Promethean study links learning gains with effective integration of technology in daily lessons

Published: March 19th, 2013

For this latest report, researchers focused on the impact of Promethean’s interactive technology, specifically ActivExpression student response devices. Results confirm that students with academic standing in the 50th percentile can expect to move to the top third of the class with the use of Promethean’s suite of interactive technology.

Results showed positive effects on student academic achievement when teachers used ActivExpression along with other Promethean interactive tools, specifically to gather feedback from students using the text feature of the assessment tool. The findings suggest an additional increase in student achievement when students’ short written text responses stimulated greater student-to-student and student-to-teacher interactions.

“Feedback is the single biggest contributor to student progress because it helps teachers develop techniques to accelerate students through their learning programs. This trial not only shows that learning productivity is improved (completing the equivalent of four terms of learning in three terms’ time), but also that the learning modality moves to a new space,” explained Jim Wynn, Chief Education Officer, Promethean. “We call upon decision-makers to now accept the mounting evidence that technology improves both grades and the very nature of learning. It’s time to accept the evidence and develop policies to encourage a wider proliferation of collaborative and interactive teaching and learning practices.”

The new report builds upon a growing body of evidence documenting the positive impact of effective integration of technology in the learning environment. A report issued by York University in September 2012 found that the use of Promethean’s ActivExpression hand-held feedback technology with question-based lessons can help low- and average-achieving pupils make between three and four months of additional progress a year, helping to dispel questions about the impact impact of technology in the classroom. Results are consistent with work carried out by others* in the UK.

Promethean sponsored researchers at the Marzano Research Laboratory who evaluated the work of 1,762 students from August 2012 through November 2012. The study, conducted in 38 schools across the 28 districts in the United States, examined the performance of two student groups who were taught using the same lesson, but in classrooms with different instructional tools. One classroom was equipped with Promethean’s complete suite of interactive tools (ActivBoards, ActivExpressions, ActivInspire software) and one without. Researchers tracked a range of parameters and used advanced statistical techniques to evaluate the impact of the technology while ensuring that factors such as grade level, academic content area, attention, effort and teacher experience were not significantly responsible for the gains observed.

“When technology is effectively woven into the delivery of teaching and learning, teachers become more adept at finding new ways to support instruction. Not surprisingly, students respond – they become more engaged and interest levels rise. This evolution of the classroom is critical to advancing education and frankly, is what students expect,” said Wynn.

An executive summary of the research can be found here.

About Promethean
Promethean. Spark Inspiration.
Promethean (LSE: PRW) is a global education company. We create, develop, supply and support interactive education and training solutions for schools, businesses and governments. Our products and services are raising learning standards, revolutionizing the way people learn and collaborate, making them more engaged, empowered and successful and thereby unleashing human potential. Headquartered in the UK, Promethean World Plc is listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. For more information follow @ActivNews or visit www.PrometheanWorld.com.

(*Higgins, Newcastle University, BECTA 2007,2008, 2010)

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