C. The MIICE outcomes related to the abilities and attitudes of learners
1. Learner reflection
This relates to learners' ability to think about what they are doing, and their ability to put it into a number of contexts
Here is a number of illustrations from Scottish schools and education authorities - from Skellister in Shetland in the north to Annan in the south; from Argyll and Bute in the west to Monifieth in the east - of each of the 4 components. In each case there is one or more related capacities associated with A Curriculum for Excellence
1. Learner reflection: taking personal responsibility for learning
Debbie Higson and some of her P6 pupils from Duns Primary School did a presentation to colleagues at the Scottish Borders Masterclass ICT event in May 2005 about their uses of the Digital Blue camera (261 seconds on video)
Digital Blue (national priorities website)
"This is something that has just recently appealed to me. That, using Digital Blue, is that we're beginning to raise attainment now" There was one little boy who came to me and he said "I've actually read my reading book", he said. "I've read the whole book from start to finish. Can I put it on to the Digital Blue camera?" And I said "Well, of course you can, yes". Now this child has never finished a book; he never takes it home; it sits on his desk, on his chair, in a tray; has never taken it home before. I spoke to Mum this week; I said "... Thanks ever so much, it's brilliant that he's read this book". She said "He actually sat on the back doorstep and read it to his little sister from cover to cover". And I'm thinking "Wow - this child has read one book this year; I'll put a tick up there somewhere"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: independent and collaborative learning
- Confident individuals: relating to others and self-organised
- Effective contributors: creating and developing
Maureen Balloch of St Mary's Primary in Glasgow is convinced that use of ICT solutions has helped the children in the relatively deprived area which is served by the school in the Maryhill district of Glasgow (56 seconds on audio)
ICT & attainment (national priorities website)
"It's made the children much more motivated in their work, much more willing to complete tasks, to take themselves forward. They've found it very challenging and I think, yes, we can say it has improved their attainment, in maths and language, in their topic (environmental studies), their enterprise work"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: enthusiastic and motivated to learn
- Confident individuals: developing and communicating views and beliefs
- Effective contributors: communicating in a variety of situations
Nigel Cotter is head of Physics at Bannockburn High School. He has used an interactive whiteboard for two years. Nigel says that although the novelty factor has now worn off, the students still very much enjoy lessons taught with it and are aware that it improves their learning. In this S3 intermediate 2 class about energy transformation he uses an interactive whiteboard with a simulation package from 'Interactive Physics'
Simulation software in physics with an interactive whiteboard
"he learns better in classes with the interactive whiteboard compared to classes where he just sits and listens" (S3 Bannockburn High pupil)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: use technology for learning
Ian King of Kelso High School has developed a system for online book reviews, as part of the school's overall strategies to get young adolescents to read more books. Watch Ian's presentation about the initiative to the Scottish Borders Masterclass ICT event in May 2005 (279 seconds on video)
"I felt that this could be made more interactive and also felt that getting the review available for other pupils to read would be a good idea, as reading reviews in advance also helps them choosing what book they want"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: creative and independent thinking
- Effective contributors: taking initiatives and leading
Rhona Goss of Monifieth High School about practicalities of using computers for learning which teachers have to confront (111 seconds on audio)
"I think we've been learning as we go; there's been a lot of areas where I think we have fallen in to the trap of thinking: now we've got the computers, that's it, we can do it. And as we've started, especially to do more project work and open-ended work, we've realised that they actually need a lot of support to use the ICT. And we have done a fair bit of work where we've started to look at the way they develop their research, so using writing frames to start the project off, helping them to think through where they're going to find the information, that it's not necessarily only ICT based, that they can use books, they can use other media as well"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: independent and collaborative learning
- Successful learners: reasoning and evaluating
- Confident individuals: being self-aware
Mark Pentleton of the Partners in Excellence project (East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Argyll & Bute) speaks about some of the ways in which ICT helps to bind their languages project, involving 1200 pupils in 29 schools (106 seconds on audio)
"Our immersion visits abroad involve school visits, street questionnaires, cultural activities, but we've also tried to incorporate the ICT element into our immersion visits. So, this means that whenever we have a group abroad, we are constantly updating the website from abroad and it means that parents and family and friends back home can see exactly what the students are doing, but also the students who are at home in class, they also have the opportunity to read diaries of the students who are out in France or Germany or Spain, which are in the foreign language and therefore they can actually use these materials in class for their learning"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: independent and collaborative learning
- Effective contributors: communicating in a variety of situations
1. Learner reflection: realistic but improving culture
Chris Latimer teaches a composite P6/P7 class at Crossmichael Primary in Dumfries and Galloway. In today's history class the topic is World War 2. The pupils are creating slide shows using Microsoft PowerPoint. Chris teaches the pupils how to add movie and sound files to their presentations. In previous lessons they used a digital video camera and filmed themselves introducing their presentation
"the pupils have acquired a good level of knowledge on the subject of World War 2 and that using PowerPoint has motivated them to further their learning while having fun at the same time" (Chris Latimer, Crossmichael Primary)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Effective contributors: communicate in different ways and in different settings
Robert Sinclair of Laxdale Primary School in Lewis talks about the school's lunchtime 'health on the net' project (59 seconds on audio)
"And they spend up to half an hour at lunchtime or an hour in an 'After School Club' looking at these different sites and they're all related to health. There are some from the BBC, some from NCH, and a number of other sites and it really just increases their own awareness about health issues"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: learning with technology
- Confident individuals: being self-aware
Marion Docherty, Head Teacher of St David's High School in Dalkeith, speaks about the benefits of use of ICT since they moved into their new, well equipped building (56 seconds on audio)
"it's very clear that online learning enhances the quality of differentiation in the curriculum; it allows young people to engage with the whole process of learning by being interactive - by using the ActiveBoards, by being able to work at their own pace. And it adds a fun element to it"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: creative and independent thinking
- Effective contributors: taking initiatives and leading
Roisin McNulty of St Margaret's Academy in Livingston articulates the benefits for learning of the use of the DigitalBrain VLE which is being trialled in that school (59 seconds on audio)
"This is one of the main advantages of the system is that I do believe it will cater to the needs of a lot of pupils - cater their individual needs. Because on the virtual environment we have such a variety of activities - we've got challenging worksheets, we've got things on grammar. At the other end of the scale we've got things that are helpful to pupils who find it difficult - easier exercises- and there's also the fun element games in it too"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: independent and collaborative learning
- Effective contributors: communicating in a variety of situations
1. Learner reflection: ability to articulate evaluations of actions taken
Alan Craw teaches physical education (PE) at Annan Academy. He uses digital video and Focus X2 (performance analysis software) to help his pupils to improve their volleyball technique. First, Alan films the pupils playing volleyball in the sports hall. Back in the classroom, he discusses the performance of the two teams by going through the footage and analysing 'single events' in the game
"the technology is very useful as the footage can be slowed down, allowing errors in the action to be pinpointed" (Annan Academy PE pupil)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: use technology for learning
Martyn Crawshaw of Millburn Academy in Inverness talks about the uses of digital video among his colleagues in the science department (43 seconds on audio)
"There's 4 out of a department of 10 have used digital video with their classes now. Some in formative assessment, for recording with second year groups who each do a PowerPoint presentation, and then they video the PowerPoint presentations and they can analyse their own presentations by replaying the video"
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Confident individuals: developing and communicating beliefs and views
- Effective contributors: communicating in a variety of situations
1. Learner reflection: developing informed attitudes in relation to ICT in society
Marilyn Ross is a P7 teacher at Croftfoot Primary School in Glasgow. Her pupils have been working on a project about World War 2. In today's lesson, they will produce their own ID cards and evacuee labels
"the pupils have gained a deeper understanding of the emotions felt by an evacuee in World War 2" (Marilyn Ross of Croftfoot Primary)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Effective contributors: create and develop
Lesley Aitken is head teacher at Johnstonebridge Primary School in Dumfries and Galloway. In today's environmental studies lesson, her class is using Textease to produce posters about healthy eating. The posters feature photographs of the fruit trees that the pupils planted two years ago in the school courtyard. Each month the pupils have recorded, on a spreadsheet, information about the growth of the trees
"the pupils have developed a more sensitive approach towards their natural surroundings and have learned to care more about them" (Lesley Aitken, HT of Johnstonebridge Primary)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Effective contributors: communicate in different ways and in different settings
Lucy Gallagher teaches a P6 class at Sciennes Primary School in Edinburgh. Today's lesson, part of an Edinburgh-wide personal safety project called 'Feeling Yes, Feeling No', is about internet security. The pupils access two websites specifically designed for children called NetSmartz and Disney Online. Both offer information and interactive activities about internet security. Finally, the pupils create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation based on what they have learned about the subject
"they were able to identify ..., the potential risks that they could encounter on the internet" (Lucy Gallagher, Sciennes Primary)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Successful learners: use literacy, communication and numeracy skills
The small school in South Nesting on Shetland is moving to a brand new building. Elspeth Hamilton, the teaching head, had the idea of commemorating this by making a video about the school and its history for the P7 Enterprise project. The ambitious video, involving interviews with former teachers and pupils and re-enactments of past events, is being made with the help of Tony Peaker, a project leader employed on a project-by-project basis by the education authority
"One boy says that when he watches a TV programme now he will be very aware of how long it would have taken to make" (Boy at South Nesting Primary)
A Curriculum for Excellence
- Effective contributors: take the initiative and lead