STUDENTS APPRICIATE ICT INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING.

Students of St.Theresa Girls Secondary School Nsenyi in Kasese District have appreciated ICT innovations in the learning process. This was revealed during a two day visit from 8^th to 9^th August 2013 by the staff of Rwenzori information centers Network during the retooling exercise of teachers of English in the use of ICT. The innovation in place involves integrating the use of ICT tools in the teaching-learning process. St Theresa Girls are having six (6) teachers of English who have received training in use of ICT.

This is what the students said in relation to the kind of learners the teachers have helped by integrating ICT in teaching. Mary Kabugho S.5. “Audio visual tools have helped me to get the correct pronunciation of words thus helping me to perfect my speech”. Sylvia Muhindo S.3, “lessons are now more attractive and I these days like English more than other subjects”.Jovia Biira S.3, “teachers no longer bore in Class”. Mackline Mbabazi S.5 “role play has helped me to understand certain poems much better”.Biira Janet “our teachers have been able to explain the concepts much better and at least they no longer talk much in class”…I had problems with the way the teacher could pronounce some words but I ask the teachers to continue”.Masika Gorret S.1, “I have been able to understand the nouns by using the different animations in class”… “I think we can understand better if we can act the books in literature lessons”. According to students role-play and use of short videos is more important in the learning process.

According to Ms Mbambu Peninah a teacher of English at the said school, she mentioned that the integration if ICT tools in the teaching process has helped them to cater for: Visual learners prefer to read silently and make good use of any illustrations that go with the text. They will generally prefer you to teach with written instructions and will benefit from you acting out situations, watching a demonstration or presenting scenarios in videos. Tactile learners are often students who just don't get what you're trying to teach in a traditional teaching or worksheet based lesson. Kinesthetic learners take in information best when they use their whole bodies to complete practice exercises. Audio learners learn best by listening. Students who get a lot out of lectures, verbal explanations, tapes and oral instruction are generally classed as auditory learners. Language activities for this type of learner are mainly listening based. They include activities that involve repetition, dictation, and listening for clues.

Much more emphasis should be put on content development in lesson preparation to cater for the different the categories of learners.