ICT Guide

[RETURN TO 5-14 ONLINE] [BACK] [INDEX] [NEXT]

Section 1: Teaching, Learning and Assessing ICT

Approaches to teaching and the planning and structuring of tasks Although ICT influences what we teach, it has the potential to shape how we teach. The emergence of the personal computer as an essential tool for the workplace is as true for teaching as for virtually every other professional walk of life. Computer technology allows teachers to consider a wider range of strategies and approaches across the curriculum and in their own personal planning and management. The availability of
... ICT influences what we teach, it has the potential to shape how we teach.	hardware and software is, of course, vital to the development of ICT and its application to the wider curriculum. However, teachers' attitudes to its use also have a bearing on future developments. Already there is
significantly more collaborative planning and teaching in both primary and secondary schools and between the sectors. The development of ICT through a cross-curricular focus and within individual subjects means that there is much is to be gained by sharing and understanding teaching objectives and approaches. Teachers are beginning to explore the use of tools, such as the interactive blackboard, whilst the wider availability of school networks and intranets has meant access to a greater range of software and tools for planning and recording progress. The development of communications through the internet and through local area networks, and the access to teaching and learning resources that this has opened up, imply that
Computer technology allows teachers to consider a wider range of strategies and approaches ...	teachers and schools should consider their role in respect of developments and how ICT will have impact on every level. Teachers should consider what benefits can be gained to support both themselves and their pupils by employing ICT, and the selection of any particular strategy
will take account of a range of options including those offered by ICT. This self-evaluation approach allows schools and teachers to define their current position as a basis for development. Self-evaluation and planning aspects are developed later in this guide. Teachers' increased confidence in using ICT will benefit their teaching by helping them to: explain, demonstrate or consider areas of study more effectively than with other methods or teaching tools exploit the capacity of ICT to allow pupils to do tasks that otherwise might have been impossible - such as presentation of digitised photographic images exploit the capacity of ICT to permit easy changes to on-screen work and presentations provide almost immediate access to a vast array of information sources - World Wide Web, databases such as those run by national museums, CD-ROM-based information, as well as traditional sources such as tapes and videos. Teaching approaches vary to meet the circumstances of individuals and classes. However, it is important to bear a few strategies in mind regarding ICT use. Holding a whole class or group discussion before engaging on a task helps to focus it. Encouraging pupils to discuss whether or not there is a need for discussion and planning before engaging on the task helps to foster higher-order skills in communication. A balance of tasks should involve simply using ICT as the most appropriate tool, for example word-processing to write a book review. Integrating ICT-related issues into discussions largely focused on another curriculum area will help young people to appreciate the usefulness of appropriate ICT use. Review of a task in process or at the end of a task is important in providing feedback to pupils on how they have performed. This will help to build pupils' confidences and will also inform assessment and review strategies. Technology sometimes fails to work and the well-prepared teacher will be able to deal with basic problems or, alternatively, have other activities available should failure occur. [RETURN TO 5-14 ONLINE] [BACK] [INDEX] [NEXT]