First out of the starting blocks is the now ubiquitous interactive whiteboard. Since its introduction to UK classrooms over 15 years ago, we have seen a steady change in the way it is being used by teachers. We now accept that interactive whiteboards are immensely versatile, and we have seen them evolve ergonomically: Promethean was first to market with its height-adjustable Activboard+2 with integrated short-throw projector. Now whiteboards and their accessories take up less space in class and are more easily accessible to pupils of all abilities and sizes. Younger children find wands helpful, giving them greater reach and allowing them to step back a little to see the bigger picture whilst manipulating the board. Many schools envisage a future classroom layout that moves away from the ‘teacher-at-the-front’ approach. Wireless slates allow pupils to interact with the board from their desks, and teachers to control the board from anywhere in the room.

All well and good, but what is really providing the thrust behind these front runners is the interactive software bringing colour and excitement to modern classrooms. Some providers have made their software available with any interactive whiteboard, allowing schools to ‘switch lanes’ when they get stuck behind a non-starter. Promethean provides operating software tailored by age range. Activprimary is designed to appeal specifically to young children, with high-resolution, colourful images on a large bright screen, and a bank of familiar sounds and child-friendly resources. Attention-grabbing fairy tale characters help to encourage young learners to develop storyboards for literacy, and dice, coins, grids and graphs help to communicate mathematical concepts in a fun way. Activstudio brings together resources for the more sophisticated learner, making it easy for teachers to create fun and engaging lessons for older students. They can call up full-colour maps, zoom in and out, use specific tools such as graph paper and protractors, and can even animate their lessons using simple “point and click menus”.

A more recent addition to the interactive space, clearly emerging as classroom favourites are learner response systems. Designed to encourage whole class participation and enhance learning, students love the opportunities these devices give for debate and class discussion. Mostly compatible with any brand of interactive whiteboard, these devices are a great way to grab and hold attention. With these “voting” devices, teachers can easily check the progress of individual pupils – and look at it over time.

Hands Up!!!

Spotlight on learner response systems

A government study recently found that teachers who encourage whole classes to put their hands up to answer a question, risk leaving quiet “invisible” children, behind.

What can teachers do to encourage inclusion?

Learner response systems are a great way to include all pupils in a debate. Promethean’s Activote, for example, enables every pupil in the class to respond to a question. Feedback from quieter pupils suggests they welcome the anonymity learner response systems can provide – they are able to give their answer to the teacher in confidence – without risking embarrassment in front of their classmates, and equally, without feeling pressured to go with the majority.

The report also recommends that particular attention is paid to tracking the progress of ‘invisible children’. Learner response systems allow teachers to quickly check each pupils’ understanding of a subject. Because the Promethean solution is fully integrated with the software – no matter what interactive whiteboard it runs on – teachers can gather opinions and generate discussion spontaneously during the lesson. Teachers can review the results with the whole class, or save them to assess understanding later, and can even record and review pupils’ grasp of a subject over time.

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