A case study of how using laptops in a primary classroom facilitated Higher Order Thinking

Research about 1:1 laptop school initiatives highlight benefits for learning, however, there is little research about the impact of such initiatives in the primary school context. This case study reports how a 1:1 laptop program facilitated Higher Order Thinking (HOT) in an upper primary classroom in Australia. The class was observed during one unit of work and Bloom's taxonomy of HOT was used as the analysis framework. Results showed that Higher Order Thinking was evident when laptop tasks encouraged students to take an active role in their learning. HOT was facilitated by students being able to make decisions on applications to use to complete tasks and class discussion facilitated by the teacher. Technical problems experienced using laptops also promoted HOT from students. This study suggests that a 1:1 computer initiative can promote HOT but is dependent on the pedagogical practices of the teacher. This small-scale study highlights that the teacher is key when implementing laptops in the classroom and further research is warranted to inform future 1:1 computer initiatives in primary schools.