That kind of visual response, Clements believes, is more effective than mere bells and whistles that reward a correct answer. The same factors that were tied to student-achievement gains were also related to a better school climate, Wenglinsky found. Researchers who have observed such results firsthand cite several possible reasons. One is that computers provide instantaneous, nonjudgmental feedback, a characteristic that can be especially beneficial to students with low self-esteem. Computers also can perform routine computations, giving students more time to wrestle with larger concepts.
Teachers see it in their kids' interest.
They see them come in at lunch and after school to work with it. Technology also can liberate teachers from the traditional lecture-style of instruction, by encouraging them to act instead as coaches and facilitators. Learning happens best when the youngsters are doing the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, most of the nation's schools aren't using computers in ways that Wenglinsky's findings indicate are linked to better scores. And survey responses from the 1996 NAEP also raise serious questions about technology's role in closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their peers.