Effective use of ICT in schools

 

To assist schools in evaluating how effectively they are using ICT, six quality indicators (QIs) from the revised edition of How good is our school? have been chosen. They will help you to evaluate:


• the extent to which the use of ICT enlivens the teaching process, encourages positive attitudes to learning, and increases the pace and depth of learning;

• whether it provides pupils with appropriate opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning, both in small groups and individually;

• whether teachers have identified aspects of coursework in which pupils’ individual
needs can be met more effectively through the appropriate use of ICT;

• how well ICT resources are used to provide diagnostic support, support for learning and consolidation and extension tasks within curricular areas;

• whether all staff have a clear, shared understanding of how ICT can be used to improve pupils’ attainment within curricular areas;

• the extent to which the school needs to carry out a further audit of the steps taken across the curriculum to ensure the development of pupils’ skills in ICT, in particular to ensure that any discrete courses in ICT skills complement pupils’ ICT-based coursework in a wide range of subjects; and

• the appropriateness and accessibility of ICT facilities.

Key questions:

  • To what extent does the curriculum provide appropriate opportunities for all learners to acquire ICT skills?
  • How effectively do all subjects and curriculum areas teach and use ICT?
  • To what extent is teaching enhanced through the use of ICT?
  • To what extent is learning enhanced through the use of ICT?
  • How effectively are learners’ needs met through the use of ICT?
  • How effective is staff development in improving teachers’ ICT skills?

 

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