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This article was downloaded by: [Queen Mary, University of London] On: 05 October 2014, At: 19:02 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Pedagogy, Culture & Society Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rpcs20 Information and communication technology as a motivator for disaffected pupils Yvonne J. Clerehugh a a Notre Dame High School , Norwich, United Kingdom Published online: 20 Dec 2006. To cite this article: Yvonne J. Clerehugh (2002) Information and communication technology as a motivator for disaffected pupils, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 10:2, 209-221, DOI: 10.1080/14681360200200140 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681360200200140 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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Page 1: Information and communication technology as a motivator for disaffected pupils

This article was downloaded by: [Queen Mary, University of London]On: 05 October 2014, At: 19:02Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Pedagogy, Culture & SocietyPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rpcs20

Information and communication technology as amotivator for disaffected pupilsYvonne J. Clerehugh aa Notre Dame High School , Norwich, United KingdomPublished online: 20 Dec 2006.

To cite this article: Yvonne J. Clerehugh (2002) Information and communication technology as a motivator for disaffectedpupils, Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 10:2, 209-221, DOI: 10.1080/14681360200200140

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681360200200140

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose ofthe Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be reliedupon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shallnot be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and otherliabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to orarising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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Pedagogy, Culture and Society, Volume 10, Number 2, 2002

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Information and Communication Technology as a Motivator for Disaffected Pupils

YVONNE J. CLEREHUGH Notre Dame High School, Norwich, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT This article reports on a small-scale action research project undertaken by a teacher in a Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) department in a high school. As a department, we wanted to introduce the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a way that would successfully enhance the teaching and learning process. MFL is not a particularly popular subject in high schools, so as part of the research programme undertaken by schools in the Norwich Area Schools Consortium (NASC) into identifying the nature of pupil disaffection, the author decided to examine how ICT in the MFL classroom could best be used as a motivator for pupils she had identified as being disaffected with language learning, most of whom were boys. The three stages of research are reported and are followed by reflections on the author’s and the department’s learning, both directly after the research, and then one year later.

Introduction

This research was undertaken in a Norwich high school with approximately 1220 pupils on the roll. The school constantly seeks to raise standards in all subject areas, to provide a rich and varied curriculum, and to equip all its pupils with skills that enable them to be successful in a modern society. As well as developing personal, social and academic skills it actively promotes the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with both pupils and staff in order to help do so.

At the time the research was carried out I was Head of German within a Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) department, which had just learnt that it had made a successful bid to become a Specialist Language College. A proportion of the money brought into the department by this bid was to be used to create a purpose-built multimedia room with D

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interactive whiteboard and twenty-six PCs. ICT was to be part of the everyday life of each member of the department, and, as the most computer-literate member of the department at the time, I was to have a significant say as to how the room was to be equipped and how it could best be used.

Why This Research Project?

This project chosen was based on whole-school initiatives as well as departmental and personal initiatives and needs. First of all, the school intends to meet the requirements set out by the government for the provision of ICT in schools. In line with our school policy, this does not mean using computers just because they are there, but rather to know when their use can enhance both teaching and learning. I seek only to use the computer if I feel it can improve the way in which I teach a particular topic or it can improve learner outcomes. Second, other Norwich Area Schools Consortium (NASC) research in which our school was involved (Zamorski et al, 2001) shows that along with Religious Education, MFL is the least popular subject with pupils. The study of a foreign language is, however, a compulsory component of the National Curriculum. Therefore, as part of the research programme undertaken by NASC schools into identifying the nature of pupil disaffection, I decided to examine whether the use of ICT in the Modern Foreign Language classroom could be a motivator for pupils I had identified as being disaffected with language learning.

The Underachievement of Boys

We learnt through our engagement with the NASC project and the literature on disaffection that the underachievement of boys is well documented and research in this area is wide-ranging. Government reports reiterate this news. There is a growing gap in the achievement of boys and girls, particularly at Key Stage 3 (KS3). For example:

Girls continue to perform better than boys on the test papers. Almost three-quarters of girls gained level 5 or above compared with 57% of boys. (Qualifications & Curriculum Authority, 1998, p. 3)

The underachievement of boys is clearly visible in our MFL department. In 2001, 56% of girls achieved level 5 or above at KS3, as opposed to 37% of boys. If we look at the other end of the spectrum only 5% of girls achieved level 3 or below, as opposed to 22% of boys. An important question for the school was whether this underachievement was a sign of disaffection. Would the introduction of ICT into MFL lessons improve results? Would it remotivate pupils, and in particular, boys? Analysis of pupil option choices at the end of KS3 in 1999 showed clearly that D

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German was the most popular language amongst boys. 71% of the pupils continuing with German to KS4 were male. This is an interesting statistic that bears closer investigation.

In my school, pupils take up a second foreign language alongside French in Year 8 (12-13 years old). Our own internal research shows that, in general, Spanish is a more popular choice than German, and that most girls choose Spanish in preference to German. German tends to attract a higher proportion of low-ability boys than Spanish. A cross-section of pupils was questioned more deeply regarding their choice of second language and responses demonstrated that boys preferred the sound of German to Spanish because it was more ‘masculine’. German was associated with action, war films and fighting. The pronunciation of nouns such as Vater appealed to their sense of humour, and in the early stages of language learning German was perceived as being easy to learn, due to the similarity of some words to English, for example Haus and Schuh. Girls, on the other hand, preferred the sound of Spanish, a romance language, and Spain was cited as a popular holiday destination that made learning the language more relevant.

Earlier NASC research undertaken within the school had identified that disaffection was greater amongst boys than girls (Clerehugh, 1999). The extra funding provided by the school achieving Language College status provided me with the perfect opportunity and motivation to research whether ICT could be a successful motivator for boys.

The Target Research Group

I chose to undertake my research with a group of fourteen Year 9 pupils (aged 13-14 years), 11 boys and 3 girls, whom I perceived to be disaffected with language learning, and in particular with learning German.

In our school we try to ensure that all our lessons have clear aims and objectives, as pupils like to know not only what they are learning, but why they are learning it. Although my target group recognised the subject as German, I was aware from my teaching that they found it difficult to grasp the relevance of the actual German lesson content imposed on us by the National Curriculum. Asking these pupils to repeat, practice and adapt model sentences so as to discuss, for example, their daily routine in German is not an easy, and I am not wholly convinced a worthwhile, task. Pupils want to learn quickly; that is, they want to see ‘results’ in that they are able to use the language in a meaningful way as a reward for the learning effort put in. They want to discuss things which are of personal interest or which are of direct relevance to their situation. It is not usual to hear a group of fourteen-year-olds discussing the time they get up, get dressed or clean their teeth, and if they have no real desire to D

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communicate on a given topic they may naturally become disengaged with the subject.

My target research group conformed quite well to the set of secondary school characteristics described by McGuinn (1999) in his article on electronic communication and underachieving boys:

A bottom set of difficult, truculent males who cannot wait to leave school and who spend much of their time in class confronting the system in the person of the teacher. (Millard, 1998, p. 13)

McGuinn also casts doubt on current initiatives to raise the achievement of boys:

Their main emphasis is getting boys on board the cumbersome educational juggernaut by tinkering with its outer trappings, adding a few more adventure and non-fiction books here, creating more structured frames for writing there and in the last resort, targeting specific individuals for mentoring at KS4 in the hopes of pushing up the number of A-C grades for the league tables. (Millard, 1998, p. 15)

He continues:

Only by a radical shift in thinking about how we come to adopt particular kinds of literacy, alongside an understanding of how this new thinking can be embedded in the whole school curriculum, will relevant learning situations and equitable patterns of success at school be achieved regardless of gender, class and racial preference.

I agree with McGuinn that interesting though this may be, classroom teachers cannot wait for such a ‘radical shift’ in educational policy. They are currently entering classrooms full of ‘truculent males’ and attempting to teach the contents of a National Curriculum, which to this MFL teacher seems to bear little resemblance to the lives or interests of her pupils. So the question we wanted to research in our department was whether the introduction of computer technology could change the teaching and learning styles of MFL sufficiently to re-engage the disaffected, despite the content of the curriculum.

Identifying Disaffection

I began by investigating how disaffection is identified. Documentation produced by the Norfolk Local Education Authority (LEA) in their series of in-service training courses ‘Improving Schools’ (1999/2000) defines disaffection in the following manner:

Those who display aggressive and violent physical behaviour. Those who display extreme and persistent disruptive behaviour. Those who truant on a regular basis and ‘vote with their feet’. Those who indulge in ‘in-school truancy. D

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Those who are school refusers and school phobics. Those who attend school but are not actively engaged in the learning

process.

More specifically, ongoing NASC research into pupil disaffection seems to show that disaffection can be manifested in different ways. For the purposes of my study I have drawn on this research, and on our own school research and experience, to identify disaffection in our school in the following ways:

Pupils who seek to prevent teachers from delivering the lesson in the way in which they have planned. This may take the form of calling out, or trying to engage the teacher in a side issue, which may or may not be linked to the subject being taught.

Pupils who seek to distract other pupils by talking to them, knocking their equipment onto the floor, taking their property or making some sort of physical contact with them.

Pupils who may be described as RHINOs (Really Here In Name Only)(Oakley, 1999). These are pupils who are not actively engaged in the lesson for prolonged periods of time but make themselves invisible, thus unnoticed as disaffected, to the teacher.

Pupils who may seek to be removed from the classroom, by exhibiting a combination of the above.

Pupils who regularly attend lessons without the correct equipment. Pupils who are frequently late for a lesson.

The low-ability Year 9 group with whom I carried out my research contains pupils who exhibit examples of the above behaviours.

Perhaps another way to define disaffection is to say that a disaffected pupil displays ‘a lack of affection’: a lack of affection for the school, the subject, the classroom, the teacher, peers and probably themselves (Clerehugh, 2000).

Doing the Research

The research was conducted in stages and was carried out with a NASC mentor from the University of East Anglia (UEA) who was invaluable with assistance in lesson observation and data gathering.

Stage One

In order to embark an action research cycle (Elliott, 1991) I began with a reconnaissance stage. The first set of data was gathered from a German lesson taught in a designated MFL classroom in order to provide baseline information. This baseline data (Observation Notes 1) reflected the level of pupil engagement in a ‘traditional’ language lesson. The 60-minute D

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language lesson covered each of the four key language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Vocabulary and phrases were presented using an overhead projector. The pupils repeated the phrases according to the model. These phrases were then consolidated through listening, reading and writing. The lesson contained a balance and variety of activities, with the emphasis shifting from receptive to productive skills. Pupils were encouraged and praised throughout the lesson, not just for their success but also for their contribution.

Analysis of my own lesson evaluation notes and the NASC mentor’s observation notes clearly show that it was difficult to keep pupils meaningfully engaged for the full hour. The notes show evidence of disaffection as identified earlier. They provided a detailed minute-by-minute account of the lesson and proved to be fascinating reading. For example, this extract from the observation notestook place a quarter of the way into the lesson, during a listening comprehension from the cassette. Pupils heard each excerpt twice and then had to write answers in their rough books.

14.45 Pupil A leans forearms on desktop and drops head down onto forearms for about 15 seconds. Then he sits up and picks up his pen.

Pupil B is getting on with his work – he has not looked up at all since starting.

As the tape finishes, there is general movement and low-level comments around the room. Pupil A says, ‘Oh, I’ve done them all wrong,’ and throws his pen down on the desktop.

14.46 Pupil A: Miss! Can I [raises his hand] have a new rough book?

Pupil A, despite giving his score for the listening, had not actually taken part in the activity at all. His involvement with the task had been simulated.

The second extract from the observation notes took place five minutes before the end of the lesson:

15:25 Pupil C gets up and goes to the front to borrow something from the teacher’s desk. Whilst he is away from his desk, Pupil D knocks his books to the ground. The teacher moves to work with Pupil E. Pupil C returns to his desk and appears to be expecting to find his books on the floor – appears fatalistic about it.

Pupil C had every right to appear fatalistic; it was a common occurrence in the lesson.

The observation notes also document a certain amount of low-level disruption in the form of chit-chat across the room, fidgeting, an increase in general noise levels and calling out. One female pupil is sucking her

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thumb and playing with her hair. Attempts are made to engage the teacher in side issues.

If the definitions of disaffection quoted earlier are valid then this was a group of pupils who were disaffected with language learning. At this point, the fuller reasons behind this perceived disaffection remain unclear, but a number of key questions are raised. These included questions about curriculum, pedagogy and school timetabling. For example:

Do the pupils see a need to learn a second foreign language? Is the exam syllabus relevant? Do the pupils see a need to discuss their morning routine in German? Are my expectations of the group too low? Are the pupils tired due to the curriculum demands of the day? Are the pupils affected by the length of the school day, which usually

includes a long travelling time to and from school?

The next stage of the research process was to see if ICT would work as a pedagogical motivator in order to re-engage pupils.

Stage Two

The second set of data was gathered during an MFL lesson in an ICT room in which I attempted to reproduce the traditional elements of a language lesson on computer. The flashcard presentation was replaced by a slide show on the interactive whiteboard with pupils sitting around desks in a horseshoe shape. This activity was followed by pupils being engaged in individual listening activities on the computer. Pupil had their own headsets, and each could listen to each extract as often as he or she needed in order to work out the answer. Firstly, they watched four short slide shows to reinforce the phrases being practised. They then had to open a Word document which contained the same sounds and pictures. These were jumbled up and the pupils had to click and drag the correct sound extracts to the correct picture. The final activity involved matching text to pictures.

The data (Observation Notes 2) gathered from this lesson was extremely interesting. After the initial slide show presentation a male pupil asked: ‘Did you create that yourself, Miss?’ After an affirmative response I was given a spontaneous round of applause. Clearly it appeared to be more attractive than just looking at pictures in a book. The individual listening activity also highlighted some interesting points. Most pupils enjoyed the activity and were able to work at their own pace, watching and listening to the slide show as often as they needed to gain the confidence and information to perform the matching activity. I went around the room listening in to check pupils’ answers before they saved their work. A colleague from the French department, who was there to

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observe the lesson, was asked for help by a female pupil who was unsure of one of the answers. The girl told my colleague what she thought the phrase was, but my colleague replied that she was unable to understand the girl’s pronunciation. The girl replied, ‘Hold on a minute, I’ll listen to it again’. This she duly did and repeated the phrase back to my colleague in perfect German. Linguistically and motivationally this lesson seemed a to be an improvement on the previous one.

Feedback from the NASC mentor’s notes is also worth quoting:

Once the listening activity had been accessed it worked quite well. About half of the questions asked were of a technical nature . There was evidence that pupils who had become disinterested [sic] in the classroom-based lesson were more engaged in this lesson, although a lack of ICT skills still lead to pupil disaffection as the lesson progressed. Evidence also shows that pupils were more engaged in the computer-based listening activity than in the teacher-led listening activity done in the classroom.

In conclusion, I felt that the lesson was a success. The technology worked, and the lesson was delivered in the way I wanted to do it. Listening skills were improved and for some pupils, also pronunciation. Pupils’ work was well-presented and pupils also gained in ICT skills. To some extent the class was easier to manage. The listening comprehensions were not interrupted by pupils calling out or complaining, and instead of just hearing a passage twice, each pupil could work at his or her own speed.

Stage Three

I took the class to the computer room for two further lessons. The first of these lessons was based on the topic of clothes. I had earlier taught the required vocabulary on items of clothing in the ordinary classroom by using pictures on the overhead projector and matching activity worksheets. For the ICT-based lessons, I produced a Word document on my home PC containing scanned black-and-white images of clothes, which I coloured in using the Paint software. I recorded myself saying what each item of clothing was, including its colour. For the lesson, the pupils had to find and match the correct sound file to the picture, e.g. einen blauen Pullover. I also intended to have drop-down notes which would reinforce the listening skills with written text, but unfortunately the school software could not do this.

The pupils worked well at this activity, having learned the required skills in the previous computer lesson. There was only one pupil who did not appear to be engaged. He was not interested in the activity, but rather engaged himself in knocking another pupil’s keyboard onto the floor.

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The next activity was a reading comprehension. The pupils opened a document, which contained sentences describing what people were wearing, e.g. Martin trägt einen blauen Pullover, eine schwarze Hose und braune Schuhe. They then had to toggle between this document and the one containing the images, and copy and paste the correct items into the spaces below each description. This was a great success and I was extremely surprised and pleased. For example:

Two boys who are quite computer-literate became totally absorbed in this activity. I even heard one boy tell another to ‘shut up’ as he wanted to get on with his work. He finished in record time and his level of engagement was far greater than it had ever been in the classroom. (Observation Notes 3)

As extension work for this pupil I typed out a description that included items of clothing in colours not included in my original document. He had to copy the images into the Paint package and change the colours in order to complete the task; the learner outcome was enhanced from both a linguistic and an ICT point of view. I was delighted with the fall in general disaffection levels in this lesson, and the pupils gained something both linguistically and technically.

The second follow-up MFL lesson using ICT involved just simple word-processing skills and took place about three weeks later. We had covered the topic of ‘school’ and the pupils had written out questions and answers relating to the topic. We decided to use the computer to improve presentation and accuracy. Here I discovered that the girls in the group were particularly interested and motivated. The boys were to a lesser extent, although they did enjoy selecting different fonts and adding clip art to their work. One girl in the group who proves disruptive and inattentive in many subject areas was so proud of what she had achieved through the redrafting of her work that she insisted on taking a copy home.

What Did I and the Department Learn?

This small research project definitely had significant benefits on a number of levels and in several areas. First of all, it enhanced my own professional development and that of the MFL department in terms of ICT skills. We learnt about different types of software, and which type of software lent itself to teaching which type of skill. We also learnt a great deal about compatibility of computer systems and how many technical difficulties can arise; in my experience there are always technical difficulties when using computers. Initially the difficulty was my unfamiliarity with some of the ICT skills required. Fortunately I loved the project and was happy to learn quickly.

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A lack of hardware and compatible software slowed things down a little. I needed to borrow a zip drive as our sound and picture files were too big for ordinary floppy discs. A colleague installed this for me, although this took time. The software I was using to prepare material at home was not compatible with the school software so the ICT technician had to find a way around this and also had to load the lesson onto the school’s network and make it accessible to the target user group. This also took time. All in all I estimate that about 23 hours went into the preparation of this trial ICT German lesson. I do, however, feel that it was beneficial for all involved and has recently led to a staff development session in which I have enabled a Spanish colleague to adapt the material. This took about an hour, although we still had to ask the ICT technician to make it accessible on the network.

Second, it enabled us to discuss in an informed way how to design the layout of the multimedia room we were to get as part of the language school’s capital expenditure budget. We were, however, a little constrained by space and the physical structure of the room. For the presentation stages of a lesson it is much better if the pupils can sit away from the PCs so that they are not so easily distracted. It is also important that there is enough space for the teacher to be able to move quickly around the room, as pupils like and often need almost instant feedback. They do not appreciate being told to start the next activity without some form of reassurance about the previous one. This often leads to disengagement and disaffection. It seems that the organisation of a room has a major impact on teaching and learning. This is referred to in more detail later.

Finally, we learnt about more about pupil disaffection and motivation, particularly in boys. Pupils need to have sufficient ICT skills to cope with the tasks they are required to carry out. A lack of these skills leads to frustration and disaffection. Whilst using computers can motivate some pupils, a lack of ICT skills can produce a different group of disaffected pupils. Individual departments, therefore, must not work in isolation. As in my school, there must be co-ordination of ICT skills taught throughout the school.

Pupils can be more concerned with the appearance or presentation of their work than with the linguistic content. There is a danger that the lesson becomes an ICT lesson rather than a specific subject-based one. This then raises the question of to what extent this matters. If a significant proportion of the disaffected in the classroom are engaged in their work, albeit primarily in its presentation, the more motivated – those keen to learn and achieve – are provided with a better learning environment. The classroom teacher does not have to expend as much energy on matters of discipline and can offer help and support to those pupils who require it. D

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I do not believe that pupil disaffection will ever go away. Is the introduction or increased use of ICT in lessons the solution to the problem? Only time will tell. I have, however, learned that it is important to have a variety of activities which are easily accessible to the pupils. They need to feel a sense of achievement, which in some cases needs to be almost instant. As well as a variety there needs to be a balance of activities, some of which are more challenging or give scope for learners to express themselves in their own way and work to their own strengths. Use of ICT can help achieve these curriculum aspirations.

Twelve Months On: autumn 2001

We have now been a specialist language school for a whole year. We have a multimedia room designated for use solely by the MFL department. We have a reasonable amount of ready-made language software and an ever-increasing amount of teacher-produced resources. ICT is part of our everyday life. The questions now raised are as follows:

Can languages be taught more effectively through the use of computers?

Have we solved or at least had an impact on pupil disaffection? Have a new set of problems been created? What is the impact of increased use of ICT on teachers and pupils?

Because of the limited size of our school site and the fact that we are fully subscribed, it means that each MFL class taught has to have one lesson in the multimedia room per four weeks on a rotating basis, whether we want one or not. Although a survey carried out amongst a cross-section of the school population showed that these lessons were more popular than traditional classroom-based language lessons, I am not convinced that their use as a pedagogical tool is always of greater educational value.

Based on my research, a number of advantages were identified. ICT-based MFL lessons are very successful for reinforcement work. Pupils can do listening, reading, speaking and writing activities at their own speed. They can listen repeatedly in order to learn the correct pronunciation and intonation. Pupils no longer have to feel embarrassed about speaking a foreign language and perhaps making mistakes in front of their peers. For some this is clearly motivating. It is easier to set differentiated tasks without having to wander around the room with vast quantities of paper, with pupils asking, ‘Have I got this worksheet because I’m thick?’ It is far simpler to show the pupils what documents are available and let them open the ones they feel able to tackle without having to field awkward comments from their peers. The layout of the room has some advantages. The computers are arranged in banks and pupils have much more personal space. It is easier to break up undesirable pupil groupings. D

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However a number of problems (perhaps temporary) also present themselves. The ready-made MFL software packages are not always as flexible as required. Although they contain some good ideas and material and video images for role-play they do not have a steady enough progression through the tasks. They assume a certain degree of pupil ability and motivation, which can be lacking in some teaching groups. Video images also date quickly with regard to fashion such as clothes and hairstyle, and pupils spend nearly as much time laughing as they do learning the language. We have also found it necessary to produce worksheets to supplement these packages in order to focus and direct pupil learning, so teacher workload increased drastically rather than diminished.

With curriculum materials we have made ourselves using Word, PowerPoint and desktop publishing software, we can at least achieve a better balance of activity and produce a clearer model of the language that we wish the pupils to internalise. The drawback is, of course, the amount of time it takes to make the materials. In time we will have a bank of resources and our ICT skills will be more advanced so as to prepare the material more quickly. One of the main difficulties I have encountered is the presentation of new vocabulary and phrases. There does not seem to be a piece of software flexible enough to replace the time-honoured and successful way of introducing new language through the use of flashcards or with an overhead projector. The pupils are definitely more confident with language that has been introduced in this way in the classroom. The computer room layout also makes whole-class, teacher-led activities difficult. There is not the space to gather all the pupils around the interactive whiteboard. Perhaps the ideal solution would be a room twice the size, with a classroom layout in one half and an office-style computer room in the other. But how many high schools have the luxury of that much space?

ICT as a Motivator for Disaffected Pupils

On balance I would have to say that I am in favour of ICT as a motivator for disaffected pupils. If the ICT is set up properly, pupils can benefit from the lessons in terms of both ICT skills and subject knowledge. There is to some extent a decrease in the perceived disaffection of the ‘truculent male’, as long as the ICT skills of the boys concerned are reasonably well-developed and they are aware that the school has blocked certain less desirable websites. I doubt, however, that by simply introducing computers into teaching we will solve the problems raised by my own definition of disaffection: that a disaffected pupil displays a lack of affection for the school, the subject, the classroom, the teacher, peers and possibly themselves. D

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I would also question whether the use of ICT on its own will significantly raise the attainment of these pupils. I hope that it will have a positive influence on teaching and learning. The important thing is to take the time to step back and to question, examine and report on our findings, and for each classroom teacher to realise that he or she has a part to play. There were times when I wondered if it was worth all the hard work; but how can we progress and raise standards in education if we do not take the time to step back and reflect? The most effective changes come from within our own classrooms.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people for the help and support they have given me during this project: the staff and pupils of Notre Dame High School, in particular John Pinnington, David Miller, the MFL department and the ICT and cover staff; my NASC mentors at UEA, John Elliott, Maggie Teggin and Barbara Zamorski; and Jenny Clerehugh for her forbearance.

Correspondence

Yvonne Clerehugh, Notre Dame High School, Surrey Street, Norwich NR1 3PB, United Kingdom ([email protected]).

References

Clerehugh, Y.J. (1999) From Exclusion to Inclusion. NASC mimeograph. Norwich: University of East Anglia.

Clerehugh, Y.J. (2000) ICT as a Motivator for Disaffected Pupils? NASC mimeograph. Norwich: University of East Anglia.

Oakley, J. (1999) Really Here In Name Only (RHINOs). NASC mimeograph. Norwich: University of East Anglia.

Elliott, J. (1991) Action Research For Educational Change. Buckingham: Open University Press.

McGuinn, N. (1999) Electronic Communication and Under-achieving boys: some issues. Paper presented at IFTE Conference at University of Warwick, July.

Norfolk Local Education Authority (1999/2000) Improving Schools. In-service course documentation.

Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (1998) Standards at Key Stage 3 English: report on the 1998 national curriculum assessments for 14-year-olds. London: QCA Publications.

Zamorski, B. et al (2001) Classroom Management and Disaffection. NASC mimeograph. Norwich: University of East Anglia.

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