Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class interaction. Strong claims are made for their value by manufacturers and policy makers, but there has been little research on how, if at all, they influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals. This study has been designed to examine this issue, using observations in primary (elementary) school classrooms, and builds on the authors' previous research on ICT in educational dialogues and collaborative activities.
Keywords: Interactive whiteboards; pedagogy, primary education, multimodality, learning technology
BackgroundAs part of the UK government's plans to embed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in schools, substantial investment has brought Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) into the everyday life of the primary (elementary) school classroom (as described by Higgins, Beauchamp and Miller in this issue). The introduction of IWBs is expressly related by policy makers to the goal of raising attainment through improving pedagogic practice; strong claims that the use of IWBs can 'transform' teachers' practice are made by both policy makers and manufacturers. The underlying assumption is that IWBs will have blanket benefits for learning, as former UK Secretary of State for Education Charles Clarke (as quoted by Arnott, 2004) asserted: 'Every school of the future will have an interactive whiteboard in every classroom, technology has already revolutionised learning'.However, as has been the case with earlier ICT initiatives, there is a danger that the introduction of this expensive, potentially valuable piece of equipment is 'technologyled' (i.e. it is introduced because it is available) rather than 'education-led' (i.e. it is introduced because it is known to meet the professional needs of teachers and the educational needs of children better than existing educational tools). There is no doubt that IWBs have some interesting affordances that could be of value for classroom teaching (for a full discussion see Higgins, Beauchamp and Miller, this issue). Our research, which draws on work on teacher-pupil communication and on the introduction and use of ICT in educational settings, stems from the conviction that there is a need for a more detached consideration and evaluation of the IWB as a pedagogic tool. By conceptualising the IWB from a socio-cultural perspective as a tool or 'mediating artefact' (Wertsch et al., 1993) in primary school classroom practices, we aim to take into account the relationship between the affordances of IWBs, the pedagogical practices of teachers and the communicative repertoires of teachers and pupils.In a recent study of whole class teaching in primary education, Burns and Myhill (2004) examined the nature of teacher-pupil interaction. In accord wit...