Using digital technology in early education teaching: learning from teachers’ teaching practice with interactive whiteboard

The study investigates how the use of interactive whiteboards affects learning activities in kindergartens. The research questions are: 1) How does the interactive whiteboard mediate the learning activities? 2) What are the benefits of using the interactive whiteboard in relation to the learning activities?

The results show that the integration of interactive whiteboards transforms the kindergarten teachers’ existing teaching practices rather than replaces them. The observations show that using the interactive whiteboard can promote children’s interest in learning and play-based learning activities. In addition, learning with interactive whiteboards supports both group and individual teaching, so that kindergarten teachers can encourage interaction between children and between teacher and children. The researcher also emphasises that the benefits of using interactive whiteboards depend on the ways in which the functions are used to create good learning situations.

The data material consists of video observations of 22 children between the ages of four and six, and five kindergarten teachers in a Swedish kindergarten. The kindergarten teachers had varying degrees of pedagogical and technological expertise, but none had much experience using interactive whiteboards. The researcher observed mathematical learning activities in which interactive whiteboards were used over a period of five months.

Bourbour, M. (2020). “Using digital technology in early education teaching: learning from teachers’ teaching practice with interactive whiteboard”. International Journal of Early Years Education.