SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Stage 1 Teachers Fitting New Technologies Into Established Pedagogies
The issue being evaluated is the impact of interactive whiteboards - IWB - on pedagogy in England. The response from teachers concerning the use of interactive whiteboards (IWB) was enthusiastic. Over a 2 year period there was an increase of teachers ICT skills and an observable continuous professional development process through the Communities of Practice.
The children’s test scores in English, Science and Mathematics (at age 11) improved when they had been taught with an IWB for more than 2 years. The length of time is the main factor.
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Some teachers developed new ways of working by using new skills that make use of the board. The aim was to enhance interactivity with pupils. Many teachers tried to be more inclusive and co-operative in supporting learning. There were either improvements on previous pedagogical practices - due to the board – or completely new practices.
ICT is not enough by itself, a teacher has to determine the combination of modalities that best aid the students to learn and understand. The teacher has to appreciate the subgroups of pupils e.g. gifted students.
For the tool to be used effectively there is need to allow pupils to interact with the IWB as the main mediating artefact. In one example the students focused more on the board than the teacher. The reason the students said was so that they can better concentrate / understand what was being taught. Hearing something from the teacher was not clear enough at times but looking at the message on the IWB made it clear.
For example, there is the use of the IWB in co-learner style of teaching – the teacher and pupils work together instead of adopting the formal roles as teacher and learners. This is an improvement on the use of the IWB. Although shared learning already existed earlier, there is an added advantage of using the IWB this way as it enhances interactivity.
There is also the new style of lesson planning where the resources of teaching are stored with the aims and objectives. These items are accessible at any time. This enables to teacher to be flexible in the handling of the class.
In conclusion, I agree with the findings of this study. When the IWB is used for more than 2 years it becomes embedded in the pedagogy as a mediating artefact. The teacher can stimulate learning and is more flexible in the classroom. There is a three stage process in the pedagogic change with an IWB, these are:
Stage 2: teachers engaging in collaborative exploration of the new opportunities offered by these technologies
Stage 3: teachers using the IWB skillfully and intuitively in ways that extended or transformed their established pedagogic practices.
References
Lewin, C., Somekh, B., & Steadman, S. (2008). Embedding interactive whiteboards in teaching and learning: The process of change in pedagogic practice. Education and Information Technologies, 13(4) 291–303. © Springer Science+Business Media 2008. With kind permission from Spring Science+Business Media.
