Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

Country Case Study: Synthesis Research Report Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

University of Maryland University College Spring Term 2012 Dr. Blesh

By Stephanie Miller

Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has brought about the possibility for major changes to occur in classrooms all over the world. Great Britain has planned as a nation to incorporate ICT into all of its classrooms. Prior to 1998, schools were running test programs using Information and Communications Technologies throughout the country. Those tests provided insight that influenced the creation of the National Grid of Learning. As ICT integration has been a specific requirement of education in Great Britain for more than a decade, there has been much research on the topic. The main points found in the research are how to implement ICT integration effectively, how it can be used to enhance the classroom, and ways that teachers occasionally fall short of using ICT to truly affect changes in teaching methods. In order for Information and Communications Technology to be implemented effectively, careful planning must be done at every level from district to school to individual classroom. Cuthell writes, in many ways schools are like supertankers: A change of direction requires a considerable amount of forward planning before it takes effect (2006). In order for a transition to be successful in education, careful planning is a key element. Great Britain has worked very hard to provide the groundwork that will ensure their schools have the means necessary to incorporate ICT into the curriculum. With the hope of supporting technology in schools, Great Britains government, led by Prime Minister Tony Blair, developed the National Grid for Learning in 1998. The goal was that all of their schools would have access to the Internet by 2002 and would be actively using this resource to motivate and educate their students. Tearle researched ICT use in a school-wide setting and noted that preparation is one of the best practices for successful integration of ICT into the curriculum. Tearle stated that many times technology is viewed as a lone puzzle piece that is dropped into the regular curriculum. In those cases, when it is not seen as a change in educational initiatives, ICT integration is

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ineffective. If it is to be successful, supports should be put in place. Trainings should be provided so teachers feel comfortable using ICT in the classroom. Resources should be made available to help when issues arise. Finally, attention should be paid to the individual school that is implementing the program: Knowledge of staff attitudes toward change in general and ICT specifically help to guide the transition (2003). The National Grid for Learning provided the groundwork to help schools prepare for ICT integration, offering support to teachers and students and providing a plan for this momentous change. That document was Great Britains method of beginning to steer the educational supertanker toward ICT integration. Beyond the countrys overarching plan for integrating ICT into education and plans at the school level for integrating those technologies throughout their buildings, there is also integration within each classroom. ICT resources that have found their way into classrooms throughout Great Britain include interactive whiteboards (IWB), digital video, managed learning environments, and wireless and global networks. According to Cuthell there are three elements of ICT that help with learning: Ostensiveness or the ability to point with the mouse, stylus, or finger at what is being studied. Visualization and the ability to move backward and forward between stages of or information about the topic being studied. Ludic elements or elements of playfulness such as games and constant feedback (2006).

Cuthell sums up his statements with the words ICT applications, therefore, make possible teaching styles and learning outcomes that would not be possible any other way (2006). Textbooks and paper-pencil activities cannot promise all of the possibilities afforded through ICT. These possibilities include aids for learners with special needs. The National Grid

Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

of Learning notes how effective ICT is in reaching out to learners with special needs: Students with attention needs are more motivated. Students with vision impairments can be helped with the inclusion of screen reading software or by increasing the font size depending on the gravity of their impairment. As ICT has developed it has provided a chance for teachers to interact differently with their students. Classrooms are no longer teacher-centered. Students are able to find information independently, changing the roles of teacher and student (Cuthell, 2006). The role of the teacher becomes gate-keeper of information (Lawson, 2000). Instead of providing all of the information to students, teachers are now responsible for ensuring students know where to find resources and how to evaluate the information they find. These skills translate into the real world and help prepare students for life beyond education. Through the activities of mining information, evaluating information sources, spotting bias, filtering material, synthesizing content from a number of sources and re-presenting it for a different purpose and a different audience, pupils develop the cognitive capabilities that help them to make a success, not only of their school days, but of their lives in general (Baker, 2003). Many of the activities listed by Baker are part of a classroom where the teacher has planned well for ICT integration. In various articles it was noted that teachers were including Information and Communication Technologies in their classroom because it was mandated by the government. That does not imply that these technologies are always integrated well. According to Tearles study it was noted that, while teachers were using ICT, it was simply being used as a tool for

Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

learning with little recognition of its potential role as a catalyst for social and educational change (2003). Teachers were still teaching exactly as they always had, plugging in the technology where it replaced something that already existed for the sake of including it in a lesson plan. Knights noticed that ICT was being utilized more in mathematics classes than it had been in in previous years. However students were independently using technologies less than they were prior to the use of whiteboards and other ICT. Students were no longer using Graphical calculators on their own, a technology that had been prominently used. According to the survey responses, teachers cited a reluctance to allow pupils to use the technology because of potential behavior management issues and unfamiliarity with the programmes available (Knights, 2009). That mentality defeats the purpose of the constructivist concept that students should take ownership of their own learning, and belittles the abilities of ICT to transform classrooms. One study which interviewed students in a secondary science class quoted them saying about ICT, specifically an IWB, the teachers think we know nothing about it and were not allowed to come up and click on the board, the teacher does it (Beauchamp, 2008). These are also examples of teachers not using ICT to its fullest extent. There are possible reasons for these disconnects. In the case of described by Tearle where teachers do not attempt to use ICT to do anything besides replace the pre-ICT equivalent could be due to lack of effective professional development or a fundamental dislike of ICT. Tearle also points out that it could be that these teachers are still in the early stages of integration and their methods will evolve as they continue to work with ICT (2003). More professional development in the area of ICT could provide support to these teachers. Also providing each teacher with a mentor who is skilled in ICT integration would give them a resource they could question when problems arise. Professional development specific to ICT use might also influence the

Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

mathematics and science teachers to increase student autonomy with the technologies that are available. In the cases of the mathematics and science teachers who worry about students using the technologies independently may be lack of funding for repairs. In-house technical support that could ensure the teacher would not be without their ICT for long might ease their concerns. Also knowing there is funding allocated by the district specifically earmarked for ICT repairs could alleviate some of the worry. It is important that teachers feel comfortable using and teaching with ICT. It is also pertinent that they know the technology is there to be used to increase student learning and autonomy, and that such use is expected and supported by the school and the district. Information and Communications Technology has changed education over the past decade. Classrooms that have embraced the technologies run differently. There has been a shift in how students and teachers interact. ICT has provided a way for students to find out information without the teacher having to disseminate every word. The teacher has become the gatekeeper of the information, teaching students to find and evaluate sources and information. Students now have the ability to learn independently and share ideas with their peers, skills that are important in society beyond the boundaries of education. Great Britain latched onto the importance of ICT integration early on and developed a program geared toward supporting its teachers and institutions during the transition into ICT-integrated classrooms. This program, the National Grid for Learning provided resources to help schools procure ICT resources and learn to integrate them into their classrooms.

Great Britain: Curriculum Integration

http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/42_1.pdf - National Grid for Learning http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d10c7570-982b-439d-98848836569b0ea5%40sessionmgr14&vid=2&hid=2 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=da31ae19-97fd-4a64-a204525436c5a1d7%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=2 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f72b5b45-606a-4b5a-95ccf14ba756b2e5%40sessionmgr14&vid=2&hid=2 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=73619adc-d070-4da1-8cc0cc8d0c1e8a8b%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=2 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=e88a8776-17b8-4126-9db0a1f1dd17dcad%40sessionmgr12&vid=2&hid=2 http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=15904852-9d4d-4b52-8b94c6c818aa9d66%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=2