It’s strange that, at first, some people thought that there was little place for ICT in the literacy strategy. Many in primary have begun to admit, reluctantly, that the strategy has been useful. At its worst it can lead to boring work, but at its best it can mean that pupils are given a thorough grounding in writing and reading techniques. The requirements of the literacy strategy can look mechanistic and it will be interesting to see how they are received in the secondary school.
The introduction of the literacy strategy to the secondary school will cause some soul searching and anger. There could be some advantages. There are many “pragmatic” pupils over the years that have reacted against the “imaginative” work that many teachers expect. The introduction of more practical, skills-based work has validity. The work of good primary teachers shows that it is possible to interpret the strategy in stimulating ways.
Looking for materials on literacy at BETT will be like looking for hay in a haystack. There is an emphasis on whole-class teaching but don’t let that stop you individualising some of the work. Successful whole-class work with a computer will need a good screen. You can achieve this with either a data projector and a conventional whiteboard or, going one better, having an interactive whiteboard. The most useful tool for the teacher is a word processor and not just any old processor.
A few years ago there was a vogue for giving students simplified versions of Word. Thankfully that has stopped. Word processors like Granada Writer, Clicker 4, Inclusive Writer and Textease can show convincingly that the needs of those who are beginning to write are not the same as those who can write. These are all word processors that have a simplicity that can be tailored to ability levels, that have a word bank facility and also can speak text in something better than a Dalek voice.
The Skills Factory has really made literacy work. Literacy Complete has been a great success with teachers in primary schools pleased to obtain such first class help with planning and record keeping. The secondary edition will be demonstrated at BETT.
Jack Kenny
