Student teachers' experiences and attitudes towards using interactive whiteboards in the teaching and learning of young children

Abstract

Students pursuing a one-year postgraduate teacher education course are required to make rapid changes in their ideas about teaching and learning during their preparation to be elementary teachers. This is particularly necessary in the case of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).This paper focuses on one particular aspect of ICT in the classroom: the interactive whiteboard. It examines student teachers' reports of provision and use in placement schools and analyses their responses to attitude surveys. It also compares attitudes between groups of student teachers working with early years and upper primary classes.Preliminary findings indicate broad similarities in the attitudes and aspirations of the two cohorts, in contrast to the differences in extent of use observed in the Early Years and Upper Primary groups. Student teachers are highly enthusiastic and see the boards as an important feature of teaching and learning. They are prepared to spend extra time in practising with the technology and preparing resources in order to exploit the interactive features which they have seen engage the children.The initial education and training of teachers is helping develop understanding of the potential of interactive whiteboard technology for teachers and children, particularly in the early years of schooling.

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