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, a 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 four week period of preparation for oral work,
spending two or three hours a week on the topics, the teacher
in the case study has wanted to introduce the ICT based work at
the beginning. First 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.
- Distinguish
between facts, opinions and arguments.
- Clarify,
analyse and progress the ideas of others.
- Gather
and store information in a way that is useful in prepared presentations
and discussions.
- Respond
in written and oral modes to the arguments of others.
The
topics the teacher has selected for discussion are:
- Fox
hunting and other blood-sports.
- Genetically
modified foods.
- The
problems facing Welsh farming industry.
Below
is a summary of how weeks one-four 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
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
Week
1 - Three Hours - Introduce the method for the four-week phase
of work. Introduce the three topics, one in each hour. Each hour
goes like this:
- Class
introduction and allocation of topics to individuals and pairs.
Every pupil works on information gathering and presentation/discussion
for two of the three topics - one voluntary (for presentation)
and one allocated by the teacher (for encouragement of questioning).
- Bullet-point
summary of the issues prepared by the teacher in word processed
handout. General discussion of the topic to establish parameters
of investigation and ground-rules for discussions.
Week
2 - Two Hours The time used as "workshop" time to gather resources
from CD-ROM and web sites, starting from the handouts of week
one and using the web sites given in this case study plus locally
available CD-ROMs.
-
Class introduction.
- Pairs
set investigations to get background information to their topics
for turning into hand-written and/or word processed presentation
notes.
- Homework
set to convert information found into notes.
Week
3 - Two Hours.
-
Hour One - Pairs give short summary of the information sources
used so that all pupils have access to the same range of sources.
- Hour
Two - Final period of information gathering based on opportunities
emerging in Hour One and to consolidate information for both
topics.
Week
4 -Three Hours. Pupils undertake discussions and presentations
in pairs and groups.
-
Class introduction.
- Each
pair gives a short summary of the activity of the pair in the
finding of information and presents an account of their position
on the topic, with supporting evidence from the investigation.
- A
short discussion at each point when the pairs covering the topic
have all finished.
In
a group of 30 pupils, this would mean: 30 pupils = 15 pairs =
5 pairs for each topic:
- Class
introduction to/recap of the exercise - 5 minutes
- Topic
one - 5 pair-presentations on the investigation and the topic
- timed at 6-8 minutes each 30-40 minutes
- 1
discussion in the whole group on the topic - timed at 15-25
minutes
- Repeat
for topics two and three in hours two and three
 b.
Managing Learning in the Classroom
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