An investigation of the incorporation of information and communication technologies and thinking skills in year 1 and 2 students

It is often assumed that young children, commonly called 'digital natives' are coming to school already computer literate, albeit through the use of electronic games or the practice of text messaging. In this article it is argued that the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for classroom curriculum purposes nevertheless needs to involve explicit teaching as well as experiential learning. This paper reports an investigation into the enhancement of learning, specifically thinking skills, through the utilisation of ICT with year 1 and 2 students. The study was set within a context of inquiry curriculum practices, and teaching and learning techniques incorporating the de Bono thinking strategies. The research design incorporated study and practitioner action research approaches. The results of the study document four stages exhibited by the children as they learned to use ICT within the classroom environment: Discovering and Engaging; Demonstrating; Analysing; Synthesising. The implications for teachers icorporating ICT in order to enhance students' learning are illustrated through teaching and learning activities relevant to each of these four stages.