Deal Secondary School, Deal, Kent
September 1978 – March 1987
Teacher scale one and, later, scale two responsible for computers across the curriculum.
Subjects taught: Geography, Humanities, Information Technology, Environmental Studies.
As the school curriculum was being steered in a more vocational (or pre-vocational) way I began teaching groups both IT and industrial and economic understanding. Lots of practical tasks and learning made increasingly relevant to their own lives and interests.
My main interest in Geography continued with the Kent Geography Teachers’ Association which involved running Saturday conferences and field visits. I also started running sessions on INSET/CPD courses using computers in geography both at Eversley College and Kingsgate College. (These residental centres have gone, of course.)
See this post about colleagues at work.
Computers in the Curriculum Project (King’s College London)
Part-time secondment (1982-92)
Computer assisted learning author and consultant producing eight titles and various papers.
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Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre, Tenterden, Kent
March 2005 – July 2005
Teacher of ICT.
Information and Communication Technology
This provided a valuable and refreshing experience of classroom teaching in a subject area I started twenty-five years ago as computer technology was first entering schools. It always was about developing children’s skills, primarily for communication, and not the gadgetry.
The technology has changed since I worked on geography simulations (see Computers in the Curriculum) and it continues to be developed in more interesting ways. What hasn’t changed is the need for meaningful context in teaching and learning activities.