Resource Material for the IT PGCE:
Developing Ideas at 'A' level


On this page you will find material for the session in which you start to construct a spreadsheet to record (and use) assessment data on pupil progress in GCSE coursework.

Index    
Introduction    
Learning objectives About this session Products of the session
At the Institute    
Task Timetable Links to other sessions
In the classroom    
Syllabi Teaching point  
Other Resources    
Software links and tutorials Books/Papers  

Introduction

Learning objectives

The learning objectives for this session are that by the end of it you should:

  1. understand the the task for the 'spreadsheet' part of Assignment 1.1 in enough detail to be able to work on it independently;
  2. be able to relate this part of Assignment 1.1 to an 'A' level specification;
  3. understand better the use to which assessment data can be put to target help for pupils and evaluate teaching.
    4.

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About this session

One way in which a teacher can use a spreadsheet is to construct an electronic markbook which will help him or her to answer questions such as:

  • How can I best target help to individual pupils?
  • Which topics pose difficulties for the majority of my pupils?
  • Which topics did I not teach well?

In this session you will start to construct an electronic markbook for GCSE coursework which should help you answer questions such as these. It will also form part of your Assignment 1.

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Products of the session

The (eventual) products of this session are your Excel-based assessment records.

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At the Institute

The task

The task is to produce and test a spreadsheet-based record system for GCSE coursework. You should download and read the specification for this. After the purpose and nature of the assignment is introduced, you will work in small groups to think through how it could be implemented and tested. This discussion will have to include consideration of the technical as well as the design issues involved. Each group should prepare an outline plan to be shared in the plenary discussion.

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The timetable

2:00-2:30 Introduction to the Assignment.

2:30-3:30 Small group discussion of the structure of the spreadsheet, drafting of initial ideas and identification of techniques to be used in its construction.

3:30-4:00 Plenary to share ideas.

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Links to other sessions

The 'developing ideas' aspects of this session build on the other sessions on this theme. The consideration of the purposes of keeping assessment records relates to the sessions on the 26th November on 'Marking and Assessment in IT' and 'Using ICT to assess pupils'. Finally, the assessment of GCSE coursework will be discussed further in the session on 'Issues in Assessing IT at KS4' in the break between the two periods of PTE.

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In the classroom

Syllabi

The AQA, Edexcel and OCR examination boards all include coursework as part of their GCE specifications - AQA and Edexcel in units 3 and 6 and OCR in units 2513 and 2516.

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Teaching point

Assessment data can be a powerful tool to help you teach better. However, to be of use it must be collected regularly, and must be easy to analyse. End of unit tests are rarely of use in helping you teach a topic better - at least not to the group that has just finished. This helps make the point that, in additional to the informal feedback you will get from pupils during a lesson, you should assess and mark their work regularly and use this information formatively - to inform your teaching. Your markbook needs to be an active part of your teaching - not a static repository of grades.

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Other Resources

Books/Papers

For Excel and 'A' level projects see:

'Successful ICT Projects in Excel', P.M. Heathcote, Payne-Gallaway and/or

'Spreadsheet projects in Excel for Advanced Level', Julian Mott and Ian Rendell, Hodder and Stoughton. (In my room)

For using a markbook effectively:

Michael Marland gives examples of how a (paper-based) markbook can be used as an active aid to teaching, in his excellent book "The craft of the classroom" (Institute library reference Lab MAR).

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This page is maintained by Tim Brosnan. Please send any comments to: t.brosnan@ioe.ac.uk
Last updated on 11th October 2001 .