It is not difficult to demonstrate that pupils have acquired specific ICT techniques but it is harder to show that they have developed their ICT capability - the ability to apply the techniques and to understand the appropriateness of using ICT. Teachers often try to assess examples of pupil's work that are actually teaching activities rather than assessment tasks. These teaching activities are essential for a pupil to develop their techniques and understandings but they do not offer true insight into a pupil's ICT capability. Not every ICT activity needs to be assessed.
This scheme of work, based closely on the QCA Scheme of Work, provides activities to teach the techniques and understandings while the integrated projects each term act as the assessment opportunity and allow the pupils to demonstrate their ability to use these techniques and understandings effectively.
In most cases, year groups are assigned one integrated project each term based on the techniques and understandings covered. It is expected that some projects will take a number of weeks to be completed. The integrated projects are only suggested activities and should be incorporated into individual schools' curriculum topics, where possible. ICT co-ordinators will have to work with co-ordinators in other subject areas to see where more detailed links can be made.
The new National Curriculum document for ICT has replaced the old categories of 'Communicating Information,' 'Control,' 'Modelling,' etc with broader terms such as 'Developing ideas and making things happen.' The integrated projects, which often include many different strands of ICT, have tried to reflect this change and also try to encourage teachers to use more children-led activities where their true ICT capability can be assessed.
This Scheme of Work does not mention specific software to be used but it may be useful for schools to include a resources section in their scheme of work. However, it is important that a scheme of work starts with the techniques and understandings to be achieved rather than being led by the software available. Throughout this scheme of work there are links to lesson ideas for the Shorter Focused Tasks and more detailed Lesson Plans for some of the integrated projects. There are also links to Teacher Assessment Sheets for each project in order to record pupils' progress. Some of the lesson ideas have been included in the Electronic Portfolio.
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