b.
Managing Learning in the Classroom
We
have touched on the question of the practicalities of using ICT
in the classroom, and the technical question of whether everything
you need to have working on a computer will be. The next question
is how to manage the people, the space and the equipment/resources
in a way that maximises learning.
Whether
you are using ICT or not, but perhaps more when you are, your
first question here is how to arrange pupils. In the case study
the teacher prefers to keep difficult pupils apart, because there
is both individual and interdependent learning going on. He also
likes to mix abilities, both in terms of subject specificity and
IT literacy.
This
is one for discussion with your mentor - how will you sit pupils
when you have a space where all pupils are using ICT, and how
will you arrange them when resources are more limited so that
only some can use ICT?
The
next question is how to deal with the peaks and troughs of intervention,
and how to ensure that reasonably equal progress is being made
across the whole class. The mixing of abilities in IT literacy
helps with this in our case study, but you will need to decide
what is best for you. Another one for discussion with colleagues
and your mentor.
Finally,
you have to face the question of what happens when one, some or
all of your ICT facilities give up the ghost. Here you must imagine
the worst happening and ensure that you are prepared for it, and
you must do this without making so much work for yourself that
the efficiency saving of using ICT is lost. In the case of this
particular case study, it is possible to print up the materials
as a back-up, and then get pupils to do the work using paper or
acetates which can be displayed. You won't lose a great deal of
the learning this way, though you will of course lose the impact
of seeing and drafting using ICT, and the storage and edit functions
of the files. You'll also lose access to other forms of design
as given in the web addresses, if you are unable to get to the
web sites.
In
summary, you have four issues to consider in managing learning:
-
The mixing of abilities when you set pair or group work.
- The
arrangement of people in the room, including yourself.
- Keeping
on top of intervention, and ensuring that all pupils get equal
attention.
- Managing
a room full of pupils waiting to use ICT to learn when the power
fails.
As
you are going through the process of planning and using ICT in
this and the other case studies, your mentor will advise you on
these matters.
 c.
Helping Learners Develop their own IT Capabilities
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