This week I am giving training to ICT trainees and teachers from Norfolk and Suffolk. We are going to try to answer the following questions:
- What teaching routines do you use?
- How do you deliver the KS3 ICT units?
- How have you adapted the sample units to make them better to teach?
- How do you assess KS3 ICT?
- What would you do to update the National Curriculum for ICT?
After the training, they will be invited to share their own replies to any of the above questions by posting a comment below. We will also have a flashmeeting video conference at 15:45 on Tuesday 5th December to share our ideas with trainees and teachers elsewhere in the country. If anyone else would like to participate (all you need is a mike, webcam not vital), contact me by posting a comment below.
Here are some ways in which we have attempted to address the above issues at Notre Dame:
What teaching routines do you use?
Most importantly we have a numbered seating plan. We put this on the door as students come in to ensure that they sit where we want them to. This also helps identify who’s who during the lesson.
As students come into the room, they view a welcome slide which tells them what to do as soon as they log on.
Once all the students are logged on and I am ready, I show the class the lesson aims (slide 2).
At the end of the lesson, we often have a plenary to consolidate what we have learnt (slide 4).
How do you deliver the KS3 ICT Units?
We have mapped out the units as a kind of gantt diagram to show what we do when
We have come up with a template online scheme of work for both the teachers and students to use which they access by putting the unit number (i.e. 8.1) into our website’s search engine
How have you adapted the units to make them better to teach?
We have given activities more realistic timings and taken out 10 mins to enable time for the lesson to start and finish
We have created new starter activities for the students to do as soon as they come in. Many are keyword games from teach-ict.com
We have found more relevent and interesting themes as vehicles to teach the units. Many of them have a global dimension either in the theme to be researched, or using our link schools as a real audience for products made.
How do you assess KS3 ICT?
All our ICT teachers use the same lesson plans. This means that we can use common assessment tasks created for each unit.
We clearly explain to students what they need to do to achieve a specific level
We have started to use a common assessment grid in student speak to ensure that students and staff are aware of how specific tasks relate to the level descriptors.
We also often use checklists to enable students and their peers to evaluate their work.
What would you do to update the National Curriculum for ICT?
In my opinion, the internet has evolved from a static to collaborative environment. Unfortunately, most of the tools that encourage communication and collaboration are blocked in schools. I believe that instead of pretending that they do not exist, we should be finding ways to teach students to use tools like chatlines, wikis, blogs, etc. responsibly.
I also strongly feel that students should research real information instead of made up data. Their products should be produced for real purposes and for real audiences. This would give their work more meaning and increase their motivation.
Discuss this via Flashmeeting
Tuesday 5th December from 15:45 - 16:30
Demo Connection to test your webcam (can participate without) and microphone
Click here to join the meeting from 15:30 ready to start for 15:45
Places are limited, so please contact me by posting a comment to confirm a place.
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Comment by Alex
20 November 23, 2006, 6:27 pm o'clock |
The major thing that I got from today was to try to put keywords onto my lesson aims slides. I wouldn’t put more than 5 though.
I’m glad that the idea of dictating notes was well received. In some ways it seems a very backward step, but it really makes you think how many steps there are in the instructions we give. No wonder the students haven’t got a clue as soon as I stop talking!
It would be great if everyone could give this a go in at least 1 lesson before our flashmeeting to feedback on how well it went.
Remember that there are some notes on the communicty wiki at http://communicty.wikispaces.com/
Thanks for a brilliant day. I sometimes fear that I learn more new things from these days than anyone else!
Alex
Comment by Donna Dean
19 November 23, 2006, 6:18 pm o'clock |
Hi - your comment on how we block students from most most communication and collaboration tools really struck a chord.
Up until recently I have been on the side of filtering. However, I am increasingly coming round to the view that we should actually be teaching young people to deal with the online environments they are meeting outside of school - chat, blogs, myspace etc. By blocking their access are we really preparing them for the outside world - which is the business we are in isn’t it?
I will battle away at my school to get increasing access to such facilties. Perhaps this is something others are having problems with too?
Donna
Comment by Charlotte Land
18 November 23, 2006, 3:07 pm o'clock |
23/11/06
What I learnt today.
We hoped to answer the 5 questions which formed the basis for todays training.As well as providing answers it enabled me to take away new ideas to incorporate into my lessons.It became clear that having a seating plan makes a difference.It enables the teacher to establish who is in charge from the beginning.
Delivering the units was different from school to school .Each had adapted them for their own use.It became clear that it was important to give the lessons a purpose and make the outcomes relevent to real life situations .
Assessing ICT .All considered this difficult within our subject.We have been given some information to help us .
Updating the National Cirriculum.Thought should be given to providing pupils with the opportunity to experience all aspect of ICTand its wider uses in society and business.
We learnt how developing pupils note taking skills ,could enable them to become more independant in their learning.It could also save the teacher from repeating things over and over again.
Comment by Derek Roberts
17 November 23, 2006, 3:05 pm o'clock |
GTP training day with Alex Savage.
We were asked to consider the following:
1. What teaching routines do you use?
2. How do you deliver the KS3 ICT units?
3. How have you adapted the sample units to make them better to teach?
4. How do you assess KS3 ICT?
5. What would you do to update the National Curriculum for ICT?
At my current placement school it is the schools policy to greet all students at the door only allowing them to enter when you are ready (i.e. most of the class have arrived). I am usually at door and talking to them with a starter on interactive whiteboard for when they come in. The first action is to settle the students down and take the register. I find that this sets the tone for the lesson as they have learnt that they are to be quite during this time (acts as settle to study time).
KS3 is delivered by a mixture of sample units, teach-ict data and resources that the department have created. However the units are not all taught by the staff at the same time, so 1 member may be on 8.4 while another may be on 8.2. The use of other material (non sample) has been used to try to bring real world in to the classroom and create a more engaging atmosphere. Assement is a mixture of homework and self assement (JAS) with the teacher providing moderation on the students comment/mark. In order to update the National Curriculum the ICT teachers should be encouraged to share their best resources so that all can improve. I find that most teachers are willing within the school to share but the ability provided by sites such as teach-ict allow a wider audience to view and contribute to ICT teaching. Also you can pick and choose what will work for you.
Comment by Benjamin Twiss
16 November 23, 2006, 3:02 pm o'clock |
GTP subject knowledge day 23 / 11 / 06
What I found most useful and will attempt to apply to my own teaching:
* Including key words with the aims, and explaining these before starting the lesson.
* SOAP
Attempting to make the project the students are working on more purposeful, and for a real audience. The current KS3 project I am currently teaching is to produce a booking system for a pantomime. They also carry out the marketing for the pantomime. Whilst it works, the project is hypothetical. I feel students would be more motivated if their booking system, or a poster they had designed advertising the pantomime, could actually be used or tied in with the school production.
* Step by step instructions
I have experienced first hand, individual students not understanding a task after it being explained. This has resulted in me repeating instructions to individuals a number of times. Following today, I will definately apply the idea of asking the students to make step by step key notes, so they are more confident in completing the task.
* Teach-ict.com
I saw this website for the first time today. It looked very useful for starters, plenaries and interactive educational games, and is something I will look to employ during future lessons.
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