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Section 1: Teaching, Learning and Assessing ICT

How ICT can have an impact on a range of learning approaches

Just as teachers will see the impact of ICT on their teaching methods, learners will also be influenced by their use of it. ICT can be used to support current approaches to learning including individual and

collaborative learning. The range of available hardware gives a variety of options for teachers to exploit, from specialised tools such as a screen-mounted camera or a touch screen, to individual computer notebooks and rooms or areas customised for ICT development work. This can involve the use of programs that diagnose, support and monitor individual pupil programmes of study and collaborative tasks such as shared problem solving. Just as teachers will see the impact of ICT on their teaching methods, learners will also be influenced by their use of it.

Pupils in primary schools often use computers in pairs or small groups. This may be determined more by hardware availability than by a teaching purpose. However, research is beginning to indicate that teachers might consider relating types of tasks and organisation to different kinds of groupings. Some examples are as follows.

  • Problem solving should use the collaborative nature of ICT work and be carried out in pairs or very          small groups. Discussion of progress towards solutions and the shared assessment of outcomes and          presentation on screen all work together for a positive learning experience.
  • Opportunities should be available for individual computer use, particularly in developing specific ICT          skills and also where it is important that pupils produce their own work.
  • When working in mixed-ability pairs, care needs to be taken to ensure that both pupils contribute          purposefully by a careful division of tasks.
  • Teachers should observe closely in situations where pairs of pupils are engaged in a task to ensure          that the dominant personality does not unduly influence the direction of a task outcome.
  • Where larger groups are involved it is important that, either by specification or by prior agreement, all          the pupils are clear about their roles so that no one is left out.

    In secondary schools there may be more facilities for pupils to have greater opportunity for individual working. Here the teacher should be clear when group work is preferable to individual assignments, in order to ensure the benefits of collaboration and communication that working with ICT can bring.

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