The Interactive Whiteboards, Pedagogy and Pupil Performance ...

a number of schools is for us a secondary question. It should follow on from rather
than precede exploration of the learning objectives which different kinds of uses of
IWBs might best help meet. If it becomes an end in itself at this stage of the policy
cycle, this kind of resource sharing may simply reduplicate existing resource banks
with little net gain in the quality of the resources and with few advantages over
existing materials already commonly available such as worksheets, or textbooks.
The design of materials for the IWB, including the incorporation of clear reading
paths, poses teachers with a challenge which could usefully be addressed in
training.
We think the advent of IWBs should encourage departments to review the range of
texts they currently produce and use, and identify their respective strengths and
weaknesses in supporting different kinds of pupil learning. The potential of IWBs to
contribute something new here should be considered in this light. Any such
discussion needs to take into account the specific demands of particular areas of
study, and the pedagogic priorities associated with different subject areas. Before
creating centrally –held resources schools should take these issues into account .
We are aware that the use of IWBs in secondary schools may look very different
from the predominant uses of IWBs found in primary schools, particularly in relation
to the amount of control pupils are invited to exercise over the technology. We think
that KS 3 Consultants might benefit from working with KS 2 consultants to identify
both similarities and differences in use so that this can feed into CPD in both areas.
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