Frequently asked questions
What is the Practical Support Pack?
Who is it for?
I am a teacher - how will it help me?
I am a headteacher - how can it help me?
Is it aligned to any existing framework?
Can the Practical Support Pack help me teach using ICT?
How can the Practical Support Pack help me develop as a
teacher?
Do I need to work through the Practical Support Pack on my
own?
I can not always get on to the Internet - is the Practical Support Pack
available in in any other format?
Are the Practical Support Pack materials the same as the Enhancing
Subject Teaching Using ICT (ESTUICT) materials?
How can I find out more about the Practical Support Pack?
The Practical Support Pack is an online collection of high quality
lesson content, lesson plans, multimedia resources and ICT support materials
designed to help teachers develop their teaching using ICT.
Step-by-step, it gives them the opportunity to try out new ideas and new ways of
teaching familiar topics in their subject. It also shows the role that ICT can
play in achieving learning and teaching objectives.
All the materials needed to teach curriculum topics are organised into modules
and can be searched by subject and year. This practical, step-by-step approach
also offers pupils different ways of learning. Teachers can reflect back on the
lesson and see how the ICT element has affected the teaching and the pupils'
learning.
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The Practical Support Pack website is designed primarily for Key Stage 3
secondary and primary teachers including trainees and NQTs. However, it can be used
by teaching assistants and anyone who wants to learn how to use ICT effectively
to teach a subject or to build on their existing use of ICT. It will also help
build teachers' confidence in using ICT - either as part of the lesson
preparation or in teaching the lesson in the classroom. And it is a great
resource for school managers and those responsible for teachers' professional
development.
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Using the Practical Support Pack materials can contribute to your
professional development by developing your expertise and confidence in using
ICT to teach your subject. It will also increase your understanding of the
role that ICT can play in lessons and, should you require it, provide help and
support in using ICT effectively to teach those lessons.
The website's modules will give you the chance to adopt fresh
approaches to familiar material and topics. So, for example, if you are a Key
Stage 3 geography teacher, there are around 20 different ready-made lesson
topics for you to try out.
You can even develop knowledge outside your subject. If you teach more than one
subject, ideas and experience gained in one can be adapted and used in others.
And, by using the materials with colleagues, you can share that experience and
benefit from theirs.
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The Practical Support Pack website can help your teachers use ICT more
effectively across the curriculum. It is a key strategic tool for professional
development and an ideal complement to other ICT materials and professional
development programmes your school may already use, including those available
through your LA or Strategy Consultants such as Hands on Support (primary and
secondary) and ICT Across the Curriculum (secondary).
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The materials are aligned to the Primary and Secondary National Strategies'
Frameworks, where appropriate. They have been selected because they exemplify
how ICT can be used to enhance teaching and learning.
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Yes. ICT can play an important role in achieving a lesson's objectives - some
topics are difficult to teach conventionally but may come alive when taught
using ICT. The Practical Support Pack will guide you as to when ICT
could be used to teach a particular topic. But teaching with ICT doesn't just
mean standing in front of an interactive whiteboard - it can be as simple as
getting pupils to do some research on the Internet or preparing an electronic
presentation.
If you are uncertain about how to use some aspects of ICT, e.g. searching for
images on the Internet, the Practical Support Pack will help you.
There's built-in skills guidance to help you expand your ICT expertise and
develop your confidence in using ICT in your teaching.
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Whilst ICT can make lessons different and exciting for pupils, it is important
to ensure that these are not the only measures for deciding to use ICT. The Support Pack will
help you integrate the use of ICT into teaching and learning in your subject
and help you to think more strategically about your teaching and its impact on
the learning. This can be done using the Support Pack's evaluation and
reflection materials, which give you the opportunity to reflect back on the lesson and see how the
ICT element has affected your pupils' learning and your teaching.
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The website has been designed to be fully intuitive so that teachers can work
through it on an individual basis. Some teachers may be perfectly happy to use
the materials in this way. Others may feel they would benefit from more
support, such as working informally with other colleagues or as part of a more
formal professional development programme. The Practical Support Pack could also
be used on a one-to-one basis - e.g. with your school's LA/Strategy Consultant
or Hands on Support Consultant.
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We know that it isn't always easy or practical for teachers to access the
internet at all times of day, so we've made the materials available to download
to your PC, a CD-ROM or even your school server. This way, you get the benefits
of the website, but with the flexibility of being able to work offline.
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The Practical Support Pack materials are based on the original ESTUICT
materials, but with a number of key differences.
ESTUICT was originally available commercially and many teachers told
us that the cost of these materials was a barrier to their school buying them.
The Practical Support Pack is free!
ESTUICT was originally provided by four separate companies, so to get
the full benefit, schools needed to take out several subscriptions. The Practical
Support Pack brings all the materials together in one place. Elements
of the original ESTUICT materials are now out of date. The Practical
Support Pack materials have been updated to reflect current practice
in the classroom.
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For secondary, talk to your ICTAC Lead Consultant or Secondary National
Strategy Consultant.
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For primary, talk to your Primary National Strategy Consultant.
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Call the DfES enquiry line on 0870 000 2288.
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