Pedagogical change
– harnessing IT to deliver personalised learning in schools.

Author – David Peters, Chief Executive, eZeSchools

All people have a right to self-sufficiency, independence and self-esteem. And yet the current structure for the delivery of “education” is failing many in today’s society.

It is clear that a substantial number of pupils are leaving formal education without achieving acceptable standards of literacy and numeracy. In many cases this is a direct result of their not being engaged by the current system. It is neither capturing their imagination nor persuading them that education is of benefit to them. In 2006, out of a GCSE (and equivalent examinations) cohort of 577,000 pupils in state maintained schools, as many as 317,350 did not achieve five good GCSEs of which two were English and Mathematics.

The existing structure including classes of some 30-40 pupils who are lectured/taught in a manner which was suitable back in the 1930s, by way of “chalk and talk” and learning by rote, somehow seems far less relevant to pupils nowadays.

The problems the 21st century teacher faces are new. Social attitudes have changed, the current mobile phone/i-pod generation have great expectations and low boredom thresholds. Behavioural issues abound. The modern preoccupation with exam results as the sole measure of success generates a great deal of measuring, paperwork and tests yet does not enable pupils to learn how to learn. At best, it simply teaches them how to pass exams. With government plans to extend the school leaving age to 18, it will be imperative to find new ways to engage older pupils.

Despite this preoccupation with results and the many millions of pounds expended on endeavouring to improve attendance and lift the overall level of education, what has actually happened is that attendance has fallen (some 10,000 children drop out of formal education every year by the age of fourteen). Many secondary schools find that when their Year 7 pupils arrive at age 11 too many are incapable of either reading or writing to a workable standard. The Director General of the Confederation of British Industry is quoted as saying that levels of literacy and numeracy are so poor that potential employers are having to invest substantial funds in basic skills retraining (London Evening Standard August 06).

A shortage of seasoned teachers with the knowledge, training or desire to deal with these issues means that many well intentioned plans to improve education standards have failed to deliver the desired results.

It is time to change

Current government initiatives encourage radical redesign of school structures and by 2008 an embedded learning platform for all pupils is prescribed. The forethought and many man-hours of development at eZeSchools Limited means that at just this critical juncture, our personalised learning platform is ready and available to help lead pedagogical change.

Productive collaboration between school and IT company

“spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.”
EM Forster

Greensward College, a 1600-strong leading technology college in Essex was singled out in a recent DfES report as being amongst the best in terms of self-assessment and best practice. The eZeSchools board of directors consists of serving headteachers, software experts and bluechip company expertise. Both parties were keen to explore new methods and unearth new ways to meet current needs in school education in today’s context. In 2004 a BECTA funded project enabled them to build a working relationship to pursue this goal together.

This collaboration has resulted in a solution which realises the vision of one-to-one learning and teaching. Deeply rooted in the classroom environment, it is simple to use and highly effective.

Pre-requisites which guided the development

“education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.”
WB Yeats
  1. Simplicity of use – essential, as IT skills within education are varied
  2. Compatibility with all software and hardware
  3. A comprehensive content management system enabling the sharing of content across a full range of subjects and not only within that school but with all connected schools
  1. An ability to obtain pupil, teacher and stakeholder feedback, thus enabling the collection and analysis of data to promote improvement
  2. An ability to interlink with the school’s own MIS and be able to provide leaders and managers with a simple to read “dashboard” of the key performance indicators of individual pupils, classes, year groups and the school as a whole
  3. The facility to deliver lessons and tasks to individuals taking into account their level of ability, their learning styles and their wants and needs in a timely and efficient manner.
  4. The delivery of “anytime, anywhere learning and teaching” thus enabling excluded pupils, for example, to attend lessons in a virtual sense.
  5. The capability to allow specially gifted pupils to progress more rapidly.
  6. The potential to enable less academic pupils to receive additional support and work at rates adapted according to ability
  7. The system needed to incorporate a mind mapping tool which would enable teachers, pupils and parents to see learning status “at the touch of a button”, to help them plan future progression and revise or extend work
  8. The provision not just of audit trails but also of a facility to analyse those results in a meaningful and constructive way
  9. Interactive practice exams and tests, with automatic marking and results presented in a useful and easy to understand format
  10. The ability to deliver and manage all of the above in addition to the full range of applications already housed within the school’s existing platform. This included messaging, e-mail, forums, educational games, and linking to any electronic connection device including ‘thin client’, mobile phone, PDA or ‘fat client’.
These requirements have been met in full by the eZeSchools personalised learning platform. The system has been well received by pupils, teachers and parents at Greensward College and has quickly become an integral part of school life.

Conclusion

To date tens of thousands of learning objects have been uploaded by teachers into the system; lessons formatted and delivered; extended schemes of work created. The feedback from users has been greatly encouraging. The platform continues to develop and incorporate new and innovative applications many of which are suggested by teachers and pupils.

The collaboration with Greensward College from 2004 - 2006 has refined the platform to meet the critical demands of the current educational environment:

  • It provides extended teaching and learning in an innovative and economical fashion
  • It is centred around a safe and secure online environment
  • It provides facilities for limitless growth and involvement

Individually tailored learning is the cornerstone of the platform. It takes account of individual learning style, preference, level and ability. It delivers the content 24/7: any subject; any time; any place.

The response to the introduction of the eZeSchools personalised learning platform has been beyond the dreams of the even the most optimistic supporters.

Already, teachers and pupils alike are suggesting new and innovative ways in which the platform can be used today and developed for the future.

Key points to note

  • Simple and speedy for teachers to use;
  • Allows pupils to be in control of their educational development;
  • At the same time it allows the active participation of teachers and parents.
EZeSchools does not believe that technology can resolve all educational issues. We do contend, however, that technology is essential for the efficient delivery and dissemination of relevant educational content in today’s technological environment. The eZeSchools solution is not simply about technology, but about learning outcomes.