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Lucy Gradillas Comments on Recent School Visits
To understand the difference that Tablets can make to learning, there is no substitute to getting into the classroom and talking to students about how they use their devices. In the past few weeks, the Tutoriage team has visited Longfield Academy, Kent, Chiswick School and Greenford High School both in West London. It is only when you are in the classroom (and corridors!), that you see how integrated Tablets are into the way these students learn, interact and manage their school day.
The Tutoriage research focuses on Year 7, but it is noticeable that students who have been using Tablets for more than a year, use them as second nature. We observed a Sixth form class at Longfield Academy where Mrs Beamish (a truly brilliant teacher) was working with her learners to critique themes in Ian McEwan’s novel ‘Atonement’. She was able to pass seamlessly from group to group observing the essays they were writing, helping them to improve their work and benefitting from maximum one on one teaching time.
One of the concerns that parents and teachers voice when their school is considering adopting Tablets, is the fact that devices do not have keyboards and that this will hinder the students’ writing. Watching this sixth form class writing complicated A Level essays, we were impressed at how quickly they typed on their Tablets and that they were completely at ease with this way of working.
In a Year 7 class students were working on theiripads to research slavery past and present, prepare presentations and then share them with the class. It was interesting to note that when the teacher wanted their attention, he asked them to ‘Put your Tablets down’.
Chiswick School is about to start its one to one journey with the introduction of ipad minis. But it has already run an 18-month programme of research and focused trials to test a range of devices, example you can view on the https://tutoriage.com/reflective-essay . This scheme is part of a commitment to mobile technology and to overhaul outdated ICT provision. The Head, Tony Ryan, explained that his staff have been at the heart of the decision about which devices to choose. The message is clear, successful one to one technology adoption needs senior leadership, proper engagement of staff, students and their parents/carers and to be part of a considered strategic approach to pedagogy. We are delighted that Chiswick School will join the Tutoriage research looking at the impact of Tablets on education.
The Tutoriage team also participated in the hand over of Sony tablets to Year 7s at Greenford High School. In the packed auditorium, students and their parents or carers heard about how to get the most out of their Tablet and how to use it sensibly. There is a lot of information for parents to take on board and understandably some have concerns about safe internet usage and protecting the devices. It would be fair to say that Paul Nock, Assistant Headteacher, and his staff at Greenford High did an amazing job at helping, advising and preparing their students and their families before handing out the Tablets. This is a time consuming but essential process. Any concerns that were raised were far outweighed by the look of joy on students’ faces as they took their Tablets home.
Each school visit helps the Tutoriage team understand better the challenges for staff and students. There is no doubt that adopting Tablets still requires a lot of hard work from schools, if it is to be part of an integrated pedagogical change programme. We remain convinced of the need for best practice advice to make this process smoother for schools.
Tutoriage Stage 1 research highlighted that teachers are strongly in favour of using technology to enhance teaching and learning and 74% support the idea of introducing Tablets into their lessons. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for education and the lives of our young people. We also remain impressed and humbled by the strength of leadership of Head teachers, senior management teams and dedicated staff, the zeal and desire for change and the passion for learning in so many schools.
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