Part 2:
Teaching With ICT

a. Structuring Lessons

In the case study we are dealing with, the teacher has a fairly regular pattern to her sessions. She tends to start with a teacher-led introduction to the topic, outlining the area for coverage in the session. In an hour-long lesson, she will restrict herself to just one topic. From the introduction, she will set pairs or small groups work to do, using either printed worksheets, or specific investigations 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, or summarise their progress in small groups to feedback in the next session.

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.

Let's recall the main learning objectives the teacher has for her pupils in this area:

• Gather information from a variety of sources.
• Evaluate the validity of the sources of information.
• Clarify, analyse the ideas of others.
• Gather and store information.

The topics the teacher has selected for discussion are:

• Perfect tense
• Imperfect

In order to make the grammar explanation more student centred, and because she has the time, she has decided that she will encourage the learners to research the rules governing these two tenses and to explain them to the other students using PowerPoint or any other method they are familiar with. She hopes that this will help her pupils to see the relevance of these two tenses.

Take a look at this summary below 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 on the topics. 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 type of activity.

Case Study Lesson Structure

First Hour:

• Study of reading or listening materials on 'Daily Routine' from the coursebook such as 'Tricolore'.
• Point out the tenses used.

Second Hour:

• Study of reading or listening material on 'How things used to be' from 'Tricolore'.
• Point out the various tenses used.

Third Hour:

• Research information on the Perfect and Imperfect tense.
• Divide the class in two groups and each group is to research one tense.

Fourth Hour:

• Session spent on preparation of material for presentation using paste and copy.
• Constructing a PowerPoint presentation.
• Tutor to check accuracy of information.

Fifth Hour:

• Presentation of the rules.
• Exercises.

b. Managing Learning in the Classroom