Adopting Smart board
Software to Teach
‘Geographical Map Work Skills’
in the Classroom.
INES DE ALMEIDA 458945
08 MAY 2014
Introduction

The study focuses on the improvement of teaching map
work within South African schools by using software from an
Interactive White board.

Many teachers in Social Science and Geography find Map
work difficult to teach.

It allows people to understand spatial area in relation to
natural, land and artificial features.

The study proposes: Integrating the smart board software will
eradicate difficulties teachers have with teaching map
work.
“the most accurate and
comprehensive graphic
record of the location
phenomena” (Innes, 1998,
p28)
To gather a
visual
understanding
of the area
Problem Statement

“Learners are to acquire scientific and mathematical skills
and processes which they are to apply in the study of some
aspects of the curriculum content” (Okwilagwe, 2012 , p67).

These problems stem from inadequate teacher training.

Pupils need a variety of stationary.

Maps are too large for desks.

It is difficult for learners to see what the teacher is referring to
on the map.

Availability, and the printing of maps is problematic.
Continued

“More modern or contemporary feel which satisfy the
expectations of pupils” (Smith, et al, 2005, p96).

Cowan & Butler stated that bringing technology into a
classroom increased learner’s willingness of content
knowledge.

Intergrating IWB software may improve the teaching of map
skills in the classroom.
Purpose of study.

To explore if Smart board software facilitates the teaching of
map work within the classroom.

To simplify, difficulties teachers have with teaching map
work skills.

To investigate if there are better teaching methodologies to
improve map work education in the classroom.

To discover if teachers are willing to use this software in the
classroom to teach map work skills.
Literature review






There are no studies that integrate map work and Smart board
software.
L, Innes has numerous studies on Geography education in South
Africa. Read her thesis of the implementation of ‘Maptrix.’
Okwilagwe studied the attitudes teachers have towards map
work in a Nigerian context.
Cowan & Butler studied the integration of handheld devices in a
Geography classroom.
Smith, Higgins, Wall and Miller on the advantages and
disadvantages of teaching with an IWB.
Smith, Kandis Marie Beaman did a thesis on barriers, benefits and
consequences teaching in the classroom.
Methodology
Research Design:
 The Research is qualitative because it will investigate Teacher’s
experience with the Smart board Parrot Software.
 Small sample in order to test if the methodology is useful.
 Explanatory research- Describes teacher’s views of using the
Parrot software in the classroom for map skills, because
teacher’s thoughts, beliefs of using this methodology will be
discussed in depth. Information from teachers will be extracted
through an interview process.
Continued:
Snowball Sampling: Specific expertise from the teachers in
order to make meaning of the study
2 Junior Phase
4 Teachers
2 Senior Phase
+10 years
experience
-10 years
experience
+10 years
experience
-10 years
experience
Methodology
Data collection:
One secondary
Government School:
Bracken High
Four Teachers will be
interviewed: Semistructured interview
which will be
recorded.
One secondary study
phenomenological
Government
School:
which
is “to describe
and
Bracken
High
interpret the experiences
of participants regarding a
particular event in order to
understand participants’
meanings” (Knapp, 2007,
p 346)
Interviews will
be
constantly
listened to.
Summaries of
each question
in the interview
will be
constructed.
Data analysis
Phemenological
approach
A in depth conclusion will
be deducted from
interviews, summaries
and graphs
Data may be
represented in
tables or graphs,
(Preferably pie
charts)
Similar and
different patterns
will be identified
from these
summaries.