National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Making hard topics in English easier with ICT Tom Rank NATE ICT Projects Manager Teaching and technology in the United Kingdom

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Policy Entitlement to ICT in secondary English, Becta, 2003 ICT in English: A NATE Position Paper, 2007: ‘There are hugely practical reasons for teachers of English to make good use of the new tools available. Beyond the practical there is a wider need for us to deliver teaching and learning that is relevant to a digital generation, to view technology not just as a tool but as an entitlement.’

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Policy Entitlement to ICT in secondary English, Becta, 2003 ICT in English: A NATE Position Paper, 2007: ‘There are hugely practical reasons for teachers of English to make good use of the new tools available. Beyond the practical there is a wider need for us to deliver teaching and learning that is relevant to a digital generation, to view technology not just as a tool but as an entitlement.’

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Practice UK government ICT agency Becta has funded a number of professional development projects by subject associations in last five years NATE invited to investigate whether ICT can help with ‘hard to teach’ topics Teachers invited to take part: 22 embarked on the project, 17 complete case studies One teacher completed two!

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 What is a ‘hard to teach’ topic? Inherently repetitive or tedious material Conceptually complex areas of learning – ahead of the pupil Topics that use language that alienates or confuses (for instance subject-specific vocabulary) Topics that stretch learners or take them into unfamiliar territory

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Where is the problem? Sometimes the difficulty lies with the class Sometimes it lies with the topic Sometimes the problem lies in a combination of topic and the limitations of the class

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 What can ICT contribute? Motivation – for students and teachers! Novel perspectives and fresh approaches Animation and video that ‘explains’ or unpacks concepts and ideas Vivid source materials Communication and collaboration that transcends the classroom

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Targets Poetry, especially for 16+ examinations Literary heritage Shakespeare Reluctance to write Writing poetry Reading for meaning

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Methods The Visualiser Podcasts Using a wiki to encourage students to discuss poetry – leading to wiki-wars! Blogs Images – projected, annotated, etc Online cartoon software

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Building learning power: wikis 1 Giving all students, no matter what their ability, a voice

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Building learning power: wikis 2 Students connecting with the text in a personal way

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Building learning power: wikis 3 Students becoming collaborative

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Building learning power: wikis 4 ‘It had certainly made the topic of poetry easier to teach; in fact, I’m not sure how much “teaching” I actually did: I merely facilitated their learning.’ Seeing implicit meaning Understanding metaphorical language Seeing alternative readings Developing critical thinking Research skills

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Wiki-wars Unexpected school block on wiki editing toolbar Students discovered by accident that there was no block on the discussion tab behind each page Significant use as revision tool Dramatic improvement in boys’ scores ‘I think it should be for everyone as they would gain vast amount of different interpretations giving us a wider knowledge of the poems.’

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Wiki-wars: sample

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Wiki-wars: 3

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Podcasting 16 year olds (examination year): ‘incredibly motivated by the discussion aspect and by the end-product of a revision podcast’ – Exploring how poets use language for effect 15 year olds: highly enthused by the prospect of tailoring a radio show for a teenage audience – Selected students highly skilled at editing but not necessarily the highest English achievers

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Caveats Halo effect Yes – but... Self-selected group of knowledgeable enthusiasts Yes – so...

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 The special contribution of ICT: 1 Supported and encouraged both independent learning and collaborative learning Fostered individual creativity Brought real audiences and real purposes into play Enabled and encouraged reflection and evaluation, including self-assessment and peer- assessment

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 The special contribution of ICT: 2 Allowed teachers to respond to students swiftly and assess effectiveness of teaching and learning Provided anonymity in exchanges and contributions, leading to a much wider degree of participation achieved Encouraged teachers to become more experimental Gave both students and teachers confidence and increased motivation

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 Find out more NATE site: English and ICT  Professional development  NCTE Draft report: Making hard topics easier with ICT NATE publications on display and online: Sharing not Staring – whiteboard resources, 2008 Twenty Things to do with a Word Processor The Full English – by Julie Blake Tom Rank:

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention 2008 That was SMART! Thanks to SMART Technologies Corporation for the digital projector: Find free resources for the SMART Board on the NATE site – English and ICT pages

National Association for the Teaching of English at NCTE Convention Tom Rank: