The Role of Text-books and ICT in Designing and Implementing
Effective Lessons: Examining Curriculum Recommendations
and Teachers’ Practices
Madihah Khalid
Universiti Brunei Darussalam
Teachers in Brunei Darussalam generally use recommended textbooks and books supplied by theMinistry of Education in order to teach their students. Many of them only rely on those books while
there are others who would look at other books or surf the internet in order to get ideas on how best
to teach a mathematics topic. Some would follow the recommendations entirely, but many wouldchange the recommended lessons to adapt to their classrooms. This paper would examine therecommendations of the new SPN 21 (New Education System of the 21st Century) mathematics
curriculum and the normal practice by the teachers in this country in order to design andimplement effective lessons.

INTRODUCTION
The changes in curriculum usually come hand-in-hand with changes in textbooks.
Textbooks are rewritten in order to accommodate the changes in curriculum because
they act as a bridge between the intended and the implemented curriculum which canalso be termed as potentially implemented curriculum (Valverde, Bianchi, Wolfe,Schmidt, & Houang, 2002). It is thus understandable why the awareness of textbooks
and how they are used are crucial for understanding the process of teaching andlearning mathematics. If one considers the reform of the mathematics curriculum it istherefore important to understand the role of textbooks. Figure 1 shows theconnection between intended, implemented and attained curriculum as depicted byValverde et al. (2002). Besides textbooks, other organised resource materials are also
listed as the potentially implemented curriculum and they may include manipulatives
as well as ICT resources. This paper will examine the curriculum document and thetextbooks that are used in schools and how the teachers use them for the purpose ofdesigning and implementing effective lessons.
The new Brunei mathematics curriculum that was launched in conjunction with theNew Education System of the 21st Century (SPN 21), implemented fully starting
early 2009 advocates the use of multiple representation. It is believed that children
gain maximum benefit from school mathematics instruction if they can see themathematical ideas through concrete models, diagrams, real life examples, virtualdisplays (ICT), words and symbols (CDD, 2009). The different modes ofrepresentation may lead to better mathematical understanding. Therefore, various
kinds of teaching and learning resources were recommended to accomodate thedifferent representations. Teachers are also recommended to employ differentiatedcontent and instruction. The Ministry of Education, through the Curriculum1

Development Department, provided Brunei schools with textbooks, workbooks (referFigure 2), teachers’ resource package ( including teachers guide and manipulatives)and multimedia courseware (both hardware and software) for this purpose. These
resources are provided to ensure that teachers will be able to design and implement
effective lessons for the benefit of achieving students’ understanding in learning
mathematics.

Figure 1: The tripartite model (Valverde et al., 2000, p. 13)
Teachers in Brunei consider it important to use the guidelines suggested by theCurriculum Development Department when designing and implementing
mathematics lessons in their classrooms. The curriculum document suggests thefollowing critical components that pupils must encounter in a mathematics
programme in order to achieve the goals of mathematics education and encourage
lifelong learning in mathematics. Pupils are expected to: communicate in order to learn and express their understanding connect mathematical ideas to other concepts in mathematics, to everyday
experiences and to other disciplines demonstrate fluency with mental mathematics and estimation
 develop and apply new mathematical knowledge through problem solving
 develop mathematical reasoning and creativity
 select and use technologies as tools for learning and solve problems
 develop visualization skills to assist in the processing of information, making
connections and solving problems
 develop positive attitudes and values towards mathematics.
(CDD, 2009)2

Textbook is the most important feature of teaching mathematics in the classrooms in
Brunei, as in many other countries. The traditional textbook has long been a key
reference material for teacher curriculum decision-making and the primary resource
for student practice of mathematical techniques. Although some teachers sometimes
refer to other reference books or search the internet for teaching ideas, textbooks
remain the main teaching resources. The two recommended textbooks for Bruneianschools are the “Smart mathematics” (CDD, 2008a; CDD, 2008b) and “Starmathematics” (Cole, 2008a; Cole, 2008b) series, accompanied by their respectiveworkbooks.

Figure 2: Recommended Bruneian textbooks, workbooks and teaching soft-wares
Both of the recommended textbooks mentioned above are used extensively by theteachers, where the preference for use differs from teacher to teacher. Both textbooks
are very colourful and well-illustrated as well as easy to read when compared toprevious textbooks used in Brunei. In a study by Burns and Charleston (1997) on thereadability of English medium curriculum texts in Brunei primary schools, it was
found that older textbooks are not easy in terms of readability and not interestingenough. Some teachers prefer to use ‘Smart mathematics’ because it has clear
learning outcomes of each chapter, contain suggested warm up activities to introduce
mathematical concepts, encourages pupils to think further in the ‘Stop-Think-Go’

3section, contain exercises for quick review and gives direction for appropriate
worksheets in the workbook as well as summarizes the main points learnt in thechapter. On the other hand, ‘Star mathematics’ features workbook links, mathematics
questions that are related to real-life situations, learning guides by prompting
questions at appropriate juncture and cooperative learning activities. Workbooks ofboth mathematics books contain worksheet, skill practices and review paper.
Q1: HOW DO YOU USE YOUR TEXTBOOK IN YOUR COUNTRY?
Although textbooks act as the potentially implemented curriculum, Love and Pimm
(1996) emphasised that it is the teacher who normally acts as a mediator between thestudent and the text, and are therefore resposible for any changes proposed. Many
teachers rely on textbooks for instructional materials, which may or may not beadequate for effective teaching of lesson in terms of providing thinking problems thatare non-routine, making connections and emphasise mathematics beyond basic skills.
It is therefore interesting to find out how teachers use textbooks in this country.
Many Bruneian teachers rely solely on the textbooks recommended by the Ministryof Education. They might follow the sequence and recommendations given in thetextbook closely where all problems and exercises would be presented and taught tothe students. Most would try to adapt the textbooks according to their students’ability and situation. From many meetings that the writer attended in the course of
lesson study project, it was noted that when a group of teachers have to teach a topic,
the first material that they will start with would be the textbooks. As an example,
when the topic decided upon was ‘developing understanding for mental calculation ofdivision of a number by powers of ten’, they turn to both textbooks but found andliked the activity shown in the ‘star mathematics’. The game suggested that students
in groups of 2 to 4 to pick a card (with division statements typed on it) and thenidentify other card(s) that gives the same answer. They decided to adapt this activity
with changes to suit the children
The teachers thought that the suggested game would motivate and interest pupils.
However they felt that by just identifying the cards, pupils are not thinking enoughand would not have the opportunity to give their reasons for doing so, when thetheme for the particular lesson study calls for emphasis on mathematical reasoning,communication and connection. The pupils were not supposed to just know how tosolve the problems, but they should also know the reasons why, when dividing by
100, they can take away two zeroes from the numbers being divided. At the end of
the lesson, students were also asked to write down what they learnt that day insteadof just completing the exercises in the workbook. In order to lead students to makeconnection between multiplication and division, the “follow-me” or “I have… whohave… ” game was used as lesson starter. For this activity, every child was given acard with sentences such as 'I have 20. Who has 12X100?’ The teacher would start thegame with by reading her card, for example ‘who has 3X10’. The student with theanswer on his/her card would stand up and say I have 30, and continue to read the4rest the card that might say ‘who has 23X100’. The game continues until all students
had the chance to participate. Then the teacher asked the pupils to explain themeaning of 3X10 or 23X100, etc. The pupils would say 3 groups of 10 give 30 or 23
groups of 100 gives 2300. During the development stage, the teacher continues byasking pupils to pick one of the nine cards containing division statements for example
450 ÷ 10. Students were asked to solve this by whatever method they knew. Some
responded by saying that they use the reverse of multiplication (the answer is 45
because 45X10 is 450), some by long division etc. Here, the teacher asked students tointerpret the meaning of multiplication that emphasize grouping. After going throughmore cards and arranging the cards in groups that shows certain kinds of patterns,
students were expected to be able to then explain why they can take away zeroes
when dividing. They were expected to be able to say something like ‘86X100 means
86 groups of 100 which gives 8600. 8600÷100 means finding how many groups of
100 there are in 8600. There are 86 groups of 100 in 8600 (because 8600=86X100
which means 86 groups of 100). Other pupils even point out to the reverse nature ofmultiplication and division.
Q2: HOW CAN WE USE OUR TEXTBOOK MEANINGFULLY?
The two mathematics textbooks that are being used in Brunei are supposed toincorporate the reform agenda of the SPN21. However, many teachers using thetextbooks still deliver the content in the traditional way. This is due to different
interpretations that each teacher has on how to teach the topics. So, how do we makethe teachers use the textbooks meaningfully? One way is to make sure that theteachers are aware of the necessary mathematical processes such as mathematicalthinking and communication that need to be incorporated in each lesson. They need
to be given continuous professional development (CPD) and training. Teacher
discussions and making them work together is also vital to this process and therefore
one of the best ways would be via lesson study, which has become common in Brunei.
During our lesson study project and cycles, teachers discussed how to make students
think mathematically and not just be satisfied with knowing how to solve a problem.
Activities chosen were those that would make students communicate with the teacher
and other students. They want students to be able to give reasons and makeconnections of their learning. Therefore, each activity suggested was scrutinized anddiscussed until they are satisfied with the product, before being presented in a
research lesson. A good example was as depicted in the topic mentioned above.
Teachers first discussed how to make the activity chosen interesting. An element ofsuspense was injected when students were asked to pick a card with divisionstatement from a stack. In answering each question, teachers usually ask why they dothis and that. They were also asked to verbalize the meaning of multiplication
statements and division statements. When all nine cards were revealed, they wereasked to arrange and group the cards according to the patterns that they deem
appropriate. Students were made to think of what happened when certain patterns
were recognized. Finally, they were made to explain why when a number is divided

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by 10 – they can remove one zero, by 100 – they can remove 2 zeroes and so on.
Since the students’ process skills were assessed during the activity, the emphasis on
the process makes it more meaningful.
Q3: HOW DO YOU USE BLACKBOARD AND PROJECTORS IN YOURCOUNTRY?
Unlike teachers in Japan who has a very unique and purposeful way of using theblackboard, it is hard to categorize Brunei teachers’ use of blackboard in any
particular way. However, with the exposure to Japanese lesson study and maybe
because of the influence from it, our teachers are beginning to realize the importanceof planning the blackboard use.
Besides the traditional blackboards, with the advent of new technology and theencouragement for its use, teachers began using the smart-board and also theprojector in their classrooms. The use of smart-board is popular among the youngteachers in Brunei since all schools are provided with at least one interactive
whiteboard by September 2007 (Khalid & Salleh, 2010). Pupils are keen toparticipate when teachers use interactive white boards because of the interactive
nature smart-boards offer. However, ICT use is not encouraged in the classroom if it
is used only as a way of delivering information because instead of ‘chalk and talk’ as
was common previously, it is now ‘power-point slides and talk’. Teachers also use
the internet to search for interesting activities as well as computers to make lessons
more effective. ICT based resources are also encouraged and provided or linked by
the Ministry of Education through its official website.
Q4: HOW CAN WE INNOVATE OUR TEACHING APPROACHES FORTEACHERS?
In view of the popularity of the smart-board among pupils, teachers are looking fortools or softwares that offer interactivity. Some topics, especially geometry, are besttaught using educational softwares such as Geometers Sketch pad, Cabri Geometry ofGeogebra. The dynamic geometry softwares provide opportunity for children toexplore and observe the different behaviours of two-dimensional shapes for example,
when certain properties vary. The software can also provide opportunities for students
to discover patterns or properties of triangles embedded within a circle by ‘drawing’
many similar but different cases until a pattern emerge, which is not practical if
students are just provided with papers and graph papers. The star mathematics text
book supplied to primary schools is also accompanied with teacher resource compact
discs which contains the ebook version of the text book. The ebook version has interactiveness (enlarge images or texts and interactive activities). Realizing theimportance of interactivity in teaching, the ‘dbook’ has been introduced to someteachers. The dbook, which is actually a software as well as a tool that could convert
ordinary textbooks into "e-textbook”, was introduced by Prof Isoda to 30 participantsfrom the Vocational and Technical institution recently (Brunei Times, 2010). With
the dbook, teachers who do not get the chance to use the smart-board can now have6

interactivity in their classroom, because the dBook can be inserted with basic tools(like drawing, compass, ruler), animations and interactive simulations (using AdobeFlash) or videos. Recent interactive teaching tools like ‘mimio’ also made interactive
teaching cheaper.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The advent of the new technology will change the way teachers teach. However,teaching with technology needs to be complemented with the incorporation of otherimportant process skills (such as mathematical thinking, communication andconnection), and teachers will seek resources other than textbooks to get ideas on
how best to teach a topic. An example of the process of designing and implementing
an effective lesson in Brunei using ICT and textbooks is as depicted below. This isjust one episode for teaching addition of unlike fractions that really happened during
one of our lesson study cycle.
The suggestion from teachers guide is as follows:7

It can be seen from the guide that teachers are encouraged to use computer and toincorporate communication, connections, visualization and skills to teach this topic.
The ‘Smart Mathematics’ textbook do not talk about related fraction as describedabove and shows diagrams of how the different fraction were further divided to makelike fractions. ‘Star Mathematics’ does, but straight away shows the process ofmaking the denominator equal (by multiplying), without offering any pictures ordiagram. Traditional teachers would ask students to find the LCM. In the end,students know how to find LCM without really understanding what it is and in theend would only be able to procedurally solve the problem.
During this particular discussion, teachers thought that it will be a good idea if thestudents can be made to practically divide the unlike fractions into equal parts to getlike fractions. However, it is not easy if students were to draw the diagrams because
they won’t be exact. Therefore, it was decided that they will use ICT. After searching
the internet, they found that it is easier to represent the fraction using number line. So,to solve 1 2 + 13 , they will represent the fraction as follows on the smart-board.
½0
10

3

11

Students would then try to divide the two fractions above using the pen of the smartboard visually and would be directed to figure out how to get the equivalent fractions
to make the ‘unlike fractions’ into ‘like fractions’. They will finally figure out how tosolve them, and at the same time communicate their reasons for doing so.

01Then students are directed to the website http://www.visualfractions.com for moreinteractive exercises.
REFERENCES
Brunei Times, (October 8, 2010). Teachers to learn use of D-Book. Reported in Bandar Seri
Begawan by Amin Noor. Brunei Times
Burns, R. & Charleston, R. (1997) The readability of English medium curriculum texts inBrunei primary schools. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Nov.
CDD, (2009). Framework and guidelines for curriculum and assessment, Mathematics year
5. Curriculum Department, Ministry of Education: Brunei Darussalam.

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CDD (2008a). Smart Mathematics Textbook 5B Brunei Darussalam: JPK, Kementerian
Pendidikan
CDD (2008b). Smart Mathematics Workbook 5B Brunei Darussalam: JPK, Kementerian
Pendidikan.
Cole, D. (2008a). Star mathematics Textbook 5B; Star publishing PTE LTD.
Cole, D. (2008b). Star mathematics Workbook 5B; Star publishing PTE LTD.
Love, E., & Pimm, D. (1996). ‘This is so’: A text on texts. In A. Bishop, K. Clements, C.
Keitel, J. Kilpatrick, & C. Laborde (Eds.), International handbook of mathematics
education, pp. 371-409. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.
Khalid, M., & Salleh, R. (2010). Brunei Darussalam. In Devadeson, The State of use of ICTin The teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics among Schools in
SEAMEO Member Countries (pp. 30-44). Penang, Seameo Regional Centre for
Education in Science and Mathematics
Valverde, G. A., Bianchi, L. J., Wolfe, R. G., Schmidt, W. H., & Houang, R. T. (2002).
According to the Book. Using TIMSS to investigate the translation of policy into
practice through the world of textbooks. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

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