ICT in learning and teaching
Summary of findings from qualitative research
The use of ICT to improve the quality and efficiency of teaching and learning is the most important of the ICT Test Bed themes, to which all the other themes are related, since this is education's core business. This report focuses in particular on the use of whole-class teaching technologies since all three clusters have made very significant investments in these, placing them in every classroom in many schools. The rate of development of ICT use varies significantly between schools and teachers within schools, but this report focuses on 24 classrooms selected by senior managers: it, therefore, reflects some of the best practice in ICT Test Bed.
Whole-class technologies, with their large screens, and interactive facilities, have changed the ambiance of the classroom significantly. The evaluators observed the use of: content-rich web-based materials such as drill and practice 'games', materials created by teachers (a presentation on histograms, for example, and downloaded images and scanned texts) and exercises designed with standard office programs such as mathematics activities using spreadsheets. The clarity of teachers' presentations is greatly improved and students frequently show high levels of attention, both of which make it easier for teachers to explain complex skills and/or concepts. One teacher said:
I know for a fact that [without the large screen] I wouldn't be teaching them as much [...] and I know that they wouldn't be learning as much because they'd be looking around [...] It's made it a lot easier because they're looking at it and it's clear to them, it's on a big scale.
In two of the clusters, schools have installed interactive whiteboards which combine computer facilities with data projectors and touch-sensitive screens; schools in the third cluster have installed specialist suites of a large screen, data projector, computer, visualiser and graphics tablet. In this report both alternatives are referred to as 'whole-class technologies'. Projected electronic resources can be dynamic, allowing rapid editing and movement (video clips, animation) which opens up exciting possibilities for teaching and learning.
A large screen taking up a sizeable area of classroom wall space is significant as a focus of attention. For example, a reception class teacher said:
They were sitting quietly through the whole lesson and they are only five. If I was using the [traditional] whiteboard it would not have held their attention so well.
Some institutions were using voting systems whereby pupils respond to multi-choice questions and the responses are displayed as a graph, and this was clearly enjoyed by pupils. Pupils could also produce video clips using Digital Blue cameras for display on the large screen, for example for peer teaching or as a stimulus for self-evaluation and critical feed-back from peers. The immediate availability of sound is also useful, for example using the children's own voices to present facts and questions.
The whole-class technologies have proved reliable because of good technical support, but in some schools there have been problems with visibility necessitating blinds (notably in secondary schools where large numbers of classrooms have been equipped and less attention may have been paid to detail during procurement). It is important to position projectors so that they do not shine directly into teachers' eyes as this is a potentially serious health hazard.
Teachers are producing or acquiring resources for use with whole class technologies and sharing these as well as storing them for future re-use. The evaluators observed some very creative uses of presentation software. Pace is significantly increased when a range of resources have been assembled in advance: teachers often 'called up' these pre-prepared resources with a touch of the pen or mouse as they moved from one section of the lesson to the next. One teacher commented that initially she used too much PowerPoint and came to realise that although the children enjoyed it, they were passive. She had started to adapt the resources to build in more student activities. In much of the best presentation, the pupils themselves wrote on the board and responded to the displayed material.
Whole-class technologies fit well with existing whole-class teaching approaches. Lessons in primary schools tended to follow fixed formats, with individual tasks rather than collaborative or interactive work set in the middle stage. The evaluators observed some individualised activities in all sectors, but in many instances whole class technologies remained didactic tools, improving classroom ambiance rather than learner autonomy.
In classrooms with 8-foot screens, a computer, data projector and wireless tablet together offer similar functionality to a whiteboard and can be used with similar software, enabling teachers and pupils to move letters around the screen, highlight text and annotate material as well as interact with any program. Where visualisers are used they are not in themselves 'interactive', but pupils can use them to demonstrate their completed work and teachers can project and magnify whatever is being done under the camera - demonstrating wiring a plug or dissecting a flower. The advantage of both the visualiser and wireless tablet for pupils is that they are writing in a plane they are used to (that is, horizontal like a desk, not upright) and use natural sized handwriting which is blown up on the large screen. In many schools these resources have been introduced in phases and therefore teachers' expertise and confidence with the various elements is currently more variable.
Almost all lessons with an interactive whiteboard observed in schools took place in a classroom rather than a computer suite, but this was not the case in the FE colleges. Laptop or desktop computers were available in primary school classrooms as a resource for individual or group work and in one exceptional Year 6 classroom we saw pupils move easily and quickly from the IWB session to using their own personal laptops. By contrast, a similar transfer to laptops took twenty minutes in one of the FE classrooms.
It is clear that whole-class technologies have the potential to transform classrooms and, in some cases, are already doing so. However, questions remain to be studied as the ICT Test Bed project moves into its third year.
Teaching and learning - questions remaining to be answered
- What is really innovative when using whole-class technologies? Will it be sufficient if we see an accelerated curriculum but not an enriched curriculum as a result of this investment?
- How can whole-class technologies be used effectively to ensure differentiation? Do whole-class technologies work against the policy drive for personalised learning?
- What is the actual state of teacher development across all ICT Test Bed classrooms (as opposed to a selected group) in terms of skills to use whole-class technologies?
- There is a huge perceived need to develop, manage and store resources for use with whole-class technologies. How can teachers best be assisted in doing this?
- Does the investment represent value for money? Some FE teachers we interviewed were not convinced it was, and responses in secondary schools, where levels of equipment often still vary significantly between departments, were less wholly enthusiastic than in primary schools.