ICT now offers a range of powerful facilities for teaching and learning that can enhance existing practices and make a difference to educational outcomes.
Cross-curricular ICT strategy is based on the four themes and nine concepts of the National Curriculum model (see the National Curriculum in Action pages on Cross-Curricular ICT and the ICT KS3 National Strategy subject booklets published by DfES).
ICT teaching will provide the initial understanding of themes, concepts and skills (‘ICT capability’) for other departments to use in their teaching and learning.
Each subject will use a different subset of the National Curriculum themes and concepts, details of which can be found in the DfES subject booklets.
The main area of implementation for cross-curricular ICT is Key Stage 3, i.e. years 7, 8 and 9. Feeder schools should provide similar ICT capability for entrants at 13+. ICT capability should continue to be developed after Key Stage 3.
Pupils should become independent users of ICT so they will continue to use it in their own learning.
ICT serves the broader aims of improving the ability of pupils to work independently, to become involved in their own learning and to acquire the skills and motivation of ‘life-long learners’.
ICT is inherently resource-based and favours a ‘hands-on’ approach to learning (one of its four themes is ‘Developing Ideas and Making Things Happen’). This might be seen as 'constructivist' rather than a more traditional 'didactic' approach.
The use of ICT should expand the range of learning styles used by pupils, for example by making images, sound and video more readily available.
Activities such as consulting online databases, using mixed media and refining and improving work are now within easy reach and are common in many classrooms.
“ICT capability involves technical and cognitive proficiency to access, use, develop, create and communicate information appropriately, using ICT tools.” (DfES)
ICT capability in pupils will be largely developed in ICT lessons. The development of ICT capability will provide transferable skills that can be used in other subjects.
ICT should be used to enhance subject teaching and to consolidate pupils’ ICT capability. Teachers should look for opportunities for pupils to apply their ICT capability in their subjects.
Teachers should be familiar with the ICT syllabus so that they can judge the capability of their pupils. They may wish to wait until a particular topic has been covered in ICT lessons before trying something similar on their own.
Teachers should not feel intimidated by teaching with ICT, fearful that pupils may know far more than they do. Pupils may be familiar with certain techniques but teachers are still the leaders in subject knowledge and the applications of ICT.
The themes, concepts and skills learned in ICT are based mainly on standard or generic applications, not on subject-specific software – word processor, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, DTP, web design, graphics applications, web browsers.
Teachers will need to understand how ICT capability can be applied within their own subjects and how it can be incorporated into existing schemes of work.
Teachers should take the ‘generic’ skills acquired in ICT lessons and apply them to teaching and learning within their own subjects. The challenge is to combine the subject knowledge with ICT and benefit both – known as ‘embedding’ ICT skills.
It may not be necessary to use advanced software techniques to meet subject needs, basic techniques may be sufficient for handling a wide range of concepts and problems. Simple techniques such as text editing and spreadsheet modelling are very powerful and should be developed and applied to increasingly complex problems.
Teachers may choose to exploit more advanced aspects of pupils’ ICT capability such as desk top publishing and web page design. Teachers need not be experts in these techniques as long as they can explain to pupils what aspects of their subjects they want to see developed with ICT.
Sometimes teachers may have to develop the ICT capability of pupils in their subjects beyond what is covered in ICT lessons. Subjects should not expect all of their own ICT requirements to be met precisely by ICT lessons.
Teachers may choose to use software developed for use in their own subjects and other generic software such as planning and quiz tools. Some subjects may make greater use of specialised software than of generic software.
Two levels in ICT skills may be identified: the conceptual level of the National Curriculum model and the practical level of software techniques – see the Skills List for details. When using ICT teachers should focus on the higher learning skills of their subjects and on the themes and concepts of the National Curriculum ICT model.
ICT provides the means for pupils to focus on higher order thinking skills such as planning, ordering, researching, acquiring, selecting, questioning, interpreting, evaluating, abstracting, generalising, summarising, developing, arguing, supporting, modelling, communicating and reflecting.
ICT can be used for learning, especially when pupils are actively engaged with it, and also for teaching, often using a single computer with projector and screen.
Teachers will need to be aware of the ICT facilities available in school and elsewhere (e.g. at home) and liaise with the ICT staff over details such as rooms and software. Pupils must have access to the resources they need to develop their ICT capability.
Teachers might consider how they can assess and report on ICT when it has become part of their subjects.