The Transfer of Children from the Primary Stage to the Secondary Stage - Essay Example

An Investigation into the Issues Related to the Key Stage 2/3 (Primary School to Secondary School) Transfer with Particular Reference to ICT (Information, Communication and Technology Introduction: The transfer of children from the primary stage to the secondary stage has become more significant with the realization that it is the phase in the lives of present day children that has the greater element of risk than the previous generations as a result of the increase in competitiveness and sophistication of education imparted. Unless this risky transition is managed properly with all the tools available to educational institutions, there is the possibility that the outcomes may not be satisfactory and lead to underperformance at the higher levels of education. This has brought about greater regulation and emphasis on the primary to secondary transition of children and the utilization of information and communication and technology to make this transition easier and more meaningful for the children. (Lucey, H., & Reay, D., 2000). Delivery of Information, Communication and Technology at Key Stage 2: The delivery of information, communication and technology at the Key Stage 2 is based on the National Curriculum for England DfEE/QCA 1999. This document clearly spells out the objectives and these can be seen in the words of the document, "Information and communication technology (ICT) prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are increasingly transformed by access to varied and developing technology. Pupils use ICT tools to find, explore, analyse, exchange and present information responsibly, creatively and with discrimination. They learn how to employ ICT to enable rapid access to ideas and experiences from a wide range of people, communities and cultures. Increased capability in the use of ICT promotes initiative and independent learning; with pupils being able to make informed judgements about when and where to use ICT to best effect, and consider its implications for home and work both now and in the future." (Leadership and Coordination). In keeping with these objectives ICT is incorporated into the manner in which subject content is delivered in the different subjects that form the study matter at this level. ICT deals with the handling of electronic information in text, numbers, images and sound forms. This information can be created, processed and communicated in several different ways, such that it is acceptable to the target audience of the children. The tools that are used for imparting ICT include computers, whiteboards, video recorders, tape recorders and other devices that are capable of generation and reception of signals through satellite technology. ICT is so adapted to suit the ability of the children and is based on an understanding and knowledge of ICT and applied to the content matter of the different subjects that are part of their curriculum. Children are encouraged to develop their ICT capabilities through the activities in their curriculum areas that may be in the form of individual, group or whole class situations. The activities are so designed so as to suit both boys and girls. Through this it is expected that to children would be able to communicate and handle the information made available to them, inculcate the skills to design, develop, explore and evaluate the models that are both real and imaginary. Develop the ability to measure, as well as control physical variables and movement. In the final measure they have the capacity to make informed judgements with regard to ICT applications and the possible affect that ICT has on the quality of life of the community as a whole and the individual that is part of the community. There are several benefits that the children are expected to experience through the use of ICT. By encouraging children to develop ICT skills the teachers would make them familiar with the relevance of ICT in many contexts that are pertinent to the manner in which it has proved useful to modern society, boost the confidence of the children in the use of ICT and thereby give them satisfaction, widen the understanding of the effects that the ICT can bring about, make the children become more self-sufficient in their own learning capabilities and thereby take up greater responsibility in it and enhance the flexibility that is required in children to adjust and utilise the future developments in ICT to their benefit. ICT is expected to enhance the process of both teaching and learning whereby several skill and ability levels in the children can be achieved. These include the confidence to handle hardware and software and other ICT devices, the ability to present messages effectively by using ICT equipment, the skill to use ICT equipment to store information and retrieve it and then make this information available in a manner that is suitable for interpretation and analysis and the awareness of the role of ICT that is come across in daily life in the control of equipment that is used as part of it. Within the National Curriculum ICT occupies a unique place, as it is the only element that has a cross-curricular nature in attempting to achieve the objectives set for it. ICT is not to be delivered in isolation, though there may be times when it may have to be may have to be taught alone as a means to developing initial skills for its cross-curricular use. The learning experience of children in ICT is to be used across the curriculum and the two elements need to be supportive of each other, as well as reinforcing both the elements. To achieve this time and resources are used in a planned manner to achieve maximum efficiency. The planned activities include the use of whiteboards in whole class situations, Group work around the computer under the supervision or guidance of teachers or teaching assistants, teaching assistant supervised individual work on the computer and other ICT devices, group work using laptops and teacher supervised individual cascading system after the conclusion of the whole class lesson. (ICT Policy). The cross-curricular nature of ICT makes it a part of all the subjects taught at the primary level. The use of ICT in English at Key Stage 2 level remains at the highest level for any subject at any Key Stage level. Mathematics is the subject that comes next in utilising ICT at the Key Stage 2 level and is followed by science. The use of the Internet for the purpose of ICT in the curriculum at the Key Stage 2 level is also encouraged to provide the students with additional exposure, besides the use of subject software. (Patterns of use of ICT in English, Mathematics and Science at Key Stage 2). The ICT content at the Key Stage 2 Level is tailored so as to provide the children with the means to cope with the ICT content at the Key Stage 3 level and make continuity a part and parcel of ICT in the curriculum at school levels. Basically the delivery of ICT at the Key Stage 2 level may be considered as three concepts namely finding things out, developing ideas and making things happen and exchanging and sharing information. Taking the first concept as an example progression is measured step by step and the first step is to provide understanding that the various forms of information namely, text, graphics, sound, numeric data and symbols could be combined to give meaning and impact. The second step would involve the manner in which the content and style of an information source defines whether it can be used for a particular purpose. The way this needs to be done is to consider its fact content, opinion and material design to advertise, publicise or entertain, the perspective provided and the clarity, acceptability and the validity of the material. The final step would be to choose the data sources and information in a systematic manner for a particular reason by assessing the reliability of the source of information, identifying the possibility of bias as a result of sampling methods, collating data that is valid and accurate in an efficient manner and understanding the potential danger of the misuse of the collected data. To ensure successful delivery of the content of ICT support is provide to the schools and the teachers through the ICT consultants. The consultants provide training in the delivery of ICT content and also assist in the preparation of the plan for the delivery of the content. The training provided would cover the core aspects and also includes assessments, standards and target setting. Demonstrations, coaching and other in-class assistance is also provided. Chosen schools would be provided with extra funds for sending their staff for the training purposes. (Key Messages from ICT Launch). At the end of the key stage 2 the expectation of the transition and transfer strategy in the use of ICT is to assist the teachers in key stage 3 to build on the achievements of the children in key stage 2 and thereby promote greater progress in the children for achieving more. Two factors however have made this difficult. The first factor is the lack of a proper understanding and confidence of the standards of the program, leading to children at the transfer stage in possession of varied experience at the key stage 2 level. The second issue is the lack of proper information being passed on from the key stage 2 level to the key stage 3 level owing to the lack of proper assessments during the key stage 2 level. This has led to students in the transition and transfer stage having different experiences of ICT at Key Stage 2, different experiences of ICT outside school, like at the home front, different levels of literacy and numeric skills, different aptitudes, abilities and skills and different learning styles and behaviour patterns. (Key Stage 2/3 Transition). There are ways to reduce the impact of these issues on the transition and transfer children from key stage 2 to key stage 3 and these include the standardisation of software used at the key stage 2 level, make it possible for students at the key stage 2 level to visit the possible site of their key stage 3 level studies, use of software tools that enable and encourage communication between the teachers at the key stage 2 level and the teachers at the key stage 3 level and the improvement of the assessment levels at the key stage 2 level. (Key Stage 2/3 transition in ICT). Responsibility for ICT in the School: There is a leadership team that is responsible for the ICT at schools. The composition of the team may vary from school to school. The size and nature of the schools being the main factors that determine the staff members that become part of the leadership team. Invariably it is the senior staffs that constitute the leadership teams and include members of the staff with strategic and managerial responsibilities. As such the leadership team consists of a head teacher, deputy head teacher, assistant head teachers, heads of departments, business manager, special education needs co-ordinator, heads of year, subject teachers, advanced skills teachers and the bursar. The leadership team is responsible for all the specific and general responsibilities of the ICT in the schools. Their responsibilities can be listed under the headings of the strategic direction and development of the school, teaching and learning, leading and managing staff, efficient and effective deployment of staff and resources and accountability. The leadership team formulates the strategic direction of ICT in the school and also the development of ICT in both the administration as well as the curriculum at the school. The leadership team decides the quantum of ICT that forms part of the curriculum to be taught in the school and the resultant training needs are evaluated, with the leadership team is responsible in ensuring that these training needs are met. The leadership team members have both leadership as well as managerial responsibilities for the maintenance and uplift of the standards of ICT in the schools. The decision on apportion of ICT teaching responsibilities to the other members of the teaching faculty rests with the leadership team. Awareness of the special skills and knowledge required for effective teaching of ICT becomes a part of the responsibility of the leadership team. The leadership is also responsible for deciding and deploying the substantial resources is support of the ICT teaching staff. The leadership team is also expected to give sufficient consideration on sustaining the deployment of ICT, as it is the key factor that determines the effective use of ICT in the schools. (What are the ICT responsibilities of the leadership team?) Contact Between the Primary and Secondary School Regarding ICT: Building up on the skills and knowledge imparted at the primary level as the children transit in the secondary level is the most important part to the furthering of ICT at the school levels. This requires that there is proper understanding of the ICT program at primary level and the skills and knowledge with which the primary children arrive at the secondary level. It was towards this objective the introduction of the common transfer form by the DfEE in May 2000 and aimed at removing the lack of proper communication between the primary and secondary school that was acting as a hindrance to the utility value of ICT development at schools. The common transfer form ensures the minimum set of information that is required to be provided as a child transits from the primary to the secondary stage. The information provided by the form includes basic information and a range of assessment data on an individual basis of the children transiting from the primary to the secondary stage. It also has a provision for providing additional information on the individual achievement of the primary children. In an attempt to make this transfer of information more effective the transfer details of the primary children transiting to the secondary stage has been done electronically by all primary schools that have the capabilities from June 2002 onwards. This move aims at eliminating use of the paper transfer form gradually as schools develop the capacity for electronic transfer of these details. This has eliminated the difficulties that were faced due to the lack of proper information on the capabilities of the children in ICT transiting from the primary to the secondary stage. There still remain areas that need development to make the transition smooth and more effective. The most significant area for development remains the lack of communication or understanding on the ICT programs that are undertaken at the primary level by the secondary schools and communication of the deficiencies that are likely to affect the children as they move into the secondary school ICT programs. This calls for more effective partnership the primary and secondary schools. This partnership would enable a better understanding of the additional information that needs to be a part of the transfer form with specific importance given to the improvements required with regard to ICT in the subjects of English and Mathematics, which have the highest use of ICT at the school level. The partnership would also encourage doing more for the children in terms of preparing them for the important changes in teaching approaches between the key stage 2 and the key stage 3 levels. Another gain from this partnership would be the better evaluation that would be possible of the impact of the transfer arrangements on the progress and development of the children. This partnership would also enable a feedback on the progress made by the children that have transited to the key stage 3 level and thereby provide an insight into the effectiveness of ICT teaching at the key stage 2 level. (Changing Schools: Evaluation of the effectiveness of transfer arrangements at age 11). Assessment, Recording and Reporting of ICT Capability in the School: The assessment consists of an informal self-assessment by the student and the formal assessment of the teacher. In the informal self-assessment the student is encouraged to understand the ICT development that has occurred in the individual and this may be utilised by the teacher in the formal assessment. The formal assessment consists of two parts. The first part is an assessment of the student to use and demonstrate ICT skills, while the second part consists of the assessment of work within the specific curriculum areas. A sample of the evidence of the assessment completed is forwarded to the ICT Co-ordinator. This sample is moderated against the agreed criteria for assessment of the concerned module. The results assessed are reported to the student, teacher, parents and all other interested parties in a manner that is of use to them. He assessment records are based on the agreed set of principles and purposes for which the ICT modules were prepared. The results are assessed on the basis of the progress of the student with respect to the National Curriculum and are created in such a way as not to be an administrative burden. The agreed statements for each of the modules are utilised to create a statement bank on the SIMS reporting module. (Teachers - ICT Policy Statement). Conclusion: The strategy for imparting ICT at the primary level and easing their transit to the secondary level has met with some success. The communication norms between the primary and secondary levels have been enhanced. However there still remain areas that need to be looked into in the communication between the primary and secondary levels to enhance the smooth transition with ICT from the primary to the secondary levels to encourage the development of ICT knowledge and skills in the children, so that they can exploit the use of ICT in their future years. Literary References Changing Schools: Evaluation of the effectiveness of transfer arrangements at age 11. 2002. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from Web site: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/index.cfm?fuseaction=pubs.displayfile&id=309&type=pdf. Key Messages from ICT Launch. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from Web site: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/keystage3/downloads/ictkm_a062302launch.pdf. Key Stage 2/3 Transition. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from, Kent County Council. Web site: http://www.saskent.org.uk/strat-ks23Transition.html. Key Stage 2/3 transition in ICT. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from, National College for School Leadership. Web site: http://www.ncsl.org.uk/onlinecommunities/extractedlearning/comms-extracted-ks23transition.cfm. Leadership and Coordination. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from, implementing ICT. Website: http://www.naace.org/impict/lc-policy.html. Lucey, H., & Reay, D. (2000). IDENTITIES AND TRANSITION: ANXIETY AND EXCITEMENT IN THE MOVE TO SECONDARY SCHOOL. Oxford Review of Education, 26(2), 191-205. ICT Policy. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from Web site: http://www.st-james.richmond.sch.uk/ictpolicy.htm. Patterns of use of ICT in English, Mathematics and Science at Key Stage 2. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from Web site: http://www.becta.org.uk/page_documents/research/report02.pdf. Teachers - ICT Policy Statement. Retrieved April 16, 2006, from, Teach-ICT.com. Web site: http://www.teach-ict.com/teacher/policystatement_2.htm. What are the ICT responsibilities of the leadership team? Retrieved April 16, 2006, from, British Educational Communications and Technology Agency. Web site: http://www.becta.org.uk/leaders/leaders.cfm?section=1_8&id=1495. Read More