How good is the teaching of ICT? An interview with Edith, an English teenager
Terry Freedman
EdithWe're always interested in hearing the views of young people, so it was with great pleasure that Elaine and I interviewed Edith. Edith is a teenager living in England, and has some definite views about the teaching of information and communications studies (ICT).
I saw her, not for the first time, at a recent Teachmeet and was struck by her statement that she, and her peers, were being 'under-taught'. This ties in with what I reported in a recent newsletter:
"It's been found recently , by Ofsted, that teachers tend to teach ICT up to the limit of their own knowledge, and that this effectively holds children back."
In this interview we explore this and other issues. The podcast lasts just over 19 minutes.
The music after the introduction and at the end is Simple Soulman by The Groovebusters, and is under a Creative Commons licence. Hear the band at:
http://www.garageband.com/song?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSkYFexYGE
Edith is 14 and attends school in England. She has spoken at Teachmeet events, such as the North London Teachmeet in 2009.
To respond to Edith, please submit a comment in the comments area below, or send me an email.
If you enjoyed listening to Edith's views you may also like our interview with Miller, an American teenager. That will be posted here on the 11th December 2009.
And you will probably enjoy the following: What are your kids learning while you're not looking?
That was the title of a presentation that Miles Berry and I did at the BETT Show 2009. Based on original research, it made it very clear that teachers make life more difficult for themselves, and less than interesting for their students, by ignoring what their students can already do.
For more information, including a link to Miles' blog on the subject and a slide show, see my article on What are your kids learning while you're not looking? There is also a more up-to-date article I wrote for the IFIP newsletter, which is based in India.
Reader Comments (3)
It's good to know what she wants teachers to teach, but if she wants to know what's "under" the pc, that is a course for specialist schools or even for colleges - for students who want to be IT-technicians etc.
Good point, Gerry, although I don't think that's what she meant. But I'll ask her when I see her online, and see what she says. Thanks :-)
I asked Edith and she isn't sure about that