Primary and Early Years > Technology > Video conferencing

P54: Video-conferencing opportunities in Year 1: a classroom case study
Author: Kate Gair, Sunnybrow Primary School
Date: 2006

Summary

Kate and a colleague from another local school set up video-conferencing sessions for teaching numeracy to Year 1 pupils. The sessions were limited to small groups, initially for the more able pupils and later for those with special needs.

Action

Kate and her colleague set up the video-conferencing sessions with groups of five or six pupils from each class. Initially the sessions were for the more able pupils, followed by those of middle-ability and then the less able pupils including some with special needs. Kate also experimented by including sixth formers from a Community College in Cambridge.

Outcomes

Kate found that the more able pupils responded better to video-conferencing, with a noticeable improvement in both social and academic skills. There was however much less improvement in the less able pupils who appeared far less motivated and struggled to maintain concentration.

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