DOCUMENT RESUME ED 290 444 IR 012 992 AUTHOR Lesgold, Alan M., Ed. TITLE Information Technologies and Basic Learning. Reading, Writing, Science and Mathematics. INSTITUTION Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. PUB DATE 87 NOTE 270p.; For the final report of Phase Iof this project, see ED 271 056. AVAILABLE FROMOECD Publications and Information Centre, 2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036-4095 ($32.00). PUB TYPE Collected Works Conference Proceedings (021) Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) EDPS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC No: Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Basic Skills; *Computer Assisted Instruction; *Computer Software; Developed Nations; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; *Information Technology; *Instructional Improvement; International Cooperation; Mathematics Instruction; Reading Instruction; Research and Development; Science Instruction; Writing (Composition) IDENTIFIERS Centre for Educ Research and Innovation (France); *Cognitive Sciences ABSTRACT This volume marks the completion of Phase II of the Centre for Educational Research and Innovat In (CERI) project of inquiry into the issues inherent in the introduction of new information technologies in education. It summarizes the issues discussed and the recommendations made by four working groups at an international conference, each of which focused on the effects of lew information technologies on instruction in one of the four basic skills, i.e., reading, writing, science, and mathematics. Members of these groups included representatives of Australia, Canada, Japan, and the United States as well as various western European nations. Noting the increased pressure on Governments to provide better basic skills education, it is suggested that two emerging forces can help to provide a sound basis for the introduction of new technologies into education--inexpensive information processing power, especially computers; and the growing field of cognitive science that can rigorously study, understand, and 5:Irove the educational process. Each of the four basic skills is examined in the context of: (1) current instruction; (2) existing information technologies; (3) promising areas of research and prototype development; and (4) the implications of the new technologies. It is recommended that OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) member nations encourage course demonstration and development; reexamine the basic skills curriculum in light of changes brought about by new information technologies; cooperate with other countries to develop software that is both effective and affordable; and encourage research in the cognitive and instructional .ciences. The 'ext is supplemented with various figures, a bibliography is provided at the end of each of the four major sections, and a glossary is included. (EW) BEST COPY AVAILABLE -..t 4- .4- 0- A 0 i Cr6 ("\I Ca a I .. A lis A L.L1 . IN Aft IP A U III DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTERESOURCESRIC) ilk Ms document has beenproduced tv- received from the person L.organization originating it O Minor changes have been made to improve reprod..c,on quality Points o. viewCsOpinions stated in this docu- mnt do not necessarily represent Ohm& OERI positron nr policy (In--Te irn "PERMI4SION TOREPRODUCE THIS ittnimmi MATERIAL INMICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY OECD TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC; " Pr Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (rERI) INFORMATIOty TECHNOLOGIES AtID BASIC LEARNING READING, WRITING, SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CLOPERATION ANDDEVELOPMENT 3 Pursuant to article I of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December. 1960. and which came into force on 30th September, 1961. the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed to achieve the highest sustainable economic Growth and employmentand a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financialstability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy. to contribute to sound economy: expansion in Member aswell as non-member countries in the process of economic development. and to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral.non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria. Belgium, Canada.Denmark. France, the Federal Republic of Germany. Greece, Iceland. Ireland, Italy. Luxembourg.the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switierland. Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States The following countries became Memberssubsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter Japan (28th April,1964), Finland (28th January, 1969), Australia (7th June, 1971) and New Zezland (29th May. 1973) The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia takes part in some of the work of the OECD (agreement of 28th October, 1961) The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation Has created in June NO hi the Council of the Orramsation for Economic Co-operation and Development for an initial period of three years. with the help of grants from the Ford Foundation and the Royal Dutch Shell (,roueof Compan'es Since May 1971, the Council has periodically extended the mandats, siluch now expires on 31st December 1991 The main objectives of the Centre are as follows to promote and support the development of research activities ineducation and undertake such research activities where appropriate, to promote and support pilot experiments with a view tointroducing and tesiing innovations in the educational system, to promote the development of co-operation between Member (minims inthe field of educational research and innovatio . The Centre functions within the Organisation for Economic Co- operatu.1 andDevelopment in accordance with the decisions of the Council of theOrganisation under the authority of the Secretary-General It is supervised by a Governing Board composed of one national expert in Its field of competence from each of the countries participating in or programme of siork Public en irdnk.iic cote, ItI ire rEciiNol OGIES ' INFORMA I ION ET APPRENTISSA -ES DI HAM Lecture, ecnture, sciences et mathematiques 0 OECD. 198 i Application for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this publicans n should be made to Head of Publications Service, 01:C D 2. rue Andrf:-Pascal. 76775 PARIS ( FDFX 16, I ranee 4 This volume marks the completion of Phase II of the CERI project of enquiry into the issues inherent in the introduction of new information technologies in education. Phase I produced a first evaluation of current trends and examined the possible impact of developing technologies on learning and education systems. (Its final report New Informa- tion Technologies: A Challenge for Education was published in 1986.) Phase II concentrates on the present and potential role ofnew technologies in enhancing teaching and learning with a specific focus on basic skills at the compulsory education level. It is appropriate here to take a rapid look at the internationalscene within which this task was conceived. Quality in education is a central preoccupation in all OECD Member countries. But improving the quality of compulsory education is above alla matter of ensuring that everyone acquires basic skills and knowledge. Countering new forms of illiteracy, whichare increasing to an alarming extent in certain. countries, reducing inequalities, preventing underachieve- ment at school, preparing for tue occupational needs of society, enabling everyone topursue studie^ or take them up again. and encouraging personal fulfilment all dependon a sound grounding in the basic skills. This is not new. But the rather spectacular "return" towards emphasizing the basic skillswhich remain to be defined in the context of present-day evolu- tionrepresents a striking resurgence of the definition of the school as, first and foremost, an institution for transmitting and acquiring knowledge. In this perspective, improving the quality of basic education obviously comprises a number of measures concerning curricula, teaching methods and the organisation of schooling, with particular emphasison the role of teaching staff. The school is also increasingly concerned with the dynamics of information technologies as tools for teaching and learning, especially for the basic skills. It was particularly relevant to this second phase of the CERI enquiry to try to confirm the conclusions of the Phase I concluding conference (July 1984): "use of information technologies offersan unprecedented opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the basic learning processes whichpose a Problem in all countries"; and those of the Ministers of Education meeting at the OECD in November 1984 that: "the new information technologies could makean increasingly sig- nificant contribution to learning, especially for the low achievers". To handle properly this very wide commitment, two preliminary requirementswere necessary: first, to focus our attention on the main basic skills at the compulsory level of education, and in fields where sufficient experimentation was taking place, namely: reading, written expression, scientific and technological concepts, arithmetic and mathematicalcon- cepts; second, to ensure that researchers among the best in our Member countriespar- ticipated in the work. Working groups were set up