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Ink Pellet, November 2000

If your English Department is fighting shy of using ICT, then this program may break the ice.

Every English teacher I have worked with has enjoyed the challenge of bringing Shakespeare to their class and relished exploring more difficult texts with their students. But many — myself included — have found themselves stretched when teaching these texts with lower ability groups, especially when they are part of the National Curriculum. Of course we take them to see performances, watch the videos and approach them through drama — but there comes the point when some serious writing needs to happen, something lower ability students find hard enough without having to cope with difficult concepts, literary terms and occasionally opaque language.

Clicker4, offers real opportunities to teachers. Based around the creation of grids which contain words and images, that when selected, appear on the words processor, or Clicker Writer as it is called within the program. It is a multimedia program aimed primarily at pupils at KS 1 and 2 but also has a home in secondary education. This is a programme that all English and Special Needs Departments should explore together because it offers a structured, helpful environment in which students can discuss and explore texts together. What makes it particularly useful is that the program allows pupils to produce grids into which words, pictures and sounds can be loaded, with the added benefit that there is a talking word processor that reads back what the student has written.

As with many programs, much of the hard work is completed by the teacher and class away from the screen, with the program the tool with which to capture and refine ideas. Clicker 4 offers the chance for word banks about particular characters to be built up with the intention of integrating them into students’ writing. For instance, when writing about Juliet, the class brainstorm words associated with her, add them to the grid and then select them when writing.

Given that the Clicker Writer won’t read sentences until they are punctuated, there is the added incentive to use correct punctuation. It is also possible to import both static and moving images, making the program an ideal tool for enabling the marriage of literature with media studies. Technically, this is not difficult to do but the results are inspiring and more importantly, relevant to the students’ learning.

If your English Department is fighting shy of using ICT, then this program may break the ice. It has an easy interface, an excellent handbook and the promise of addressing the needs of all children, especially those who find writing difficult. If your Department is already ICT-competent, then adopting this program and integrating it into your teaching will be a joy. Don’t groan at the thought of having to deliver difficult texts — rather explore Clicker 4 to see what exciting learning can take place. It may change your life!

Nick Austin is a former Head of English who now works for TEEM — Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia — a website where evaluations of multimedia and online resources written by teachers for teachers are offered as a free service to all involved in education.

Nick Austin

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