Everyone is aware that there are many changes going on in the classroom, not just in what children are learning but how they learn. For example, the government is planning to introduce lessons teaching children essential skills such as financial management and mortgages.
What is really important to understand is the way that this will be taught so that the topic will engage the child and enable them to retain what they learn and recall in later life when it is applicable. This is what will make the difference in the so-called ‘life skills.’
Interactive learning has been engaging learners for more than a decade now and this has developed not only in its use at every level of education, but it is also being adopted by businesses for training and presentations. We are now reaching the point when the latest generation of young adults entering employment have progressed through their education having been accustomed to interactive tools such as the whiteboards and learner response units. The question is how far should learners expect there to be a smooth transgression of ‘lifelong interactive learning’? Is this currently happening between the different levels of education? Will all businesses eventually ‘go interactive’ to keep up with the trend?
Closing the gap
Although every school in the UK owns at least one interactive whiteboard with almost every classroom having access to one, the boards are not being used to their full potential. It appears that interactive tools are being used more widely in primary classrooms than in secondary. This could be because there is the belief that interactive technology is geared towards the primary market and secondary teachers tend to teach using more traditional methods due to the movement from one classroom to another. However the apparent ‘gap’ between primary and secondary interactive resources could impact the way that children learn as they make the transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. Primary pupils who have begun their schooling using tools such as Promethean’s Activote and Activboard will be used to engaging, interactive lessons and moving into an environment without such facilities could lead to them feeling less motivated or struggling to grasp topics because their style of learning is not catered for. Secondary teachers are all too aware of the “google” generation of teenagers now prevalent in the classroom and some argue that children grow up expecting a certain level of technology in the classroom. However learning is not transformed merely by the availability of technology being available, but the way that the teacher uses it. What is key is that learners are engaged and motivated to learn, and in certain subjects teachers achieve this using interactive tools, in some subjects they prefer to use other worthwhile methods.
Personalised learning is the best technique to help maintain the learners’ engagement as it is the realisation that education is not a ‘one size fits all’ service, but that learning should be designed around the needs of each child. Interactive learning is one key component in personalised learning that is having an impact and that teachers should continue to embrace. Promethean’s new Activarena tool contains two pens that can be used simultaneously on the whiteboard, allowing pupils to learn collaboration skills and bring a new dimension of learning to the lesson. Also schools should think about implementing an effective CPD plan that incorporates interactive training for teachers to ensure the best personalised learning techniques are used.
It will be interesting to see whether learners request or expect interactive technology as part of their learning in employment, however what they learn and the way this is taught – not just in school - will determine how well young people adapt to life in work and continue lifelong learning.
