Section 3
Implementation of the project
Successful
change only occurs when teachers believe in the need for it, know where it is
going , are committed to it and have some ownership of it.
(Harrison 1994)
The
starting point for my project begins with spending some time discussing and
consulting with staff to get a feel of how
individuals are thinking when using Handling
Information in their classrooms. In a collective meeting of staff the discussion
was very positive. There was a
general acceptance that use of Handling Information is a weakness in I.C.T.
through the school and that action was needed to rectify the problems.
When it was pointed out that nearly all projects seem to be Maths based
at the moment and that I felt that Handling Information should be used in other
areas as well, I was asked that “Surely Information Handling is all about
manipulating numbers and displaying graphs…and that’s maths work” a good
point. I explained that mathematics
is the foundation of calculating and manipulating data to produce information,
but the data itself is not necessarily maths based.
The data can be collected from a Science investigation or
an investigation in History or
Geography to provide information for the computer software.
The computer software can then manipulate and display information as
charts or graphs which can then be interrogated by the children.
There
seems to be a stigma here in that Handling Information is maths work, not true!
The
general feeling here is that most staff do not feel confident enough yet to
attempt projects based in other areas apart from data handling in maths, but
they felt positive that with more examples and support they would be willing to
include other projects in their teaching.
During
the discussion the staff accepted that more teaching of I.C.T. skills involved in Handling Information are needed
with more input given directly to the children. It was also felt that
children in Year 6 would benefit the most from giving more input and practical
experience in Handling Information to gain the skills required for end of year
SATs.
In
Key Stage 1 and Early Years it was suggested that tasks involved in sorting and
displaying information pictorially would make good practical projects at this
level.
Dean
(1987) states in her principles regarding management in a primary school that:
Teachers
are more likely to be responsive to the advice given of co-ordinators if
addressed personally rather than anonymously in a staff meeting.
Therefore,
following the collective meeting with staff, I then visited each class over the
next week to discuss individually with teachers about concerns and difficulties
they were finding when teaching Handling Information.
A
questionnaire asking specific questions about Data Handling
was given to staff, (appendix 1) this gave interesting results which I
will now discuss.
The
questionnaire given to staff was made simple, direct and easy to complete with
the minimum time required by simply
placing crosses on sliding scales.
Results
of the survey are as follows:
How confident do you feel about using Data Handling in
I.T.? |
5
Teachers felt they were weak, 1 Teacher reasonably strong |
How important do you think I.T. Data handling is in: |
Maths?
6
Teachers felt that it is important |
Other Subjects? 6 Teachers felt that it is important |
Do you use I.T. Data Handling in: |
Maths? 3
Teachers used it little, 3
Teachers used it often. |
Science?
5 Teachers never use it,
1 Teacher uses it often. |
History?
5 Teachers never use it,
1 Teacher uses it occasionally. |
Geography 5
Teachers never use it, 1 Teacher uses it occasionally. |
Are you aware of the Data Handling software on your computer for your
year? |
4
Teachers chose “yes”, 2
Teacher chose “no” |
How confident do you feel about using the data handling software? |
4
Teachers felt that they were weak, 2 Teachers felt reasonably strong. |
Conclusions
Confidence
in Information Handling overall is generally weak throughout the school.
Data
Handling is seen as important in other curriculum subjects as well as in
Mathematics.
Although
Data Handling is seen as important, it is not being used sufficiently to enhance
other curriculum subjects, Science, History and Geography.
Most
staff seem to be aware of software available for their year group, but are not
confident enough to use the software to it’s full potential.
The
evidence collected from staff and previous evidence collected from classes which
highlighted a concern for investigation, now gives me a clear starting point on
which to work.
My
next step in development of Handling Information turns to the children to assess
their present capability and to sound out their reactions to new ideas.
During
the project, two days were assigned to school based work. This has given me the opportunities to work directly with
groups of children of differing age groups on projects involving Handling
Information. These projects and
planned tasks form case studies on which to present findings.
The
two school based days are split as follows:
Day
1
To
assess children’s knowledge, understanding and capability of Handling
Information in different contexts and observe their skills in using I.C.T.
Day
2
To
introduce interesting projects to the children which focuses on using Handling
Information in I.C.T. as a tool to enhance teaching and learning.
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