Text
Customer: Microsoft
Ref: Smart Mice Case Study – 2. Draft
Date: 5 August 2010
Pages: 6
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Computer-based learning is fun in the Fuchsloch kindergarten:
Explore the German language with the Smart Mice software
Children are interested in the spoken and written word long before they learn to read and write. Therefore Microsoft's Learning Initiative "Smart Mice - children explore language" is already being used by children of pre-school age. In the Fuchsloch kindergarten in Oberwil near Zug, Switzerland, the popular learning software "News from the Smart Mice" is an integral part of the curriculum.
An on-site case study
The fifteen children aged between four and six at the Fuchsloch kindergarten are buzzing with excitement as this morning's timetable once again includes Smart Mice - the learning software with amusing songs, tricky word puzzles and cute Smart Mice. The tasks involving sounds, letters, words, rhymes and all sorts of word games can be solved by one child or by several children together. The educational games are self-explanatory so that children can play them together and also help each other. Whenever possible, kindergarten teacher Sarah Hotz lets the children make their own decisions on how to proceed. "The "Smart Mice" encourage the children's independence and their behavioural skills," she says - and this is just as important to her as the actual learning itself.
Sarah Hotz welcomes the fact that all the children can benefit to the same extent from the learning software irrespective of their knowledge level. "It has something for every child in it - irrespective of his or her previous knowledge. The Smart Mice software is a constructive addition to daily life in the kindergarten and is ideally suited to the targeted encouragement of speech and writing skills".
Sub-heading
What rhymes with toe?
The children enjoy playing with the Smart Mice software - and this can be seen on this very morning. They all want to be in the first group to be allowed to use the computer with the Smart Mice software. The two 6-year olds, Nelly and Erjon move speedily to the virtual playground - the application home page - and select together a learning location.
They are joined by Lolli and Pop, two children with tousled hair and lots of hair grips. And of course the Smart Mice are there as well.
((Image of Nelly, Erjon, Margaret– without a caption))
"Come on, let's play the memory game in the listening cube", suggests Margaret who has joined the group. "The words sound so funny". This game trains the memory to recognise the sounds of the words. Nelly clicks on the game with the mouse and off they go: Rhyming words must be assigned to each other. Lolli prompts the three children to turn over a card and then to find a second matching card. "What rhymes with toe?" Nelly, Erjon and Margaret agree, then Erjon clicks on a card. "Table" sounds a voice. No, that can't be right as it doesn't rhyme. Now it's Lolli's turn. The avatar shows the children what could match with the word toe: So, what about "doe"?
Sub-heading
Creative encouragement for the understanding of language
Now it's 5-year old Rina's turn. She logs onto the learning software's home page with her personal identification symbol. Rina chooses the learning game Mice Theatre and asks her elder playmate Angela (aged 6) to help her. ((Image of Rina, Angela – without caption)) This game is about verbal speech usage and in particular the use of everyday language. The "props mistress" gives instructions from the wings which the children then act out. For every action performed the child gets a response. Rina and Angela must prepare the stage set for the evening performance of the mouse theatre. Things are lying all over the floor which must be put into their proper places. "Paint the white star over the door with the yellow paint brush!" Soon everything is prepared for the funny appearance of the mice in the theatre.
Sub-heading
Syll-a-ble see-saw
Nina and Lenz, both six years old, come to join Rina and Angela. "The see-saw is much more fun! Shall we change the game?" suggests Angela. In this learning game, words are composed out of individual syllables or are broken down into speech syllables. Is it E-le-phant or E-phant-le? So with four playing, there's lots more going on. But the Smart Mice are patient with the children and repeat the requests.
((Image of Rina, Angela, Nina and Lenz – without caption))
And so it cheerfully continues until every child has had their turn. One by one the boys and girls solve the funny tasks; they talk, sing, rhyme and type in the letters, increasing their vocabulary almost incidentally through the important experience that language is fun and that learning is a fantastic thing.
Sub-heading
Singing together - real motivation!
Enthusiastic, cheerful, colourful songs ring out loud and clear at the end of the morning in the kindergarten. All the children join in the singing at the top of their voices. The song is an example of a reward - which is part of every successfully completed learning game. This keeps the children motivated and encourages them to try out new tasks and explore speech and writing using play.
((Image of group – with caption))
The Fuchsloch kindergarten intends to continue integrating the Smart Mice as part of the curriculum. The children first come into contact with the Smart Mice software in autumn at the start of the new kindergarten year. Sarah Hotz has also received further training in the Microsoft Educational Initiative and passes on her knowledge of the Smart Mice-training to other interested kindergarten teachers in the Swiss cantons of Zug, Lucerne and Obwalden.
Sub-heading
Early training in computer usage
Today computers, televisions and video games are all part of children's daily lives which is why it is important to train them early in the sensible use of new media. Sarah Hotz observes, "80 to 90 percent of the children have no reservations in using computers since they have already had experience with them at home. I pick up the children at their respective individual level and then give them appealing things to do using the Smart Mice. And this also provides the opportunity to talk in general terms about the use of computers and new media - and also should the occasion arise - to influence this in a positive way. In addition, children without any previous knowledge have the chance to catch up."
Nicolas Betschart, officer responsible for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the town schools in Zug, also sees this potential: "Learning in kindergartens is not a taboo - playing and learning flow into each other," he says. "But it is also important here to drive forward social equality in educational opportunities even in ICT".
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Sub-heading
Schools in the town of Zug: "Learn to use ICT" and "Use ICT to learn"
The town schools of Zug, as the establishments responsible for the education of school children, are using this motto to deploy today's media in a beneficial way for school and home-based learning. The promotion of new media in the town's schools goes without saying for Nicolas Betschart, officer responsible for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at the town schools of Zug. "21st century education for 21st century children must integrate ICT into the curriculum". Currently more than 600 Windows computers are in use in the town's schools. All the school buildings and kindergartens are networked together. The teachers and kindergarten teachers are integrated into the central and compulsory ICT further training programmes.
((Portrait –image of Nicolas Betschart without caption))
The aim is that school children learn how to handle ICT as one of the four main educational foundations in the same way as reading, writing and arithmetic. So the framework conditions in place in the city schools of Zug promote the objective of equality of opportunity. As far back as 1999 the green light was given for the integration of information and communications resources at primary school level. Use of the learning software "News from the Smart Mice" has already helped to implement the city school's ICT strategy in kindergartens.
"Work must be done on children's speech comprehension and usage in the kindergarten and equal opportunities must be in place as early as possible," says Nicolas Betschart. The town schools of Zug have thereby acknowledged the results from the 2000 PISA Study. This study underlined the unsatisfactory results in the skills area of literary comprehension. "The Smart Mice software also helps children who do not have the opportunity at home to learn language, and to make progress in comprehension and use of language."
Sub-heading
Explore the German language through play and motivation
Children are interested in the spoken and written word long before they learn to read and write. Microsoft's Educational Initiative "Smart Mice – children explore language" ties in with this and aims to make it easier for children aged between 4 and 6 years of age to learn to write the German language through play-based learning. The early development of language skills boosts the learning capacities of the children and supports their communication and social skills. The focus of the initiative is the deployment of the learning software "News from the Smart Mice" in kindergartens, primary schools, nurseries and childcare centres.
The pedagogical concept behind the Smart Mice software supports free, self-determining and developing learning. The learning software is designed to be motivating and enables children in an "I want situation" to become familiar with verbal language, sounds, letters and reading through play. They follow their own individual learning pace and can benefit together from the program step by step. Children learn to work with each other; they talk, sing and overcome together the tricky tasks in the Smart Mice software.
((Image 26 from the Schlaumäuse manual with the same image captions)
How children learn from the Smart Mice
Understanding verbal everyday speech, verbal vocabulary, listening and differentiating sounds, first attempts at reading at word level - these are the learning areas which the children encounter in this play-based approach. If the little learners "work" successfully through the levels, they are rewarded with a fun party in the Smart Mice tent. This is fun and motivating. The Smart Mice software also allows them to bring the written word to the spoken word. Using the megaphone and loudspeaker tools, the children can turn the silent writing into sounds. They can then repeat the spoken and the written word as often as required until they have understood it, without having to rely on adults reading them aloud.
For teachers there is an additional function which can determine the individual progress of the child and where his or her language level can be tested. This important application enables children to be prepared in the best possible way for school and facilitates the transition.
Sub-heading
"News from the Smart Mice" application
The learning software is provided free-of-charge to kindergartens and other pre-school institutions provided that at least one teacher has attended a training course which can be either an attendance-based or online training course. These training courses discuss all the educational features of the Smart Mice. Advanced computer knowledge is not required. Further information available at: www.microsoft.ch/schlaumäuse.
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Sub-heading
Best learning software award
The Smart Mice learning software was created on behalf of Microsoft and in cooperation with the Cornelsen Verlag from the ComputerLernWerkstatt of the Technical University of Berlin and academically monitored during its introduction. The corresponding study proves the significant learning successes of the children. It was ascertained that the children made great progress as regards their language and social skills plus their verbal expression ability. And specifically children from non-German speaking families were able to integrate better thanks to the Smart Mice. Perhaps it was for this reason that the Smart Mice Learning Software received the golden GIGA Mouse for the best learning program in 2006 and the Digita Prize as a quality award for exemplary educational software in 2007.
Sub-heading
Microsoft: Commitment to education
The program "Smart Mice –children explore language" is part of Microsoft's worldwide educational initiative "Partners in Learning" (www.partnersinlearning.ch). Through "Partners in Learning" Microsoft has consistently committed itself for many years to a sensible use of Information and Communication Technologies in the curriculum. The aim of the initiative is to contribute to more teaching and learning successes by means of a worldwide network of teachers, practical tools, ideas and resources for curriculum design and varied further training opportunities. "Partners in Learning" has set itself the objective of preparing school pupils for their future in the best possible way and equipping them for the start of their professional careers where today there is a computer on nearly every desk.
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Contact Details
MICROSOFT SCHWEIZ GMBH
Richtistrasse 3
CH-8304 Wallisellen
Telephone +41 (0)848 22 44 88
Fax +41 (0)43 456 44 44
www.microsoft.com/switzerland
Project:
Claudia Balocco
Education Programs Manager
Telephone: +41 (0)78 844 64 26
www.microsoft.ch/schlaumäuse
Case Study
Sarah Hotz Riek
Kindergarten Fuchsloch
6317 Oberwil
Nicolas Betschart
ICT Specialist Department in Education and Culture Directorate of the Canton of Zug, Switzerland
Town schools of Zug
www.oskin.ch
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