Introduction | Digital video in action | Projects 2006-7 | Extended Projects | Archived Projects
Extended Projects
From 2006-07, a small number of extended projects have been conducted, exploring an action research focus in more detail and over a longer period of at least 6 months. Teachers working on an extended project receive more intensive mentor support, meeting and recording progress at the planning, interim review and final report stages.
Details of these extended projects are given below, listed in alphabetical order a/c to school name. If you want to know more, click on the link below each to view either the detailed plan or final report as available in Word document format.
Billingham Campus School, Billingham. Mr Richard Henderson
The Languages Department at Billingham Campus wish to explore the potential of Classroom Performance Systems (CPS) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) to improve vocabulary and grammar recognition skills when reading and to develop reading skills overall. They are keen to engage pupils in the process of learning and self-improvement and will use support materials and study logs to this effect. The overall aim is to improve exam performance in the area of reading comprehension.
Using a Christmas exam to determine levels and individual needs, the teacher will follow the departmental scheme of work, using the interactive whiteboard and CPS to engage and focus pupils. The VLE will be used as a tool for storing support materials, and text manipulation and other activities, and also to monitor pupil work. Pupils will complete an initial questionnaire to identify difficulties and set personal targets. They will keep a study log throughout the project. Support materials will be created to aid pupils in this. The initial exam will be repeated half-way through the project and a final exam, questionnaire and personal interview will be used to evaluate the success of the project. 
(70 kB)
Brinsworth Comprehensive School, Rotherham. Ms Fiona Hilton
The project aims to explore ways to integrate ICT more deeply into the departmental scheme of work over an extended period in order to develop creativity and the learning skills necessary to work independently.
Pupils will be taught a range of topics with an emphasis on developing creativity, learning skills and independence. They will use mind-mapping software to plan and record progress. They will conduct self-audits prior to the project to assess confidence, learning and ICT skills, and to set personal targets. They will move from closely guided work, including a very closely guided multimedia presentation to working in pairs to create a multimedia slide show, in which they extend their linguistic range. Finally, they will work freely in groups to devise and produce a short video, covering all the grammar of the project, to be placed in web pages on the school network. There will be regular testing in addition to the set tasks and the project will finish with a self-review and peer assessment against a range of criteria.(69 kB)
Redruth School, Cornwall. Ms Lizzie Hoskins
Rote learning can be unattractive and difficult for many pupils, who, nevertheless, are willing, when learning computer games, to engage in repetition until the rules are mastered. This project at Redruth School aims to use ICT in school to facilitate the rote learning necessary in language learning.
Spanish present tense verbs were introduced last term with disappointing results. Although a top-set, the Yr 8 pupils, unused to learning off by heart, found the task difficult and achieved a less than satisfactory level of understanding and application.
The teaching and learning materials will be re-introduced, using the interactive whiteboard and authoring software for whole-class reinforcement, to be followed by a lesson in the ICT suite for individual or pair work exercises and activities. It is hoped that pupils will be stimulated into learning the patterns almost unconsciously. Finding themselves able to complete accurately the activities and tasks set, pupils’ self-esteem should rise and their previous dislike of rote learning become a thing of the past.
