June 2014
Using ICT in
the classroom
Report
I have been gathering online
resources that I can use when I start full time teaching. Facing the huge
amounts of information and programs is quite daunting, it would be very easy to
become overwhelmed. ICT is such an important part of being a modern day
educator it is important that I am able to select appropriate programs for
students to use as well as develop my confidence to use online programs, such
as creating web quests and blogs.
Relate
I have been in many classrooms as
a relief teacher and have seen how varied they can be in their use of ICT.
Teacher confidence obviously plays a major role in how much ICT is used in the
classroom. I have also found that the way ICT is used varies from rewards for
good behaviour, to research projects, to practicing maths skills using online
games. I would like to become confident in using multiple types of ICT in the
classroom to keep parents informed, monitor class behaviour, introduce new
information to students, to research, complete and share projects and reports,
to give the students a platform to ask questions and communicate.
Reasoning
There have been many studies and
research projects looking at how ICT is integrated into the classroom and the
barriers that teachers and students face when using ICT. In Australia the use
of ICT in early childhood is no longer optional (Fellowes & Oakley, 2011). The
EYLF (2009) states that young children should learn to use information and technology
to access images and information. ICT can be used in the classroom in many
different ways. There may include, but are not limited to, Interactive White
Boards, Ipads, Laptops, Computers, Ipods, Digital cameras and Video recorders. Teachers
can make their own big books, economical and select texts at the right level. P528
grace, class blogs, online newsletters, SMS contact with school administrators
and web quests. The internet allows teachers to practice open learning, with distances
and platforms are no longer barriers to access (Marsh, 2010). Students can now
learn from home and contribute their ideas on a platform where other students
in their own homes can access.
ICT is a fantastic tool to use in
the classroom to assist students who have learning difficulties or
disabilities. For example, using IWB’s can provide students with an interactive
writing experience where they can instantly see the changes made to writing and
meaning making. They can see, hear and manipulate objects at the same time. IWB’s
can also be ‘accessed by touch allows children who have not yet fully developed
fine motor skills to access them’ (Fellowes & Oakley, 2011, p527) Other programs, such as those available on
desk top computers or Ipads, can assist with students who require many
repetitions to learn new skills. These programs provide motivation for students
and easily engage students in activities (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2011,
p.500).
Along with the positives, ICT
also brings with it new challenges that students, teachers and schools must
overcome in order to use ICT to its full capacity. It is up to the educator to
select appropriate websites and material for children. Students need to be
taught explicitly how to navigate the internet and select appropriate websites,
select appropriate search terms and assess the readability of websites
(Fellowes & Oakley, 2011). Planning
how ICT is used in the classroom and establishing clear rules and guidelines is
very important as Cyberbullying is one of the most concerning issues within the
internet world and can be defined as the intended and repeated harm inflicted
through the medium of electronic networking. (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2010). Students
need to be taught how to use the internet safely and appropriate behaviour when
interacting with other students. Certain platforms can be controlled and
monitored by parents and teachers, but this is not always possible. Cyber
bullying is becoming a growing side effect from introducing ICT into the
classroom.
At the whole school level, an ICT
strategic plan is an essential to plan ICT across all classrooms and plan care,
maintenance and new equipment. ‘Any ICT plan needs to demonstrate how its use
will help a school to be better managed and enable students to learn more
effectively. It has to be credible, manageable and sustainable’ (Marsh, 2011,
170). ICT must be thoughtfully included into the curriculum to make its use
meaningful and allow its use to enhance the curriculum.
Reconstruct
Of course the realistic
expectations of how much ICT I could integrate into the classroom would depend
on the classroom, resources available and student’s ability to use ICT. I would
love to have an online classroom where students can chat to each other, message
me questions, keep track of homework, work on reports collaborative with other
students, where parents can email me and see what their child is achieving.
This would ideally be used in an upper primary class but could also work on a
limited scale with middle primary.
One way to ensure that my
confidence to use ICT in the classroom remains at a high level is to ensure
that I practice using different elements of ICT at a daily level. There are
some things I have not been able to use sufficiently to ensure that this is the
case, for example I have had limited time to use and play around with Smart
boards. I would need to spend time accessing a Smart board before I felt
comfortable using this during a lesson. Professional Development in this area
would also be beneficial as new technologies, and new ways to use these in the classroom,
are always being developed.
REFERENCES
Marsh, C., Becoming a
Teacher; Knowledge, Skills and Issues, 5th edn, Pearson
Australia, New South Wales, 2010
Woolfolk, A. & Margetts, K., Educational Psychology, Pearson Australia, New South Wales, 2010
Fellowes, J. & Oakley, G., Language, Literacy and Early Childhood Education, Oxford University
Press, Victoria, 2011
...................................................................................................................................................................
May 2014
Using the Kagan
method of Cooperative Learning.
I was having a discussion with
one of the school administrators at a school while I was relief teaching and
the topic of cooperative learning was brought up. I have heard of cooperative
learning and knew that Kagan was a cooperative learning method but hadn’t
really looked too closely into the matter. I knew that other school also
employed this learning technique and though that it would be a good idea if I
had a closer examination of cooperative learning to build my knowledge base.
I would not be able to
confidently tell someone what Cooperative learning is although I would have
looked at this method for a university assignment. I think that it would have
more meaning to me now that I have been teaching and I can try these methods in
the classroom, putting theory into practice and then reflecting on this
practice.
Cooperative learning is a
teaching approach that involves children ‘working and talking together to
accomplish a group learning activity. Learning activities focus on group
cooperation and interaction and support children in learning new knowledge as well
as developing new skills’ (Fellowes & Oakley, 2011, p.113). Dr Stanley Kagan developed
a theory of Cooperative Learning which is now known a Kagan Cooperative
Learning. Kagan offers six keys to
successful cooperative learning: effective
formation and utilization of teams, development of the will among students to
work together, efficient management techniques, development and practice of
social skills among students, appropriate implementation of structures and the inclusion
of four basic principles, symbolized by the acronym PIES (Kagan, 2001) This
theory promotes positive interdependence, individual accountability, equal participation
and simultaneous interaction. Kagan teaching techniques see students working cooperatively
together as small groups, or as a whole class to reach a common goal rather than
competing again each other. In order to achieve this students need to have the
essential social skills and the ability to work as a team. Cooperative learning
is a type of structured peer interaction emphasizing positive human
relationships, collaboration between peers, active learning, academic achievement,
equal participation, and equal status of students in the classroom. It can be
used to teach any subject matter, whether that be foreign languages, math,
social studies, etc (Joritz – Nakagawa).
Teachers are
trained to use these structures, and then they do not have to add these levels
into their lessons, as they are built in. As teachers become more confident
with the structures they are able to go from one to the other effortlessly
(Brandt, 1989). Activities associated with Kagan learning include activities which
provide opportunities for
activating the social brain, engaging emotions to boost attention and
retention, using novelty to wake up the brain and maximizing higher-level
thinking. Since students are unique and smart in different ways, multiple
windows need to be created onto the curriculum so that all students may
succeed. Kagan's Structures provides strategies that are designed to reach
students with all patterns of intelligences and provide opportunities to match
teaching to how students learn best (Daniels, 2004).
The Kagan principles are not just about group work, although some of the structures require the students to work in teams. They are more about giving students a specific role to play and then providing a means for them to function together effectively. Numbered Heads Together, Showdown, Rally Coach and Timed Pair Share are a few of the Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures. They are all instructional strategies that describe the relationship of the teacher, the students, and the content. What makes them cooperative learning structures is they all have student-to-student interaction as an integral part of the learning process. Structures empower teachers to dramatically increase student achievement, improve social skills while reducing discipline problems. Therefore, no matter what grade level is taught, the biggest difference for students is to be exposed to instructional strategies that produce active engagement. New brain studies have made it clear that how you teach, the strategies you use on a moment-to-moment basis, more than anything else will determine how much will be learned and more importantly retained (Daniels, 2004).
The Kagan principles are not just about group work, although some of the structures require the students to work in teams. They are more about giving students a specific role to play and then providing a means for them to function together effectively. Numbered Heads Together, Showdown, Rally Coach and Timed Pair Share are a few of the Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures. They are all instructional strategies that describe the relationship of the teacher, the students, and the content. What makes them cooperative learning structures is they all have student-to-student interaction as an integral part of the learning process. Structures empower teachers to dramatically increase student achievement, improve social skills while reducing discipline problems. Therefore, no matter what grade level is taught, the biggest difference for students is to be exposed to instructional strategies that produce active engagement. New brain studies have made it clear that how you teach, the strategies you use on a moment-to-moment basis, more than anything else will determine how much will be learned and more importantly retained (Daniels, 2004).
Reconstruct
Having completed more in-depth
research into the Kagan Cooperative Learning Theory I can see similarities between
it and my own personal style of teaching. I use group work, team work, and
paired activities in many of the lessons I teach. I also agree with much of
Kagan’s theory and particularly like the way it also aligns itself with
Multiple Intelligence Theory. I would
describe myself as someone who aspires to use the Kagan approach to teaching,
however, I would like to further develop my teaching skills in this area and
would love the opportunity to participate in a Kagan workshop.
REFERENCES
Brandt, R. ‘On
Cooperative Learning: An Interview with Spencer Kagan.’ In Educational Leadership, December 1989, Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, p. 8-11
Woolfolk, A. & Margetts, K., Educational Psychology, Pearson Australia, New South Wales, 2010
Kagan, S., ‘Kagan
Structures and Learning Together — What is the Difference?’ in Kagan
Online Magazine, Summer 2001, accessed via http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/ASK13.php
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