Paper describes how interactive whiteboards support inclusive learning environments
CALGARY, Alberta --- February 20, 2009 --- SMART Technologies announces the release of its latest white paper, “Creating Classrooms for Everyone: How Interactive Whiteboards Support Universal Design for Learning.” Outlining recent research and teachers’ experience with interactive whiteboards, the paper demonstrates how interactive whiteboards benefit students with special needs and facilitate individualized instruction for all students. The white paper uses the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) to evaluate touch-sensitive interactive whiteboards and finds that these products support each principle. The paper also provides specific, real-world examples of how the technology has improved learning environments for students with behavioral, emotional and physical challenges.
“Creating Classrooms for Everyone” offers a brief history of UDL’s development and the widely accepted benefits of this approach to education. UDL advocates learning environments that provide students with multiple means of representation (acquiring knowledge), expression (demonstrating knowledge) and engagement (being interested in knowledge). These environments not only reduce barriers for individuals with special needs but also enhance learning for all students. Touch-sensitive interactive whiteboards fit UDL principles because they appeal to visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners, and they also facilitate differentiated instruction. Teachers can employ a variety of media types to engage students, who then use this same flexibility of expression to demonstrate their understanding of topics in ways that suit them best. Regardless of ability, students can use the technology to express themselves in new ways and participate more fully in lessons. The white paper draws on research from Europe and North America on the positive influence of interactive whiteboards in diverse classrooms. For example, for students with vision challenges, text and graphics can be enlarged. The research also outlines how interactive whiteboards focus the attention of students with mental and behavioral challenges, such as autism and attention deficit disorders. “Creating Classrooms for Everyone” is available on SMART’s website at www.smarttech.com/whitepapers.
“Educators support universal design for learning principles because they guide the creation of inclusive environments that benefit all students,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “This white paper illustrates how touch-sensitive interactive whiteboards give teachers the tools they need to individualize instruction for increasingly diverse student populations.”
