Action Research
P13: Using laptop computers to improve children's report writing skills Author: Julie Toothill, Class Teacher, Hartside Primary School, Co. Durham
Author: Julie Toothill, Class Teacher, Hartside Primary School, Co. Durham
Date: 2005
Summary
This is a fascinating piece of action research which investigates whether the use of laptops can improve report writing skills in Year 6 students. The findings imply a need to distinguish between the development of technical and intellectual skills, and to persistently emphasise basic skills and intellectual development when using ICT for learning and teaching.
Actions
A group of Year 6 students were asked to write four short reports, two on a laptop and two by hand. Their comparative evaluations of the different tools were then gathered by questionnaires and class discussion, and are presented alongside the teacher's perceptions.
Outcomes
Working on the laptops was generally found to be quicker, easier and more popular than producing reports by hand: "children groaned when asked to write by hand." The laptops' editing facilities created time savings, the internet easily enabled swift research, and the colourful and attractive presentation style had a motivating influence - children believed that their work was of higher quality. Learner engagement was sustained for far longer at the laptops than in the handwritten tasks.
The laptops motivated children by making them feel important. Motivation levels appeared to differ between ability groups. Higher ability students found little difference between writing by hand or on a laptop. The strongest motivating influence was found in middle ability students, who remained on-task, completed work in time, and were keen to continue to improve their work at home when using a laptop. "Raised self-esteem is evident," the teacher reported.
Low ability students and students with special educational needs were encouraged by the visual dimension of presentations but continued to struggle as they did with handwritten tasks, and found the process frustrating unless they worked with a partner. Underdeveloped keyboard skills were an obstruction to progress or achievement. In this sense, a lack of technical skills may inhibit the display or development of cognitive skills.
The use of laptops did present challenges, however. Crashes or unreliability led to work being lost and time wasted. There was found to be little impact on attainment. "I believe the tools for writing make little difference to composition and effect," noted the teacher. "Generally, children spent more time improving the appearance of work."
Some basic skills remained under-developed: children appeared to use automatic correction facilities passively rather than actively learning from the spelling and grammar correction process, and handwritten work was untidier than usual.
The complex relationships between style and content, and between developing technical skills and intellectual processes, are highlighted by this research. As one student put it, "does ICT make a difference to my writing? Not really because you are not learning to write you are learning to push buttons." In short, ICT can save time, motivate students and help them to produce more work, more quickly. Yet the importance of clearly focusing on the development of basic non-technical skills and intellectual processes remains paramount.
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