Within the lecture it was proposed that developing understanding of and reflecting upon your pedagogy is important to ensure effective teaching. As highlighted in the lecture, learning in a digital age is an extremely relevant concern, as digital technologies are used more frequently within teaching in schools. In all of my school experience the interactive white board, for example, has been an integral part of teaching. Within the questions posed within the lecture the use of ICT in pedagogy was problematized. On reflection of some of the questions raised it appears to me that there could be some conflict between effective pedagogical practice and the use of digital technology. As highlighted by Somekh (2007) and Loveless and Williamson (2013) it appears that the use of digital technology in teaching should be scrutinized and not just taken for granted.
On reflection of the discussion which took place during the lecture, in terms of the interactive whiteboard, it appears that an important consideration is whether the pupils’ cognitive engagement is integral within the learning activity. As stated within the lecture simply encouraging the pupils to press a button on the whiteboard, doesn’t necessarily mean that the child is cognitively engaged. In conjunction with Piaget’s constructivist theory of learning (Salkind, 2004) I also believe that active engagement is an essential part of the learning process. Within Piaget’s constructivist theories of learning it is considered that a children’s innate curiosity about the world drives development and learning is achieved through developing understanding through active experience (ibid). On reflection of my experiences within school it appears that providing children with first-hand active experience is more effective than traditional rote learning. When a child explores certain topics through activity they appear to engage with the subject, which leads to understanding as opposed to simply remembering what the teacher had dictated. It appears then that the interactive white board should equate to more than just a tool for drilling and dictating information.
Loveless (2003), highlighting the interactive nature of digital tools, proposes that digital tools have the potential to provide pupils with engaging and motivational learning. During previous placements in infant schools I have witnessed how some interactive whiteboard games have been popular with the children and have therefore been motivational and held the children’s attention. The games have displayed problems which the children have had to solve, which has necessitated cognitive engagement. Additionally, some games have appeared well structured and fitting with the key stage of the pupils. In this respect the games have appeared to support the pupils’ learning. However, on reflection of discussions within the lecture it appears important to consider whether the clear understanding of the subject a child achieves when using the particular digital game is transferable when using different learning tools and therefore whether the child has a deep understanding of the subject. In addition, it appears important to consider whether the well-structured digital games limit explorative learning and the children’s ability to find things out for themselves, both of which are integral elements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
From my experiences the use of the interactive whiteboard appears to personally motivate and encourage enjoyment within children’s learning and can therefore encourage engagement and act as an effective teaching tool. Yet, my current thoughts on this topic are in concurrence with the outcome of the discussion within the lecture, that digital technologies shouldn’t replace active or exploratory learning. Digital technologies instead could potentially compliment other forms of exploratory learning, reinforcing subject knowledge and providing enjoyable learning experiences. Importantly, on reflection of the lecture, it appears clear that how digital technology is used should be critically analysed to ensure children’s effective cognitive engagement and higher level thinking. Potentially to encourage higher level thinking, whilst using the digital whiteboard games during whole class teaching, it could be important for the teacher to ask effective questions and use prompts to support the children’s learning. Additionally, it may be important for the teacher to assess carefully what child to pick to answer the question to ensure all children are engaging with the activity.
References
Loveless, A. (2003) The Role of ICT, London: Continuum.
Loveless, A. and Williamson, B. (2013) Learning Identities in a Digital Age: rethinking creativity, education and technology, London: Routledge.
Salkind, N. (2004) An introduction to theories of development, London: Sage.
Somekh, B. (2007) Pedagogy and Learning with ICT Researching the Art of Innovation, Routledge.
Sally, Tahlia & Sian 