Resources

Anne Sparrowhawk, Sparrowhawk & Heald

The full version of this report is available to download in pdf format - see box below. On this page you'll find the report's first section.

1. About this report

This report, and the research upon which it is based, was commissioned by Futurelab in response to the Leitch Review of Skills, which identified that significant proportions of the population lacked basic skills by the time they reached adulthood. Three research questions guided the research, which were:

• How are digital technologies being used to support the teaching and learning of basic skills at 14-19?
• To what extent do these approaches fully exploit 14-19 year-olds' use of digital technologies?
• What recommendations should be offered to policy makers, practitioners, researchers and developers in order to improve the development of basic skills at 14-19 through the use of digital technologies?

The research comprised:

An initial review of the literature on the issue of the basic skills agenda, including the Moser Report, Leitch Review, personalisation literature from the DCSF, Futurelab, Becta, and Demos, and 14-19 Curriculum Review materials from Tomlinson.

An exploration through three activities to uncover ways in which the basic skills agenda is currently addressed for the 14-19 age group.

First, a review of the current materials available to support basic skills teaching within the 14-19 age group, with a particular focus on digital resources. This outcome is based primarily on desk-based research.

A digital survey completed by 30 TEEM teacher evaluators who are trained in the skills of evaluating software. They actively use ICT-based resources throughout their teaching practice, and responded through the questionnaire with information about the software and resources they use with students within their institution. In most cases this involved them in discussion with other teachers within their school or college as basic skills was not often an area of their direct responsibility. Eleven taught in secondary schools serving the 11-16 age group, nine in secondary schools serving the 11-18 age group, and nine in FE colleges. The subjects taught were English (5), maths (4), science (5), humanities (8), MFL (3), business studies (2) and ICT (2). The spread of locations and age group that the schools serve is shown in Appendix 1. This further informed the review of current materials used. They also indicated how they teach these courses, and how they perceive the future impact of ICT within their institution to affect the delivery of basic skills activities.

The questionnaire they completed is attached.

On the basis of this information from desk research and additional responses from the teachers, a variety of resources were identified as contributing to the teaching of basic skills to students, many of them paper-based. Eight electronic titles were reviewed in more detail, with teachers contributing their thoughts about the strengths and weaknesses of the materials in some cases. A wide range of paper-based materials were reviewed in addition to explore the relationship between the core skills being addressed and the strategies being presented.

The eight titles reviewed were:

CTAD Numbers Disc
CTAD Spelling Disc
Tribal M.Learning.org
Heinemann Sure Skills
BBC Skillwise
Rising Stars CD-Rom
Altered Learning Neverwinter Nights adaptation
West Nottingham College Basic Key Skills Builder

The evaluation process followed the TEEM content evaluation framework:

A. Description
Description
Supporting documentation
Technical support
Teacher controls
B. Curriculum relevance
Purpose of the program
Curriculum relevance
Extent
C. Analysis of contents
Appropriateness
Structure of information
Quality
Courseware (onscreen exercises) and activities
Differentiation

Interviews with ten institutions effectively delivering basic skills courses, or addressing the needs of the students operating at this level were carried out. The institutions represented a range of organisations which were working with students and delivering basic skills courses in a variety of contexts. The interviews each explored a variety of issues:

• How are basic skills addressed at the institution?
• What contexts are students taught in?
• Who delivers the teaching?
• What resources are used?
• What technologies do students use?
• What works well?
• What are the issues for delivery?
• What plans do you have for the future?

Finally, this information is synthesised into an analysis of the gaps in provision and some suggestions about the nature of the materials that might be developed to support basic skills teaching. This is based on consideration of the skills required and interests of the potential users.

The purpose of this report is:

• to explore the nature of the products that are currently available for teaching basic skills to 14-19 year-olds
• to understand something of the settings and constraints imposed on teaching these students
• to understand the characteristics of products that are perceived positively by students and teachers
• to map future directions and opportunities for policy makers, developers, researchers and practitioners in offering new and effective approaches to the use of ICT in teaching and learning basic skills at 14-19 age range.

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