Using the internet for environmental research

Ms Henderson teaches a P7 class at Carolside Primary. In today’s lesson, she is covering environmental studies. This is part of a seven-week project, during which the pupils carry out internet research on different environmental topics and compile a PowerPoint presentation of their findings. Then, individually, they present their PowerPoint research to the rest of the class and the teacher. Each presentation is filmed by a classmate, for assessment purposes.

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Teacher Profile

Meudwen Henderson has been teaching for 32 years in eight different schools. She is currently teaching a P7 class at Carolside Primary School. Meudwen uses ICT daily and finds it a very useful tool in her teaching. She comments that ICT is one of the most amazing advances she has experienced in her teaching career. It encourages independent study and focuses pupils’ attention in a more efficient way compared to the traditional method of pen and paper.

Meudwen has had training in the main Microsoft packages, including PowerPoint. She has also trained in digital video editing and web design, but otherwise most of her ICT skills are self-taught. There is an ICT coordinator at the school who is very helpful.

Carolside Primary is based in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire. The school is a two-storey building, which first opened in the 1960s.

There are 736 pupils in the school, 35 of whom have free school lunches and five are recorded as having special educational needs. There are 36 pupils with English as their second language.

The school has 107 Apple Macintosh computers, which are connected in a local network: there is at least one computer in each classroom. There is one dedicated ICT room and one part-time ICT coordinator. ICT training is available in-school for staff, augmented by education authority and national courses.