The Introduction of Interactive Whiteboards into Schools in the United Kingdom: Leaders, Led, and the Management of Pedagogic and Technological Change, 6(24)

Abstract

There has been a recent, and considerable, investment in the installation of interactive whiteboards in schools in the United Kingdom. In part this has been a response to government pressure for enhanced understanding and use of information and communications technology (ICT), as shown by the National Grid for Learning (NGFL) initiatives and the allocation of ”Standards Fund” money in response to school bids for technological improvement. In part it is also a reflection of more widespread teacher understanding of the value of interactive learning as demonstrated, for example, by McCormick and Scrimshaw (2001) in their analysis of pedagogic change in teaching mathematics, and by Glover and Miller (2002) in charting change within one secondary school. Both articles highlight the need for pedagogic change from the didactic to the interactive, and from the use of multimedia as a visual support for lessons to the integration of the technology and media into lesson planning. Grieffenhagen (2000) has shown that the use of the technology as an adjunct rather than as an integrated element in teaching minimizes interaction and the matching of teaching to learning needs. Joyce, Calhoun, and Hopkins (1997), Touhy (1999), Collins and Cook (2000), and Glover and Law (2002) provide evidence of the need for a match between teaching approaches and the learning style favoured by individuals and groups in schools. Simpson, Payne, Munro, and Lynch (1998), and Colley (1998) demonstrate the use of interactive technology within specific subject areas and stress the need for changed approaches to teaching. The introduction of the new technology and the required change in pedagogic approach have, however, posed challenges for those involved in leadership and administration in three directions: resource allocation, curriculum modification, and the professional development of staff. This article reports on the management of change within 11 schools in the U.K. and considers the interaction of teachers and headteachers in securing change.