The Symposium gets a sneak preview of latest BECTA report into the impact of Interactive Whiteboards

The start of day two saw BECTA provide a ‘hot off the press’ snapshot of their latest research in the UK – The Evaluation of The Primary School Whiteboard Expansion Project.

The DfES Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion project (PSWE) provided substantial funding to 21 Local Authorities in 2003-04 to support the acquisition and use of interactive whiteboards in primary schools.

The implementation and impacts of the project were evaluated by a team at Manchester Metropolitan University, led by Professor Bridget Somekh.

This major study into the the impact of interactive technologies on student performance standards, involved 20 Local Authorities and 7272 learners in 97 schools. Variables considered in this detailed research included; length of exposure to interactive whiteboard technology, the age of pupils (down to individual birthdays), gender, special needs, entitlement to free schools meals and other socio-economic groupings.

Dr. Vanessa Pittard from BECTA had the following to offer after her presentation:

“The findings are stunning. They clearly show that when teachers fully integrate interactive whiteboards, and they make best use of their functionality, pupils really do benefit.”

She went on to say that it is also a story that gets better over time:

“A consistent finding across all data was that the length of time pupils have been taught with an IWB is a major factor that leads to attainment gains. The impact of interactive technology is also bigger with second cohorts… when the technology has been more embedded. “

The research was also clear in where barriers to student attainment lay and how interactive technology helps address them. Vanessa stated that:

“Socio-economic group is a significant factor in student attainment – which remains a core challenge. The evidence around low attaining boys in the study however, suggests clearly that use of interactive technology improves the performance of less engaged pupils.”

The research also addressed some concerns that interactive whiteboards supported old fashioned instructional models. She said.

“Too much focus on whole class teaching was shown to be not true – with many examples of small group activity and individual and one to one work being found. Interactive technology clearly does increase the interaction between pupils and teachers – with more questioning time & longer pupil answers. This is not just a didactic technology.”

Overview of the findings

The research showed that interactive whiteboard technology led to consistent gains across all key stages and subjects. Gains were measured in ‘months progress’ against standard measures of attainment over the two year study period.

In infant classes, ages 5 – 7:

• In Key Stage 1 Maths, high attaining girls made gains of 4.75 months over the two years, enabling them to catch up with high attaining boys.
• In Key Stage 1 Science, there was improved progress for girls of all attainment levels and for average and high attaining boys.
• In Key Stage 1 English, average and high attending pupils all benefited from increased exposure to interactive whiteboards

There was also clear evidence of similar impacts in Key stage two – ages 7 – 11

• In Key Stage 2 Maths, average and high attaining boys and girls who had been taught extensively with the Interactive Whiteboard made the equivalent of an extra 2.5 to 5 months progress over the course of the two years.
• In Key Stage 2 Science, all pupils, except high attaining girls made greater progress with more exposure to the IWB, with low attaining boys making as much as 7.5 months additional progress
• In Key Stage 2 writing, boys with low attainment made 2.5 months of additional progress.

There was no adverse impact at any level. Vanessa Pittard says that this is a very critical finding. It means “schools can explore this particular type of technology without risk of failure.”The study also indicated how interactive whiteboards have very positive impacts on the attention, attitude and motivation of all pupils and produces a co-operative, ‘community of learning’ ethos in the class. It also shows how Interactive Whiteboards help with teaching abstract and difficult concepts and complex ideas – visual tools help pupils concentrate for longer and understand more fully.

BECTA summarise the research as follows:

“This study clearly shows the benefits that can be gained from effective use of an interactive whiteboard. We know that technology has the capability of bringing lessons to life and making that much more enjoyable for the learner.

Not only do the lessons become more fun, the study clearly shows the very real benefits in terms of learner attainment and engaging pupils in lessons.”

We asked Vanessa about where research could be looking next. We discussed Promethean Planet and the tools Promethean are putting in place to support of a global, resource sharing, practitioner community.

“Teacher workload is a major factor – sharing of resources and ideas will have great impact over time.”

With the Reveal project already highlighting classroom successes with learner response systems, there is clearly an opportunity to explore how other technologies designed to work in close conjunction with interactive whiteboards are impacting learning.

So the results are in and according to the research it looks like a win for interactive technology?

Read the full report here: Evaluation of the Primary Schools Whiteboard Expansion Project

Day 1 Q&A – 21st Century Teacher Training

The end of the first day saw a great question and answer session around teacher training. Particulary around the fact that many classteachers have access to levels of technology and supporting professional development that are perhaps unavailable to trainee teachers. 

A early question was raised about Colleges of Education. Are they old fashioned in their outlook? How do we bring them into the 21st Century?

Sir Geoff Hampton asked us to consider what skills we should be providing trainee teachers with in the modern age. He said trainees need to be trained for teaching in tomorrow’s world. He also advised on some approaches that are showing signs of successfully working, including how a much closer, on-going cooperation between trainee teachers and working practitioners could encourage development of more up to date skills. If the trainee and the teacher are dealing with the same issues together, then there can be effective cross-fertilizing of ideas. (a form of teaching apprenticeship perhaps?)

A higher education institution in the US commented that they had put Activboards in 17 classrooms at the College of Education. Now two thirds of their faculty are adopting the technology. A key factor in their success has been in the integration of Promethean professional development programmes into the staff and student training.

Stephen Jury from Promethean noted that Promethean are keen to partner with more Schools of Education in order to explore the industry/academic partnerships needed to address this skills gap and Tom Greaves suggested making a level of basic IWB competency an employment requirement.

A US district replied, describing their programme, “The best in everyone” – a compulsary 9 hour course in effective Interactive Whiteboard use that all teachers must take.

A quick interview with Tom Greaves on the impact of Interactive technology

We caught up with Tom over lunch. He was quick to comment on the Promethean multi-input Activboard. He had the following to say:

“The multi pen board from Promethean is an amazing beauty we have yet to fully appreciate and understand.

To me, the London study into Interactive Whiteboards highlighted how teachers, who had not got the benefit of strong professional development support, could misuse the immense potential of an Interactive Whiteboard. Examples of this included bringing single students up to work through questions and slowing down the flow of the lesson.

I think this Promethean development will literally change everything. Collaborative, shared use of the board cannot be avoided. Students walking into a Promethean Activclassroom will instantly know they can expect more than an instructivist experience.”

On the wider, long term impact of the Activboard and Activclassroom in classrooms, Tom had the following to say:

We are just starting the journey to understand how Activboards will change everything. We are perhaps only 5 years into a 30 year cycle. The whole idea of a large, group centric, interactive display system will become ubiquitous. The connection to the curriculum will migrate to it, content will migrate, assessment will migrate.

In a short time we can expect that there will be little curriculum that is not tied to the interactive whiteboard presentation. Currently teachers have to look at their state standards, look at the curriculum, look at the paper based tests and then look at the Activboard and Activote and try to make sense of it all.”

Promethean has set out to help teachers make the best of the opportunity presented by interactive technology through the creation of Promethean Planet and the Promethean Learning portals. What is Tom’s view on these?

“The huge success of Promethean Planet is because the intrinsic value of the activboard is fully understood by educators.

The teachers recognise the potential of the solution to change the outputs of their their teaching to such a degree that they are prepared to help drive the community to evolve itself to maximise it.

This is unprecedented with any other learning technology that schools are embracing.

Teachers are doing this because they feel the Activboard has the promise of doing ‘extraordinary things’ in the classroom – and in light of that – teachers are prepared to do extraordinary things to celebrate and share this…. they know their contribution will help another educator do something extraordinary.”

I asked Tom what other research could help those considering an Interactive technology purchase understand the benefits.

“One thing that has struck me in reading the research reports is that there is at least 30 different kinds of uses of Interactive Whiteboards – while many of them are highly productive academically, some are only mildly productive and some potentially damaging. What I think is missing – as far as I can tell – is that no one has made a ranked list of board uses based on expected student outcomes. For Example – one use of the board is that the teacher can create a graphic representation of something at the board in moments. Compared with using a chalkboard – each time this skill is applied – time is saved. Time is a measurable and valuable commodity in a busy classroom. If you are just using the board to help slower student work our problems – then the board has little if any advantage over a chalkboard.”

An empirical study into the 20 or 30 most common teacher activities and how the use of the Activclassroom changes them will generate data that makes clear where and how teacher productivity is actually being maximised. It is also important that rubrics are in place that measure not only time but quality, richness and depth.

We also need to capture and understand what makes for ‘the Ah ha!” moments.”

Perhaps our readers have something that needs to be on the list of existing and new teacher techniques that can be facilitated using Interactive Technology.  Please comment!

Professor Geoff Hampton, Graham Howe and Jean-Yves Charlier open the Symposium

A warm October day saw over two hundred educators from all around the world flock to the Millenium Gloucester Hotel in London Kensington to share and learn from each other. Sir Geoff recognised the common thread of global interest in Interactive Technologies that had brought so many people to the conference.

An exciting journey was mapped out by Graham Howe, Chairman of Promethean Ltd. – with the massive growth in interactive whiteboards meaning that ‘Every 5 minutes a Promethean Activboard is installed in the USA!

Graham also raised a key question – “If I don’t learn the way you teach – Why don’t you teach the way I learn?”  Over the next few days,  people will discover how Interactive Technologies can answer that fundamental question that faces everyone in the digital age.

Sir Geoff reflected on his career and beliefs as an educator. He identified common threads….

• Children Love Rules,
• Children need Enjoyment and Stimulation,
• Childred Deserve Respect,

Together he believes these ‘unlock the joy of teaching and learning’.

But what do children think?  They think it is all about….

• Good relationships
• Good, friendly teachers
• Productive staff and pupil communication
• A place where you can have fun
• Having a good headteacher
• Being in a school that has a good reputation