Part 2:
Teaching With ICT
a.
Structuring Lessons
In
the case study we are dealing with, the teacher has a fairly regular
pattern to the sessions in which she uses the CD-ROM based activities
to generate writing. She tends to start with a teacher-led introduction
to the session, outlining the area for coverage in the session.
In an hour-long lesson, she might restrict herself to either instructions,
directions or explanations. From the introduction, she will set
pairs or small groups work to do, using printed worksheets, a
section of the CD-ROM or specific sites on the World Wide Web.
This work is structured, and she monitors progress around the
class until she can get them to report back to the whole group
on their progress, to summarise their progress in small groups
to feedback in the next session, or to email their drafts as appropriate.
Again,
you might not work in exactly this way, but you probably do have
a pattern that you favour as a teacher. Characterise this pattern
to yourself now, and consider how the use of ICT as a resource
might fit into it.
Over
something like a five week period, spending two hours a week on
the coursework, the teacher in the case study has wanted to introduce
the ICT based work in the second week, having spent the first
week ensuring that all pupils were reasonably familiar with the
distinctions between the types of writing. First let's recall
the main learning objectives the teacher has for her pupils in
this area:
- Provide
written instructions on a limited range of simple tasks.
- Provide
directions using maps and their own knowledge of areas and locations.
- Provide
explanations of phenomena and processes within the typical range
of a pupil's experience.
- Express
themselves clearly and concisely in writing.
- Use
formal and informal registers in their expression in a manner
that is fit for purpose and audience.
The
coursework the teacher has decided to produce is based on a scenario
that will produce:
-
A business letter carrying a set of directions to a location,
using appropriate format, style and register.
- An
Estate Agent's 'fact-sheet' describing a given property, using
appropriate format, style and register.
-
A personal letter describing the same property, using appropriate
format, style and register.
Below
is a summary of how weeks two-five are structured to use ICT to
meet these objectives. Take a look at this summary and then produce
your own account, and your own lesson plans, showing how you would
use the ICT resources we have been discussing to do the same job.
You might wish to extend or contract the time, and to fit the
plans, duration and work around your own experience of working
with this or a similar piece of writing.
Course
Study Lesson Structure
Instructions, Directions, Explanations
Week
2 - Use the CD-ROM to consolidate pupils' understanding of
the forms of writing, especially using the short task elements.
- Class
introduction and targeted questions - 'warm-up' from week one,
where printed examples were used to generate ideas.
- CD-ROM
(short task elements)- running from computer where possible,
or copied and printed to worksheet for filling in. Pairs or
small groups.
-
Pairs read out their examples of short sets of directions, explanations
and instructions - comment by peers.
Week
3 - Use the direction-giving task with maps to generate a
set of directions for the coursework.
- Class
introduction.
- Pupils
work in pairs on the CD-ROM- they work out the map-section together
and make notes for how to set the directions.
- One
pupil writes the directions and e-mails them to the other.
- The
second pupil checks the draft of the directions against the
online (or printed) maps.
Week
4 - Use the house-description element of the CD-ROM to generate
a pre-set sheet for coursework.
- Class
introduction.
- Pupils
work in pairs or threes on using the CD-ROM stimulus material
to write their own sheets - where possible and desired, pupils
use other resources from the World Wide Web to supplement those
on the CD.
- Students
can e-mail the sheets to each other for checking, or print as
drafts for checking.
Week
5 - Gather all elements produced so far to create a coursework
portfolio.
- Class
introduction - to 'workshop' method.
- Students
work individually through the whole package on CD-ROM over the
two hours to ensure that they have produced all elements needed
for the coursework.
- Homework
set for pupils to ensure that all elements are complete.
b.
Managing Learning in the Classroom
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