OER4Schools/Mixed pace groupwork with and without ICT: Difference between revisions

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Many schools don’t have access to computers at all, but where schools do have access, it is often felt that there are not enough computers. How many computers would a school need? While some might say that one computer per child, or perhaps one computer per two children would be ideal, for many schools (and classrooms) this is totally unrealistic. In general, when you have access to computers, you should therefore make sure that the computers are used as best as possible. We now consider how to deal with shortage of computers in group work.

{{activity|Pair work}}. Spend 5 minutes as pairs, consider the following scenario: You have 60 children in your class, and 10 computers. How would you arranged the groups, how would you distribute the computers, how would you structure the lesson?

To help with this, consider the following questions:

* In devising groupings consider how many kids can see the screen and get hands-on experience.  

* If you only have a few computers, it is better to operate a carousel so everyone gets a chance?  

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PICTURE OF PILE UP BEHIND COMPUTER.

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{{activity|Discussion}} Discuss the outcomes of your reflection. What different proposals are there?

{{ednote|text=

Often the computers would be distributed equally (in this case one computer per group of 6), and all groups would do that same task. This distribution may well be seen a equitable. However, in practice, more than 3-4 children per computer does not work.

A better way is to do different tasks groupwork, where some groups do computer-based work, while others do non-computer-based work. After a period of time, you can swap round tasks, so that the groups which were not using a computer can now use one.

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Having considered how computers are distributed among groups, we now consider how the computer can be shared equally within groups.  

{{activity|Pair work}}. Consider the following question: What would you do if there are some students, who always have the computer, while other group members never get to use it? Would you say that it sensible to mix computer-literate pupils with novices? How will you ensure they help rather than dominate their peers?

{{ednote|text=You should discuss strategies for access to computers within the group, i.e. rotating access to trackpad. You could also discuss the benefits of using tablets or putting computer screen flat (where this is possible).

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{{activity|Discussion}} Discuss the outcomes of your reflection as a whole class.

{{activity|Discussion}} Discuss the outcomes of your reflection as a whole class.

= 4. Planning a mixed pace groupwork with ICT task =