national association for the teaching of english at ncte convention 2008 making hard topics in...
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National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Making hard topics in English easier with ICT
Tom Rank
NATE ICT Projects Manager
Teaching and technology in the United Kingdom
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Policy
Entitlement to ICT in secondary English, Becta, 2003
ICT in English: A NATE Position Paper, 2007: ‘There are hugely practical reasons for teachers of
English to make good use of the new tools available. Beyond the practical there is a wider need for us to deliver teaching and learning that is relevant to a digital generation, to view technology not just as a tool but as an entitlement.’
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Policy
Entitlement to ICT in secondary English, Becta, 2003
ICT in English: A NATE Position Paper, 2007: ‘There are hugely practical reasons for teachers of
English to make good use of the new tools available. Beyond the practical there is a wider need for us to deliver teaching and learning that is relevant to a digital generation, to view technology not just as a tool but as an entitlement.’
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Practice
UK government ICT agency Becta has funded a number of professional development projects by subject associations in last five years
NATE invited to investigate whether ICT can help with ‘hard to teach’ topics
Teachers invited to take part: 22 embarked on the project, 17 complete case studies
One teacher completed two!
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
What is a ‘hard to teach’ topic?
Inherently repetitive or tedious material Conceptually complex areas of learning –
ahead of the pupil Topics that use language that alienates or
confuses (for instance subject-specific vocabulary)
Topics that stretch learners or take them into unfamiliar territory
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Where is the problem?
Sometimes the difficulty lies with the class Sometimes it lies with the topic Sometimes the problem lies in a combination of
topic and the limitations of the class
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
What can ICT contribute?
Motivation – for students and teachers! Novel perspectives and fresh approaches Animation and video that ‘explains’ or unpacks
concepts and ideas Vivid source materials Communication and collaboration that
transcends the classroom
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Targets
Poetry, especially for 16+ examinations Literary heritage Shakespeare Reluctance to write Writing poetry Reading for meaning
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Methods
The Visualiser Podcasts Using a wiki to encourage students to discuss
poetry – leading to wiki-wars! Blogs Images – projected, annotated, etc Online cartoon software
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Building learning power: wikis 1
Giving all students, no matter what their ability,
a voice
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Building learning power: wikis 2Students connecting with the text in a personal way
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Building learning power: wikis 3Students becoming collaborative
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Building learning power: wikis 4 ‘It had certainly made the topic of poetry easier
to teach; in fact, I’m not sure how much “teaching” I actually did: I merely facilitated their learning.’
Seeing implicit meaning Understanding metaphorical language Seeing alternative readings Developing critical thinking Research skills
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Wiki-wars Unexpected school block on wiki editing toolbar Students discovered by accident that there was
no block on the discussion tab behind each page
Significant use as revision tool Dramatic improvement in boys’ scores ‘I think it should be for everyone as they would
gain vast amount of different interpretations giving us a wider knowledge of the poems.’
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Wiki-wars: sample
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Wiki-wars: 3
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Podcasting• 16 year olds (examination year): ‘incredibly
motivated by the discussion aspect and by the end-product of a revision podcast’
– Exploring how poets use language for effect 15 year olds: highly enthused by the prospect of
tailoring a radio show for a teenage audience
– Selected students highly skilled at editing but not necessarily the highest English achievers
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Caveats
Halo effect • Yes – but...
Self-selected group of knowledgeable enthusiasts
Yes – so...
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
The special contribution of ICT: 1
Supported and encouraged both independent learning and collaborative learning
Fostered individual creativity Brought real audiences and real purposes into
play Enabled and encouraged reflection and
evaluation, including self-assessment and peer-assessment
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
The special contribution of ICT: 2 Allowed teachers to respond to students swiftly
and assess effectiveness of teaching and learning
Provided anonymity in exchanges and contributions, leading to a much wider degree of participation achieved
Encouraged teachers to become more experimental
Gave both students and teachers confidence and increased motivation
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
Find out more• NATE site: www.nate.org.uk
English and ICT Professional development NCTE
Draft report: Making hard topics easier with ICT NATE publications on display and online:
Sharing not Staring – whiteboard resources, 2008 Twenty Things to do with a Word Processor The Full English – by Julie Blake
• Tom Rank: [email protected]
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
That was SMART!
• Thanks to SMART Technologies Corporation for the digital projector: www.smarttech.com
Find free resources for the SMART Board on the NATE site – English and ICT pages
National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008
www.nate.org.uk
Tom Rank: [email protected]