2 minute read
Taking an interactive approach
KEEPING STUDENTS ENGAGED and focused in the classroom has long been a challenge for teachers across the country. However, with computers now the norm in most classrooms, interactive educational software is becoming an important resource that teachers can utilise to stimulate learning.
As well as being fun and engaging the student, educational software adds a further visual element to classroom teaching, which can help to reinforce key learning requirements. And the interactive nature of many programmes mean students can work at their own pace.
Viv Armstrong, director of SuccessMaker Software, says students these days find it easy to relate to interactive software programmes.
“Students are digitally aware and enjoy computer-based learning. A programme such as SuccessMaker creates a stimulating learning environment as it is highly visual, there’s a lot of video and feedback is instantaneous,” she says. “Feedback and feed forward are very important parts of teaching and, with the SuccessMaker software, students not only know instantly whether they got a question right or wrong, but they will automatically be taught the strategies needed for them to succeed.”
But it’s not just the students getting feedback; teachers too can run off reports on individual students, or groups of students. These reports provide precise information on the areas in which students are excelling, as well as those where they are not achieving. Teachers can then use this information for their own classroom planning and intervention to address the specific learning needs of individuals or groups of students. “We call it a GPS for students,” says Armstrong. “The software finds where a student is at, finds where they need to go and maps how to get them there.
“Students move forward at their own pace and those that need to can be extended, but it’s also good for identifying and providing for those kids at the tail end who are having problems picking up certain concepts,” she says.
As well as providing a teaching aid for the curriculum, interactive educational software also allows students to enhance their computer and presentation skills. Microsoft’s Partners in Learning programme has recently made the interactive software-based learning tool, Marvin, available free to qualifying schools.
Marvin is an avatar-based animation tool which allows users to design animations in minutes. Users can quickly and easily create or customise presentations and adopt a multi-sensory approach through the integration of real and computergenerated voice, written text, images, video and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
Academic research has long recognised the benefits of virtualreality education tools, including increased motivation, its ability to illustrate some concepts better than classroom instruction, and the replacement of passivity with encouraging and active participation.
In particular, simulations like Marvin foster and encourage critical thinking by enabling students to query for information, make logical connections, and trace “webs” of influence in literature, history and other disciplines.
“The Marvin software is a great way for students to express their creativity through 3D animation and digital storytelling,” says Nils Beehre, Microsoft New Zealand’s education manager. “We know that teachers and students like using Marvin to support their learning: it’s a very rich and engaging education platform.”
And it’s the interactive software’s ability to engage students and keep them stimulated that will ensure its continued use as a worthwhile teaching resource.
FOR INDIVIDUALISED TEACHING/LEARNING
YES, SUCCESSMAKER actually teaches according to best practice, and tracks student progress. It chooses the correct instructional path from individual student input and shares levels, progress and needs with the teacher for classroom intervention.
