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Interactive Teaching Programs from the U.K.
When I moved to the United
States from England, I realized
that teachers everywhere face
the same daunting task of competing for
the attention of 21st-century students.
One tool I discovered in England and still
use daily in my math class on the other
side of the pond is the set of Interactive
Teaching Programs (ITPs) that the British government provides for free on its
education Standards Site ( www.stan-dards.dfes.gov.uk/primaryframeworks/li-brary/Mathematics/ICTResources/itps/).
You can use these K– 7 programs directly from the Internet or download them to
your computer, with no annoying sign-up. Thirty-eight ITPs, ranging in topic
from measurements and number facts to
calculating angles and area, are available
for PCs or Macs, with downloadable instructions in Word or PDF files.
ITPs support demonstration and allow
teachers to model problem solving from
many different angles. The programs are
useful both as an interactive teaching tool
on an overhead projector for the whole
class and on standalone computers for
independent teacher or student use. The
layout is very simple, with three function buttons labeled “quit,” “information,”
and “reset.” An arrow button swaps the
function buttons to the other side of the
screen, which is particularly helpful when
using interactive whiteboards, as you can
select the side of the screen you would
like to stand on.
The teacher
can manipulate
a protractor
image just
like a real
protractor to
teach students
how to measure
angles.
The simple layout of this Counting ITP
makes in-class demonstrations easy.
Each ITP focuses on a particular mathematical concept. The Calculating Angles
ITP, for example, provides a protractor
that can be manipulated to turn and flip
just like a real protractor. It’s even better
than the real thing because students can
see it clearly as the teacher demonstrates
how to line up the protractor precisely.
The Fractions ITP provides bars that can
be divided into up to 100 pieces, and
you can add other bars to the screen for
a visual image of equivalent fractions. A
variety of ITPs can complement activities
or games as well. The Number Spinners
ITP—a great lesson for teaching probability—allows you to choose the shape
of your spinner, how many spinners you
want, and a number limit.
—Helen Crompton is in her third year teaching
fifth grade students in North Carolina as part of
the Visiting International Faculty program. Prior
to that, she was a teacher in England for 12 years.
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