Supporting Children's Learning with ICT

Nicola ReesP138845

In this assignment I will be discussing an activity that I have planned for a group of children, which will involve the use of electronic resources to support and motivate their learning.

In my school ICT is very important, having a vision for both children and staff. The school’s aim is to produce learners who are confident and effective users of ICT, and to ensure teachers develop confidence and competence to use ICT to facilitate effective teaching. From observation, ICT appears to be a powerful tool within the school which can be used to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum, challenging the more able whilst supporting those with learning difficulties. Pupils are taught and given opportunities to establish skills through motivating cross-curricular activities.The children utilize internet access to enrich and extend those learning activities that reflect the curriculum requirements and the age of the pupils. All pupils are taught effective on line research techniques and how to use search engines safely and effectively. The school aspires to improve learning, providing pupils with a range of strategies and tools which will be of advantage to them in the real world. As a school we strive to ensure that pupils have the skills and knowledge to advance their own learning and become independent learners.

I am currently working in the Reception class, mirroring the class teacher in all areas of the children's learning, however, I do not often participate in ICT activities. The additional TA in the classroom is a one to one support for two children with Special Educational Needs. I cover PPA in the Nursery, Reception, which is usually P.E and Abacus maths and welsh with Year 1, Year 1/2 and Year 2 classes. I chose to support the lower ability group and observe whether, ICT had any impact on their learning. Within this group there are 2 children with Special Education Needs.The class through observations and assessments appeared to have achieved their learning objective to be able to recognise letter sounds, therefore enabling them to progress to letter blends. However, the lower ability group do not yet ,seem to have reached this stage. I therefore intend to reintroduce the letters the children are unsure of, before introducing them to letter blends. I will be concentrating on the letter ‘h’ for this activity, using a variety of resources to reinforce recognition and correct formation of this letter.

Introduction

Learning Objectives

The learning objective for this activity is for the children to recognise and write the letter h correctly. The children will sort and identify objects and pictures that begin with that sound. They will practise writing on the Jolly phonic sheet and then proceed onto the Interactive white board and I-pads. The children will drag and drop the pictures beginning with the letter h, on the white board that I organised. At the end of the activity I want the children to have gained the skills to form the letter h correctly and independently.

Class dynamics

The class consists of 33 Reception children, who are split into 6 groups. 2 higher, 2 middle and 2 lower ability groups. There are 2 children in the class with Special Educational Needs.

AM is a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy affecting her lower limbs. Her developmental milestones and gross motor skills are significantly delayed. She is unable to retain simple instructions. While observing AM it was apparent that she was struggling to over write on black ink, therefore coloured pens had to be introduced. She appears to have improved slightly, however still finds over writing very difficult.JR has a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. He is able to follow simple instructions however, he will on occasions only hear part of the sentence when the teacher speaks to the class, causing him to misunderstand what is required of him. Therefore simplified instructions are required. It is essential that he is spoken to in a slow, precise manner. The children in class are encouraged to work in groups, pairs and independently. On occasions the higher ability children will help the lower ability group. There is a great deal of differentiation in a class of this size, however it is paramount. Florian and Hegarty (2004) p.9 state that, “regardless of the cause of a pupil’s difficulty, there is always something the teacher can do to support the learner.”

Lesson/activity outline

I will be focusing on reintroducing the letter h to the lower ability group. I have chosen this activity, as a result of observations and assessments. It was acknowledged that this group were not yet at the stage of their peers. I will introduce the sound by using the white board to reinforce the Jolly phonic stories and recap on the songs that accompany them. I will ask the children if they can name any objects that begins with that sound. Pictures will be shown to the children if they are unable to participate. The children will be asked to write the letters onto the white board, which I will then model the correct formation. The children will go outside on a letter hunt, and photographs will be taken by the children, which will be mirrored onto the apple television for the rest of the class to see. The children will return to the carpet and discuss what objects and pictures they have found, placing them onto a letter h sheet. I will explain to the children that they have to look at the pictures on the IWB and drag them to the centre. Once they have completed this activity, they will be given the Jolly phonic sheet to complete independently, they will complete their task by using hairy letters on the I-pad.

As the children are lower ability in order for them to understand the LNF (Literacy and Numeracy Frame work) pupil target. I will further simplify the language using words that are appropriate to this groups level, such as, I can recognise and write the letter h.

The LNF skills, that have been adapted from the Foundation Phase document. “To recognise the alphabetic nature of writing and understanding that written symbols have meaning.” In addition the language writing skill, should enable children to, “experiment with mark-making, using a variety of media.” Foundation Phase Framework (2008) p.21

Resources

I pads

Apple TV

Camera

IWB

Lesson Plan.

Subject Area: Literacy/ICT Date: 28/4/15Year Group: Reception Number in class: 33Number in focus group: 5Learning Objective (WALT) To be able to recognise and write letter h correctly.Skills: LNF: Recognise the alphabetic nature of writing and understanding that written symbols have meaningSkills: ICT: To use a paint package for mark making.Lesson Structure/Organisation/Differentiation. Introduction: Reintroduce the Jolly sound ‘h’ to the group. Ask the children if they know how to write h, show using your

magic fingers. Ask children to come and write on the white board. Ask the children if their peers have formed the letters correctly. Model the correct formation. Ask children what words start with the letter h, if the children are unable to name them independently. Show some pictures to help.

Focus activity: NR Outdoor activity with lower group ability children, to find objects around the school beginning with h. Picture

cards will also be hidden for children to find, if they are unable to find objects independently. The children will take photographs of the objects they find and mirror them on the apple television to show the rest of the class. Children to use white board activity to sort and drag pictures that start with h. AM to use I-pad using glow colouring, hairy letters and mow it.

Differentiation: Higher ability – to be able to write letters independently. Middle ability- to under write letters. Lower ability- over write. AM has Special Educational Needs- to over write using coloured pens/ I-pad.

Plenary: Bring children to sit together. Ask children what they found. How many things did you find beginning with h? Did everyone find the same amount?

Key Skills: ICT/ Communication Skills/ Thinking skills/ Mathematical skills. Resources: Work sheets, coloured pens, white board, apple television, I-pads. Assessment Opportunities: Do children know h sound, are they able to record it?

The Evaluation

The main aim of my activity was to revisit and reinforce how to recognise and form the letter h. As children develop at different stages they should be allowed to develop at their own pace. I believe that on occasions , within the busy setting, children who require extra support and time may not always benefit from being part of a large class.

DCELLS (2008) p.6 recommended,Children need a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum. Through appropriate planning and structured experiences in the areas of learning children should grow, develop and progress in their development.

During the introduction the children recognised the letter, apart from AM. Where as JR recognised the letter gesturing the sound it made on his hand. However, when I questioned the children on what begins with that sound, only 2 children could answer correctly. I therefore, showed the children pictures to remind them. The children went outside on a letter treasure hunt to see how many pictures and objects they could find. I could see instantly that the 2 children who knew the sound found the correct items, where as the rest of the group picked up everything they could find. (see pictures on evidence slide) The children were brought back to the carpet to discuss their findings. I asked the children in turn to place the correct items on to the h sheet, this was successful for the majority of the children. They encouraged AM and JR ,they were at this point collaborating and peer assessing independently. I occasionally make the mistake of interrupting the children and not allowing them time to discuss and contribute together. Forman and McPhail (1993,inCook and Finlayson 1999, p.92) note that, “children are able to support each other to ‘establish, modify, reflect on and refine their initial task goals and definitions in order to collaborate.” The items the children found were photographed and mirrored onto the television. The group appeared motivated and eager to share their activity with the rest of the class. Following on from this the children were asked to drag and drop the correct pictures on the Interactive white board which they did with ease. JR appeared motivated and enthusiastic, however to begin with he simply wanted to play and put his hands all over the board and move the pictures around the board, saying,” and me more, and me more.” I believe that as the IWB is not used a great deal in the class, due to it not always working correctly, caused JR to react in this way. Interactive boards can be a useful tool when used and work correctly.

The Evaluation

Harrold (2013) notes that;In SEN learning, young children with limited writing skills and older children with learning difficulties are highly motivated by tapping and dragging motions on the interactive displays as they are able to demonstrate skills and share their knowledge with the whole class.

On the contrary, AM found using the IWB difficult as she was unable to stand without using the board for balance, defeating the object of the task provided. Following this activity the children were asked to write their letter on the Jolly phonic sheet, firstly by over writing, then attempting to write independently. Apart from AM the children were beginning to form the letter correctly.( see evidence pictures)I introduced hairy letters on the I-pads for the children to use. They watched how the letter was formed, then tried it themselves independently. If the children do not form the letters correctly it will tell them to try again until they have achieved it. I focused on AM as she found the writing difficult and to my surprise she formed the letter correctly without taking her finger off the screen. This was a momentous occasion which I had not seen her achieve previously. All the children appeared engaged in the activity, asking if they could write the other letters in the alphabet.The electronic resources I used were colourful, interesting and I believe kept the children engaged other than simply writing on a piece of paper.The children achieved what was asked of them, therefore I would use the I- pads for future activities, however I would introduce the pen that accompanies the I-pads to develop the children's pencil grip. As for the IWB the children would benefit from using a variety of programmes to enhance their learning, as it promotes enthusiasm and excitement into their learning.In my work place there is a great deal of ICT taking place within the junior classes, unfortunately I do not consider the early years setting participating in ICT as frequently as required. ICT in the early years should reflect the use of technology in every day life and be included in opportunities for role play, which is evident in the classes. Through assessments the children through out the school appear to have gained confidence in using ICT through out the curriculum and becoming independent learners. I believe that as ICT is an increasingly part of society today it is therefore a fundamental part of education, enhancing the learning process in exciting ways and enabling children to take more control of their learning.

The school has addressed the new guidelines for ICT in schools therefore, it will be implemented into the school development plan. The Donaldson report (2015) p.41 supports, the recommendations in the ICT steering group’s report to the Welsh Government, is that, “Digital competence is increasingly fundamental to learning and life, and that it should have similar status within the curriculum to that of Literacy and Numeracy.”

The Evaluation

The Evidence

The 2 children with SEN were unable to find the objects and pictures that began with the sound.

EvidenceThe Evidence

JR is beginning to form his letter correctly with support, where as AM is unable to form her letter correctly. However, as a result of changing the colour of the writing, she does appear to be making progress.

The Evidence

AM has formed the letter h correctly and independently, using hairy letters on the I-pad. JR has recognised the objects beginning with h on the Interactive white board.

EvidenceReferences

Cook,D. and Finlayson, H. (1999) Interactive Children, Communicative Teaching. Buckingham: OUP.

DECELLS, (2008) Framework for Children’s Learning for 3 to 7years old in Wales. Cardiff: WAG.

Donaldson, G.(2015) Successful Futures. Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. Cardiff: WAG

Florian, L. and Hegarty, J. (2004) ICT and Special Educational Needs. Maidenhead: OUP.

Harrold, R. (2013) ICT and SEN – a case study. ( Online) Available at: www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/ICT-and-sen-a-case-study (Accessed 4/5/15).