ICT in Primary Schools

Presentation to
Southampton PGCE course
Friday, March 28th 2003
Planned and used effectively, Information
Technology will motivate children to develop their
learning in all subject areas of the Primary
Curriculum.

At the same time, it will provide all children with

opportunities to extend their knowledge and
understanding of basic IT skills for a future in
which, whether we like it or not, Information
Technology will play an increasingly important
and subversive role.

By their educational use of IT, children will learn

to help each other more readily, enjoy worthwhile
learning experiences and gain an educational
independence which they will take with them
throughout their adult life.

(IT in the Primary and National Curriculum Book, 1996)

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 Teaching and
Learning with ICT
 The teaching and
development of ICT
Capability
 The use of ICT within the
teaching and learning in
other subjects.
 Observing and Evaluating ICT
 The Pedagogical Challenge

Teaching Teaching
and learning and learning
of ICT with ICT

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 Teaching of ICT Capability
 Knowledge
 About ICT tools and how they work together
 Concepts behind the software
 The kind of outcomes that are possible
 Skills
 Generic skills
 Software or hardware specific skills
 Ability
 To select the appropriate ICT tools for a specific task
 Understanding
 About the impact of ICT or learning, work and
leisure
 Implications for the use of ICT in the wider world

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 The original Five Strands of IT

The 1989 IT section of the new National Curriculum introduced five

distinct areas (strands) which have remained the focal point of
educational IT ever since.

The 1995 revised IT document merged the five strands into three
programmes of study.

The Curriculum 2000 document, whilst no longer referring to these

strands specifically, will ensure that planning effectively covers these
agreed areas.

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CommunicatingInformation:

…to develop, modify and communicate ideas

involving the use of wordprocessors ; desktop publishing ; art and music

programs ; multimedia programs ; CDRoms ; internet.

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Handling Information:

…to create, collect, store, retrieve, change, interpret and

present information

involving the use of dataplotting and database programs

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Modelling:

…to design, develop, explore and evaluate models of real or

imaginary situations

involving the use of adventure and simulation programs ; logo ;

spreadsheets (K S2 only)

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Measurement and Control:

…to measure and control movement and elements of the physical

environment

involving the use of programmable robots ; control boxes ; datacapture

kits (K S2 only)

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Applications and Effects:

…to make informed judgements about the application and

importance of Information Technology and its effect on
themselves, other individuals, organisations and society

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 ICT Curriculum 2000
 Finding things out
 Researching, gathering and checking information
 Interpreting information for its relevance
 Developing ideas and making things happen
 Using information to develop and refine ideas
 Create, test, refine, improve instructions to make
things happen
 Model situations to answer ‘what if?’ questions
 Exchanging and sharing ideas
 Present information in different forms audiences +
email
 Reviewing modifying and evaluating work as it
progresses
 Reviewing what they have done and effectiveness
of use of ICT
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 Discuss what might be done differently in the future
 Foundation Stage ICT
Knowledge and Understanding of the
World
 3a Give opportunities for the use of ICT to develop
skills across the areas of learning, for example a
talking word processor to develop language and
communication, vocabulary and writing, talking books
for early reading, a paint program to develop early
mark making, a telephone for speaking and listening,
CD ROMs, video and television and musical tapes to
find things out
 3b Encourage children to observe and talk about the
use of ICT in the environment on local walks, for
example traffic lights, telephones, street lights,
barcode scanners to identify prices in shops
 3c Encourage children to show each other how to use
ICT equipment
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 Also ICT in the other areas to support the learning
 ICT National Curriculum 2000
 An entitlement for all pupils:
 Capability
 Breadth and balance
 Covers all aspects of ICT
 Ensuring pupils have skills for future work
 Requires a clear scheme of work to ensure
progression
 QCA schemes are a good basis but lack a
context

 A change of emphasis:
 Not what skills will I teach?
 What skills will pupils need to have to do this?

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 What’s our vision Do we have a
for teaching and strategy and plans
learning with ICT? to reach our
vision?
Do we make
effective and
efficient use of our
ICT resources? Who is leading
Key these
developments?
Do we monitor Question
our use of ICT?
s Do we have
effective
Do we assess our schemes of
pupils work?
achievements?
Are all the co-
Do we know what Do we a have ordinators clear
effective teaching coherent staff about their
with ICT looks development roles?
like? plan for ICT? 15
 Teaching with ICT
Supporting Teaching & Learning
Based on the TTA Expected Outcomes
 Know when ICT support is helpful or
unhelpful
 Know when and how to use ICT in
The basis of the
specific subjects
 Identify the use of ICT in lesson
NOF training
planning
 Organise the classroom for ICT
 Harness the potential of ICT for SEN
pupils Review software for use in the
classroom
 Develop pupils’ ICT capability
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 Assess pupils’ work when using ICT
 ICT and the National Strategies
 ICT in the NLS/NNS must support and enhance
pupils’ literacy/numeracy skills

 ICT skills needed in advance of the literacy work

 Cut and paste

 ICT in NLS/NNS may add little to ICT capability

 Spelling programme
 Tables or number software

 ICT to support learning in subject teaching may

need to be based on pupils’ need rather than
entitlement
 Not every child need undertake the same ICT
activity
 Balance will be achieved over time
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 Coordinator Roles
 ICT coordination
 Developing the NC scheme of work to ensure ICT
capability
 Liaising with other staff to
 ensure curriculum context
 Skills are taught in advance of their use in
curriculum work
 Looking at new software purchases for network
compatibility

 Curriculum coordinators
 Integrating use of ICT in their subject area to:
 Support and enhance the teaching process
 Support and enhance the learning for pupils
 Liaising with the ICT coordinator over these issues 18
 So what is your role?
 Your generation uses ICT instinctively
 You will be entering schools where lack of
ICT knowledge and confidence exists still
 For ICT to enhance learning effectively,
the current curriculum process needs to
be challenged
 Never allow the use of ICT to subvert or
replace the learning process
 If you are offered the role of ICT
coordinator, take it!

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