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This article has been garnered from the internet and may be of interest to teachers and managers dealing with the specific issue of coping with a whiteboard in their classroom for the first time.

How I Became a Whiteboard Whiz
Clare Woods, Teacher, Richmond Park School

One of my first impressions on my initial day as a teacher at Richmond Park School was of one of my 'techno-wizard' colleagues conducting a most impressive lesson on the interactive whiteboard. As an absolute 'techno-phobe', I almost ran out of the school, convinced that this was not the school for me!

One year on, I'm still here at Richmond Park and not only have I inherited the 'technowizard's' classroom, I've also inherited his interactive whiteboard! However, I'm now an avid devotee of this invaluable teaching tool. Richmond Park School is a special school in Glasgow's south side, which provides education for primary-aged pupils with a range of additional support needs, but most specifically for pupils with a physical impairment. It prides itself in its commitment to using ICT as a resource for breaking through those barriers to learning faced by many children who are educated in a special school setting.
The school has three interactive whiteboards, two situated in the Infant and Senior open areas of the school, and one which is class-based.

Most of my daily lessons are conducted on the interactive whiteboard, as I feel it helps me to deliver a broad, balanced curriculum to children who would otherwise have difficulty accessing such a curriculum. In short, it helps me meet their needs.

My class consists of seven P7 children with a wide range of needs. Chloe and Jack are twins, have cerebral palsy, are wheelchair-bound and are visually impaired, with a significant reduction in their lower-field vision. They are a lively pair and the only 'talkers' in the class. Rachael is a bright little girl with cerebral palsy. She is a keen reader, but cannot write due to poor motor skills. She uses an Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) device with which to communicate. Ryan is a passive child. His communication is limited and his motor skills are poor. The slightest physical exertion leaves him exhausted. Liam and Matthew are passive children with very limited communication skills. They seem to enjoy the company and noise of the other children and although they spend a lot of time out of class with therapists, they are involved with our interactive whiteboard lessons as much as possible.

Hannah has Autistic Spectrum Disorder and poor communication/social interaction skills. It is often difficult to engage her in a class activity as she has her own key motivators. Megan is the only ambulant child in the class, although she often uses her chair when she is tired. The pupils face a wide range of challenges in accessing the curriculum: visual impairment, lack of ability in writing, limited verbal communication, very short attention span and low self-esteem.

The interactive whiteboard has revolutionised my teaching! It has maximised opportunities for inclusion, so that every child can achieve success. All the children can play an active role in the interactive lessons, with the very visual nature of using the interactive whiteboard appealing to all our sensory-impaired children. The size of the screen (and the fact that we put out the lights) helps the children to focus on the lesson and minimises distractions. The size and clarity of the words, symbols and images, and the fact that the children can move these around the screen, is beneficial to all, not just our visually impaired children. The highly visual impact of the interactive whiteboard encourages the children to engage in the learning process.

The interactive whiteboard offers a multi-sensory approach to learning and a lot of the interactive software offers auditory, as well as visual, stimulation. This further enhances the learning process as it offers dual reinforcement. The children derive a great sense of fulfilment and success when they are using the interactive whiteboard, as they receive both visual and auditory 'rewards' for correct answers. The interactive whiteboard encourages the children to self-correct and amend any wrong answers with ease. No worksheets to be marked, just instant results! With children achieving more success as a result of effective teaching, it is evident that the interactive whiteboard promotes higher expectations and higher standards among the pupils.

So far I have focused on the interactive whiteboard as an invaluable tool in teaching a (small) class. However, it can be used as effectively with differentiated activities. If we are looking at a 'Living Book', my 'readers' can be decoding the text, my 'hesitant' readers can be looking for pictorial clues and my passive children can be assisted in touching the screen to experience the 'cause and effect' implications. These pupils also thrive on the responsibility of turning the pages! This type of software is also beneficial for promoting prediction skills, for teaching pupils to make inferences and for developing problem-solving strategies. In this way the interactive whiteboard enhances the children's social skills, helping them to communicate with each other, to take turns, cooperate and collaborate. This type of close collaboration has fostered a healthy team spirit in the class and has helped to forge close friendships.

I am extremely proud of the achievements of all my pupils through use of the interactive whiteboard. They never cease to amaze me with their many talents and I know they will continue to go from strength to strength. They love to learn, when learning is fun!My next step is to improve my own ICT skills by familiarising myself with programs such as PowerPoint. I hope to develop this skill on the interactive whiteboard and I am sure that the children will soon be creating their own presentations! I am also constantly looking out for new and appropriate interactive software and websites that might help me to meet the needs of my pupils.

Professionally, I have benefited immensely from using the interactive whiteboard. It has given me a wider perspective on learning and teaching in a special school setting. The interactive whiteboard has enabled me to make teaching and learning a stimulating and rewarding experience and I'm so glad now that I didn't run out of the school!

(Pupils' names have been changed for reasons of confidentiality.)

This article can be found in its entirety on the IT in practice from the Scottish Education website

If you would like more assistance with utilising a Whiteboard, please contact you MGL Consultant, or have a look at our Training Packs!