A descriptive study on the translation of the seamless science learning model for wider diffusion

A seamless learning environment connects private and public learning settings where learning occurs across various contexts. The notion of seamless learning was connected to mobile learning, in which the use of personal mobile devices for learning was recommended to facilitate students' cross-contextual learning. In seamless learning research, there are crucial technical and pedagogical considerations that may affect seamless mobile learning. The challenge is that most local primary school students did not possess personal devices for learning, thus, hindering the efficiency of scaling up to more schools. In addressing the problem, this paper reported a qualitative descriptive study on a practice-oriented project to implement seamless science learning in the formal curriculum. Three primary schools in Singapore participated in this two-year project. The participating teachers in the project designed and implemented selected seamless science lesson units at their classes. A significant contribution of the project is that it informs what it takes to switch from one-mobile-device-per-learner to the techno-pedagogical model of seamless science learning. The lesson enactment using the model increased students' engagement levels and resulted in significant learning gains in the second year of implementation. Another important implication of the project was teacher professional development. Several participating teachers reflected on how their involvement in seamless lesson design and implementation impacted their teaching methods, including the willingness to use ICT for lessons and making connections with parents. However, the challenge to the widespread adoption of seamless science learning was reported. In fact, a seamless curriculum is more than redesigning lessons and incorporating technology into the lessons, it should be perceived as a culture, and learners must be enculturated to change their current learning habits of mind. Copyright © 2022 Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.