The interactive whiteboard: A transitional technology supporting diverse teaching practices
Keywords:
interactive, transitional, teaching.Abstract
This article describes the findings of a qualitative study investigating teacher
perspectives on the impact of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) on their classroom
teaching practice, using intensive case studies focusing on six primary and
secondary teachers from two rural schools. The study found that all teachers were
enthusiastic, had seen improvements in student engagement, and were able to
develop and evolve their IWB teaching strategies through explicit reflection.
However, there was considerable diversity both in the ways in which the IWB was
used and in the degree to which teachers changed their classroom teaching
practices. Whereas some (Glover and Miller, 2001; Kennewell, 2006) have been
critical of IWB adoption without clear pedagogical transformation or without
utilisation of all IWB features, we argue that one of the IWB's key benefits is that it
can be used initially without requiring a big shift in pedagogy but that it may
gradually afford more major pedagogical changes over a longer period of time.
These findings are important for the design of professional development in schools
because with such a diversity of perceived IWB affordances, effective professional
development is more likely to take the form of informal practice sharing than of
specific hardware or software training.
References
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2020). The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth. MIT Press.
Psacharopoulos, G., & Patrinos, H. A. (2018). Returns to Education: The Economics of Education. Springer.
Heckman, J. J., & Kautz, T. (2014). Fostering and Measuring Skills: Interventions That Improve Character and Cognition. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(3), 689–731.
Schultz, T. W. (1961). Investment in Human Capital. The American Economic Review, 51(1), 1-17.
Hanushek, E. A., & Woessmann, L. (2015). The Role of Education Quality in Economic Growth. World Bank Research Observer, 30(2), 204-232.
UNESCO (2020). Education and the Economy: The Key to Unlocking Potential in Developing Countries. UNESCO Publishing.
World Bank (2021). The Economic Case for Education: A Global Perspective. Washington, DC: The World Bank.
OECD (2019). Education and Economic Development in the 21st Century. Proceedings of the OECD International Conference.
Carnoy, M. (2017). Education, Economic Growth, and Inequality: A Global Perspective. Stanford University Research Papers.
Levin, H. M., & McEwan, P. J. (2001). Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Education: Methods and Applications. Sage Publications.
