School Leadership Program SLP Project

School Name: MAKTAB TEKNIK SULTAN SAIFUL RIJAL

School Type:

TECHNICAL & VOCATIONAL

(Primary, Secondary, Vocational)

Workshop Attendee Information Formal Name Hajah Noorzainab binti Haji Abdulladi Sheikh Lukman Sheikh Abd Hamid Hajah Rohani Haji Mohd Salleh First Name
(for name tag)

Title/Position Principal / Headmaster Deputy Principal Registrar

Email Address noorzainab.abd@gmail.com lukman.hamid@ssrtc.moe.edu.bn rohani.salleh@ssrtc.moe.edu.bn

Noorzainab Sheikh Lukman Rohani

Phone Number 8737639 8626489 8744270

School Information/Data Number of Students: Number of Teachers: Numeracy Proficiency % for Student Population: Literacy Proficiency % for Student Population: English Proficiency % for Student Population: 986 (As of July 2012) 110 instructors 90% 95% 90 %

Project Name:

FOSTERING POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT TO THE CLASSROOM

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Project Description & Rational:
(What is your project and why is it important for your school?)

Introduction
The importance of having a positive classroom environment is crucial for the learner to feel comfortable, safe, stimulated and emotionally supported continuously in the classroom. There is strong evidence that shows learning outcomes can be achieved easily when the learner is in an environment where they feel comfortable, appreciated and valued the most. It is the teachers responsibility to value each and every one of the students in their class, so that each student feels special and important. (Groundwater-Smith et al, 1998, p. 95) As a result the learner can reach their full potential if their learning environment is positive as the learner become nurtured and mentally motivated to study new things. Hence, this can also create cohesiveness for both the learner and the teacher as well. When the learning climate is both exciting as well as interesting, factors such as class participation, lesson engagement and involvement of the learner is the key in ensuring that learning is relevant and become more meaningful. Although, there are many ways a teacher can enable students to succeed in their classroom but elements such as enthusiasm can also generate interest for the entire learner and they become ready about lesson plans and assignments. (Stronge, 2002; Wilen et al., 2004; Shepard, 2000) claims that Educational research supports creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and support in the classroom, where students feel safe in expressing concerns or asking questions, and where tolerance and a sense of common identity and community are promoted How the teacher brings about the interest of his students in the classroom, will also affect the overall mood of how the lesson will commence which will be significant in the aspects of creating positive learning environment Much of the research conducted on the influence of the social context on teaching and learning has hitherto been concentrated on the interaction of culture and cognition (Saxe, 1990). However, in recent years, studies have also focused on questions such as Does a classrooms environment affect students achievement and attitudes? (Fraser, 1992; Fraser & Tobin, 1990) Numerous studies point to the fact that the promotion or development of a conducive learning environment for students can lead to a significant improvement in learning outcomes and also student attitudes (Fraser, 1992). Based on all this research, it was clear that classroom settings and environment play an important factor in fostering the increase in student performance. If there is evident that this could possibly be one of the many key strategies in producing better student results and increase in performance it became clear why this research study is proposed. Process Our study will take place in our college, where we select a random group of students who has undertaken different courses ranging from tourism, engineering and computer studies. An investigation will be made to these groups of student with various classroom environment that exist where each type of lesson and classroom settings were designed for the specific courses as mention above. We will do a research study to see how the different types of classroom settings affect the environment of learners and identify which Diploma course produce a positive learning climate for our students. The action research plan itself is divided into five stages. First is the Assessment stage, which focuses on administering the Actual Classroom Environment Questionnaire to assess the actual classroom learning environment currently provided by the instructor, followed by the administering of the Preferred Classroom Environment Questionnaire. The second stage is the Feedback stage where the instructor gathers data from the students responses. Analysis of the Actual Classroom Environment Questionnaire and Preferred Classroom Environment Questionnaire data will show up dimensions that are in need of attention. The third 2|Page

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stage was the Reflection and Discussion stage, which requires the researchers to engage in collaborative reflection and discussion on the dimensions of the learning environment that need intervention. Once the different factors have been identified by quantitative research technique of data collection, various fostering strategy approaches and procedures will be introduced. This will later be imparted to the instructors to be implemented in their classroom. In the fourth stage, the Intervention Strategies stage, strategies are to be designed and implemented to improve the score for the dimensions chosen. An intervention strategy will be made to give positive input where necessary and to for see any changes happen after the intervention. The implementation of this stage will be over a period of 3 weeks. The fifth and final stage is the Reassessment stage where the Actual Classroom Environment Questionnaire will again be administered to the students. The data obtained is once again collected, organised and analysed to see if the intervention strategies used had made any appreciable impact on the chosen dimensions. This will also be clear whether these strategies are effective enough to meet the objective of this school project. After the fifth stage, the intervention strategies are to be re-examined to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Modifications to the strategies employed should be done to take into account any new discrepancies that have been discovered, for future groups. Sample The target groups for this study are: (i) students from the 1st year who will be progressing to their 2nd year of study in June 2012; and (ii) students returning after their IA to do the second year of study. The targeted programmes involve students from the Computer Engineering, Computer Studies, Mechanical Engineering, Welding Engineering and Hospitality as well as tourism department Project Deliverables
(Once completed, how will your project benefit the entire school population?)

Deliverables: On completion of this study, it is envisaged that the students will:

Maximise in their learning to reach their fullest potential Help students to be fully participating during lessons and become better citizens of society in future Become more comfortable, wanted, valued, accepted and secure in an environment where they can interact freely with people who care and trust Increase in their academic performance because they become more focus during lessons as strong relationship build between teaching and learning be allowed to make decisions and have control over their own learning and behavior students will be intrinsically motivated to learn more

Besides the above, it is also envisaged that the instructors involved in the study will: (i) enhance their understanding and knowledge of effective teaching and learning strategies; (ii) be highly motivated to teach as a result of better student engagement during lessons (iii) develop greater collaboration and teamwork in classes; and finally be (iv) motivated enough to create a more positive classroom learning environment for the students. Ultimately, all the above will help achieve quality education in MTSSR

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Project Measurements
(How will the success of your project be measured? You must include quantifiable objects for measurement)

Questionnaires(Test Instruments). surveys Assessments, rubrics Baseline Figure for (insert measurement) Improvement: Goal/Target at when project is completed: Percentage Improvement Goal: Resources Required
(school personnel who will be directly and indirectly involved as well as any external resources)

0% 50% will have an improvement in learning 50%

1. Instructors from various departments in the college. 2. Year 1 students progressing to Year 2 taking up courses Diploma in MEC, HOSPT, CIT, TOUR 3. Instructors of the following units: Any units that involve student centered learning

Time Commitment

Refer to Gantt chart file document as attached with this documen

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Cost of Project (if any)
(Are there any costs associated with your project, if so how much and why?)

To be discussed further if necessary

Dependency/Assistance from the Ministry of Education

(Does your project require any assistance from the Ministry of Education and if so, why?)

Department of Technical Education support to possibly collaborate with other Technical institutions to see the similarities based on a variety of multidisciplinary trade areas. Additional Comments: This research project will be a continuous process that can be administered in order to obtain short and long-term goals.

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