Part 1:
Preparing to Use ICT in Teaching

a. Aims and Objectives

The teacher's aim for the sake of this case study is to develop work in Decisions of Life and Living for GCSE RE. In this case the learners are year 11 GCSE pupils in a mixed gender urban comprehensive - the gender balance is roughly equal, but the ethnic/cultural/religious balance is very predominantly white Christian. As we meet the teacher, he has previously taught the main area of work through a variety of moral case studies and discussions, and has always been keen to present a range of World Religious perspectives on given moral problems and dilemmas.

Specifically, over the total eight-week programme, the teacher wants the pupils at this phase of their learning to be able to:

• Explain the concept of a moral problem
• Give examples of problems as they impinge upon individuals and societies
• Describe the responses of at least three religious traditions to a variety of moral problems
• Discuss approaches to the value of human life (including euthanasia, murder, abortion, war, self-protection, self-destruction) particularly in relation to:
  • Christianity
  • Islam
  • Buddhism

Questions for Consideration

• How do you currently deal with this area of work in the classroom?
• Do you use pictures, other images or print/video materials to illustrate points, and how do you manage use of these?
• What are the main problems encountered by pupils when they work with cultural comparisons of the sort being proposed here?

Keep a short record of your responses to these questions for discussion with your mentor.

b. Deciding Whether to Use ICT