Smeets, E. (2005) ‘Does ICT contribute to powerful learning environments in primary education?

The research looks at how teachers create active powerful learning environments in the classroom, and how ICT is incorporated into this, to support all individuals. It addresses the need for open-ended use of ICT to allow active, autonomous learning where all children benefit.

Study – questioning 331 teachers in the highest grade of primary education.

Found - Adaptation to meet the needs of the individuals proved limited – ICT not used effectively to support all the children – need to e open minded about how ICT can be used for this purpose.

Teachers creating powerful learning environments, but use of ICT in an open ended way could further this development.

Four powerful learning environments –
• Rich contexts and authentic tasks
• Active and autonomous learning
• Cooperative learning
• Curriculum adapted to the needs and capabilities of the individual pupils – which in this research was found to be quite limited.


Teachers found to not yet view ICT as a tool to be used throughout the curriculum but rather as a support for low-achieving pupils. Therefore teachers are not using ICT to its full potential, to contribute to learning environments. Used to complement, but not change traditional teaching methods and practices.

I think this is due to a lack of confidence – these teachers who were questioned are probably themselves having to learn to use ICT and the new technologies available and are therefore not confident to incorporate into lessons where children need to use the skills too. Teachers in this case are much less likely to uses open-ended ICT where children have freedom in their use.

The research also highlights that ICT is going to be used effectively when there are the computers available – teachers are less likely to plan for the use of open-ended ICT if there are limited computers for the children to use.

Teachers need to be more aware of the potential of ICT across the curriculum – to stimulate pupils’ active and autonomous learning. Skills need to be used, to keep up with the developing skills of children in schools today, to create powerful learning environments.