Effectiveness of interactive whiteboards

Following the appearance of Doubts over hi-tech white boards in the Education Section of BBC News Graham Davies started an interesting discussion thread about the topic on the Linguanet forum this week.

The BBC article refers to the DfES report The Interactive Whiteboards, Pedagogy and Pupils Performance Evaluation which claims that IWB use in a sample of schools in the London area is failing to produce the expected learning benefits and rise in standards in the core subjects of Maths, English and Science. It also states that although they were initially welcomed by pupils the resulting boost in motivation has been short-lived and that too often they are used to complete relatively low level activities and can slow the pace of whole class learning.

The publication also stresses the importance of teachers receiving appropriate training on how to best integrate the boards into their practice.

Successful CPD is most likely to be effective if it supports individual teachers' exploration of their current pedagogy, and helps identify how IWB use can support, extend or transform this. Discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different ways of using the technology for particular purposes should be part of the on-going work of a department.

Like Graham, I think that it is vital to train teachers in new technologies like interactive whiteboards so they can be used effectively and with imagination. We need to have the opportunity and time to explore their potential and gain subject-specific advice on how they can enhance learning. We must ensure that we are not seduced by the wow factor of projecting our computer screen on to the wall and neglect other proven ways of engaging pupils with or without ICT.

An Interactive whiteboard in the hands of a skilled practitioner can be a powerful and versatile learning tool. e.g

• Multimedia resources such as video, audio, images, text and presentation can be launched in a matter of seconds to increase the pace of lessons and keep pupils on task.
• Colour-coded backgrounds or text colour conventions for nouns/adjectives (blue for masculine, pink for feminine and green for plural) can reinforce notions of grammar and gender.
• Resources from sites such as MFLresources, Teacher Resource Exchange and TES Resource Bank can be downloaded and changed to suit the individual needs of your pupils or created from scratch in your own time.
• PowerPoint presentations can bring topics to life with animated graphics, effects, triggers and drag and drop macros.
• Self-authoring packages can enable teachers to create a number of interactive exercises quickly and easily with minimal preparation
• Activities can be quickly adapted and differentiated for individual needs.
• It is easier and less time-consuming to show pupils the written form of words and expressions instead of resorting to spending hours making similar activities for the OHP or with flashcards.
• Pupils can present examples of their work to the class
• Pupils can individually interact with the board from the front, computer or remotely via a wireless mouse or tablet.
• They can enter text live using an on screen keyboard while their classmates write their answers on mini whiteboards which they then hold above their head when ready.
• An internet connection can allow pupils to visit sites for accessing authentic resources, completing interactive exercises created by other language teachers, videoconferencing via a webcam with native speakers or reading and writing blog posts to help their learning and cultural awareness.

Of course using ICT lends itself to much more than just whole class teaching. Pupils can benefit greatly through rigorous practice in a computer suite where they are working at their own pace, receiving immediate feedback and gaining more independence from the teacher.

With my own pupils I've found the combination of whole class teaching and completing customised activities in the computer room has produced effective results and embedded concepts such as verb forms, adjectival agreement as well as helped spelling and comprehension.

Pupils can also use technology to bring out their creativity and imagination. e.g

• record and listen to themselves practising role-plays or whole class drilling with mp3 players or mobile phones
• video each other and create assessment for learning opportunities where they critique each other's performances
• create Photo Stories, PowerPoint presentations or comic strips illustrating a particular topic
• collaborate on a school blog or wiki

Admittedly, the DfES report is disappointing, yet arguably realistic at this stage of investigation. On a brighter note, the following reports provide a much more positive picture of the learning benefits of using technology in the languages classroom:

• Impact of ICT in schools: a landscape review
• The use of ICT for teaching and learning languages

For some more specific ideas on how to use ICT in MFL, why not have a look at these resources?

• SSAT languages lead practitioner page which includes Lesley Welsh's top tips for exploiting the interactive classroom.
• Chris Harte's recent presentation from BETT 07.
• Lizzie Hoskins' CILT/ALL Action Research on Using the Interactive Whiteboard to maintain focus including her full report which can be downloaded from here
• Languages-ICT News Update

You could also find out what training opportunities are being offered in your local area by CILT, ALL and SSAT

To see the whole thread from the Linguanet forum, go to the archives and run a search for Effectiveness of interactive whiteboards.

Comments

[David Noble]

Great post, as ever Joe!

We are receiving an IWB demo from Promethean this coming Wednesday. This is a thought-provoking post which I'll circulate to staff..."it's about the teach, not the tech" after all.

[Helen Myers]

1. This is a great summary of what can be done with a data projector, laptop, software and connection to the Internet. Thanks Joe.

2. I would recommend that many of the activities can be done even more effectively if pupils have access to computers 1:1 or in groups so that even more pupils are involved in the actual practice / creation / review.

3. Are there any activities you mention for which you believe an IWB is essential? (i.e. as opposed to laptop / projection / access to software and connectivity?

Helen

[Joe Dale]

I think for rigorous practice working 1:1 in a computer room is ideal because everyone is working independently and at their own pace. Programs like TaskMagic, Hot Potatoes, Spellmaster and Fun with Texts lend themselves very well to this sort of reinforcement and extension.

In a whole class situation, projecting on to a large screen is a brilliant way of presenting information clearly and conveying meaning using colour and movement. For me the advantage of an interactive whiteboard is that it involves pupils more in their learning and they are not simply watching, but taking part admittedly individually or in pairs.

When I first started teaching in this way, I only had a data projector sat on the desk in front of my normal whiteboard which worked well for showing PowerPoint presentations, but was disappointing for pupils when completing interactive exercises as I felt what they really wanted to do was to work on the board not at the laptop. Once the school was fitted out with IWBs, there was an immediate change in the pupils' attitude and motivation in using the board. I also preferred to be stood by the side of my board as I had been previously with my OHP rather than sitting down next to my laptop.

When we complete activities as a whole class, I tend to either have one pupil at the board answering with others holding up mini whiteboards or two at the front taking it in turns to click on the board and asking their team to answer appropriately. For TaskMagic, I find there are certain games which work equally well as a whole class activity as in a computer suite whereas others work better 1:1.

For Multi-Match, I have one person up the front, being the teacher, reading out the three possible answers with the others having to answer from their seats by raising their hands. For True or False, I play a lively tune and tell pupils they have to stand up when the picture and text matches and sit down when they don't. This works very well and caters particularly well for the kinaesthetic pupils. For Type, one person enters the text at the board and the others write their answers on their mini whiteboards so I can immediately see if anyone has made any spelling mistakes.

Getting pupils to drag and drop words and images in PowerPoint is also great on the interactive whiteboard. There is no feedback from the software, but I can see immediately if the pupils have understood correct word order or the meaning of certain vocabulary items and I can give feedback myself or ask the rest of the class. This sort of activity would not work as well on a computer suite and if I wanted my pupils to complete such an exercise, I would prefer them to do a Hot Potatoes exercise such as JMix which would give feedback on whether and answer was correct or not. The important thing is to choose what fits the pupils' learning best in which context.

I hope to get a wireless mouse and keyboard in the future and I would like to see what effect they may have on my classes in relation to the different types of interactivity they offer and how that influences the pupils' learning. Watch this space.