The question arose from my observer as to whether or not I was being best used, showing a class copy and paste, when surely their teacher would know that. Fact of the matter was, she didn’t. She didn’t know the shortcuts AppleC AppleV either. She also admitted that she did not know you could take bits from copywrite free sites like scran. She had been in a variety of schools over a period of years and had missed out on a lot of ICT support. However, an honest sincere educationalist she is, and is trying to catch up and has been very appreciative of any help she is given and follows it through in her classroom.
I’ve asked her if I could blog about her comments, to explain that there is an assumption that all teachers, because of CPD and INSET opportunities, now have mastered basic skills and to substantiate my belief that it is simply not true, yet. It’s not always about reluctant older teachers. It’s sometimes about hardworking folk wanting to be sure they are doing the right thing by their children, and unsure about how to do it. So here are her comments.
‘I use the interactive whiteboard almost daily, because you showed me how easy it was with a class and the children are quick enough to help me when I don’t get it right. I’m not afraid to let them help now and it’s good for them too.’
‘I didn’t know what my class were already able to do and I was limiting them. It was great to have a chance to watch them in action, without feeling responsible. I could see who was needing help and I felt good being able to help them. ‘
‘I’m really pleased to have focus and relevant tasks for them to do, especially since they now know how and where to save their work. I always saved to the desktop before, so I could see it.’
‘Thanks a million for creating these links. I wouldn’t have known how to start looking for things they could do online. It’s easy now. All we need to do is login and click. Terrific.’
‘I hadn’t seen Clicker or Kidspiration before and because you picked out the bits that fit our project the resources are so simplified. So, since they are now on all the machines we can use them easily.’
‘File endings were gobbledygook, before.’
‘I couldn’t see how I could ‘ICT’ my planner, so thanks a mill.’
‘I was used to having a couple of computers in my classroom and the thought of dealing with fifteen at a time terrified me, but the children handled them so well, I feel better. They knew how to deal with the problems better than I did.’
‘We’ll be ready for you to see what we’ve done in 3 weeks time’
Hey that’ll do for me! One small step for man and ….well you know that quote!
I’m sure you are hitting on a huge problem here Marlyn. I’d love if someone actually carried out a quick (5 minute online form), detailed audit of our staff skill base. And I mean the absolute basics here. Quite often staff won’t use technology because they simply don’t have to – the school and the system are quite happy with them meeting learning
targets, sorry, intentions by other means.I also love the fact that the teacher is broadly accepting of letting the children learn at their own pace, and them not having to direct the learning, or being in the ludacrous position of omniscience that teachers somehow feel they ought to be. My best learning experiences as a teacher were where I let go, and let the pupils teach me!
What we need to do is continually share practice to effect change – we need to keep telling our colleagues that they could use ICT to do ‘x’, when they would ordinarily do ‘y’. If is through the experience of practitioners such as yourself that this comes though, and it is far more valid coming from you as it is a ‘real’ experience, than from the likes of me or others out of the classroom?
Thanks for posting this Marlyn – lots to think about.
Andrew I take much succour from you comment. The folks that don’t know and quietly want to know are being driven underground. They don’t sign up for courses to highlight their ignorance as they see it, feeling very far behind. I’ve encouraged this teacher to be a facilitator and not to feel threatened by her pupils’ knowledge, but to discuss with them, to learn from them and to enable them, and wee step by step, she is! There are many more like her, I’m sure. I did a skills survey, in Kintyre schools, last year and designed the CPD sessions to support those things highlghted, but the uptake was such that many courses did not run. I think we might have to do this personally, nibble by nibble, right enough.
That to me Marlyn is the entire point of a Mentor. Someone you can approach in a local area, who will help you with trying things out in a curricular context in your own classroom. As I understand it, that’s why the name ‘mentor’ was chosen! The mentor wasn’t to be seen as an ‘expert’, rather someone that could quite simply help – personally at first, and then encourage the individual into a wider world. When the Mentor shares what they are up to, the rest benefit by hearing it. Learning the most basic of steps is just as important as the most complex?
I did a help booklet for A & B a couple of years ago. It had OS X tips and shortcuts included. It was never used or taken up by the authority. Mine not to reason why………….. Very frustrating. Only today I had a request for the DVD Region Code. It was all explained….. hey ho!