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Background Reading:

What Students Gain From
 Who-Am-I
?
 

The Who-Am-I? program contributes to help students build a positive self-image, allows for cooperative learning (online and locally), and development of peer relationships.

Scott L. Day's article about "Effective Instruction of Students at Risk of Failure" contains interesting notes on the approach assumed used in Who-Am-I? :

  • Allow for student-centered learning by letting students explore, review, and carry out assignments and solve problems in pairs without depending on the teacher... Giving them cooperative learning partners provides hope and opportunity... Cooperative learning methods are consistently effective in increasing student achievement (Slavin & Madden, 1989). They consistently give outcomes as self-esteem, intergroup relations, acceptance of academically handicapped students, attitudes toward school, and ability to work cooperatively.
  • Activities and contexts should be meaningful to students so they will make connections between classroom learning and the world outside the school. (Means, 1997; Means & Knapp, 1991)
  • At-risk students are typically in need of caring and committed peer relationships, social support, and positive self-images, as well as motivation for higher achievement; cooperative learning experiences supply these specific benefits.
  • The teacher performs more as a facilitator or mentor rather than a traditional instructor.
  • When given a challenging, interesting work to do with a partner in a special classroom with special tools, and when empowered to control their pace and behaviour, these students were motivated to remain engaged and learn. Their resulting successes .. gave them feelings of pride and accomplishment they did not feel elsewhere.

Motivating students to learn is highlighted in an article published by Education Week (USA) called "Worlds Apart". Many teachers reports that students find Who-Am-I? relevant to their lives.

Sometimes, someone may be expressing doubts about the learning effectiveness of ICT (information and communications technology). The British ImpaCT2 study provides interesting insights. It is a major study carried out between 1999 and 2002 involving 60 schools in England. Here are some of its key findings:

  • In every case except one the study found evidence of a positive relationship between ICT use and educational attainment.
  • In none of the comparisons made between the attainment of groups of pupils with different levels of ICT use was there a statistically significant advantage to groups with lower ICT use.
  • A statistical significant positive association between ICT and higher achievement in National Tests for English was found.
  • Positive associations were also found for mathematics, science, design, technology, and foreign languages.

Does investing in education reduce poverty? Evidence from Ghana, Uganda and South Africa (20 August 2003)

Next page: What does "Who Am I?" offer students?

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