The activities on the left are examples of good practice. They provide effective learning opportunities for pupils to value diversity and challenge racism. They focus on helping pupils understand and appreciate aspects of cultural difference, context and change, while challenging and extending their perceptions of themselves and other people.

What is the potential in the ICT curriculum for valuing diversity and challenging racism?

The national curriculum programme of study and the QCA/DCFS schemes of work for ICT provide starting points for valuing diversity and challenging racism in the classroom. The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement sets out schools' responsibilities for meeting the needs of all pupils and provides examples of how this can be achieved.

The ICT programme of study can play a vital role in valuing diversity and challenging racism. In ICT:

• pupils are taught to find, select and manipulate information that is appropriate for their work. Pupils can use the internet to access information that reflects a great diversity of opinions and cultural representations. Used appropriately, such information can help challenge stereotypes and narrow-minded perspectives;
• pupils are taught to be discriminating in their use of information. They learn to question the plausibility and value of the information they find. This encourages pupils to identify bias and prejudice in information and to consider the use (and abuse) of statistics to support particular views;
• pupils learn to respond to the needs of audiences when presenting and sharing information. This can help to develop sensitivity to the needs, interests and cultural diversity of others.

Key stage 2
Children develop their research skills and decide what information is appropriate for their work.
Exchanging and sharing information
Children should be taught:
	3b	to be sensitive to the needs of the audience and think carefully about the content and quality when communicating information
Key stage 3
Pupils think about the quality and reliability of information.
Finding things out
Pupils should be taught:
	1b	... [to question] the plausibility and value of the information found
Key stage 4
Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses
Pupils should be taught to:
	4b	reflect critically on the impact of ICT on their own and others’ lives, considering the social, economic, political, legal, ethical and moral issues.

What are the implications for teaching and learning?

The national curriculum statutory inclusion statement describes schools' responsibility to provide a curriculum that meets the specific needs of individuals and groups of pupils. The statement sets out three principles that are essential to developing an inclusive curriculum:

• setting suitable learning challenges;
• responding to pupils' diverse learning needs;
• overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

The statement also provides examples of how this responsibility can be met.

In addition to following the ICT programme of study, schools with effective anti-racist approaches are responsive to the general teaching requirements in the national curriculum inclusion statement. Many of these requirements are especially pertinent to the use of ICT.

Responding to pupils' diverse learning needs

• Example from B/3a:
  'stereotypical views are challenged and pupils learn to appreciate and view differences in others positively, whether arising from race, gender, ability or disability.' This could also be extended to include age, religion/belief and sexual orientation.

Effective practice in anti-racist and multicultural education occurs when teachers challenge stereotypes: they explore ways to instil pride in the cultural heritage of all their pupils.

In schools where such effective practice occurs, ICT coordinators and school librarians take critical care when selecting ICT resources. They make sure that the resources they use do not reduce the representation of minority ethnic cultures to tokenistic artefacts, traditions and customs. They take particular care with computer clip art, where images are often stylised and stereotyped. The resources they choose present images of minority ethnic people accurately, showing diversity within cultures, as well as between cultures.

• Example from B/3b:
  'planning work which builds on their interests and cultural experiences'

Developments in ICT have made it increasingly easy and affordable to capture and utilise sounds and images. Some schools use these technologies to collect libraries of images and sounds to supplement standard clip art resources. Digital cameras and scanners can be used to ensure that images in the classroom reflect a diversity of cultural backgrounds.

Using ICT techniques, in a variety of scripts, to create labels, posters and books enables all children to feel their home languages are acknowledged and valued within their school.

Media technology affects the form and practice of all cultures, whether minority or majority (eg internet, television, films and music videos). For example, the fusion of music cultures (through the application of modern music technology) has produced new styles of music. By describing how the merging of cultures can give rise to original work, effective teachers can avoid fossilising minority lifestyles or cultural practices. Pupils also learn that all cultures develop: each one is a product of mixing influences over time.

• Example from B/3b:
  'using materials which reflect social and cultural diversity and provide positive images of race, gender and disability.' This could also be extended to include age, religion/belief and sexual orientation.

The internet can be used to access information and images that positively represent social and cultural diversity. Conversely, the internet also holds information that promotes the views of extremist and racist groups. Consequently, in schools where ICT is taught effectively, pupils are discriminating in their use of information. They:

• appreciate that all information on the web is not of equal value;
• understand that anyone can publish anything on the web;
• learn that web resources have often not been edited and their facts have not been checked (unlike traditional print media);
• learn to validate and verify information;
• understand how domain names (eg 'dot.edu', 'dot.com', 'dot.ac.uk' and 'dot.org') can assist in identifying sources;
• are aware that information found in private users' areas may express views that do not necessarily reflect those of a host organisation;
• are encouraged to consider the purpose of a site (eg ‘Is the author seeking to inform, persuade or sell something?’).

Just as the internet can be used to present unsuitable material, it can also empower minority groups positively. Where web-authoring skills are well taught, pupils recognise that the web can provide a voice for under-represented people in the mainstream media. The use of e-mail and participation in discussion forums show how ICT can benefit the promotion of active citizenship.

• Example from B/3b:
  'taking action to maintain interest and continuity of learning for pupils who may be absent for extended periods of time'

Some schools have developed websites for providing materials to support home and independent learning around topics covered at school. The rapid expansion of the internet has seen the launch of cybercafés in towns and cities throughout the world. Pupils can access materials from home or from anywhere else in the world where there is an internet connection. In some minority groups, families may visit relatives in their countries of origin: such stays tend to be for extended periods of time. A few schools are beginning to make use of websites and e-mail to enable pupils and parents to keep in contact with their class and teachers in the UK.

Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils

• Example from C/8b:
  'providing support by using ICT or video or audio materials'

Some disadvantaged groups have limited access to ICT at home. Effective schools make arrangements for access to ICT resources to be available outside normal school hours. Many such schools organise breakfast, lunchtime and/or homework clubs. Some parents may have a cultural mistrust of ICT: in such cases, schools would arrange parent-and-pupil ICT classes to improve home-school links and to provide opportunities for families to learn about ICT together. Such initiatives can help to support the development of pupil competency in ICT, while maintaining the positive attitude towards such children's home cultures.

Principles to inform teaching and learning

ICT can support learning across the curriculum

Pupils should be given opportunities to develop and apply their capabilities in ICT through all subjects. Other subjects provide valuable contexts for addressing anti-racist issues with ICT support.

For example, ICT can be used in a historical or geographical context to gather and analyse data in relation to population immigration and emigration. ICT methods can be used to organise and present information to show trends over time. Pupils can then use this information to inform their discussions about the nature and scale of population movement. In one school, pupils examined the reporting of immigration in the media. They used ICT to gather data and analyse trends over time:

• They calculated the number of people in transit as a percentage of the whole population.
• They used the statistical information gathered to consider the appropriateness of vocabulary such as 'flooded' or 'swamped', as used in some sections of the media.
• They were asked to consider why 'immigrants' are often referred to as 'settlers' when movements of people are described with relation to America or Australia.

In many subject areas, pupils may use e-mail for direct communication with pupils from other countries, cultures and backgrounds. The focus for their dialogue can vary widely, but any dialogue can contribute to developing greater mutual understanding and respect. Older pupils can address more contentious issues than younger children. Dialogue with peers from different backgrounds helps pupils begin to appreciate that all cultures have positive worth but that, on the other hand, all cultures include some values or attitudes that can prove problematic.

ICT is a technology that can support teaching and learning

Technology can have a direct influence on the development of culture. For example, recent developments in contemporary popular music are the result of the application of technology to combine sound samples from diverse musical traditions. Pupils can use modern music software to create original compositions using similar approaches. This is an activity that motivates and engages many students. Activities such as this show that cultures are dynamic and that cultural synthesis can be a powerful creative force.

Teaching ICT in a global context

Where ICT is taught effectively, pupils can gather information from a variety of sources. They become discriminating in the use of the information they find and begin to question its plausibility and value. Pupils acquire skills to identify bias and prejudice in information, and consider the use and abuse of statistics to support particular views.

In one school, pupils accessed a range of news websites (national and international) to locate different reports of the same events. They used this information to create a newspaper called Global perspectives. This activity supported the pupils in developing an understanding of bias and of differing presentations of world events and the people who shape them. The pupils applied several techniques to validate the information. An understanding of bias in reporting encourages open-mindedness, and can give confidence in challenging racist statements and practices.

Effective teachers encourage pupils to use the web to find and present information that reflects social and cultural diversity: this can help to confront stereotypes.

One school used internet and video-conferencing media to show pupils lifestyles not always reflected in class through traditional resources. For example, the pupils discovered photographs showing that many Africans live in urban environments; and that most cities around the world have skyscrapers.

Developing ideas and making things happen

In ICT, pupils use tools to develop and explore information, and to derive new information for specific purposes. They interpret information by analysing it for patterns and trends. For example, pupils may collect data from many sources and record it on a spreadsheet (for comparison and arithmetic manipulation). Pupils can then create graphical representations to help identify the patterns and trends within the data.

Pupils need to use and develop ICT simulations and models. This can include exploring interactive environments and scenarios on the web (such as www.britkid.org) or using CD-ROMs such as HomeBeats (produced by the Institute for Race Relations). Interacting with simulations like these can help pupils to develop a greater understanding of the experiences and perspectives of other people. Pupils should go on to evaluate ICT simulation models: they might even progress to using multimedia or web-based tools to create their own scenarios and environments.

Exchanging and sharing information

Where ICT is well taught, pupils use appropriate tools to draft, organise and present information. They become sensitive to the needs of the audience and begin to think carefully about content and quality when communicating information. Pupils are also taught how to share and exchange information using e-mail.

• E-mail and the internet

Many modern school projects are organised to encourage pupils to exchange information using e-mail. To support a multicultural approach to education, these exchanges are sometimes organised between schools, ranging from schools within the same town to schools in different countries.

For example, pupils from a largely Muslim school and a Roman Catholic school used e-mail to undertake an interfaith dialogue activity at key stage 2 level. Another school regularly undertook collaborative projects on various themes with pupils from schools in South Africa and India.

Such exchanges provide an effective way for young people to engage in dialogue with others of a different culture and background. Many pupils find the immediacy and authenticity of these contacts engaging and motivating. In addition to providing pupils with access to greater cultural diversity, e-mail exchanges show that young people often share common concerns and interests.

Many schools also provide opportunities for children's parents and other relatives to become involved in school projects. Some schools invite parents to send them e-mail messages to share information about their jobs, memories of schooling and other areas of experience: these e-mails form an archive that can support topic work in class. Such dialogue helps to build positive relationships between generations, and can show how different cultures develop and change over time.

Occasionally schools participate in 'net events', which can give pupils direct access to influential figures and role models such as authors and stars from sport, media and the arts. Participation in these activities can help celebrate the success and contributions of minority groups. For many pupils, such events help to promote pride in cultural heritage and personal identity, and an awareness of the contribution of high-profile people from ethnic minority groups to global knowledge and culture.

• Presentational software

When pupils wish to share their ideas, ICT tools are often the best way of doing so (eg word processors, publishing software and multimedia authoring). Pupils can use electronic publishing software to create documents for particular audiences' needs. For example, pupils in one school used sound files to create talking glossaries to make culturally specific vocabulary accessible to a wider readership. One English teacher used ICT to create sound files in a range of dialects and accents to show the differences between spoken and written language, recognising the strengths and limitations of both forms.

A similar project ran in another school, where key stage 2 children created spreadsheets of how some common English words have their roots in other languages, and to investigate how English has evolved over time.

In another school, children used a digital camera to collect images of parents and children representative of the different ethnic groups at the school. They recorded sound files of their parents saying short messages of welcome in a variety of languages. The children, with the teacher's help, combined the pictures and sounds to make a series of 'welcome screens' for use on parents' evenings. This key stage 1 activity shows children that multimedia software can transform collected information into products with a defined purpose. The task also gives equal value to all the cultures within this school's community.

• Web authoring

Standard software packages allow for work to be saved in HTML format, the common language of the internet. Where ICT is taught well, pupils can critically evaluate websites by understanding their structure and purpose. The pupils can then start to design and build their own websites.

Older pupils learn that the web can empower individuals and groups by giving a voice to those under-represented in mainstream media. The internet can be harnessed positively to promote active citizenship through the use of e-mail and discussion forums.

Reviewing, modifying and evaluating work as it progresses

One of the most important features of ICT is the ease with which tools can be used to amend and modify work as it develops: pupils can be taught to review, modify and evaluate their work as they create it. These editorial skills are crucial for practical ICT tasks.

In addition to practical activities, pupils are provided with opportunities to discuss their use of ICT and its more general impact on society. Pupils should be taught to 'reflect critically on the impact of ICT on their own and others' lives, considering the social, economic, political, legal, ethical and moral issues' (4b, key stage 4).

In schools where effective ICT teaching takes place, these discussions often encompass issues that relate directly to multicultural and anti-racist issues. For example, pupils in some schools discuss the impact of ICT on globalisation (making the world seem a smaller place). This includes the idea that many economic activities using ICT can be undertaken in any location. Pupils learn that this can have positive and negative effects on employment. For example, a discussion about the use of ICT in medicine and warfare would highlight its social and ethical implications for society.

In one school, pupils investigated the global development of ICT. Some groups gave presentations on the contribution of Indian software engineers to the development of ICT operating systems, applications and hardware. They highlighted the significant amount of programming and data-processing that currently takes place in India.