Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Clearly they must have experience of working in this way during their school
career.
Working in pairs
There are clearly benefits to working in pairs.
Pupils are able to help each other and can 'bounce' ideas off each other. Pupils
can develop social skills.
However, the teacher must think carefully about how the pupils should be
paired up. You might use different pairings for different activities. It is important
that the teacher knows the pupils well, so that the best pairings are chosen for a
particular task.
Left to their own devices, pupils will probably choose to work with their friends.
Sometimes this might be appropriate.
If pupils are paired such that one is more able than the other there is the
possibility that the more able will be able to help the less able to learn. Handled
well, this arrangement can benefit the more able pupil too, helping them develop
by explaining to the other pupil and raising their own self-esteem. However, there
is the danger that the more able pupil will do the majority of the work and the less
able member of the pair will be more passive, so the teacher needs to make
expectations clear to the pair and be vigilant.
You might feel that pupils should be paired so that each member is of the same
level of ability. This may allow the teacher to set appropriate challenges more easily,
particularly for more able pupils. However, a pair of less able pupils may find
themselves struggling with the work and getting nowhere, unless sufficient
support is provided.
Whatever system of pairing is used, the teacher will need to devise a system
which ensures that individuals can be tracked and assessed ( see Chapter 4 ), and
that real progress is made by everyone. There will be little useful evidence gained
if, say, a high grade is awarded to two pupils for a piece of work when, in fact, only
one of them has actually done it.
Working in groups
This has the benefit of greater socialisation and of preparing the pupils for
teamwork; a skill needed in the 'real world'. It also allows scarce resources to be
shared. However, as with paired work, selection of group members must be done
carefully by the teacher.
RESOURCE ORGANISATION
Task 3.7
Barriers to learning
If your resources are not well-organised, what are the potential barriers to
learning? What kinds of organisational issues and problems have you experienced
or observed in Computing classrooms?
If possible, discuss this with colleagues and make a list.
 
 
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