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Using SMART Boards to Enhance Student Learning

Abstract

This vignette highlights a project at Holden Elementary (Kent City Schools) where mentor teacher Christi Bates collaborated with her colleague Amy Hopkins to explore the use of SMART Boards in their classrooms. The vignette highlights various ways that SMART Board technology can be integrated into the primary curriculum to support teaching and learning with young children.

Using SMART Boards to Enhance Student Learning

Annette Kratcoski
Research Center for Educational Technology

Christi Bates & Amy Hopkins
Holden Elementary, Kent City Schools

The Project

Cognitive research has shown that learning is most effective when four fundamental characteristics are present: (1) active engagement, (2) participation in groups, (3) frequent interaction and feedback, and (4) connections to real-world contexts (Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, & Means, 2000). When we were awarded a grant through the Ohio Learning Network’s Learning Community Initiative, we selected SMART Boards as our focus for collaborative study. We knew from some reading and research we had done that other teachers had found SMART Boards to be highly motivating. We wanted a way to reach different learning styles, and we felt that the boards could be used in all subject areas.

We met frequently to share how we were using the SMART Board and to brainstorm ideas. Initially our plan was to do some collaborative activities with both classes, but we decided that this wouldn’t be the best use of our kids’ time or the technology. As we gained more experience we saw opportunities for peer tutoring/sharing. As we grew more comfortable in using the SMART Board, we were able to integrate the board into all subject areas. For example, in social studies, we created timelines and used the SMART Board both to demonstrate the software and to present our finished timelines. In science, the third graders created concept maps on the SMART Board to study animal adaptations. This gave us a visual representation of information we had researched. We created tables on the SMART Board to predict and confirm components of a habitat. The ability to save and revisit our recordings allowed the students to confirm or refute their hypotheses with research, and then present to the class their evidence or new information. Also in science, the second graders created an orchestra to explore sounds . Each instrument sounded differently and helped the children understand the difference between high and low notes. In math , our second graders sequenced a large colorful 100’s chart using numbers that were in the wrong order. We also worked with 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. With the 2-dimensional shapes, the children played a matching game to match the correct shape with its name and then they found the sides and the angles of each shape. With the 3-dimensional shapes, the children were to find the faces and the edges on each shape. Our third graders used the SMART Board for problem solving and conducting probability experiments using the spinner. Working in pairs provided the students with not only the experiences necessary to build the mathematical concepts, but also the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with a peer, critical skills in the learning process. Finally, we integrated language arts and social studies with a lesson, “ The Great Mail Race ”. The lesson started out by the children choosing the state that they would write back and forth with. They were able to write their name on their specific state and actually match the state to where it went on the map of the United States. After they chose their state, we learned the proper format of letter writing using the SMART Board. The children were asked to circle each part of the letter including the date, greeting, body, and closing.

Results

In working with the SMART Board, we observed multiple benefits for both teaching and learning. SMART Boards can be used in so many different ways making it a tool that can easily be integrated into any subject area. It’s also a technology that addresses all the learning styles in our classrooms. For example, many of our students tend to be very visual learners and the SMART Board is a perfect match for their learning style. When using the board, students maneuver through exercises using their fingers, not a mouse, which is very developmentally appropriate for primary age students and also appeals to our students who are tactile learners. The visibility of the board is not only engaging for our young learners but it also facilitates whole-group instruction that is more collaborative and active in comparison to traditional whole-group lessons that tend to be more passive and oriented toward direct instruction.

Our students shared our enthusiasm regarding the SMART Board. When asked how the board helped them learn, our second graders could clearly relate the tool to specific curricular concepts and units:

“The SMART Board taught me a lot about about space and science and it’s fun.”

“The SMART Board helped me learn about adjectives and a whole lot about 3-D and 2-D shapes.”

“It helped me learn about quadrilaterals and a lot about writing and all kinds of stuff.”

Third Grade students also commented on the visual representations afforded by SMART Boards and how that supported their learning:

“I like the SMART Board because you can click with your finger and everyone in my classroom can see the data.”

“With the SMART Board you can go up to it and do it, so you can explain and do it at the same time.”

In addition to the student impact and the changes in our own teaching practices, one of the most significant results has been the effects of this project on our colleagues. Many other teachers in our building have expressed an interest in exploring this technology in their own classrooms. Five other primary teachers have attended SMART Board workshops on their own, and the music teacher is exploring ways to integrate the technology as well. Finally, a group of us worked together on grants over the summer so that we can purchase additional boards for our building. Our goal is for each classroom to eventually have its own SMART Board and to continue to look for innovative ways to use the boards to enhance teaching and learning.

Conclusions

This project demonstrates the potential of SMART Board technology for enhancing teaching and learning. We found that across all subject areas, SMART Boards maximize student engagement and active participation. Further, the technology capitalizes on the value of multiple representations and visualizations for teaching math and science concepts to young children and also facilitates social studies and literacy learning as we linked images to text and manipulated data, pictures, and words.

The impact the SMART Board had on student engagement was far beyond our expectations. We envision the SMART Board as a powerful tool our students will use everyday to engage and enhance their learning in all areas.

References

Roschelle, J., Pea, R., Hoadley, C., Gordin, D., & Means, B. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. The Future of Children: Children and Computer Technology, 10 (2), 76-101.


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