There was a real buzz in my classroom last year and I think I may actually have cracked the problem of getting information and communication technology (ICT) coursework in from my pupils. For years I had struggled. Ultimately, for the most part, they have delivered, but the strain on me, as head of department, felt appalling.

So what was different? Simply that a new course and a greater intake of students forced the school to take on teachers to deliver ICT who really hadn’t the grounding they needed to deliver the course.

But please don’t shudder at the thought. After all, there is a desperate shortage of genuinely experienced ICT staff - and that’s not exactly surprising when you consider what ICT personnel can earn in industry.

However, crises generate opportunities, so as head of department I sat down and worked out in detail exactly how I wanted the ICT portfolio taught. The WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee) GCSE ICT syllabus now makes the portfolio, which counts for 30 per cent of the overall marks, completely skill based. This is a welcome move, because skills have to be learned and practised and it is far easier when all the pupils are learning the same skill at the same time.

The portfolio has three equal parts: Communicating Information, Handling Information and Modelling. Communicating Information translates into word processing and presentation packages - in our case we use Word and PowerPoint. Different schools use different packages, so there are alternatives, such as Lotus WordPro. Handling Information translates into database skills - in our case we use Access - and Modelling is basically spreadsheet skills and for this we use Excel. Once again, other schools may use different spreadsheet or database packages.

I decided we would run Communicating Information and Modelling in parallel to begin with, setting the pupils the homework task of producing a report on input devices such as a keyboard, or a mouse. Other input devices include cashpoints, where the machine reads your cards, and bar-code readers at supermarket checkouts. It is always interesting reading this particular homework as every year at least one student flags up an input device that I’ve never heard of before!

Concurrently, in class we would work on a share portfolio using spreadsheets. We had started to invest the week before September 11, so we now have some extremely knowledgeable young people conversant with the problems the attack on the World Trade Centre caused for the global economy. My class was not impressed as they watched their fictitious portfolio plummet. There was a recovery by the third week, but they remained unconvinced about the idea of investing. “We’re not going to invest our money, ever, Miss,” said one. And if they are still following the markets, I doubt they have changed their minds.

I produced model examples of the spreadsheets required for the teachers and put the marks each printout would earn, following the marking sheet we had been given in the GCSE syllabus. These examples I made into reference files. I placed instructions in an accessible area on the school network so my pupils could also see what was required of them.

With the help of some really enthusiastic pupils, I was also able to place PowerPoint presentations showing step-by-step guides to some of the trickier skills in the same accessible area.

As an experiment, I also made the scheme of work available to pupils as well as teachers, so they knew what we were trying to achieve each lesson and could see why we needed to keep the pace going.

So now the pupils knew what was required of them during each lesson and how many marks they would gain towards their GCSE if they finished this work on time. I’m not sure what I expected, but my group really love working to this highly regimented set of targets.

By the start of the summer term in Year 10 I already had pupils who, unless their work was severely moderated downwards - which was unlikely - had achieved 26 marks out of a possible 30: marks which would go towards their GCSE. Their morale was high and 95 per cent of them would go all out in each lesson to acquire the marks allocated.

Even better was the fact that the slowest group of all were also doing well and most of them had already accrued more than 20 marks. These were pupils who could easily become disaffected and give up, yet they were well on their way to picking up a GCSE in ICT, one of the subjects the Government and industry are so keen we should deliver.

Whether I can produce as structured a format for the project work - also worth 30 marks - remains to be seen. Here pupils do have to show more creativity, but at least the portfolio has given them the skills they need and boosted their morale and self-belief. Consequently, they are positive they can do well.

So now I’m a convert to target setting. It may not work in every situation, but it definitely worked in my classroom and our ICT department this year. The next big challenge is how to deliver the project in an equally clear, prescriptive manner. If I find a solution, I guess it will probably be the subject of a sequel.

Helen Yewlett is head of the computing department and ICT co-ordinator at Ysgol Gyfun School, Ystalyfera, in the Swansea Valley

Tips for teachers

* Remember that success breeds success

Every mark the pupil achieves is an encouragement to get the next mark.

* Provide fast feedback

Ideally within the lesson.

* Be transparent

Every pupil knows their current mark, can access instructions on the network and can see the teachers’ scheme of work - in fact they like getting ahead of it.

* Take an even-handed approach

Every pupil knows the criteria for the marks and that there is no bias.

* Identify underachievers quickly

Sorts on the pupils’ overall marks can be done easily.

The pupils with the lowest marks can be called in for extra attention in lunch time.

* Get everyone involved in moderation

Every teacher knows how to allocate the marks, cutting down on cross-moderation time.

* Prepare web pages

Pupils who are absent can get instructions on the Net.

Resources

These books helped Helen Yewlett put together her GCSE portfolio.

Successful ICT projects in Word

Successful ICT projects in Excel

Successful ICT projects in Access

All by PM Heathcote. Payne-Gallway pound;9.95

Payne-Gallway publications can be ordered online at www.payne-gallway.co.uk Spreadsheet projects in Excel for Advanced Level

By Julian Mott and Ian Rendell

Hodder amp; Stoughton Educational pound;9.99

Database projects in Access for Advanced Level

By Julian Mott and Ian Rendell pound;9.99

Hodder amp; Stoughton Educational