply what they know. Learners, by and large, differ widely in how they organize
their stock knowledge. How a student organizes his stock knowledge affects his ability to
learn new information and knowledge, and add these into his stock knowledge. Learners
normally make some kind of relationships or connections between new information or
knowledge and stock knowledge to make sense out of the new knowledge. When they are
able to establish this connection, such condition enhances the learner’s ability to learn the
new knowledge faster and more meaningfully. If, on the other hand, the learner has been
unable to make an accurate connection, he/she would eventually forget the new knowledge.

General Principle 3. Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what

they do to learn. The higher the motivation level is of learners, the more they are focused
on learning. In other words, the direction, intensity, persistence, and quality of learning
behaviour in which a learner engages in is directly influenced by his/her level of motivation
to learn. This is made possible when the learner sees value in what he/she is learning.
When the learner sees positive value in learning something and sees that he is going to
succeed in learning the desired outcome especially with support from the environment,
he/she is likely to have strong motivation to learn what he is learning.

General Principle 4. To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills,

practice integrating them, and know when to apply what they have learned. This deals
with the learner’s being able to develop the appropriate skills required, practice such skills
and integrate them into his behavioural pattern. When a learner has successfully integrated
the knowledge and skills into his behavioural pattern, it means that he is able to integrate
such new knowledge and skills into his stock knowledge and skills and become part of his
repertoire of knowledge and skills that he knows to apply when it is needed.

General Principle 5. Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances

the quality of students’ learning. Learning and performance are greatest when the
learner engages in practice that focuses on specific objectives, has learning targets that
provide the appropriate level of challenge, and is done with sufficient frequency to meet the
performance criteria. This means that the practice component must be performed by the
learner relative to specific targets, and must be accompanied by appropriate feedback or
information about the learner’s performance levels and progress in meeting the challenges.
These feedback information must be provided the learner as frequently as possible in order
to give the learner an opportunity to make adjustments.

General Principle 6. Students’ current level of development interacts with the social,
emotional, and intellectual climate of the course to impact learning. This principle
means that the development process of the learner is beyond our control. However, we are
able to provide the environment or learning climate under which the student can learn. This
climate involves the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical aspects of the classroom,
which must suit appropriately the current development stage of the learner. The nature of
the classroom or learning climate has very serious implications for the learner. For
example, a classroom climate that has negative effects on the individual will hinder his
learning, while one that has positive effects will enhance his learning.

General Principle 7. To become self-directed learners, students must learn to

monitor and adjust their approaches to learning. Ideally, the learner must know how to
monitor and control his/her learning experience. That is to say, he should assess the task
he is doing at the moment, he must evaluate his own strengths and weaknesses, he must
plan his approach, apply and monitor different stages of the activity, and reflect on the
degree to which his approach is working. Unfortunately, the student frequently tends not to
undertake these activities. When he does, and develops the skills to engage in these
processes, he gains intellectual habits that usually improves his performance and learning
abilities.

Learning and the Senses

Common knowledge tells us that we have five senses with which we experience our world.
These senses are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling, and hearing. Many learning experts call
these modalities of learning.

Modality generally refers to how our nervous system brings information in, links this
information with what we already know and allows us to bring the stock knowledge out and
use it.

In general, these are what we are referring to:

Visual modality refers to what we see and images we remember. You know you’re visual
learner if you need pictures to gain better understanding of ideas and concepts. For these
kinds of learners, we normally use what experts have always referred to as picture words, or
sets of pictures, drawing, illustrations, maps, and any visual materials.

Auditory modality refers to our sense of hearing. There are those who find it easier to
learn ideas and concepts that are verbally explained or perhaps presented in rhythms such
as songs or poems recited. Some find it easier to learn new information and knowledge
through lectures, discussions, and the like. Auditory people would learn faster when what
they’re learning is expressed with some form of rhythm, pace, tone and pitch.

Kinesthetic modality refers to knowing through touch or by doing. For many, learning by
doing is necessary. Some of us find it easier to learn things when we do the action
required. Kinesthetic people speak slowly. They usually say “I get it” when they
understand, and would also say “that doesn’t fit” when they don’t understand.

Olfactory modality indicates smell, which is our most acute but least used sense. All of us
have very sensitive sense of smell, but the problem is that many of the things that we need
to learn probably do not have any smell at all. For example, the concept of speed is difficult
to demonstrate in terms of smell. This is probably the reason why our sense of smell is the
least used sense when it comes to learning. Interestingly, the sense of smell is the one
sense that connects with long-term memory. This may be one good reason why gourmets
use liberal amounts of herbs and spices.

Gustatory modality refers to taste. Children learn faster through taste, but since we
normally prohibit babies from putting anything in their mouths, they also learn quickly to
depend on their other senses such as sight and hearing. In any case, the sense of taste
usually combines well with the sense of smell. When these two go together, we can be
certain that we would remember the combination especially when we like the result of such
combination.

ICTs as Learning Tools

What’s ICT? Let’s borrow the definition offered by UNESCO. Accordingly,

The term information and Communication technologies (ICT), refers to

forms of technology that are used to transmit, store, create, display, share
or exchange information by electronic means. This broad definition of ICT
includes such technologies are radio, television, video, DVD, telephone
(both fixed line and mobile phones), satellite systems, computer and
network hardware and software) as well as the equipment and services
 associated with these technologies, such as videoconferencing, e-mail
and blogs.

Traditional Views on ICTs. In the not-so-distant past, the term information and
communication technologies referred to traditional communication technologies such as
radio, television, video, film, and any form of communication media that were used to store
and transmit information. For a long time, therefore, when ICTs were on the discussion
table, people were fully aware that they were referring to traditional media.

Among the traditional media, radio, television, film, and newspapers were invariably referred
to as the big media, while communication media like sound slide sets, pictures, bulletin
boards, display boards and even bill boards were usually referred to as the small media.

ICTs in Education in the Digitization Age. Roughly, we can identify focal periods or
phases in the use of information and communication technologies for specific purposes in
the field of education. UNESCO has specified, for example, that the period from the early
70s to the early 80s was known largely as the period of he use of ICTs for programming and
drill practice. That’s probably one reason why in those times there were numerous
instructional materials in audio format stored in magnetic audio tapes which could be
listened to by those learning language and the like. From the late 80s to the early 90s,
however, computer-based training with use of multimedia materials and techniques became
popular in education and training circles. Hence, in those times there were different
programs associated with computers such as PLATO, CBI, CMI, and the like.

In the early 90s, Internet-based training began, and in the late 90s to the early 2000 e-
Learning became the vogue among educators. Starting in late 2000 technologies such as
social software like wikis, blogs, and the like became popular. They have continued to be
popular and their use among education and training professionals has increased
substantially, particularly because more and more software have become accessible as
freeware.

Contexts in the Use of ICTs for Education

There are two general contexts in which ICTs may be employed in enhancing learning.
These contexts are based on practical reasons.

Depth or vertical context. The depth context is a condition whereby one who has
expertise in the use of ICTs is able to pursue further a deeper level of understanding and
skills in using ICTs more efficiently and effectively in achieving learning objectives. For
example, when one is able to employ a particular ICT technique such as videography
beyond large screen projection and redesign or perhaps install the material on MP4 gadgets
so that learners can access content anywhere, then that individual has ability to use ICT
technology at a different depth.

Breadth or horizontal context. This context is a condition whereby one who has expertise
in using ICTs for specific purposes such as enhancing learning specific content becomes
able to employ the same ICT tool in enhancing another expertise or facilitating sharing of
information or knowledge in order to influence the decision processes that the recipients
may have to undertake. An example of this condition is when one has become expert in
using ICTs to improve learning specific content under training situations becomes able to
use the same ICTs for effective and efficient risk communication in order to mitigate specific
conditions that may need to be avoided. Specifically, one may be able to use ICT tools to
forewarn decision makers of one country about the potential spread of a disease in another
country, or even facilitate the evacuation of people from danger zones during times of
calamities.

Impact of ICTs on Learning

In an exhaustive review of numerous studies about the impact of ICTs on schools in

Europe, Balanskat, Blamire, and Kefala (2006) reported eight general findings. These may
be classified into three groups:

Impact on learning and learners. Observations based on research may still be sub-
classified into results based on quantitative and qualitative studies. Use of ICT have been
found to have positive effects on educational performance of children in primary schools
particularly in English, but less on science, and not in math. Those using ICTs have been
observed to have improved skills in subject-related performances like in calculation, reading
and writing. As well, children considered academically strong benefit more from use of
ICTs.

ICTs have been established to increase motivation levels and improved skills performance
of learners, and has enhanced abilities in independent learning as well as increased abilities
for teamwork.

Impact on teachers and teaching. There is considerable evidence on the impact of ICTs
on teachers and teaching, according to Balanskat, et al. (2006). Among the important
findings include increased enthusiasm and increased efficiency and collaboration. By and
large, the teachers’ basic skills in using ICTs have improved dramatically over the last few
years. Found to be among the most intensive users of ICTs are teachers in science,
mathematics, computer science, and vocational education. Still, the review of European
studies also indicate that ICTs are still underexploited to improve teaching and learning
experiences, particularly in the area of generation of new knowledge as collaborative effort
between teacher and learner.

Barriers to use of ICTs. The factors that impede successful use of ICTs in schools include
the following:

1. Teacher-level barriers include poor ICT competence, low motivation, and lack of
confidence in use of new technologies. These directly affect the quality of training
programmes.

2. School-level barriers include limited access to or lack of resources and poor

organization of ICT resources, which may be reflected in poor maintenance of
hardware and perhaps even unsuitable software. There is also a discernible
indication of absence of clear strategies for use of ICTs in the schools.

3. System-level barriers refer to educational systems in countries having rigid

assessment structures or procedure that impede the integration of ICTs in the
learning process.

On the basis of the review of European studies on the use of ICTs in education, 12
recommendations have been put forth by the team of Balanskat, et al (2006), as follows:

For policy-makers: plan for the effective use of ICTs; include ICT competencies in the
curricula and assessment schemes; implement continuous professional development of
skills in the workplace for use of ICTs as part of the culture of lifelong learning and peer
learning; build clear political will and invest in ICT consolidation into development programs;
and motivate and reward teacher who use ICTs well.

For the schools: integrate use of ICT in the over-all strategies of the school, and transform
positive attitudes towards ICT into efficient widespread practice.

For research and development purposes: consider context-sensitive and process-oriented

research methods; create closer links between research and practice; encourage qualitative
trans-national research into ICT impact; make national research results into ICT impact
accessible; rethink the approach to evidence and its relation to decision-making; and
support both large and small scale studies on ICT impact and base decisions on both
quantitative and qualitative evidence.

Determining Approaches in the Use of ICTs

It is very important to keep in mind that the use of ICTs in the teaching-learning process
does not have to mean working alone with a computer. In fact, those less literate in the use
of computers, even if there may be only very few now, would appreciate being able to use
ICTs as part of face-to-face learning experiences. In view of this, therefore, here is a
suggested sample matrix that indicate the potential positive relationship between learning
experiences according to the domains of learning and possible use of ICTs in support of
such learning experiences at various levels (adopted from Ala-Mutka, et al, 2008):

SOCIAL/COMMUNITY
PERSONAL LEVEL LEVEL WORKPLACE LEVEL
COGNITIVE ICT provides new ICT helps to keep available ICT can provide
(Learn to Know) information resources information on activities of opportunities to learn more
from sources other than members of other working methods relevant
the teacher on the topic community of learners on to one’s work.
to be learned; similar subject matter.

ICT can provide flexible ICT provides new ICT provides new means to
and immediate access possibilities to find search for information
to information personally relevant (such as about work opportunities.
resources. online) other communities of
learners.
AFFECTIVE ICT-based brain training ICT enhances learning Appropriate use of ICT
(Learning as games combine learning positive experiences through enhances learning of other
Activity) and entertainment, active interaction with other necessary skills leading to
making learning members of learning certification and
experiences more communities, particularly demonstration of updated
pleasant. with intergenerational professionalism.
groups.

ICT-based learning ICT-based learning Developing skills in use of

resources provide experiences may lead to
learners opportunities to access to wider educational
learn new ways of opportunities in both formal
achieving personal and nonformal means,
development. including higher-level
educational opportunities.
PSYCHOMOTOR ICTs can help one ICTs help develop abilities to
(Learn to Do) learning to use other produce media materials to
ICTs would lead towards
learning to teach others
proper use of ICT to learn.
ICTs are useful tools to
learn other tasks and skills
 online services more communicate to others. needed in the performance
effectively and of still other tasks in the
efficiently. workplace.

ICTs can help one ICTs can help develop ICTs can enhance one’s
learning to use other abilities to participate ability to learn
pieces of equipment and actively in online learning independently about how to
gadgets to improves communities. use ICTs for
one’s ability to work entrepreneurial activities.
independently.

ICTs can help one to When learning to use ICTs Knowledge of use of ICTs
learning more easily to together with others, one leads to more exciting work
use the Internet to shares in group learning experiences with other
access more efforts that lead to more members of the work force.
information and efficient learning among
resources. members of the group.

Concluding Statement

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines can suffer a
serious slowdown if trainers depend largely on traditional training strategies and tools. On
the other hand, the use of ICTs will facilitate training processes and even enhance rate and
level of learning among students. Perhaps the more important concern that TVET trainers
need to address is introducing innovative or cutting edge techniques in the use of ICTs as
tools to enhance learning among technical and vocational students in the country. For
example, where possible, training materials and perhaps other learning objects may now be
designed, digitized, and stored in miniaturized gadgets such as MP4 players so that
students may be able to access them at any time, anywhere, and at their own learning
pace.

As we use ICTs in our technical and vocational education and training regimes, it may be
worth bearing in mind that we must also continuously explore and design cutting edge
techniques that would help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our use of ICTs in
education and training tasks. It is not only a question of being able to employ ICTs using
existing techniques, but employing ICTs in more innovative ways.

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References

Ala-Mutka, Kirsti; Norbert Malanowski; Yves Punie; and Marcelino Cabrera. 2008. Active
Ageing and the Potential of ICT for Learning. JRC Scientific and TGechnical Reports. JRC
European Commission. Retrieved from http://ftp.jrc.es/EURdoc/JRC45209.pdf

Balanskat, Anja; Roger Blamire; and Stella Kefala. 2006. The ICT Impact Report, A
Review of ICT Impact on Schools in Europe. Retrieved from
http://ec.europe.eu/education/pdf/doc254_eu.pdf

Carnegie-Mellon University. n.d. Theory and research-based principles of learning.

Retrieved from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/principles/learning.html

Massaro, Chance and Steve Wallis. 2004. Using your senses for fast learning. Retrieved
from http://www.selfgrowth.com/print/51992