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 session, outlining the area for coverage in the session. In an hour-long lesson, she might restrict herself to just one character or theme, or the development of the plot in a restricted section of the text. From the introduction, she will set pairs or small groups work to do, using either printed worksheets, a section of the CD-ROM 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.

Over something like a three week period, spending two or three hours a week on the story, the teacher in the case study has wanted to introduce the ICT based work at about the end of the first week. She wants to spend the initial sessions on using other means of ensuring that all pupils were reasonably familiar with the text. First let's recall the main learning objectives the teacher has for her pupils in this area:

• Relate the plot of the story, in their own words in Welsh, to a third person, and in so doing:
  • describe the main characters
  • identify the main theme of the story
• Undertake follow-up work using the resources provided on the CD-ROM.
• Contact the author by e-mail and ask questions relating to the story, or that arise from the interview.

Below is a summary of how weeks two and three 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 for the story. 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 text.

Case Study Lesson Structure

Lesson 3 and 4, Week 1 - Use the CD-ROM to read the story and ensure understanding.

• Class introduction to story.
• CD-ROM used to read story, as a class.

Lesson 1 and 2, Week 2 - Use the CD-ROM to consolidate pupils' understanding of the plot, especially using the quiz element.

• Class introduction and targeted questions - 'warm-up'.
• CD-ROM Quiz - running from computer where possible, or copied and printed to worksheet for filling in. Pairs or small groups.
• Feedback of answers to whole group. Small groups are 'scored' (and rewarded), all pupils receive correct answers.

Lesson 3 and 4, Week 2 - Use the images available on the CD-ROM to provide graphical representations of the characters.

• Class introduction.
• Images from the first published edition of 'Pictiwrs Picasso' provided to pairs/small groups either on paper or through the screen with short task.
• Graphical characteristics compared with sections from the text.
• Prepare description of characters to a third person that has not read the story.
• Feedback to the whole group of comparisons.

Lesson 1 and 2, Week 3 - Use the CD-ROM - with printed worksheets - to identify the themes of the story.

• Class introduction.
• Small group work - one set of groups working on the 'themes' section of the CD, the other set of groups using interview with the author with targeted tasks printed to worksheets.
• Groups provide summaries to each other of the theme with which they were tasked.
• Class summary/conclusion.

Lesson 3 and 4, Week 4 - Consolidation of ICT-based work done and focus on coursework.

• Class introduction - summarise previous lessons.
• CD-ROM used to summarise coursework options - possibly by projection to screen for whole class.
• Small groups provided with coursework brief(s) differentiated by level and topic.
• Use e-mail to investigate responses to questions to author in brief - alone or in pairs.
• After lapse of time for responses, feedback email finding to group.
• Whole class summary of findings and set coursework.

b. Managing Learning in the Classroom