Literacy with ICT
Across the Curriculum

A Developmental Continuum

Suggestions for Observing Behaviour Described in the Affective Domain — Early Years Students

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Suggested Learning Resources

Description

The Affective Domain of the Developmental Continuum for Literacy with ICT contains descriptors referring to feelings and attitudes of students toward the personal use of ICT, while they are engaged in inquiry-based learning (as described in the Cognitive Domain of the Continuum), or in any learning situation. The Affective Domain consists of four big ideas, in no order of precedence, described in three stages of development.

In Early Years, students become aware of issues related to using ICT under conditions that require external control. They follow directions from their teacher or other responsible adults as they begin to develop their own beliefs about issues related to using ICT and begin applying those beliefs, following a model of Gradual Release of Responsibility (see Literacy with ICT Across the Curriculum, p. 16).

The teacher can observe the Affective behaviour of Early Years students in everyday circumstances that may be related to direct use of ICT or may be incidental to it. Students in Early Years are dependent on teacher modelling of learning behaviours for self-assessment, building criteria, goal setting, and reflection. Thus, for students in grades K-2, issues related to the Affective Domain may be best discussed in class, as a whole group, with students sharing their thoughts and comments. Students in grades 2-3-4 can start to self-evaluate individually or with a partner.

Responsibility and Ethics

Responsibility and Ethics refers to knowing about, demonstrating beliefs about, and valuing policies, guidelines and behaviours for using ICT ethically, responsibly, and safely, including protection of privacy and of intellectual property. Learners are expected to demonstrate ethical and responsible behaviour at all times while using ICT.

• Responsible use of ICT equipment (E-1.1) can happen even when a computer is not turned on. Does the student store books on a keyboard or monitor?
• The student should be able to recall (E-1.2, E-2.2), when questioned, guidelines for safe use of Internet and email, and begin to understand the reason why. This will manifest itself in conversations during group activities, when preparing email for a class or personal project.
• The need to acknowledge authorship of intellectual property at any time (E-1.3) is directly related to Descriptor G-1.2 of the Cognitive domain. Students who are aware of authorship should become responsible and ethical users of electronic information, avoiding copyright and plagiarism (E-2.3) and being able to explain consequences of such behaviour.
• As a whole class, draw a list of rules for behaviour with ICT.

Social Implications

Social Implications refers to awareness of, beliefs about, and values concerning the uses of ICT in society, the societal consequences of ethical and unethical use of ICT, and the benefits and risks to communities and societies of developing and using ICT.

• The student recognizes many uses of ICT outside a classroom environment, can point to other uses of ICT such as parent's workplaces, in public places (S-1.1), and knows when it is appropriate to use ICT (electronic games, iPods, MP3s) in public places and circumstances (S-1.3).

Collaboration

Collaboration refers to students learning how to work in face-to-face groups, how to work together over distance in cyber groups, and how to lead collaborative groups while developing literacy with ICT.

Students may be invited to self-assess their collaborative skills using ELA BLM-41: How Was My Group Work? Early Years. Teachers may also use ELA BLM-89: Co-operative Group Learning (Teacher Assessment) to observe students' interaction in collaborative groups.

• Collaboration is a skill that should be manifest in many opportunities and times associated with learning, especially in collaborative classroom settings (Co-1.1, Co-2.1) as well as over distance (Co-2.2).

Motivation and Confidence

Motivation and Confidence refers to students' interest, persistence, and engagement in using ICT to learn and in solving unique problems related to the use of ICT.

You may wish to use or adapt a tool such as ELA BLM-35: Solving Problems in Group Work to occasionally evaluate student's attitudes and behaviours while solving problems

• Students will show confidence as they demonstrate their familiarity with supporting skills to facilitate their learning. This includes self-motivation in ICT-supported tasks (M-1.1) as well as recognizing an ICT problem, attempting to solve it or knowing when to ask for help (M-1.2, M-1.3)