Authentic Instruction in Low SES Schools Using Student Laptops
Kemker, K., Barron, A. E., & Harmes, J. C. (2007). Laptop computers in the elementary classroom: authentic instruction with at-risk students. Educational Media International, 44(4), 305-321.
In many cases the education provided to
students in low socioeconomic status schools is lacking instruction that
requires higher-level thinking and active response, or authentic instruction. The students in these low SES schools also
typically have less access to technology at school. However, with the availability of educational
technology increasing and the cost of these devices decreasing, even low SES
schools are able to provide access to technology for their students. In this case
study, Kate Kemker, Ann E. Barron, and J. Christine Harmes evaluated how
effectively laptop computers could be used as a platform for providing
authentic learning experiences to children in a low SES school.
The
case study focused on 26 students from a low SES school in South Carolina over
the course of two years as the students moved from fourth to fifth grade. The
teacher and students had little previous experience using technology at school.
For the study, each student and the teacher were provided with a laptop and the
teacher was provided with professional development on how to use the devices
and software. The idea of authentic instruction is based on the belief that
students’ work in the classroom should prepare them for the intellectual tasks
that will be required of them as adults. To evaluate the quality of the
authentic instruction being provided during this study, a rubric was used which
rated each lesson in five areas including the higher level thinking skills, the
depth of knowledge developed by the students, and connections beyond the
classroom. A description of six lessons that and their evaluation using the
rubric was included in the study. Data was also collected using classroom
observations, teacher interviews and student interviews.
The
data from the study suggested that authentic instruction was taking place in
the classroom during lessons that integrated the use of laptop computers. The
laptops allowed the teacher to provide a student-centered learning environment
with students conducting research and solving problems, which also improved
student interest. The students learned to use the computers as tools for
learning which allowed the focus to be placed on the lesson content rather than
on the devices themselves. The students were also able to develop skills that
had value beyond the classroom, as they were able to generate products and solve
problems that reflected those that they would face outside of school.
I have
trouble investing much confidence in the results of this study. Not only was
the sample size very small, but also the methods of data collection were all
very subjective. That being said, I teach at a low SES school and there
certainly is a push being made to incorporate more technology into our
instruction. The results of the study suggest that technology such as laptops
can be used successfully as a tool to provide quality instruction that teaches
problem-solving skills with applications in real-world situations.
Reading this study caused me to consider the amount of time that
I spend teaching my students how to properly use the devices and software
available to them in our classroom. One trend that was noted in the study was
as students became more familiar with and comfortable with the technology, the
focus of instruction was able to shift from simply how to use the technology to
the content of the lessons. Simply because of the age of my first grade
students, they have limited experience with and therefore limited understanding
of how to use the devices in our classroom at the beginning of the school year.
Before I can expect them to use our classroom technology in meaningful ways, I
must provide them with focused instruction on how to use the devices and software and give them ample
opportunities to independently use and get comfortable with it. Once students
are comfortable using the classroom technology, emphasis should be put on
providing them with opportunities to use the devices and software to collect
and organize data to solve problems that have meaningful, real-world
applications.
