Resourcing secondary trainees science teaching with ICT: case studies of practice

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Resourcing secondary trainees science teaching
with ICT case studies of practice

• ATSE Conference 30th August 2006
• Dr. Rob Toplis Brunei UniversityDr. Anna
  Cleaves Anglia Ruskin UniversityCharles
  Golabek University of East London

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The project

• Supported by ESCalate (Higher
  Education Academy)
• Collaboration between Brunel
  University, University
  of East London, Anglia Ruskin
  University
• February to May 2006
• A research and development project

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Standards related to ICT

• 2.5 Know how to use ICT effectively
• To teach the subject
• To support the wider professional role
• 3.3.10 To use ICT effectively in teaching

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What does our documentation say?

• Must incorporate the use of ICT to
  meet standards for QTS
• Record evidence of ICT use in
  professional development file
• We will spend time investigating the
  use of ICT
• ICT task

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Aims of the project

• To explore
• What ICT trainees use
• How they use it
• Why they use it
• Which resources could be usefully shared

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The development of the project

• To produce a set of case studies of how
  ICT is used by trainees for future trainees
• Available on the ESCalate website
  (www.escalate.ac.uk) and from the
  SciTutors site
• Link from ASE site directly

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Design of case studies

• Brief biography
• Narrative including how ICT tools were used and
  trainees reasons for using them
• Indication of frequency each ICT tool was used
• Bullet point summary
• Trainees resources available

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The sample

• 15 science trainees
• 12 PGCE 3 GTP
• 3 HEI ITT providers

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The research approach

• To identify the different usages
• Trainees asked about how ICT was used
• Asked why they used ICT
• Trainees asked to estimate number of
  lessons where ICT was used

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Findings use of different ICT
1Datalog. 2IWB-screen 3IWB-inter 4Multimed. 5
Excel 6Internet 7Word
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Findings trainees reasons

• Saving time and increasing efficiency
• Motivation
• Little conceptual learning
• Little pupil research/presentation
• Little adding authenticity
• Trainee survival

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Saving time and increasing efficiency

• Lesson objectives
• Summary note taking
• Graphing
• Rapid revision
• Getting through the lesson / syllabus
• Sense of pace
• Degree of class control

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Motivation

• Animations
• Static images
• Colour
• Video clips
• Aids concentration
• Immediacy of data being logged

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Conceptual learning

• Limited evidence
• Modelling ideas (particle theory)
• Virtual experiments (generator)
• Visualisation in real time (neutralisation)

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Pupil research/presentation

• Leaflet
• Presentations (PowerPoint)
• Sequencing digital images to present concept
  (subduction)
• Internet research
• Independent learning
  (interactive revision test website)

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Adding authenticity

• Context (life-style health,
  energy conservation)
• Display pupils results

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Trainee survival

• Meeting the standard I used the data logging
  equipment mainly to cross off one of my
  standard tracker marks
• Collecting resources
• Effective preparation and presentation
  (dyslexic student, overcomes poor handwriting,
  flexible PowerPoint slides you can just chop
  and change them)
• Class management
  (focus on teaching the students)

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Overall

• Trainees come with ICT skills but not used
  effectively in their teaching
  (meets 2.5, but not 3.3.10)
• Quickly develop and establish a teacher-centred
  approach to using ICT
• Lack of collaborative, independent learning,
  fostering independent learning and peer support

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Possible reasons

• Top-down (policy influencing practice, NC,
  Secondary Strategy, GCSE)
• Following established school practice and school
  experience
• Survival (preparation management)
• Lack of mentor initiative

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New priorities

• Explore strategies for the effective use of ICT
  in science
• Explore constraints and effects on pedagogy
• Seek opportunities for context specific use of
  ICT
• Particularly explore use of data logging

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Learning communities

• Try out ideas, see what works
• Share effective practice
• Mentor support / training