We recently sponsored a research study conducted by the National Literacy Trust, which focussed on teachers’ use of technology to support literacy in the classroom. Over 200 UK teachers from 166 schools responded to the survey, with the results indicating that the majority of teachers believe that technology can have a very positive impact on children’s literacy learning. However, varying levels of access to hardware, software, Wi-Fi, and a lack of staff training, present barriers to the effective use of technology in the classroom.
Some of the study’s key findings include:
- The majority of teachers considered the ability to engage (86.7%) and enable (66.7) pupils to be the principal benefits of using technology in the classroom.
- Technology was seen by most respondents to have a positive impact on reluctant readers (68.5%) and boys (64.8%), followed by reluctant writers, and less able readers and writers.
- Teachers frequently mentioned that technology platforms facilitated literacy learning for pupils by increasing motivation and confidence and removing barriers to learning.
- Barriers to using technology to support literacy were more resource than attitude-related. Most teachers cited lack of hardware, software and Wi-Fi (58.4%), finances (51.6%) and outdated or insufficient hardware (45.2%) as the top three barriers to using technology to support literacy in the classroom.
The report includes a number of case studies and testimonials from teachers and is well worth the read. You can find the full report on the National Literacy Trust’s website.
In addition to the main survey, a complementary study looking exclusively at teacher’s use of Clicker and any impact they had noticed on pupils’ literacy attitudes, behaviour, confidence or skills has also been published.
Some of the strongest themes which have emerged from this report highlight how Clicker is able to help children overcome a range of barriers to writing and promote inclusivity in schools, as a wide range of pupils were able to access the curriculum and demonstrate their knowledge using the software.
Plus, for pupils who struggle with the mechanical aspects of writing, Clicker enables them to focus more on expressing themselves rather than having to worry about their handwriting or the fine motor skills of controlling a pen.
You can find the complementary paper on our website.
