There is so much to say about Ian Bean. Described by his headteacher as someone who was reluctant to talk about his achievements, he talked to the judges for two hours with modesty, passion, wisdom, insight and engagement. ICT can transform learning for all children, but it can revolutionise it for children with learning difficulties. Teachers like Ian demonstrate how.
Ian, who is still studying to be a teacher, has been at Priory Woods school in Middlesbrough for two and a half years. You would not know that if you talked to him. Immensely articulate, he makes qualifications seem irrelevant. He talks the language of teachers and education and believes that he is doing the best job in the world, ICT for him is “a brain-friendly way of learning”.
“Giving every child every opportunity to take part in everything,” is Ian’s definition of inclusion. He is triumphant when he says that every child at the age of five in his school can use a mouse.
In his previous life Ian was self-employed in IT and it is those skills that have been at the heart of what he does. Although technically highly skilled, Ian is not an anorak. The impact on the staff of this school and others in the area is an indicator. Ian is running 10 different courses this term and every one of them is fully subscribed.
Using his technical ability to ensure every child has access - 40 per cent of the children have profound difficulties - Ian has devised his own access assessments. He also targets those children who will benefit particularly from ICT and gives them additional support.
Digital photography is widely used for the pleasure and learning it can bring to children. The walls of the school are covered in the beautifully printed images that Ian and the children have done. Similarly with music, access was achieved through midi files found on the Internet. Kids found them and sang along with them. Eventually a CD was burnt, inserts were made and both were put into a jewel case so children could take their work home in a form that gave them prestige.
An advocate of the type of whiteboard that children can touch, Ian believes that the tactile impact and the immersive qualities of multimedia are crucial. “Whenever we use the whiteboard they remember more.” Stories in PowerPoint, with vivid sound effects, hold the attention. The multi-sensory room too has many additional switches built into areas so that it becomes a vibrant learning experience.
Many of the children are more interested in talking than listening. Two-way radio is something that Ian has pioneered as a means of showing children that communication involves speaking and listening; the technology imposes that.
A believer in co-operation, Ian works with the Northern Grid, with software companies, writes on Usenet, and contributes to the Sennit forum. He wants to share his discoveries, to learn from others and schools in the area know that they can call on him for inspiration or help. “ICT shouldn’t just happen here, it should happen everywhere,” he says. With more people like Ian it would.
Jack Kenny
