Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………2

TOPIC 1 Reflection on experiences in the use of teaching skills ……………………………3

TOPIC 2 Reflection on experiences of using a variety of teaching and learning methods…5

TOPIC 3 Reflection on development and use of teaching and learning resources

during teaching practice ……………………………………………………………..8

TOPIC 4 Reflection on own schemes of work, lesson plan and records of work ………….10

TOPIC 5 Teaching and managing large classes ……………………………………………..11

TOPIC 6 Cognitive child development ………………………………………………………13

TOPIC 7 Reflection on assessment after teaching practice …………………………………14

TOPIC 8 Accessing information from the internet for teaching, learning and

Assessment …………………………………………………………………………...15

TOPIC 9 Internet for communication in teaching, learning and assessment ……………...19

TOPIC 10 Teaching, learning and assessment using spreadsheet application …………….22

TOPIC 11 Teaching, learning and assessment presentation application ………………….25

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 1 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Introduction
The purpose of producing this summary on Education Foundation Studies is to simplify the notes
for easy to be used by the student teacher. This will make it easier to study and understand the
contents of the topics covered in this module 5. Therefore, the reader is also advised to
supplement the content of these notes with other information which can be obtained elsewhere. It
is expected that after going through these notes the reader will be able to sit end of the module
examination and obtain a better grade. Wherever possible the summary has also taken some
information from other sources. It is also expected that the reader will be able to use the
knowledge and skills obtained in this module during his/her career as a primary school teacher.
Unless permission is granted this summary remains the property of the writer.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 2 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

TOPIC 1. Reflections on experiences in the use of teaching skills
Background Information
 During teaching practice, a number of teaching skills such as skills of planning, introduction,
questioning, chalkboard use and reinforcement were used.
 When reflecting these various teaching skills there is need to consider how effectively they were
used and how they contributed to the lesson delivery.
 It is important to evaluate oneself as a teacher as this will help to grow personally and
professionally.
 Qualified teachers with a lot of experience also evaluate themselves.
 Therefore, reflection is part of continuous professional development of a teacher.
 Challenges faced when using teaching skills and ways to overcome them varies from one teacher to
another

Examples of challenges faced when using teaching skills and ways to overcome them

Teaching skill: The skill of planning

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to identify  Lack of skill of planning  Consult other teachers
important activities, teaching  Team planning
and learning methods and
resources as well as  Lack of adequate and relevant  Source reference materials
references to be used in reference materials in advance
lessons  Consult other teachers

Teaching skill: The skill of Introduction

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to arouse  Time consuming  Consider learner ability
learners interest in the  Some topics were difficult to when planning
upcoming lesson introduce  Be creative
 Skill is meant to provide  Difficult to link concepts from  Consult others when not
some link from what learners known to unknown sure of how to do it i.e.
already know to what to team work
what they are going to cover
in the new lesson

Teaching skill: The skill of explanation

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 Skill aims at helping learners  Communication difficulties  Involve a resource person to
get information which is due to lack of vocabulary provide
critical in the lesson  Required much of planning  Use real objects when
time on some info presenting

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 3 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Teaching skill: The skill of Illustration
What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill make use of  Poor drawing  Use talented others to draw
drawings to help make  Lack of resources  Use learners to bring
concepts clear to learners  Less resource-interaction of resources
time for learners  Proper planning
 Charts to be attractive, visible,
titled, and well labelled

Teaching skill: The skill of class management

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill involves the  Some activities were time Use groups of learners so that
creation of a conducive consuming learners share resources
teaching and learning  Larger classes  Learners with LD be given
environment  Insufficient resources more attention e.g. the Gifted
 Learners with learning and talented can be given more
difficulties challenging work for practice

Teaching skill: The skill of questioning

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to arouse  Questions not related to the  Ask questions that are brief,
learners interest in the success criteria clear with simple language
upcoming lesson  Poor use of language  Rephrasing the questions in
 The skill is meant to provide simple language
some link from what learners  Preparing questions related to
already know to what they the success criteria
are going to cover in the new  Preparing questions in
lesson advance

Teaching skill: The skill of variation

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to provide  Poor voice projection  Change of voice to emphasize
different activities to develop points
and maintain learners  Use of gestures
attention  Use of the same teaching and  Use of variety of teaching and
learning resources learning resources

Teaching skill: The skill of chalkboard use

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 4 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to  Talking to the chalkboard  Facing learners/class when
communicate to learners of talking
main points through visual  Poor handwriting  Practicing writing on the
displays chalkboard
 Poor lines  Use chalkboard ruler when
drawing lines

Teaching skill: The skill of reinforcement

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to increase  Negative reinforcement  Giving rewards to motivate
learner’s participation in the  Failure to use a variety of learners
lesson reinforcements  Vary the reinforcements
 Use of gestures

Teaching skill: The skill of closure

What the skill is all about Challenges faced when using Ways of overcoming the
the skill challenges
 The skill is meant to reflect  Lack of time management  Consult other teachers
on main ideas covered during  Failure to link with the  Team planning
lesson presentation success criteria

TOPIC 2. Reflection on experiences of using a variety of teaching and learning methods

Background information
 In year 1 terms 1 and 2, teaching and learning methods are covered.
 These are applied during teaching practice.
 Therefore, it is important to reflect on experiences about teaching and learning methods applied
during teaching practice period.
 It is also important to analyse strengths and areas that require improvement in using the methods.
 The knowledge gained will help to increase understanding in using different methods at lower and
upper primary for effective delivery of lessons.
 During teaching practise there are opportunities to teach learners in real life situations at lower and
upper primary.
 Experiences are always very valuable.
 Several teaching and learning methods are used during terms one and two that promote critical
thinking in learners such as jigsaw, ball bearing and author’s chair.
 Some of the methods are easy to use while others are challenging.
 Some of the documents that should help to reflect on experiences on the teaching and learning
methods are schemes and records of work, lesson plans and School Experience Journal.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 5 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Method Challenges Ways of improving the use of
the methods
Pair work  Leads to noise in class  Those who sits together
should not pair
 Give clear instructions
 It is not easy for the teacher to  Fast learners should pair with
follow learner’s discussions slow learners
 Not easy to manage time  Allocate time on every given
activity
Debate  If not well managed it may get out of  Making rules and enforce
hand and lose value as a lesson them during the debate
 Requires thorough preparation  Choose the topic which
involves values, feelings and
 Not easy for learners to share ideas awareness
due to lack of vocabulary  Encourage learners to
practice simple English
Question and answer  Poor constructed questions leads to  Ask simple and clear
loss of interest in learners questions
 Ask questions basing on the
 Lack of questioning techniques level of learners
 Use simple English when
asking questions
 Rephrase the question if not
clear to learners
Games  The teacher may not be familiar with  Use resource person
some games  Consult other teachers
 Requires more time  Choose games that are
simple and short
 Noise pollution  Give clear instructions
 Close supervision
Story telling  Failure to link a story with a lesson  Proper preparation
 Lack of enough vocabulary  Frequent practice
Bus stop / work stations  Requires more space  Reduce the number of groups
 Lack of participation by some  Encourage / promote team
learners work
Group work  Gifted learners benefit more and  Encourage every learner to
dominate discussions contribute by writing ideas
on a paper
 May lose direction if not well  Close supervision
managed  Use group leaders
 Close supervision
 Requires more time
Walk around and talk  Requires enough space  Use open space or ground
around  Lack of participation due to limited  Frequent practice
vocabulary
 Requires more time to get more  Control time with clear
ideas

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 6 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

  Overcrowded classes instructions
 Some learn best took advantage of  Giving of clear instructions
chatting e.g. boys and girls  Teacher need to monitor the
 Other learners failed to report what process
they had discussed

Think – pair – share  Not easy to detect errors by learners  Sample few pairs to present
and consolidate
 Encourage every learner to
 Shy learners do not participate in participate
groups
Role play  Requires more time  Choose simple and short role
plays
Ball bearing  Requires more space  Give clear instructions
 Needs much supervision
 Requires more explanation
 Requires clear stated instructions
 Time consuming
Jigsaw  Some learners not able to report  Make instructions clear for all
what they got from the temporary learners
groups  Teach in a manner that
 Time consuming acknowledges both fast and
slow learners
KLW  Time consuming  As usual, combine it with
 Some learners mentioning out-of- other methods
topic issues on what they want to  What learners already know,
know level should be simply a plus and
an eye opener on how we are
to conduct the lesson
 Need to consider class
numbers
One stay three stray  Time consuming  Clear instructions
 Difficult to use for overcrowded
classes
 Most admitted that they did not
use this method
Making an appointment  Noise making when choosing  Use of songs to control the
partners flow of activities
 Time consuming  Employ teacher personality
 Many did not attempt to use this that is compatible with
method they just feared it from teaching
afar (only 2 did use) as they
consider the method difficult
How to cater for diversity of learners in using teaching and learning methods
 Short sighted learners to choose the appropriate place in class
 Gifted learners to be given extra tasks
 During group formation, teachers to make sure the groups are mixed
 Use gestures for HI….and raised voice __ for explanation method __

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 7 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

  Nominating all learners to answer questions during question and answer
 Gifted learners who disturb others, running in class__ to be counselled
 HI learners to have a partner and teachers always to write on the chalkboard
 All learners who beat others to be allocated to a front seat for close monitoring
 Learner with VI to choose the appropriate place where they can see properly
 Learner with LD who beat others to be given responsibility
 Learners who come with food and are fond of eating food in class teachers to ask them to
always give the food to be kept by the teacher and give back during break time

TOPIC 3. Reflection on development and use of teaching and learning resources during
teaching practice
Background information
 During teaching practise different teaching and learning resources are used at upper and lower
primary.
 It is important to develop an understanding on how to develop and use teaching and learning
resources.
 There is need to reflect on experiences of developing and using teaching and learning resources.
 This will help to improve the use of teaching and learning resources effectively in meeting learners’
diversity.
 During the teaching practise it is encouraged to demonstrate resourcefulness.
 The teacher has to analyse local environment and identify resources that can be developed out of
locally available materials and incorporated it into teaching.
 Good resources make a difference in the nature and quality of lessons.
 With this understanding in mind, the teacher can recall experiences while teaching at lower and
upper primary.
 It is important to have the idea about how the resources may influence teaching and learning in
meeting needs of all learners.

Resources developed during TP suitable for lower and upper primary

Level of resource applicability
Resource used Lower Upper Appropriateness of resource for level
primary primary
Cinema box √  Motivated learners
Word cards √ √  Brought variety
 Facilitated reading
Place value box √  Helped to arouse learner interest
 For them to understand the concepts as
when using concrete resources
Word tree √  To assist learners to remember what they
learnt
 For learners to practice reading on their own
 To increase vocabulary

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 8 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Drawings √ √  Maps, pictures
 Pictures aided learner understanding
 For learners to understand abstract concepts
 Arouse learners interest
Toys (toy house,) √ √  Brought clarity
models  Brought creativity
Realia ( a hoe, watering √ √  Brought clarity _ improved understanding
can)  Learning styles
 Work with
 Learners don’t easily forget
Phonic chart √  Forms foundation of reading
Abacus √  Foundation of knowing

Challenges encountered during utilization of the resources

Challenges Ways of how to overcome the challenges
Inadequate resources  Use of TALULAR
 Ask learners to bring the resources
 Improvisation
Lack of creativity  Consult other teachers
 Reading widely / more materials
 Use of resource person
Learners diversity /  Be creative
ability  Use of resource person/ specialist teacher
 Consult other teachers
 Reading widely/ more materials
Environment  Establish learning centres e.g. nature tables, wood lots etc
 Improvise
Large classes due to  Be creative
eventualities  Arrange learners into manageable groups
Lack of knowledge and  Consult other teachers
skills to use resources  Use of a resource person
 Read widely/ more materials
 Team planning

TOPIC 4. Reflection on schemes of work, lesson plan and records of work

Background information
 An effective teacher plans his/her work in advance.
 Some of the documents the teacher prepares are schemes of work, lesson plans and records of
work.
 These documents are necessary because they guide the teaching and learning process.
 Schemes of work provides a framework on how the teachers guides and learners books will be
distributed within a term.
 Lesson plan is drawn from the schemes of work and they remind the teacher on what to teach.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 9 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Reflection on schemes of work
Strengths Challenges Ways of overcoming the
challenges
 Alignment well organised  Lack of adequate  Source references in
 Matching topics against references advance
core elements  Lack of concentration  Team planning
 Followed structure  Concentrate when
 Used proper punctuation planning

Reflection of lesson plan

Strengths Challenges Ways of overcoming the
challenges
 Well structured  Poor link between  Collect enough resources
 Use of action verbs introduction and in advance
 Methods indicated in the development  Consult other teachers
lesson plan  Inadequate resources  Team planning
 Resources indicated in the  Failure to use resources  Concentrate when
lesson plan indicated properly planning
 Lessons were evaluated  Failure to use methods
 There was link between indicated effectively
introduction and  Failure to indicate time in
developmental steps developmental steps

Reflection on records of work

Strengths Challenges Ways of overcoming the
challenges
 Well updated  Negligence  Team work
 Use of correct tenses  Lack of concentration  Consult other teachers
 Followed the format  Poor relationship between  Concentrate when writing
teachers and partners

Reasons for changing methods in the process of teaching and learning

 Due to weather condition
 In adequate resources
 Large classes
 Poor learner participation
 Learners diversity/ability
Disadvantages of not reflecting on a lesson taught
 Unable / difficult to identify the successes and challenges
 Challenge to develop a review lesson

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 10 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Difficult to track learners progress
 Unable/difficult to identify areas of improvements
 Easy to repeat the same mistakes
 Unable /difficult to fill the records of work

TOPIC 5. Teaching and managing large classes

Background information
 Teaching large classes can be very challenging to teachers.
 In Malawi, teaching large classes are a common experience as school enrolments generally
far exceeds the recommended teacher-learner ratio of 1:60.
 This situation is as a result of an increasing demand for primary education which has not
matched with the provision of classrooms and teaching staff.
 Therefore, large classes pose challenges to delivery of effective instruction.

What makes a class to be considered as a large class?

 A large class is the one with more learners than the teacher can prefer to manage and
available resources can support.
 If the workload for a subject or learning area is higher than normal because of the number of
learners in a particular class.
Such classes require special skills to be managed.
Therefore, it is important for teachers to consider using appropriate strategies of teaching and
managing large classes.
Teaching large classes on the other hand, helps you as a teacher learn how to manage a large
class.
You also improve your interpersonal skills while dealing with different learners with different
experiences, ideas, behaviours and other issues.

Challenges in managing large classes

The following are some of the challenges of managing large classes:
 Classes are generally overcrowded – thus having limited space in a classroom
 It is difficult to give individual help.
 It is difficult to vary activities and manage groups.
 Most of the learners who are below average or average are usually passive in class activities.
 Marking and recording learners work is difficult.
 Textbooks and other teaching and learning resources are usually inadequate for learners.
 It is difficult to cater for ability ranges of all learners.
 Questions are not adequately spread to all learners.
 It is difficult to provide feedback to all learners.
 It is difficult for the teacher to know some of the learners’ background knowledge.
 It is difficult to manage distractors e.g. late coming, noise making
 Classroom control and management is difficult resulting into indiscipline issues e.g.
excessive noise.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 11 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 It is difficult to prepare teaching and learning resources adequate for a big number of
learners.
 It is difficult to reach out and interact with all learners especially those with learning
difficulties.
 Marking difficulties leads to less exercise for learners to reduce the burden of marking.
 Lack of affection for individual learners. All learners are viewed as a whole group and it is
difficult to establish personal relationship with individual learners.
 A health hazard as there is limited space for a crowded classroom and it is easy to spread
infectious diseases e.g. flue and cough due to overcrowding.
Strategies in managing large classes
1. resource management
 Use group leaders in other tasks like resource distribution
 Plan for resources to meet class size
2. establish daily routines
 How to enter in class
 Moving in line from assembly
 How learners make and go into groups
3. develop a class seating plan and regulate classroom movement – where to sit and how to move
 There is need for a seating plan
 Seating plan should also allow for pathways
4. establish reliable and simple means of communication
 Use of name cards for learner identification
 Use of classroom rules
 Use signs and symbols as well for communication apart from words
5. remove unnecessary furniture to reduce the feeling of over crowdedness and facilitate
movement
6. Control the learning environment
 Managing distractions
 Talking
 Late arrivals
Note:
 Reference materials on large classes should be made available in the library.
 Teachers at the demonstration school and college lecturers should be aware in advance about
the plans of interviews and teaching.
 Use of ICT should be incorporated in the activities.
 There is need to consider learner diversity when planning for the activities.
 The following methods could be used: peer observation, whole class discussion and jigsaw.
TOPIC 6 Cognitive child development
Background information
 Young children are not only growing physically but also mentally.
 They are always learning, thinking and exploring around their world.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 12 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Cognitive development focuses on the way changes in the brain occur in relation to how
children think and learn as they grow.
 Piaget’s theory of child development assists in understanding how children develop
intellectually so that parents, teachers and other stakeholders are able to manage them
effectively.
 Piaget’s theory, like Bruner’s theory of cognitive development, is one of many theories on
child development. However, Piaget’s is widely used in education.
 Piaget’s theory of cognitive development identifies several stages of cognitive child
development

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

Stage Approximate age Characteristics
Sensorimotor 0 – 2 years  begins to make use of imitation, memory, and
thought
 begins to recognise that objects do not cease to
exist when they are hidden (Object permanence)
 moves from reflex actions to goal-directed activity
Preoperational 2 – 7 years  gradually develops language and ability to think in
symbolic form
 operates through logically in one direction
 has difficulties seeing another person’s point of
view
Concrete 7 – 11 years  can solve concrete (hands-on) problems in logical
operational fashion
 understands laws of conservation and is able to
classify and seriate
 understand reversibility
Formal operational 11 – adult  is able to solve abstract problems in logical fashion
 becomes more scientific in thinking
 develops concerns about social issues, identity

 Teachers need to develop the understanding of the characteristics of the stages in order to
determine the ability of the learners in relation to their age.
 Three things are critical and these are:
 learners age
 learner’s ability
 characteristics of the stages/ability
 Relating knowledge of cognitive development to the teaching and learning at lower and
upper primary
 Knowledge of cognitive development is important to teachers as it helps to plan activities
in relation to their intellectual ability.

TOPIC 7 Reflection on assessment after teaching practice

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 13 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021
Background information
 During teaching practice, assessment was used to assist the learning process.
 Assessment was also used to get feedback on how well learners understood the instructions.
 These two areas of assessment are what are referred to as assessment for learning and
assessment of learning.
A brief description of assessment for learning and assessment of learning
Assessment for learning (AFL)
 It is used to determine learner’s progress during the teaching and learning process
 It is more commonly known as formative and diagnostic assessment.
 It helps the teachers to adjust their teaching strategies.
 Learners are also helped to identify weak areas and improve on them.
 It is an assessment done during teaching and learning
 It is necessary for both the teacher and learners.
Roles of the teacher in assessment for learning
During assessment for learning, the teacher needs to:
 identify particular needs of the learners
 select and adapt resources to suit the learning environment
 create different teaching strategies and learning opportunities for helping individual learners
to move forward in their learning
 provide immediate feedback and direction to the learners
Assessment of learning (AOL)
 It is used to measure learner's level of achievement in regards to specific learning
expectations.
 These are often known as summative assessments
 These usually come at the end of the topic, term or a course.

Roles of a teacher in assessment of learning

 Teachers have the responsibility of reporting students’ learning accurately and fairly, based on
evidence obtained from a variety of contexts and applications.
Effective assessment of learning requires that the teacher provides:
 a rationale or basis for undertaking a specific assessment of learning at a particular point in
time
 clear descriptions of the intended learning
 processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competences and skills
 a range of alternative mechanisms for assessing the same outcomes
 public and defensible reference points for making judgments.
 transparent approaches to interpretation
 descriptions of the assessment process
 strategies for recourse in the event of disagreement about the decisions

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 14 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Note:
 Assessment for learning and assessment of learning are guided by Blooms Taxonomy in order
to vary the level of questions.
 The following are the levels from the lowest to highest:
 remembering,
 understanding,
 applying,
 analysing,
 evaluating
 creating.

TOPIC 8 Accessing information from the internet for teaching, learning and assessment
purposes
Background information
Internet and its uses
 The internet is a huge network which links many different types of computers all over the
world.
 It is a network of networks, which share a common mechanism for identifying computers and
a common set of communication protocols for communications between two computers on
the network. (Sinha, 2003).
Some of the important current strategic uses of the internet
 accessing information for educational purposes
 on-line communication
 software sharing
 exchange of views on topics of common interest
 product promotion and feedback about products
 on-line shopping
 customer support service
 on-line journals and magazines
 worldwide video conferencing
Use of the internet in teaching, learning and assessment
 Internet is used to access relevant information for use in teaching, learning and assessment.
 It is used to develop knowledge in different learning areas and various topics.
 It is used to access and download text, graphics, audio and video clips for use in teaching.
 It is also used for online quiz programmes to assess learners.
 It is valuable for ongoing individual learning which is very important for life-long learning.
Browsers
 A web browser is a software application used to display the contents of online web pages.
 The following are some of the commonly (at least by the time of developing this manual)
used web browsers in computers and mobile phones:

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 15 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

  Opera,
 Mozilla Firefox,
 Safari,
 Google Chrome
 Internet Explorer.
 There are also other browsers for Android mobile devices such as:
 UC,
 Dolphin,
 Firefox focus,
 Opera mini.
 Regardless of the browser you use, you can enter the URL that corresponds to desired
website in the address bar or window.
 Address bars can be found at the top of a Web browser's window.
 Address bars are different from search boxes in which the latter does not require the exact
internet address of a website.
 Some sites may allow access to a second web page by way of an embedded hyperlink.
 Such an action will direct the browser to access the hyperlinked URL, and at the same time,
update the URL inside the browser's address window and reflect the new page.
 Use of URLs ‘‘A uniform resource locator (URL) is a type of uniform resource identifier
(URI).
 Entry of the URL and accessing a Web page is accomplished by using a Web browser’’
(Beckert, n.d). For example, Full URL: http://www.cnn.com/world
 The 'http' stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
 The 'www' refers to the World Wide Web, an information system of computer programs or
servers that provide access to audio, document, graphic, and video files.
 The 'CNN' is the name of the domain or the location of a website.
 In this case, the name of the domain is the Cable News Network (CNN).
 The 'com' indicates that the website has some kind of commercial purpose. Other URLs with
an educational or governmental intent might use 'edu' or 'gov' at the end of their Web
address. e.g. http://www.malawitourism.com , https://www.malawi.gov.mw
 The World Wide Web (www) is the most popular and promising method of accessing the
internet.
 The main reason for its popularity is the use of a concept called hypertext.
 Hypertext is a new way of information storage and retrieval, which enables authors to
structure information in several ways.
Use of search engines
 Online research has become an essential skill for individual learners.
 What took place in libraries, by phone calls or visits to experts in the field is being changed
because of the internet.
 Experts can be contacted by email and information can be accessed on the World Wide Web.
 Search Engines have become the most important tools in locating this information, so it is
important to know how to use them effectively.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 16 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Search skills can be developed through practice in using the search engines and by reading
the help pages provided by the search engines themselves.
 You must know which search engine is good for pulling out what kind of information’’
(Knollberg, 1998).
Major search engines and directories
 There are many search engines and internet directories.
 Some of the examples of search engines are
 Yahoo,
 Google
 Bing.
 LookSmart and Yahoo are large directories rather than true search engines.
 Even these large commercial search engines and directories have been found to search only a
small portion of the Web to help getting:
 to the right webpage that contains the information you are looking for
 to a website that contains links to other sites containing information on your
subject
 a specific topic which you are looking for that can be used in your research
activities.
Basic steps in undertaking an internet search
 When searching, there are some simple rules to keep in mind.
 Generally, the more keywords are used in the search the more specific and accurate results
will be.
 Therefore, it is important to use additional keywords that would be mentioned in the article
or website to help eliminate unwanted results.
 The basic steps are:
 Open a common browser e.g. Internet Explorer
 Type the keyword or word to search in the search box
 Press enter key on the keyboard
 An easy way to simplify a search on many of the search engines is to place quotes around the
topic, for example "Kamuzu Banda" or "Anti-colonialist" or "Republic of Malawi"
 This way, the search will focus on the word combination and not bring up all the pages that
contain the word ‘Kamuzu’ or the word ‘Banda’ or ‘Malawi’.
 Some search engines will also perform this same function when you place a + sign in front
the keywords such as +Kamuzu+ Anti-colonialist.
 In addition to searching text, search engines will also allow you to search for graphics,
sounds and other kinds of files.
 Search engines will also search through the latest news stories from recently released press to
news stories in national newspapers which are very useful when looking for the absolute
latest information on the search topic.
Browsing correct and relevant information

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 17 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Searching for original and reliable information sources on the internet is becoming a complex
and time consuming task because of the load on the search engines, web pages containing the
most relevant information are not necessarily the most visible.
 It's quite a challenge for professionals seeking reliable information to support an argument,
make presentations, seminars and training courses or make strategic choices specifically in
teaching and assessment.
 Therefore, it is necessary to search and use relevant information from reliable internet
sources and have a critical look at it.
Some points to keep in mind when browsing the information from the internet
 Use academic sources e.g. Google scholar
 Locate useful information from primary (research, literary, historical autobiography articles)
or secondary sources (magazine articles, biographical books)
 Check the author credentials- Who is writing the article you are reading?
 Look for the statistics- How many are reading the article you are reading?
 Evaluate the website- How many agree or disagree with the article you are reading?
Uploading and downloading information to and from the internet
 Accessing information from the internet involves downloading the relevant information for
use. Uploading means data is being sent from the computer to the internet.
 Examples of uploading include sending email, posting photos on a social media site and
using the webcam or your phone camera.
 Even clicking on a link on a web page sends a tiny data upload.
 Downloading means the computer or mobile phone is receiving data from the internet.
Transferring information from the internet to different applications or storage devices
 When the relevant information has been identified for a certain topic, you download or
transfer it to certain applications or storage devices.
 For example, information can be transferred from the internet to an application like,
 Microsoft Word
 PowerPoint.
 The options like copy and paste may need to be used.
 However, it is important to acknowledge the copyrights of the owners of the information.
 It is also possible to transfer information from the internet to storage devices like
 CDs,
 DVDs,
 phone memory cards,
 flash disks
 External Hard Disk Drives(HDD).
 For example, download and transfer a text or video clip to a DVD or phone memory card and
later use it in classroom teaching.
TOPIC 9 Internet for communication in teaching, learning and assessment
Background information
Electronic mail

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 18 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 Courier or postal mail service is a non-electronic mail service because it uses motor vehicles
or cycles.
 The electronic or email service rely on electronic technologies like mobile phones, internet
and computers
Similarities
 Many internet users have an e-mail address, just like all colleges may have a postal address.
 When applying for admission into any college the postal address of the receiver is written in
the postal mail system.
 Similarly, when sending e-mail to another user, the sender specifies the e-mail address of the
receiver.
Examples of an e-mail address
Examples of personal e-mail address or an organisation are as follows:
 blantyrettc@yahoo.co.mw
 stjosephsttcshn@yahoo.co.uk
 chigoba2004@gmail.com
 jonathan.billy@qq.com
 miedirector@sdnp.org.mw
Advantages of e-mail over paper mail, telephone and fax
 It is faster than paper mail.
 Sent and received messages and attachments can be stored safely, logically and reliably.
 It is very easy to communicate effectively with anybody within the office or anywhere in the
world regardless of where they are situated.
 It is easy to prioritise your mail.
 You can send the same message to any number of people.
 E-mailing saves paper and printing costs.
 Emails can be responded to in your own time, when it is convenient for you’’ (Sinha, 2003).
 Enhance sharing information and resources among learners.
 More immediate feedback and faster assignment return.
 Straight forward model of queries with greater perceived reliability.
 Increased interaction with teacher and students.
 Extended learning experiences beyond the classroom learning.
E-mail is the appropriate form of communication tool to use when:
 There is need to get in touch with a person who is hard to reach via telephone, does not come
to campus regularly, or is not located in the same part of the world.
 The information to share is not time-sensitive.
 There is need to send someone an electronic file, such as a document for a course, a
spreadsheet full of data, or a rough draft of a paper.
 There is need to distribute information to a large number of people quickly
 There is need for a written record of the communication. (Saving important
e-mails can be helpful if there is need to refer to what someone said in an earlier message to
provide some kind of proof).

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 19 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

E-mail is not an appropriate form of communication tool to use when:
 The message is long and complicated or requires additional discussion that would best be
accomplished face-to-face.
 The information is highly confidential as e-mail is never private (Keep in mind that your
message could be forwarded to other people without your knowledge. A backup copy of your
e-mail is always stored on a server where it can be easily retrieved by interested parties, even
when you have deleted the message and think it is gone forever).
 The message is emotionally charged or the tone of the message could be easily
misunderstood.
Composing and sending an e-mail
To compose and send an e-mail to somebody, you need to do the following:
 Open your e-mail address and click on compose.
 Enter the e-mail address of the receiver.
 Write your message.
 Click on send button.
Social media
The term social media describes platforms and applications that enable users to create and share
content or to participate in social networking.
Types and examples of social media
 The social media world consists of two segments: people and the media.
 To optimize experience with each type of social media, it’s good to participate regularly in
the communities or groups you choose to join.
 There are different types of social media as listed in Table below.
 As a teacher determine which types of social media would best benefit your work.

Some types and examples of social media Type Description Examples

Type Description Examples
Social Focus on building relationships among people Facebook, Whatsapp, Skype,
Networking with similar interests and activities. MySpace, Friendster
Sites
Blogs Blog is a type of social media which is more WordPress.com, TypePad,
like an online diary updated and maintained by Blogger
the owner.

Social Q&A Users can submit or answer questions Answers.com, Yahoo!

Answers
Video Users can upload and comment on videos YouTube, Vimeo
Sharing
Social Users can create profiles and interact through Google, Yahoo!
Search email groups.
Professional This type of social media site is a virtual card LinkedIn, Plaxo
Networks index system with names and addresses

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 20 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

 enabling business professionals to recommend
one another.

Social media in teaching, learning and assessment

 Many teachers and learners these days use social networks.
 Thus, social networks can be used to improve the education of students since they are already
familiar with its use.
 Instead of constantly trying to get students to put their phones away, as an educator can use
the devices to their advantage such as:
 Students can further explore topics that they are interested in by using online
social networking since they may have limited resources and time in school.
 Teachers can exchange or share ideas with each other.
 Teachers can take advantage of social networking abilities to create discussion
forums.
Commonly used social media in education
Some examples of common social media at work in the classroom are:
 WhatsApp,
 Facebook,
 Twitter,
 Skype,
 Blogger.

TOPIC 10 Teaching, learning and assessment using spreadsheet application

Background information
Spreadsheets
 A spreadsheet is a computer application program that simulates a physical spreadsheet by
capturing, displaying and manipulating data arranged in rows and columns.
 An electronic spreadsheet is an electronic document that stores various types of data.
 A spreadsheet is generally designed to hold numerical data and short text strings.
Examples of Spreadsheet packages
There are many other spreadsheet applications on the market today and the most popular are:
 Lotus 1-2-3
 Microsoft Excel
On mobile devices the following can be downloaded and used
 google sheet,
 WPS office
 Polaris office

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 21 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Key terminologies used in spreadsheet application
 There are many terminologies used in spreadsheet applications which include:
 cells
 rows
 columns
 worksheets
 workbooks
 A spreadsheet comprises of lines that run vertically and horizontally creating a regular grid of
boxes.
 There are vertical columns and horizontal rows.
 These spaces or boxes hold items of data and are called cells.
 Each cell is labeled according to its placement (for example, A1, A2, A3...).
 A cell is where the column and row intersect.
 There are 65,536 rows and 256 columns in the Excel spreadsheet which adds up to over 16
million cells into which data can be stored (Poole, 2000).
 A cell can contain data and can be used in calculations of data within the spreadsheet.
 An Excel spreadsheet can contain workbooks and worksheets.
 The workbook is the holder for related worksheets.
Features of a spreadsheet window
 There are many features which are common and some are advanced in spreadsheets
depending upon the type of spreadsheet being used.
 It is very important to familiarise with the tool bars and other facilities on the spreadsheet
window like:
 Formatting bar
 Standard bar
 Formulae bar
 Scroll bar
 Help facilities
Editing, formatting and applying formulae and functions in spreadsheets to use it for data
handling and interpretation
 Microsoft Excel is one of the electronic spreadsheet programs that can be used for storing,
organizing and manipulating data.
 It is then a simple matter for the user to specify formulae in the spreadsheet that manipulate
these numbers in various ways.
 It’s also easy to change various fields in the program that correspond to different aspects of
the operation of a business and have it then instantly update the totals.
 For example, if the grade of a particular learner is not entered correctly and the error is
identified later, it’s simple to change the field to the new grade while automatically updating
the whole file.
 Just as Microsoft Word, it also provides editing and formatting tools as well as allow to apply
formulae and functions as given below:

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 22 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Editing and printing
It involves:
 checking spelling
 reviewing page breaks
 previewing layout
 changing page setup and settings
 setting print options
Formatting
It involves:
 changing: column width and row height
 inserting: rows, columns and cells
 deleting: rows, columns and cells
 merging and centre
 merging cells
 texting wrap
 cell alignment
Applying formulae
It involves:
 constructing formulae using operational signs such as addition (+), subtraction (-),
multiplication (*) and division (/)
 Inserting simple and complex formulae e.g. = A2+(C3-C2)+(D2/2)
Applying functions
It involves constructing functions such as
 average,
 auto sum,
 percentage etc.
Data interpretation in Microsoft Excel
 Microsoft Excel helps to store and manipulate data for various purposes.
 Learners can be advised on their performance as it is very easy and quick to assess their
performance by interpreting the data in the learners’ grade worksheet.
 Data interpretation in Microsoft Excel can potentially involve a variety of activities
including:
 collating,
 processing,
 filtering
 Visualising.
Collating
 When compiling data in schools, for example, the class register, progress records or staff
returns, it is good for the teacher to use spreadsheets as they can effectively organise
information in a systematic order.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 23 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

Processing
 When preparing the totals for continuous and summative assessment grades, data has to be
entered correctly before processing it.
 Then apply formulae in the specific Excel cell to get the totals.
 It will ease the job as a teacher than calculating the learners’ grades one by one.
Filtering
 Data handling in schools become easier if the filtering options is used in the spread sheets.
 For example, if one wants to sort data to find out the learners who need more assistance in
different learning areas, the grades are filtered in a specified range in the spreadsheet and it
will give the required information quickly.
Visualising
 The learner’s performance can be presented graphically transforming the numerical data to a
chart or graph.
 A very good way of appraising the learners is by drawing their performance.

Use of spreadsheet applications in school

Spreadsheets can help to perform the following:
 Analysing data
 Performing complex calculations
 Exploring possible outcomes
 Producing high quality charts
 Useful in assessment to record learners’ performance
 Used for producing assessment tools like checklists and rubrics
 Used as digital class registers for learners’ particulars and attendance

TOPIC 11 Teaching, learning and assessment using presentation application

Background information
Presentation software
 A presentation application is a software package used to display information in the form of
slides show.
 It can be made into slide shows, and photo albums with music or narrations thereby
appealing to multiple senses.
 It can also be used to create great presentations for
 personal use,
 the classroom use
 the business world.
 Examples of presentation applications include:
 Microsoft power point,
 Microsoft sway,
 google slides

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 24 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

  Zoho.
Importance of presentation applications in classroom
 Digital presentations are an excellent medium for use in teaching activities because they are
easy to create, use, copy, store and transfer.
 Presentation software is used to enhance language learning
 The use of presentation software encourages use of four language skills such as reading,
writing, speaking and listening
 Presentation software makes the ability to communicate messages to a group of people much
simpler than any other delivery methods’’ (House, 2015).
 PowerPoint has become very popular because it's easy to learn and is widely available.
 It enhances the students' abilities to retain what they learn as they use different senses in the
learning process.
 It helps both visual and auditory learners to get the information more easily because they see
the presentation while hearing about it
The importance Power point program
 enables teachers and students alike to prepare presentations.
 allows teachers to present their lessons in a more dynamic way than simply lecturing and
writing on the chalkboard.
 Teachers focus on the class and interacting with the students instead of writing on a
chalkboard because the text and the entire presentation are already there in the form of slides.

Terminologies and features of presentation application

Features of a presentation application include:
 slide show
 slide transition
 slide sorter-showing views as normal or outline
 tool bars
 various presentation view modes
Creating, editing and formatting presentations
A presentation can be created using different methods before it is edited, formatted and print the
work at a later stage.
The following steps are helpful for practice:
 Creating a presentation using templates and auto content wizard (Poole, 2000).
 Editing text and image inputs in presentation by:
 spell check,
 adding notes pages,
 adding comments,
 deleting repeated words and unwanted slides.
 Inserting objects and pictures in the presentation by:
 taking pictures or
 downloading them from the Internet,

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 25 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

  scanning them,
 copying and pasting them from another file or
 taking them from clip art.
Formatting a presentation:
 changing text appearance (such as font size and type),
 applying text formatting (bold, italics and underline, text case cHAnGes),
 applying different colours and shadow effects to text,
 aligning text (left, right, and centre) in a slide and
 adjusting line spacing before and after bulleted numbered points’’(Poole, 2000).
How to make a presentation more attractive
Customise the presentation by applying the following:
 animation effects: define and test time periods between slides presentation
 transition effects
 preset text, image animation effects to slides

Glossary
accommodation : altering existing schemes or creating new ones in response to new
information
adaptation : adjustment to the environment
adolescent egocentrism: assumption that everyone else is interested in one’s thoughts, feelings
and concerns.
assimilation : fitting new information into existing schemas
classification : grouping objects into categories
collective monologue : form of speech in which children in a group talk but do not really interact
or communicate.
concrete operations : mental tasks tied to concrete objects and situations.
conservation : principle that some characteristics of an object remain the same despite
changes in appearance.
delegate : give somebody part of your authority or responsibility.
disequilibrium : in Piaget’s theory, the “out-of-balance” state that occurs when a person
realises that his or her current ways of thinking are not working to solve a
problem or understand a situation.
enact : endorse, ratify, pass.
equilibration : search for mental balance between cognitive schemas and information
from the environment.
execute : do something
flexible : not rigid or not conservative.
formal operations : mental tasks involving abstract thinking and coordination of a number of
variables.
gender biases : different views of males and females, often favouring one gender over
the other.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 26 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021

gender schema : organised networks of knowledge about what it means to be male or
female.
gratuity : financial award granted for long or meritorious service.
guarantee : warranty, pledge, promise, provides.
guidance : organised effort to help a client to understand themselves and the world
around them
humility : recognising one’s limitations and their failings.
impair : reduce or weaken in strength, quality.
influence : something or someone that may have an effect or impact on another
person.
initiative : effort made to start something
insubordination : not submissive to authority; disobedience, rebellious.
leadership : process that involves influencing others’ actions in achieving desirable
goals
management : set of activities directed towards efficient and effective utilisation of
organisational resources in order to achieve organisational goals, skillful
use of resources
misconduct : any act or omission contravening regulation
morale : being motivated to perform a task
nature : way things happen in the physical world when it is not controlled by
people
nurture : care and protection of somebody, while they are growing and
developing
object permanence : the understanding that objects have a separate, permanent existence
operations : actions that a person carries out by thinking them through instead of
literally performing them.
organisation : ongoing process of arranging information and experience into mental
systems or categories.
organogram : organisational structure
policy : plan, strategy, course of action.
pre-operational : stage of development before a child learns logical mental operations.
reversible thinking : thinking backward, from the end to the beginning
schemes : mental systems or categories of perception and experience
school improvement plan: unique plan, refined annually, that describes a school’s targeted work
to raise achievement for its students
semiotic function : ability to use symbols- language, pictures, signs, or gestures – to
represent actions or objects mentally
sensorimotor : involving the senses and motor activity
seriation : arrangement of objects in sequential order according to one aspect, such
as size, weight, or volume.
subversive : liable to overthrow a government, legally constituted institution.
teaching records : documents kept by the class teacher.
trait : characteristic or quality that one may possess.

EDUCATION FOUNDATION STUDIES NOTES 27 © SOKO DNE UPDATED 2021