An Open Monitoring Environment for primary school children engaged in tablet-based learning

Abstract

The current trend of tablet computers as learning tools in the classroom places extra demands on the teacher. Learning environments are needed which enable the teacher to monitor the progress of their students and to receive alerts when particular students are encountering difficulties. In this paper we develop a support environment for teachers using tablets in primary school first year education. The environment is based on existing research into an Open Monitoring Environment that enables the teacher to explore and elaborate a model of student progress. Using the data collected from science activities on tablets in a Thai school, the developed system offers teachers insight into the state of the learning progress of students. An example visualisation is provided that can help the teacher to explore which students are progressing well and which students are having difficulty. Furthermore, the unique quality of the environment is in its flexibility to extend the model with new visualisations or metrics in order to better understand the learning activity.