23 rd ASEAN Council of Teachers (ACT ) Convention Theme : ASEAN Educators Uniting for Quality Education

Evaluating the effectiveness of the HeyMath! E-learning Program for Secondary 3 students A study from Catholic High School

About Catholic High School Founded in 1935 Government-Aided full school for boys, comprising a secondary and a primary section The school’s mission is to establish a school of distinction in innovative and challenging programs, a forerunner in character building and a beacon for the mindset of excellence, firmly built upon the foundation of Christian values.

Why HeyMath! Some reasons… Independent and online learning became a ‘must have’ rather than a ‘nice to have’ especially in times of epidemics such as the outbreak of SARS Students who miss classes due to valid reasons can login, learn at their own pace and catch up with their peer Teachers are able to assign lessons, tests and worksheets electronically Lessons are animated and interactive and this helps improve students understanding e.g. Relative Velocity

HeyMath! at CHS Introduced to the Secondary 3 pupils in January 2006 In 2007 Secondary 4 students are now in their second year of HeyMath! 696 students and 15 Math teachers have individualized access to the program Meticulous planning and professional development support are necessary to ensure smooth implementation

Implementation Students log in to view lessons mapped to the scheme of work that teachers follow Online tests are posted on HeyMath! by teachers after the lessons, these are taken by students online and immediate feedback is obtainable Worksheets issued by teachers are handed in by students Teachers track usage by students online

Log in and view resources mapped to the Scheme of Work

Online assignments record

Taking stock after 6 months Students were surveyed to evaluate their experience on HeyMath!

I enjoy learning Maths through HeyMath!

HeyMath! helps students learn at their own pace and convenience

I like the games on the HeyMath! site

The animations and interactive tools in the HeyMath! lessons help me understand concepts better

Worked examples and practice questions in the lessons really help me understand how to solve problems

Accessing HeyMath! from home is useful for revising topics that my teacher has already taught in class

The worksheets and online tests gives me additional practice and have helped build my confidence in doing tests and exams

During the e-learning days, I was able to understand topics through the HeyMath! lesson on my own. It was like having a good teacher around

A paradigm shift in learning They just need to log into HeyMath! to access the entire syllabus (Sec 1 through Sec 4) The system allows the student to review and playback the lesson anytime he wants. Flexible timetabling, can learn at their own pace Instant feedback as against waiting for the teacher to mark scripts and return The technology allows for individualized learning Online forums for peer to peer interaction and eventually connecting with a global community of learners No more textbooks!

Conclusion Students are satisfied with and enthusiastic about HeyMath! E-learning Students show that they can adapt to independent learning Teachers must do adequate preparations and are prepared to monitor students’ online learning It is encouraging to note that students’ participation rate or their log in frequency is relatively high and many expressed that they have benefited from the use of the program

Thank You