(1888PressRelease)
November 03, 2007 - A new report released by education innovator Futurelab indicates that when used well, interactive whiteboards can have a positive and radical effect on teaching and learning. However, this positive effect depends on teachers using the technology to create a different type of learning environment in the classroom, rather than reinforcing didactic approaches that run counter to the government’s personalised learning agenda.
The Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom Report, published in conjunction with leading whiteboard manufacturer Promethean, focuses on recent research to inform future developments in the design of interactive whiteboards and their use in teaching and training in the UK.
The research shows that interactive whiteboards can be a great teaching resource as they enable teachers to present information in a variety of ways to address a range of learning styles. Teachers can model difficult concepts, display diagrams and maps and provide interactive simulations, while pupils can become active participants in a lesson through collaborative activities such as voting, collecting and analysing data and using digital tools including microscopes. One of the most striking benefits of interactive whiteboards is that they can introduce ‘theatrical tension’ into the classroom. Interactive technologies can also make the teachers job a little easier as they can store and retrieve work quickly, link to websites for additional resources and, used alongside video-conferencing technologies, they allow the outside world into the classroom.
However, Futurelab’s report suggests that while the technology has enabled teachers to present concepts with greater ease and clarity, ‘Interactive whiteboards are often used to place the teacher at the centre of the teaching process directing the transmission of knowledge’. This is due not to the technology itself, but to the lack of ‘substantial wider debates regarding the underpinning pedagogical approaches and clear exemplification of how the technologies fit with broader philosophical and educational principles’, a central element to success.
Tim Rudd, Senior Researcher at Futurelab and author of the report, says: “It is the skill and professional knowledge of the teacher mediating interactions with pupils that are the crucial factors in determining how much ‘value’ is gained from interactive whiteboards.
“While teachers need ‘permission to innovate’, they also need information about policies and initiatives that promote or encourage transformational learning. Personalised learning will only happen when teachers have time to experiment, have training tailored to their needs and access to networks of innovative educators who understand how and why the technology should be used to underpin classroom practice.”
The Government’s e-strategy clearly outlines the need to; “Transform teaching, learning and help to improve outcomes for children and young people through shared ideas, more exciting lessons…” For this to happen, schools will have to re-evaluate the curriculum, teaching methods and assessment practices and make the learner’s needs central. At the same time, software and hardware developers will need to create a new wave of interactive technologies designed to provide learning environments and immersive experiences, rather than just for content delivery. Future developments may include more personal or shared devices such as interactive slates and table-top interactive boards which can be used by individuals and small groups. This will promote collaborative activities and allow teachers to experiment with more dynamic and interactive approaches.
The Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom report can be downloaded free from: http://www.futurelab.org.uk/events/listing/whiteboards/report
