6 Teaching ICT at Key Stage 1 – within the humanities

Using ICT in the humanities at Key Stage 1

This website offers teachers guidance on the use of ICT within geography:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 20100823130703/ http:/ curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/ key-stages-1-and-2/ learning-across-the-curriculum/ ictinsubjectteaching/ ictingeography/ index.aspx [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]

This one looks at ICT within history:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 20100823130703/ http:/ curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/ key-stages-1-and-2/ learning-across-the-curriculum/ ictinsubjectteaching/ ictinhistory/ index.aspx

While this one looks at ICT within religious education:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ 20100823130703/ http:/ curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/ key-stages-1-and-2/ learning-across-the-curriculum/ ictinsubjectteaching/ ictinreligiouseducation/ index.aspx

Reflection

What suggestions are made for using ICT skills within the humanities?
Are any of those suggestions evidenced within your classroom practice?
Why might some be under-represented? Is this caused by lack of resources, lack of curriculum time, poor teacher confidence or something else?
Have you used ICT to support learning and/or teaching in the humanities in a different way?

Practical applications

ICT statutory requirements

There are no statutory requirements to teach ICT within the humanities at KS1; however, it is expected that teachers will do so and the websites listed above (except for RE) describe ICT opportunities related to the relevant programmes of study.

Watch the following resource provided by Teachers TV:

http://www.schoolsworld.tv/ videos/ indian-journey

Although aimed at Key Stage 2, there are ideas that could be adapted for use in Key Stage 1.

Take a look at these humanities resources from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ education/ dynamo/ history/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ schools/ teachers/ keystage_1/ topics/ geography.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ learningzone/ clips/

Reflection

Could introducing your pupils to these games/simulations/resources help you to enhance their experience of learning about the humanities?
What features of these resources might encourage you to adopt/reject them as tools to support learning?
Is there any scope for teaching ICT objectives alongside the humanities objectives? (Hint: ‘Finding things out’.) What might some of the benefits/problems be?
What about other aspects of ICT? How might you introduce handling data, communication, sensing, control and modelling objectives?

Other resources

Ictopus: Ictopus (ICT online primary user support) is a free web-based support service for primary education. Amongst the resources it provides are lesson plans designed to promote the use of ICT within the curriculum. The ‘Lessons2Go’ resources can be sorted by subject or age group once you are logged in.

http://www.ictopus.org.uk