Case studies

Improving English pedagogy through use of ICT - Following and constructing an argument

Background

This approach was devised to bring information and communication technology (ICT) to bear on the knotty problem of pupils' planning for writing. Concept mapping software (such as OpenMind) is now routinely used in the workplace to help plan reorganisations and manage projects, so there is a range of packages available, many of them free to download. Teachers decided to apply the techniques of concept mapping to the analysis and planning of argument texts.