Get SMART: The Implementation of Interactive White Board Lessons in a 5th Grade Math Classroom
Kelly Verdina
May 1, 2009
Abstract
My study is conducted in a fifth grade math classroom where I compare both qualitative and quantitative data over a period of two math units. The purpose of my study was to discover if there was an increase in student performance, motivation and attitude towards math through the use of a SMART Board. After close observation, I selected 6 students who I felt would benefit the most from this process. Based on my data analysis, I concluded the following effects of the research intervention. Increase in student performance has lead to an overall more positive attitude towards math. Also, an increase in performance was noted as a result of heightened motivation and effort. Students who are notablymore motivated improve greatly in conduct and effort. In addition, students are more attentive and engaged when they interact with the SMART Board.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Challenge
Research Purpose
Literature Review
Gaining Positive Attitudes towards Math
Conclusion
Methods
Action Taken
Findings
Finding 1: Increase in performance has lead to an overall more positive attitude towards math
Finding 2: Increase in performance was noted as a result of increased motivation and effort
Finding 3: Students who are highly motivated improve greatly in conduct and effort
Finding 4: Students are more alert and have a longer attention span when they interact with the SMART Board
Responses to Research Questions
Lingering Questions
Reflections
Limitations
The Process
Bibliography
Appendix 1- Classroom map
Appendix 2- Survey
Appendix 3- Unit 8
Appendix 4- Unit 9
Introduction
Throughout my years as an educator I’ve had the opportunity to teach students of various ages. Although each year was a different experience, I noticed common themes among students regarding math. Students who lacked confidence in math frequently lacked the motivation to succeed. Those who began each math period with a pessimistic attitude often put forth little effort, resulting in low performance. Their low performance often affected their attitude and confidence harmfully.
Although I recognized these quandaries I wondered how I could change this negative outlook based on my knowledge gained. Through research and reflection, I realized I could change this negativity by incorporating one tool; the SMART Board. The SMART Board is also known as an interactive white board. This equipment enables the display to be touch sensitive, allowing it to be used to control the computer. An interactive white board enables teachers to “let their audience collaborate, draw, and interact with information on the screen. Lessons and activities in a classroom setting become more engrossing for students and increase overall retention of the lesson content” (Criswell, 2008).
This instrument allowed me to design math lessons that were interactive, engaging, and hands-on. Reflecting back to the beginning of this school year the difference between student participation, engagement, and performance is immense. Through student observations, surveys and assessments I was able to conclude that this increase in overall academic success was in large part due to the implementation of the SMART Board.
As a teacher of 5th grade, there are many things to keep in mind when setting up a classroom and creating a certain environment. My smart board is located front and center. This is eye-catching for all students, but especially serves a great presence for my students who are quick to lose focus. These students sit close to the SMART Board, so they can see visuals and manipulate text during interactive lessons in math. To them, this is the ultimate tool. Please refer to Appendix 1 for a diagram of the classroom.
Challenge
As mentioned I have students who can easily become unengaged, disinterested and perplexed by concepts taught. This causes these students to perform lower on tests and quizzes, class assignments, and projects as compared to their peers. My goal this year was to have my struggling students perform at a higher level than from the beginning of the year. I had reflected greatly on my own teaching methods in order for this to take place. After observing my students and analyzing their work, I concluded that six of my students would especially benefit from my new teaching methods. I had always tried to incorporate the use of technology, but this year was different. It was the first time I was given the chance to use a SMART Board in my lesson delivery. This was also the first time many of these students would experience what an interactive white board had to offer.
Now that I have a true understanding of the data gained I will share it with my colleagues and administration because this insight will help them with future classes. This case study helped close the gap between the pro-technology teachers and the anti-technology teachers, because it enabled me to deliver real results and data rather than opinion to those educators who need proof.
Research Purpose
The purpose of this research is to discover if there is an increase in student performance, motivation and attitude towards math through the use of the smart board. This data will be compared to data collected prior to this action plan.
This study was intended to answer the following questions:
- How do interactive Smart Board lessons impact student performance on test/ quizzes, and projects in a 5th grade math classroom?
- How do Smart Board lessons impact student attitudes towards math?
- How do my teaching strategies to use technology affect student behavior?
Literature Review
In researching, I’ve found many articles that support my beliefs on the importance of the integration of technology. My topic is specifically on SMART Board use in the classroom during math lessons, but all articles were beneficial in some way. The use of a SMART Board has a profound effect on both students and teachers alike. The articles found support that the implementation of a SMART Board or other technology in the classroom increases student motivation, performance and overall attitude (Cluck, 2003). In my research I noticed each study focuses on the importance of incorporating multimodalities; gearing the lesson towards multiple learning types in order to reach the whole learner. According to Hannafin & Oppenheimer, “at risk High School students who used a customized CBI(computer based instruction)curriculum scored higher on state mandated mathematics and English tests than their classmates who did not use the CBI supported curriculum” (Hannafin & Foshay, 2008). These articles serve as a great
source for me to use with staff and administration because they are derived from both qualitative and quantitative data.
Raising Student Performance
In order to reach all students, lessons need to be delivered in a way that addresses all learning styles and incorporates multiple intelligences. The SMART Board is a tool of necessity because it can accommodate diverse learning styles, by allowing for multiple intelligences to be extrapolated. On the other hand, using old-fashioned techniques, such as, pencil and paper or rote memorization, can often leave students feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
The interactive white board can accommodate all learners and academic levels because it allows educators to present material using multi-modalities. “Tactile learners can benefit from touching and marking at the board, audio learners can have the class discussion; visual learners can see what is taking place as it develops at the board” (Bell, 2008).
As educators we need to be equipped to teach in a world that, “demands multiple literacies and simultaneously, an interdisciplinary curriculum that serves these literacies” (Rochette, 2007, p.43). According to this article both writing and comprehension increased, as well as class participation and discussions. This was achieved because educators delivered lessons with visual aids, audio and manipulatives to reach the needs of all students; allowing students to connect to the curriculum.
Many educators believe they are reaching the whole learner if they are including audio and visual, when in fact, “learning style surveys were given and nearly ninety percent of the students within this program were identified as showing a preference for kinesthetic learning (as opposed to visual or auditory)” (Brackett, 2006, p.1).
According to Frye (2008), teachers who had a greater knowledge of technology and frequently used it in their lessons (math and science) were found to be more competent teachers. This study was also redone to see if there was a distinction between genders that was overlooked and there was not. Because these teachers are looked at as more competent, students are more likely to be engaged and perform to the best of their ability. The key in this study is the perception of the teacher. Although this study included information in all subjects, it was only math and science that lead to a discrepancy between competency or not
Multiple intelligences are used to increase student performance and enhance student motivation, which will then benefit performance overall. “Traditional teaching methods often do not target individual student learning styles. A review of the solution strategies, by knowledgeable others, suggested that an emphasis on changing teaching styles can improve motivation” (Cluck & Hess, 2003). Cluck and Hess state (2003), cooperative learning along with the use of multiple intelligences, with less emphasis on grades, verbal praise and tangible rewards resulted in higher student motivation, which will produce higher performance.
There is no doubt that the SMART Board is a vibrant, multicolored tool, which captivates students of all ability levels. Research shows that students, “respond to displays where color is employed, and marking can be customized both in the pen and in the highlighter features to display a number of different colors” (Bell, 2008). Students agreed that the inclusion of technology and the ability to share ideas go hand in hand. This gave students the motivation and ability to gain the most out of each lesson taught (Landsberger, 2007).
According to Brackett (2006), roughly 90% of students enrolled in this carpentry lecture preferred to learn in a kinesthetic setting as compared to learning with text and audio. Kinesthetic learners in a lecture environment prove to be the most difficult to reach because of the setting, however, they can excel if teachers present material to meet their learning needs.
Gaining Positive Attitudes towards Math
Findings suggest that the introduction and use of SMART Boards and SMART notebook will not only increase student performance and engagement, but overall improve student behavior and the love of school. Students demonstrate their knowledge of concepts with excitement and are eager to learn. Teaching is fun for the educators as well and learning becomes fun for students. A SMART Board can be used to show “students deep-sea photography when they're studying oceanography; to draw shapes and identify angles when they're studying trigonometry; and to import virtually anything from the Internet and to edit and manipulate it” (Starkman, 2006, p. 37). Students not only grew academically and showed a more positive attitude towards learning, but they flourished because of the concepts presented through technology.
This increase in motivation may be a direct result of students having a more positive attitude towards math, feeling more eager to learn because they have a say in the teaching method used to teach them. Lessons which were individualized and geared towards individual needs significantly affect student attitude and motivation towards math in a positive way. While many studies have shown that an increase in technology has resulted in an increase in student performance, this is not always the case. However, classes that used technology compared to those who simply used drill and practice were more effective in promoting positive learning and motivation (Ke, F. & Grabowski, 2008).
Conclusion
I feel my study will contribute in several ways. First, I deal with students at the elementary level, where these research topics deal mainly with Middle-High School students. While much of the information was similar, there are still outcomes that are different because I teach 5th graders. They are sometimes more enthusiastic than high school students, partially because the smart board is new to them because they are still young, where high school students have experienced the equipment for quite some time. A lot of what these articles had to say dealt with students’ motivation and attitude towards subjects, however they are recorded through teacher observations, not through student surveys or conversation. My research does include direct feelings from my students, which will be valuable for future research.
I can also give my perspective of teaching math without the use of a SMART Board as compared to lessons delivered with the SB. I also find it important to include baseline data, which I didn’t read much about. My research includes quantitative baseline data, such as grades pre and post intervention on projects, HW, class work, etc. This will be useful information for my colleagues and me for years to come.
Methods
I am currently working in a school located in CT. The population for this district is around 10,000 people. The median household income is $185,377. The average age of townspeople is 40, comprised of about 51% female and 49% male. This town is located on the Saugatuck River. To conserve open space, a fourth of the land contained by the town is banned from development. Local government funding for the town library was above the national average as last stated in 2002. This town is an affluent place, comprised of mostly Caucasian families. It has no commercial development except for a handful of stores that form the town’s center.
The concentration of this district is education. The schools serve approximately 2500 students and are located on a beautiful, 117-acre, wooded campus. September 2005 was the opening of the new Intermediate School, which allowed schools to reorganize with smaller class sizes. The Elementary School serves Pre-Kindergarten through 2, the Intermediate School grades 3-5, Middle School grades 6-8 and High School serves grades 9-12. The High School recently completed a major expansion and renovation, which includes a new science, technology and arts wing.
This district’s schools rank among the highest in Connecticut in all areas of student performance. Ninety seven percent of these high school graduates are accepted into highly competitive colleges and universities. The school district is dedicated to forming strong partnerships with families and its entire community and this is evident through parent-teacher relationships as well as teacher-student relationships. These partnerships form the strong bond, which allows our students to succeed while knowing they have a strong support system.
Technology is a large part of the district’s mission. The technology plan for the district is based on an objective for improving student academic success through the use of technology for all grade levels. The district’s goal is to completely incorporate technology into the academic curriculum.
I currently teach 5th grade at the Intermediate school. I am new to the school this year, but it is my second year in the district. There are approximately 220 students, divided among ten 5th grade sections. I have 22 students in my class; 12 girls and 10 boys. I teach Language Arts and Math to my students, as well as teaching Science to my students and another class. I have a background in educational technology, so the use of technology comes naturally to me. When presenting new concepts I believe technology has a positive impact on student learning and I feel the use of technology is imperative when presenting concepts.
Context of the Study
The group of 6 students, selected for my case study is comprised of 4 boys and 2 girls. They seem very interested to work with me and eager to use the technology, so I am very eager to see the results. In order to complete this research I will need to conduct surveys for students to answer about their learning experience, classroom observations, keep tight records on these students; collect data from before this use of technology was set into place, during, and after. Also, I will need to meet with these students regularly to discuss how things are going according to them and me as well.
In addition to my own research, I will explore articles, books, websites, and speak regularly with colleagues and my technology integrator, in order to see statistics from other educators, recommendations and overall success others have had with a similar inquiry. This will help guide me in the right directions or steer me in an area I am overlooking. Inquiry around this wondering is important to me because I want to be the best educator I can be. I want all students to not only succeed academically, but socially and emotionally as well. I want these 6 students, I have identified to not only take away a greater knowledge of learning than before, but I want them to enjoy the learning process as well. Not only will this inquiry help me with these current students, but it will assist me in planning for students for years to come.