| 1. |
Supporting the teachers |
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The Ludlow teachers were
not familiar with the content of the
new subject specifications.
To address this they were provided with
hand-out notes written to cover the
whole AS and A2 specification with supporting
worksheets, PowerPoint presentations,
formative assessments, experimental
guidelines and coursework materials.
The Gatsby Fellow funding helped me
to produce materials that comprehensively
cover the specification. |
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| 2. |
Communication at a distance |
| |
The time needed for the discussions
essential for a subject to operate effectively
and to transfer resources from Shrewsbury
to Ludlow proved to be significantly
more than had been anticipated. |
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To address this various
ICT applications were investigated.
E-mail is used constantly, including
the transfer of curriculum resources
as attached files. |
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|
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From January 2002 a video
link was established between the two
Colleges and used for regular team meetings.
Ways to effectively share written and
digital information via the link were
developed: a document camera proved
of limited value; sharing the display
of PCs connected at each end of the
link has proved very effective.
Internet software was installed to give
Ludlow staff access to files stored
on the Shrewsbury computer network.
They are now able to download materials
directly, making the transfer of resources
much more efficient. |
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| 3. |
Integration of ICT
into curriculum |
| |
A condition of SEP funding for the
Chemistry post is to develop the use
of ICT within teaching and learning.
PowerPoint presentations delivered via
a data projector were written to support
the delivery of many topics. These are
designed to allow the teacher to engage
the students by prompting responses
and then revealing answers on the screen.
Again, the Gatsby Fellow funding helped
me to achieve a reasonable coverage
of topics. S preadsheet templates to
support students’ quantitative
practical work were provided. These
give immediate feedback for error evaluation. |
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| 4. |
Supporting the technician |
| |
The technician supporting Chemistry
has minimal experience of preparing
A-level Chemistry practicals and was
also responsible for supporting the
other two Sciences, Design and Photography.
An independent consultant was employed
to report on the technician’s
working conditions and training needs.
As a result of the report the Ludlow
College Principal agreed to fund an
additional part-time technician for
the Science Faculty and a series of
training days to develop the technicians’
Chemical skills. Detailed technical
guidelines are provided for each practical. |
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| 5. |
Geographic isolation |
| |
The department at Ludlow is small
and remote. The staff feel isolated
when problems arise with the curriculum
or students.
An approach was made to a third large
Sixth Form College with a view to creating
an internet bulletin board allowing
easy access to a wider community whilst
retaining reasonable confidentiality.
This has not been successful, probably
due to the time pressures colleagues
experience. However, an e-mail link
has been successfully established between
the Shrewsbury and Ludlow technicians
and is used to discuss routine problems. |
