Inclusion and personalised learning continue to be two prominent concerns for school leaders and curriculum managers. The question is, how can you apply elements of good practice that will successfully tackle these two issues in your school? Effective information and communications technology (ICT) can be one answer
Used well, ICT can transform learning and bring about immense improvements in whole-school achievement. ICT offers new ways to engage the learner, taking them beyond the walls of the classroom and allowing them to communicate with learners around the world. It also offers new modes of presentation. In short, ICT offers the chance to further innovate teaching and help make personalised learning and inclusion a reality in your school.
The issue of Curriculum Briefing – Improving teaching and learning with ICT is specifically written to show you how to tap into the potential ICT offers and to help you take your school’s ICT developments to a new level. Improving teaching and learning with ICT will help you to:
- assess your school’s ICT use by carrying out a whole-school audit so you know the best way to move forward
- utilise national initiatives aimed at developing innovative use of ICT in schools
- develop the right ICT vision for your school so that the structures, systems and staff support mechanisms that you envisage become reality
- lead and manage your staff successfully and nurture their confidence to use ICT to enhance their subject delivery
- use effective methods developed by other schools to embed an ICT policy across the whole curriculum
- implement an ICT approach that increases access to learning for all pupils.
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SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Core issues Achieving effective ICT use – fitting together all the pieces
As with many initiatives, achieving effective ICT use is about ensuring all the pieces of the puzzle are in place. It is vital that you gain knowledge of the core issues you need to slot into place to create and then implement the right vision for ICT use for your school. From software and hardware, to technical support and staff expertise, Curriculum Briefing describes the various sources of support that you can tap into to make effective whole-school use of ICT a reality.
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National initiatives How national schemes can help you
Since 1997 the DfES, through its ICT in Schools division, has launched a range of schemes to help schools make good use of ICT to improve teaching and learning. Curriculum Briefing outlines the national initiatives that are available to your school, including the national ICT register, interactive whiteboard projects and Hands-on Support aimed at spreading good practice in using ICT to enhance subject teaching – all of which can help you to realise the benefits ICT can offer your school.
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Whole-school policy Policy matters: shift in emphasis
When drafting and implementing a whole-school ICT policy, curriculum managers need to be aware of the recent change of emphasis from subject-based and initiative-based ICT use towards a much broader vision of how ICT can support whole-school improvement. Curriculum Briefing provides you with practical checklists that will guide you through the different stages involved in creating a policy that takes account of the recent shift of emphasis. From what to include, the key issues to consider and how to monitor pupil use, to how to identify staff training needs and decide how best to work with other departments, you will have the confidence to introduce ICT strategies that will make a real difference to your whole school.
Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Improving Teaching and Learning with ICT Management strategies Managing ICT use in a first-class curriculum
Creating an ICT vision and policy is just the foundations of the whole process. You need to keep abreast of advances in ICT to ensure these elements are put into practice effectively across the curriculum. This requires quality leadership and management skills. Curriculum Briefing will advise you on how to conduct a whole-school ICT audit and provide you with ideas on which leadership structure is best for your school. Use it to access management strategies that will help you to stay abreast of ICT developments.
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Teaching and learning tool ICT: inspiring a revolution in learning
Used well, ICT has the potential to put thinking at the centre of learning. Curriculum Briefing gives an overview of the issues that have driven the approach taken to teaching and learning using ICT and looks at the challenges ahead that need to be overcome for your staff to realise its potential as a catalyst for raising achievement.
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Case study: expanding ICT use Building blocks for success: achieving quality cross-curricular ICT use
Making ICT developments a priority has enabled Stanchester Community School to achieve impressive improvements in the way pupils learn about ICT and the ways teachers use ICT to enhance subject delivery. The deputy headteacher explains how they developed quality ICT use across departments and shares essential insights into how his school has overcome challenges regarding infrastructure, teaching and learning and monitoring progress. Curriculum Briefing provides practical pointers that will help you with the strategic leadership and management of ICT in your school.
Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Improving Teaching and Learning with ICT
Subject-area challenges Curriculum for a digital age: preparing for tomorrow’s world
Are all departments in your school using ICT to transform learning? Curriculum Briefing provides you with curriculum management tools to help each department elevate their subject teaching to a new level. Curriculum Briefing provides you with the i-curriculum matrix, which will enable subject leaders to look beyond the confines of the national curriculum and use ICT to develop new practice that relates to what is going on in their subject area in the world beyond the school gates.
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Case study: cross-curricular ICT Using ICT to enhance teaching
At times it may be quite difficult to know whether you are on the right track with your ICT approach. Curriculum Briefing shares the progress and achievements of three different schools. This article outlines how they have each used ICT to improve learning such as using ICT to bridge the KS2 to KS3 transition gap in pupils’ learning and improving ICT proficiency during Year 7.
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Case study: ICT in teaching and learning Managing ICT use to improve teaching and learning
Curriculum Briefing explains how Comberton Village College created a firm foundation on which to build effective cross-curricular use of ICT through attending to staff and resource issues. The deputy head of the school describes their progress and provides profiles of the innovative use of ICT achieved by the English, modern foreign languages, maths and science departments.
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ICT and inclusion Inclusive learning: computer games in the curriculum
How can you increase access to learning for all your pupils? Incorporating ICT games within the curriculum can make teaching and learning enjoyable and be a successful way to boost inclusivity in your school. Curriculum Briefing explains key research findings from the London Knowledge Lab at the Institute of Education into schools’ use of ICT games and provides you with practical tips on how best to introduce games across the curricu¬lum so that you can tap into the benefits that this teaching and learning tool has on offer.
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Case study: ICT and inclusion Does groupwork bridge the gender divide in the learning and teaching of ICT?
Girls continue to underachieve in ICT compared to boys – could this be down to the learning styles used in teaching ICT? To help answer these questions, the deputy ICT coordinator at Leigh City Technology College conducted research involving their Year 10 students to find out whether a collaborative learning culture would help to reduce the gender gap in achievement. Curriculum Briefing looks at the issues you need to address to use ICT to help you create a learning environment that promotes gender equality.
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Supporting staff Helping hand: providing effective support network
It’s no good just having a top-class ICT policy. You need to put in place support systems that will help your staff build their confidence and competence to drive ICT developments forward. Curriculum Briefing shares management tools and advice that you can use to identify and support the particular needs of your staff. This will help you to create a culture where your staff are not frightened of participation or change, which will in turn help give you the impetus to achieve successful ICT delivery across your school.
Click here to order your copy of Curriculum Briefing issue on Improving Teaching and Learning with ICT Case study: lesson planning tool Using LAMS to improve learning
Curriculum Briefing describes how Kemnal Technology College was involved in the trial of LAMS (Learning Activity Management System), a lesson management tool that encourages reflective thinking and gives pupils more control over their learning. Curriculum Briefing explains step by step how this software can help teachers to design, manage and deliver online collaborative learning activities.
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