Using interactive whiteboards to orchestrate classroom dialogue

Abstract

This paper focuses on the use of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) as a tool for encouraging and supporting classroom dialogue. The authors’ concern here is with the promotion of ‘dialogic’ communication between teachers and students, which is now widely recognised as educationally valuable. In this study they investigated how teachers could use the technical interactivity of the IWB to support dialogic interactivity. The design of the study was predicated upon a partnership between the authors and three UK (primary, middle school and secondary) teachers of 8‐ to 14‐year‐olds; examples of practice reported here derive mainly from secondary history. Outcomes include illustrative examples of teachers’ effective strategies for using the IWB for orchestrating dialogue. Implications for teachers’ initial training and professional development are considered.

Keywords:

• dialogue
• interactivity
• IWB
• ICT pedagogy

Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the teachers and students who willingly participated in the study. The work was funded mainly by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ref. RES063270081) as part of a Research Fellowship programme of work carried out in 2007–09 by Sara Hennessy. A research development grant from the Faculty of Education funded the research assistance helpfully provided by Silvia Stetco‐Belknap. We also appreciate the efficient secretarial assistance and data processing undertaken by Bryony Horsley‐Heather. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the helpful comments by three peer reviewers on an earlier draft of this article.