The challenges of Maths, English and ICT

As I write this, I realise it likely to be my final posting for some time. The original purpose was always to meet the requirements of the assessment criteria for Advanced Studies in a Specialist Subject, and as I cut and paste into a word document so as to do a check on the word count, I realise I am nearing the close. Whilst I am pleased to be ticking a box on my 'to do list', I feel saddened that my writing here will inevitably come to end. I see little point in kidding myself that I will continue, for as much as I feel this space has helped clarify my thinking and benefit my practice; the remaining countless items on my 'to do list' will inevitably take precedence.

I have spent much time of late contemplating the final outcome on which I will reflect:

• The role of English, Maths and ICT on a Early Years H.E course, and how learners are supported to develop these skills.

On the course I teach, the inclusion of English is pretty much a given; it forms both the backbone of the assessment and the methods by which I teach. English is innately embedded and promoted; it is not a tick box, but a pre-requisite. I embed English through my power point presentation, and class activities, and I promote English through formative assessment and academic writing. I believe my own English skills to be of a high standard and I expect high standards of English from my students. I am passionate about English, I believe it is a skill which can be learned, and once mastered will provide students with the foundations for achieving a good classification of degree.

Unfortunately, I do not possess the same passion for maths. Unlike some of my peers, the thought of  Maths does not fill me with dread, I know enough to get by and Maths has never been an issue for me. However I can not get my head around the tokenistic methods by which we are expected to promote the skill. I teach at HE, and thus the requirement of the teacher training programme conflicts with that of the sector. Upon entry, all my students were required to possess at least a grade C at GCSE in Maths; similar but for the majority more current than my 19 year old 'B' grade.

Despite my apprehensions I continue to look for means by which I can promote maths in my lessons, admittedly this is an add-on, and over the course of the year I have only really attempted it for the purpose of a lesson observation. However, I recently found a naturally occurring means by which to promote maths: I planned for students to work out a child's age in months and days from a given date of birth, so as they could select the  correct developmental screening tool. I was pretty proud of this realisation, and it just so happened to be during a day I was due to be observed, bonus! Only when it came to it, my own beliefs outweighed the pressures of external influence: it seemed false and unnecessary, and I expected it be ill received by students at the end of a long day. I reflected 'in action' (Schon, 1999), and scrapped the maths!! Immediately after the lesson I was a little annoyed with myself for having 'chickened out'; carrying out the planned activity would have tested my own assumptions and potentially shaped by thinking. However, in reflecting 'on action' (Schon, 1999), I have no regrets : yes I could have tested my assumptions, but at what cost, the respect of my students perhaps? I expect my thinking on this subject to remain the same during the course of my studies, I will continue to jump through the necessary hoops but without conviction in my actions. I further expect that if I continue to teach at HE once I qualify as a teacher, maths is something I will cease to consider. However, I ask of those with a greater insight to challenge my thinking? maybe I am missing a trick?!

Finally, again as a closing consideration for the purposes of the assessment criteria, I reflect upon the role of IT in the classroom. Although I do not feel IT a 'tick box' exercise, I do not feel I have embraced IT to its full potential, and hope that as time and opportunity allows I will gain confidence and expertise in this field. At present I use IT in the classroom predominantly for the purpose of research via the internet and a means of presenting information through power point: a tool to aid teaching and learning, but not as yet  a tool I have mastered to aid assessment. I do not consider myself an IT phobic, and I fully intend to extend my skills. I hear both stories of IT success and failings from my fellow student teachers, but for now I just need IT to work for me. I have battled to access university systems and gain login details so as I can fully access the wealth of resources which I expect to aid my teaching. This in itself has proved testing; at present I am at a point whereas I have login credentials but lack the training to fully utilise the systems to their fullest potential. I have felt frustrated over the course of the year that IT has prevented me from reaching this potential, but with hindsight I realise this not to be the failings of the IT systems, but the hierarchies and processes which surround them. For me necessary IT skills were overlooked at the point of induction: I am now playing catch up, which ultimately is holding up further learning.