‘The visual helps me understand the complicated things’: pupil views of teaching and learning with interactive whiteboards

Abstract

Kate Wall is a research associate in the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University. She has a particular interest in gathering pupils' views of learning and their thinking about learning in different contexts, in particular, how ICT can facilitate pupil reflection and how metacognitive talk can be initiated. AbstractThis study is one element of a government-sponsored evaluation into the introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) to Years 5 and 6 in English primary schools. This element of the research aimed to gather information regarding pupil views of IWBs and the impact these tools can have on teaching and learning. To extend current literature, the method targeted pupils' views of how IWBs can impact on metacognition: thinking about learning. Using a template that has been developed by the Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University, pupils were encouraged to talk about learning in different contexts: this methodology and its rationale are described. The results show that overall comments from the pupils are positive, with the resulting themes encompassing how the IWB can facilitate and initiate learning and impact on preferred approaches to learning. The pupils describe how different elements of software and hardware can motivate, aid concentration, and keep their attention. On the negative side, pupils candidly describe their frustration when there are technical difficulties, their desire to use the board themselves and their perceptions of teacher and pupil effects. As IWBs are becoming more and more prevalent in schools, we discuss implications and make recommendations for teachers and manufacturers.

Interactive White Boards’ Added Value in Special Education

“…IWBs can initiate and facilitate learning and metacognition process effectively through visual and verbal-social features of the built-in software and hardware technology, which is being presented through color and movement, and being viewed by the majority of students positively, for many different reasons such as the visual display of information, the use of games, the concentration and the use of the board by the students themselves [33].…”

“…IWBs aid students' concentration and have an impact on preferred approaches to learning such as imagination, demonstration and metacognition [24].…”

The Interactive Whiteboard: Uses, Benefits, and Challenges. A survey of 11,683 Students and 1,131 Teachers | Le tableau blanc interactif : usages, avantages et défis. Une enquête auprès de 11 683 élèves et 1131 enseignants

“…Furthermore, of the 15 reviewed syntheses, only four included a detailed description of the research methodology (DiGregorio & Sobel-Lojeski, 2010;Golonka et al, 2012;Saltan et al, 2009;Twiner et al, 2010), indicating a lack of rigor. Overall, these studies and meta-analyses mentioned two potential benefits of the IWB: better presentation of certain theoretical content using multisensorial techniques (Saltan et al, 2009), but at the same time using a lecture-style approach (see Littleton, 2010); and higher student interest, at least in the short term (see Balta & Duran, 2015;DiGregorio & Sobel-Lojeski, 2010;Wall et al, 2005). Greater student motivation (see also Higgins et al, 2007Higgins et al, , 2010Hall & Higgins, 2005) was the most frequent finding across the studies, although appetite for the IWB appears to wane over time (see Balta & Duran, 2015;Dostal, 2011;Türel, 2010).…”

Using the Interactive Whiteboards to Teach Picture Books the Case of Taiwan

“…By doing so, it also improves students' academic performance and concentration (Murcia, 2008;Terreni, 2010;Wall, Higgins, & Smith, 2005). Talley, Lancy & Lee (1997) found that preschoolers who had read electronic picture books at home demonstrate more willingness to read.…”

“…Moreover, the use of the interactive whiteboard to present diverse information is attractive to students and enhances their concentration. It also increases students' interest in learning and supports their construction of knowledge (Hall & Higgins, 2005;Schmid, 2008;Slay et al, 2008;Wall et al, 2005). Students hold positive attitudes toward the interactive whiteboard, while teachers can use it to create a lively learning environment and make learning activities more exciting (Gatlin, 2004).…”