ICT Training for Teachers

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 Secondary Core - ICT in the national curriculum

Module 2	Contents
	Introduction Activity OBJECTIVES QUESTIONS SELF EVALUATION  Forward to Module 3 Back to Secondary ICT Core Map Back to T@LENT Web Site Map

The National Curriculum includes statutory Programmes of Study and Attainment Target level descriptions for ICT capability. Every pupil is expected to gain skills, knowledge and understanding through using ICT equipment and software thoughtfully and with increasing autonomy in contexts of growing complexity and scope. This progression is described in strands of application: communicating and handling information, controlling, modelling and monitoring using ICT by exploiting a range of identified opportunities. The attainment of pupils is judged holistically (as a whole description determined from demonstrated achievement) at the end of each key stage using the given, progressive Level Descriptions.

The degree of difficulty encountered in understanding the National Curriculum documentation for ICT will to some extent depend on the competence and confidence the teacher has in his or her own ICT capability.

The guidance notes published by QCA might be useful here, not only in expanding on, and explaining the Programmes of Study but also as they give classroom examples which give an indication of solutions.

The book by Avril Loveless, The role of IT (1995) includes a clear description of each progression strand, suitable for key stages 1 to 3 at the least and might be useful in developing an understanding of progression in developing ICT capability.

Certainly ICT skills, knowledge and understandings will not be developed by any learners in a short time, it is worth teachers appreciating this and having realistic, and reasonable, expectations of their own progression in developing capability. This is often best achieved through working with a more experienced colleague within the school, or even through using ICT him- or herself outside the classroom, perhaps for administration or record keeping, in the first instance then within the curriculum when some confidence has been gained. Some teachers are happy to learn with pupils, some of whom will have developed competence in using ICT elsewhere. It remains the role of the teacher, however, to ensure those pupils progress in their own capability as well as taking the role of ‘local expert’ in the classroom.

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Activity

To gain familiarity with the National Curriculum Order for ICT

OBJECTIVES

1. To understand the notion of ICT capability
2. To understand how ICT capability might be developed over the four key stages
3. To know the structure of the National Curriculum Statutory Order for ICT, including Programmes of Study and Levels of Attainment
4. To know about SCAA guidance notes

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QUESTIONS

• What is ICT capability?

Use the definition of ICT capability given by DfEE to write down what you would expect an 'average' pupil in your age group to be able to know and understand about ICT.

List the ICT skills you think your 'average' pupil should be able to demonstrate without help, at the beginning of your age range and at the end.

• What are the strands of progression in ICT capability?

Use the Programme of Study for your age group to locate your responses within the strands of progression described. This will also identify other elements that need to be to be addressed.

• How can we describe attainment in ICT capability?
• Using the Attainment Target level descriptions identify the levels your responses might include.

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SELF EVALUATION

• Do you feel confident about the term ICT capability?

It might be useful to think of this in terms of what you would expect a learner of a particular age, maturity or experience to be able to accomplish unaided.

• Do you feel confident about your understanding of the ways progression in individual ICT capability are described in the National Curriculum documents?

It is useful to see progression as a number of strands of developing capability, and perhaps follow each strand through key stages 1 to 4 in the national curriculum document.

• Do you understand how the level descriptions can be used to describe individual pupil’s attainment in ICT capability?

It is important to remember that level descriptions are holistic, that is the one that best describes the capability of a learner is chosen. They should not be atomised (broken into discrete fragments) but used as a whole. The SCAA booklet Consistency in teacher assessment - exemplification of standards: information technology: key stage 3 is useful here for primary teachers as well as secondary.

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