Year Level(s): Years 1 - 6

Number of Students: 7

Broad Aim: To explore how ICT can be used to enhance learning and teaching.

Specific Aim: To identify ways in which the use of ICT can help Raise Achievement for Maori, Pacific and other students in low decile schools.

Method: Use a set of spreadsheet files for basic numeracy and literacy with special needs pupils in the schools that I support. A set of files will be developed and stored both on the web and on a floppy disk. The files will initially include:

A basic facts addition sheet for maths
A basic reading skills sheet activity with cloze activities for high usage words

These files will be trialed for a couple of terms after which their effectiveness will be assessed and decisions made about other resources that could be developed.

Assessment: Firstly student interest will be monitored in terms of the degree to which the activities appeal to the students.

If the activities do appeal then the degree to which student have achieved the intended outcomes will be assessed using standard assessment practices.

It will be also interesting to see whether these files are as effective and provide more flexibility in meeting individual needs of children than prepackaged programmes.

Learning Areas for Project: Numeracy, Literacy

Essential Skills for Project: Communication, Numeracy

Achievement Level(s): 1,

Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will be motivated to use the ICT to improve literacy.

For me: to see whether these files are as effective and provide more flexibility in meeting individual needs of children than prepackaged programmes.

What Went On:

The first prgramme was a basic addition game This game was trialed over several days with 2 children playing the game while sitting at the computer. The children threw 2 dices or picked up a card with the addition equation printed on it. When they had recalled the correct answer they highlighted that number on the table. The first child to fill their table won the game. This game helped to reinforce and revise basic addition facts.

The second game entailed correctlly reading the sentence, and typing in the missing word. If correct the sad face on the side changed to a happy face when clicked on. This game gave reading practice using word attack skills, picture clues and comprehension practice to the children.

The children have worked with several interactive learning programmes I have brought in for them and the preference was definitely for them.

What Worked: The basic facts addition sheet worked much better with the children when printed off and used as a game on a card with 2 dices. More children could join in the game, opposed to the 1 or 2 who could play it at the computer.

The children found this more enjoyable and were able to work together as a group learning their basic facts. It did not have great appeal in it's original form as a straight computer programme.

The second cloze reading activity had some appeal to the children. They particulary enjoyed it when they clicked onto the face and it changed to a smiley face indicating they were correct.

What To Do Different: On the whole I did not find these 2 original computer programmes had wide appeal to the children. They have probably been spoilt by interactive learning programmes I have brought in for them. They like sound and lots of action on their programmes.

I have changed tactic slightly and made several games on the computer, printed them out and laminated them for use with the children.

These have included a basic word lotto game, a fishing game using basic words, a number recognition game. An addition of a scanned photo of themselves or a clip art picture of their special interest on their game also makes the game appealing to them.

Key words and pictures of the current topic work could easily be made into simple word recognition games.

The degree to which students achieved the specific learning outcomes for the action research project: Slightly

The degree to which ICT helped students achieve the specific learning outcomes for the action research project: Slightly helpful

Supporting Files: http://www.lea.co.nz/ictpd/Uploads/3 in a row.doc
http://www.lea.co.nz/ictpd/Uploads/Smiley.xls