Completely meaningless TEFL research results Part One
I was recently discussing whether there was research to show that using an IWB (interactive whiteboard) does/ does not lead to increased learning. Here is how I have decided to use those research results once they are finally clear:
1. Because it has been shown that using an IWB leads to more learning, when I have my one to one student tutorials this term, I’m going to leave the other students staring at the dark blue glowing screen which my IWB remote control claims is “blank”
or
2. Because it has been proven that using IWBs does not lead to more learning, next time I want to show a Mr Bean video I am going to wheel in a huge telly on wheels, or perhaps bring in a Super 8 movie projector and show my family videos instead
Looking at it more sensibly, in order to be a useful piece of scientific research they would need to prove that the best way of teaching with an IWB was better than the best way of teaching without an IWB. As we don’t know what either of those best ways are, that is impossible. Alternatively, they could try and prove that for one given way of teaching (e.g. Dogme, CLT, TBL or The Silent Way), the IWB leads to better or worse results. As we can’t define what any of those methods actually are and even if we could almost no teachers would teach exactly that way, again even starting on such research would be pointless. Add to that the problems of trying to work out how to judge increased learning…
So, is there nothing useful that can be said about IWBs? Not at all. For example, detailed individual case studies of students going “Wow” and then just getting used to it, teachers struggling to use it properly or feeling newly rejuvenated by the technology etc etc would be incredibly interesting and useful, even if not the slightest bit scientific or generalisable.
More on the topic of research:
Me and Sara Hannam basically agreeing on what I said above, I think, though we hid our agreement very well!
Sara Hannam again (you can never have too much Sara Hannam!) on (Critical) Language Research: A Waste of Time?
Any candidates for Completely Meaningless TEFL Research Part Two?
November 10th, 2009 at 6:18 am
The real question is: What’s the difference between an IWB and a normal whiteboard and marker pen? One usually overlooked difference is that the marker pen gets rubbed off and all those great learning opportunities are gone forever, often before the students have had a chance to assimilate it. One huge but underused example of how an IWB can be more effective is the ability to save what’s on it so it can be recycled in a later class for review, or sent to the students electronically so they can review that part of the lesson at home. Now that can lead to increased learning, surely.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:29 am
indeed, but those suggested case studies sound like very valid research. Qualitative research need not be as ‘scientific’ or ‘generalisable’ as quantitative research but it can be just as useful, if not moreso, esp. in education. more research please!
Tony / @cuppa_coffee
November 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Hi Adam
That could save the teacher a lot of time (although the sending on could take as long as it would have taken the teacher to copy it down at the end of the lesson perhaps??), and classroom copying down time, and it is also a good example of something that could be tested- two classes of students, one copy things down onto their notepads, one has everything emailed to them, test which class learnt more of that language. Could be a useful piece of research and far away from the untestable “IWBs help learning” generalisation I hear and read far too much of.
Tony
My point precisely! A lot of people seem to be agreeing me with a disagreeing tone recently, I am becoming even more incoherent as the years of blogging go by??
November 10th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Seriously, this is like eating cake in front of a Weight-Watchers group. We’ve only just got whiteboards here after using blackboards and chalk. I can now draw stick-men with more accuracy and all my students have demonstrated a noticeable appreciation of the present perfect as a result. Plus, I no longer look like I work in a flour mill.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Dear Alex,
I agree that measuring increased learning is something almost impossible. But that is not the same of saying there’s nothing useful to say about IWBs. Sorry, but I totally disagree with this point of view.
There are several ways you can use an Interactive White Board effectively depending on the softwares you use.
Best,
Eduardo Trindade
http://www.eduardotrindade.com.br
November 11th, 2009 at 5:05 am
[...] Interactive Whiteboard: Friend or Foe? Jump to Comments The title of this post comes from a very nice and inspiring presentation by Gareth Davies, on IWBs and the potential benefits of its use in the classroom. As a “tech” fan myself, I’d answer the question with a FRIEND in capital letters. I truly understand the IWBs are certainly not the solution to all our teaching needs, and you souldn’t overuse it, but I can’t agree at all that there’s nothing useful to say about them. [...]
November 11th, 2009 at 5:41 am
“So, is there nothing useful that can be said about IWBs? Not at all”
Is this where the confusion comes from? It doesn’t say “nothing at all”, it means that I strongly disagree with the statement that there is nothing useful that can be said about IWBs, as I really thought the rest of that paragraph made clear.
However, “IWBs do/ do not increase learning” are both totally useless statements- to start with, when compared to what?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Well, I bet Henry Ford had similar problems – “you’ll never replace the horse and buggy, mate!” Hmm…
And that bloke that invented the disposable Bic – did they tell him he was wasting his time, what with plenty of cheap pencils around?
Actually I do like the big choice of colours and widths the IAWB markers provide, so I guess it’s a clear step forward. Or an expensive sideways one, maybe…
November 12th, 2009 at 9:53 am
I don’t think anyone could seriously doubt the potential of IWBs, but it’s hard to avoid feeling negative about them because of the way they are sold in ELT contexts (most often as a way of ‘delivering’ a coursebook). Here’s the blurb from a presentation I went to at a conference 10 days ago.
‘Interactive Whiteboards have the power to transform any classroom into a dynamic learning environment, introducing a whole new level of interactivity to it. This session aims to present how teachers can combine English Language teaching with the latest technology to energize their lesson and motivate learners [...]. Activities from XXX Publishing’s brand new Interactive Whiteboard software will be demonstrated.’
A more accurate blurb would have been:
‘Interactive Whiteboards have the power to disguise crap teaching and crap materials, and you can have one for free if you you buy enough copies of our books. This session will use lots of jargon (which I don’t understand, and you don’t need to either), but at the end of it, you too can blather about learning styles and learner differences, and sound vaguely knowledgeable.’
November 12th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
This really was supposed to be about meaningless research rather than IWBs. This is why I don’t miss giving workshops, keeping TEFL teachers on topic is like herding cats…