Using the interactive whiteboard

Principles of teaching

The interactive whiteboard can be used in many imaginative ways in the MFL classroom. Its many features allow teachers to introduce and explore language and other related issues in innovative ways which provide variety and pace.

New language can be presented and developed using a wide range of applications. Web pages can be accessed directly, presentational software can be used to introduce language or grammar and text in worksheets can be manipulated on screen, while interactive exercises prepared with authoring software can be used with the whole class.

Text can be hidden and revealed in a variety of ways. It can be dragged and dropped to re-order sentences or paragraphs, unjumble words, or complete gap-fill activities. Images can be resized and hyperlinked to web sites, sound or video files. Layers can be used imaginatively by more experienced practitioners to create interactive sorting and true-false activities.

Presenting new language and grammar

Presentational software such as PowerPoint, supported by colour visuals and sound if appropriate, can be used to explore grammatical points or to introduce topic-specific language.

An example of this would be to present business French vocabulary for an NVQ Business French course, with different jobs depicted by pictures and the text appearing as part of an animated sequence.

Images can also be presented from the target language country. For example, information about the third world can be presented via text and images from the Spanish or French pages of Oxfam International or other NGOs (non-governmental organisations) with pages in languages other than English.

Grammar can be presented effectively using colour and animation features to show, for example, how word order can change in forming the perfect tense or creating subordinate clauses in German.

Practising new language and grammar

When using an interactive whiteboard, any item on the board can be moved to another position, using a technique called 'drag and drop'. This allows text or pictures to be moved on the screen and enables teachers to devise activities such as matching text to pictures, matching text to sounds, labelling, grouping, sorting, gap-filling and ordering. 
Aspects of grammar can be practised using interactive gap-fill activities in which pupils drag and drop parts of speech into the correct place in a sentence. Pupils can sort different parts of speech into different columns and they can reorder the sentences in a role-play dialogue.

Using the annotation facility

With an interactive whiteboard all the materials that can be accessed through a computer can be used on the whiteboard, including Word documents, websites, sound and video. During a lesson it is possible to add comments, circle, underline or highlight anything that is on the board. For example, different parts of speech can be highlighted in different colours by pupils and teachers. This type of activity provides greater engagement for pupils, especially kinaesthetic and visual learners. Any notes and comments that have been added, for example on a Word document, can be printed off or saved for pupils to access later.

Inclusion of video and audio clips

The ability to include sound and video clips to teach modern languages can significantly enhance learning. Sections of video from DVDs, video cassettes, clips downloaded from the Internet or files from a digital movie camera can be inserted into presentations. Links can also be made to recordings made by pupils or teachers, or podcasts downloaded from the Internet.

Any audio included on a CD-ROM or the Internet will also play, provided that speakers are attached.

The whiteboard software also allows screens from video clips to be captured and displayed as still images to be used as prompts for discussion and annotation.

Voting devices

Voting devices allow pupils to vote electronically on multiple choice questions. This might be used when practising a past examination paper, for example. Pupils can either vote anonymously or through named consoles. The results from the vote can be displayed immediately on the interactive whiteboard, allowing for immediate feedback or questions.  Some software allows for detailed analysis of the results so that the teacher becomes immediately aware of pupils who are scoring below expected levels. It also demonstrates to the teacher if a class has understood a particular concept.