The Pedagogical Exploitation of the Interactive Whiteboard in the Teaching of Informatics in Primary School

Abstract

The integration of digital technology into the primary classroom remains a contested pedagogical question. Our study examines how the interactive whiteboard can be exploited as a cognitive tool rather than a simple means of projection. More specifically, we focus on the teaching of Informatics in a primary school, a setting where the device is frequently reduced to a digital replacement for the traditional board. The research adopts an action research design, since the researcher is simultaneously the teacher who plans and delivers the intervention. This dual role allows the investigation of teaching practice from within. Data were collected through a reflective journal, field notes kept during and immediately after each lesson, a short pupil questionnaire supplemented by a group discussion, and samples of pupils' work. The analysis was carried out through thematic analysis. The results suggest that the interactive whiteboard supports engagement and participation, particularly when its interactive and multimedia affordances are deliberately linked to specific cognitive tasks. An important distinction emerged. The device contributes to learning not through its technical features alone but through the pedagogical framing that surrounds its use. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the shift from a presentation tool to a cognitive tool depends on the teacher's planning, the design of the activities, and the degree to which pupils themselves manipulate the interface. We also acknowledge the limitations that the dual role of teacher-researcher introduces, concerning subjectivity and researcher bias, which we addressed through triangulation and reflexivity. This is perhaps the most telling conclusion of our work. The interactive whiteboard is neither inherently transformative nor inherently trivial; its value is constituted in the pedagogical decisions of the teacher. We close with implications for teacher education and for the design of Informatics activities in primary schooling.