Part 2:
Teaching With ICT

a. Structuring Lessons

In the case study we are dealing with, the teacher has a fairly regular pattern to his ICT-based sessions. He tends to start with a teacher-led introduction to the topic, outlining the area for coverage in the session. In an hour-long lesson, he will restrict himself to a limited range of work - in this case perhaps just two of the Religions selected for the work. From the introduction, he will set pairs or small groups work to do, using printed worksheets, a CD-ROM or specific investigations on the World Wide Web. This work is structured, and he monitors progress around the class until he can get them to report back to the whole group on their progress, or summarise their progress in small groups to feed back 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.

Over something like an eight week period of work on this set of objectives, spending one hour a week on the topic, the teacher in the case study has wanted to introduce the ICT based work in the second week. First let's recall the main learning objectives the teacher has for his pupils in this area:

  • Name the major World Religions and some minor Religions
  • Identify a range of beliefs within each of the Religions, including:
    • Some attitudes to specific social and interpersonal behaviours.
    • Some approaches to basic features of human life such as diet and survival.
    • The sources of some attitudes, whether in sacred texts, other sources of law or other traditions of behaviour.
    • The significance of the belief to the religion's structure and performance.
  • Identify reasons why behaviours determined by religious commitment compliment and conflict with secular expectations.

The teacher wishes to concentrate on the following in order to explore the questions:

  • Seventh Day Adventism
  • Mormonism
  • The Jehovah's Witness Movement
  • Judaism
  • Sikhism
  • Buddhism
  • Islam
  • Hindus

Below is a summary of how weeks two-six are structured to use ICT to meet some of these objectives, specifically those relating to cause and effect, modelling and considering alternatives. 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 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
Religious Belief and Social Life

Week 2 - One Hour - Research on the Internet and CD-ROM.

  • Class introduction - summarise work done in week 1 (Names of Religions).
  • Pair or small group work on rules for all religions using (but not issuing) categories from Worksheet - eating and drinking; praying and worship; recreation and leisure; money, charity and taxes; social behaviour appearance and dress.
  • Pairs/small groups given list of some or all religions and some or all areas of social life - depends of groups within the class and decisions about levels of attainment and requirements of differentiation. Carry over to week 3

Week 3 - One Hour - Research on the Internet and CD-ROM.

  • Continuation of week 2 research, with whole class summary for final quarter of session - brainstorm and brief discussion of findings.

Week 4 - One Hour - Begin work on Tasks from Worksheet: Task Set 1.

  • Class introduction - recap weeks 2 and 3, and issue of worksheet which can be downloaded below.
  • Groups set - 10 groups to work on specific tasks as identified on worksheet.
  • Groups record findings from worksheet and investigation - by hand on printed sheets.
  • Brief summary in final quarter of session.

Week 5 - Tasks from Worksheet: Task Set 2.

  • Class introduction - recap week 4
  • Focus on Task 2 - same ten groups use findings from Task 1 to fill out part or whole of Task 2 sheet which can also be downloaded below.
  • Brief summary and discussion in final quarter of session.

Weeks 6 to 8 - Use Word to fill in boxes for both tasks.

  • Class introduction - recap week 5 and summarise all findings.
  • Stay with same ten groups - pupils use word to convert hand-written notes to word processed documents showing patterns between Religions and social life.

Note on class location:

  • Week 1 was delivered in a traditional classroom setting using non-ICT methods.
  • Weeks 2 and 3 could be delivered in the classroom with some pupils working in a library or learning centre for PC/internet access.
  • Weeks 4 and 5 did not need ICT access at all - pupils worked on printed material.
  • Weeks 6 to 8 required whole class access to at least ten machines - computer room needed for this phase.

How do I download files from the Web?

Application of Worksheet to Class: Task 1, Week 4
Application of Worksheet to Class: Task 2, Week 5

b. Managing Learning in the Classroom