We’re proud to be a Demonstrator school, which means we support other schools and colleges to make the most out of the technology available to them. During school closures we have seen the benefits of digital education platforms more than ever before. It has helped reduce teacher workloads, created efficiencies, improved accessibility and ultimately supported excellent teaching and learning in a time where children may otherwise miss out. 

We are often asked by the schools we support which platform we think works best. There are lots of platforms available, but Office 365 Education and G Suite Education are good places to start. Most Primary schools already have Office software installed which makes it easier, but G Suite for Education contains a free set of productivity tools for classroom collaboration. Accessible from any device, it is used by over 120m+ users worldwide and enables teachers and students to continue teaching and learning remotely. To find out more about the pros and cons of the different software available visit The Key for School Leaders.

What are the benefits?

Whichever system you choose there are a number of benefits to gain and endless opportunities to create new learning experiences for pupils. We have found that Google Classroom really helps many of the teachers we work with to organise learning activity. The teachers have been using the system to hand out and mark assessments, and to provide structure for students learning at home. It has also proved effective in improving learning outcomes, particularly for pupils who are struggling, by prompting better knowledge sharing, reducing teacher workload, and streamlining processes to save time and money.

You don’t have to limit yourself to using digital tools just for the delivery of lessons – one of the main things we have missed during school closures is feeling connected as a community. So during lockdown we shared Zoom dial-in details with each of our students so they could all log into a shared assembly. This helped all of us to remain connected to the school community and the students are reminded that the support system the school provides is still available to them. Technology doesn’t just play a key role in the delivery of lessons but also in protecting the wellbeing of all students and pupils and maintaining some normality to the routine.  

The future of remote education?

At Coupals, we were already using education technology to enhance learning before lockdown. but the last few months have given us all the opportunity to really rethink how we teach and think about how technology can help us to achieve that. We’re now even keener to implement flipped learning throughout the school in which children learn fluidly between home and school – this wouldn’t be possible without the remote education experience we’ve had during the pandemic. 

There is no denying that digital education platforms have long-term benefits for schools and pupils. They improve learning outcomes, reduce teacher workload and streamline processes to save time and money. We want to continue to use technology to complement traditional teaching after children return to the classroom this September. 

Over the last twelve years I have been to twenty-three countries and to simply say that travel changed me a little each time would be an understatement. Now, the philosophical world traveler in me feels the need to describe these moments as rich cultural experiences, but, truth be told, at first I was only interested in getting pictures for Facebook – the social and cultural education was a convenient bonus. Over the years, I have spent most of my time attempting to prepare children for life. I’ve learned from some incredible mentors, taken great courses, and had many professional development opportunities. Yet my travel experiences have taught me just as much and helped me become a better educator.

Shared-Learning

Sharing my travel stories with my students allows for intercultural understanding. It allows me to share my learning with them, inspiring and encouraging them to chase their passions and dreams. Personal travel stories allow me to address and hopefully debunk stereotypes, biases and presumptions towards cultures. They have the potential to awaken students to traditions and values of cultures, helping students recognise and value new ideas. 

Making Sense of the Past 

I remember standing inside the cavernous hall of the Armenian Genocide Musuem in Yerevan and thinking to myself ‘Why didn’t we learn about this in school’? But when it comes to history, there are plenty of things we don’t know. More than a hundred years on, the impact of the Armenian genocide reverberates loud, and is echoed by the other atrocities that dot our social media feed daily. Too often despair stands in the way of action and knowledge leads to a sense of hopelessness. We cannot bring back to life the dead of the past or those who have been victims of political mass murder throughout the ages, but, through courage as well as knowledge, we can act to bring about a world free from the scourge of hatred. In committing ourselves to everyday things to create a world of peace, freedom, and mutual respect, we honor the memory of those who have fallen victim to the ultimate crimes. The genocide will soon turn 100, but the capacity to forgive is infinite. Mercy forsakes logic, math, numbers – I hope my students will always remember that.

Look Beyond the Textbooks

Some years ago, while travelling around Jordan, a friend arranged for me to spend 2 days at an orphanage school in Amman. The school was full of Syrian refugee kids trying to come to terms with their new circumstances. Recounting those experiences to my students, I realized that many of them admitted to knowing very little about the refugee crisis and the political landscape of the Arab countries. Before I began travelling, my Private School education too had actually taught me very little about it. Our curricula is sometimes so western-focused that we hardly really learn about the histories of people and nations in less developed parts of our planet.

I started this post thinking I would list ten ways in which travel helps me inspire my students, and I could go on listing my reflections; but I must keep my terminal verbosity at bay, so I’ll just leave you with some thoughts to consider with students in your classrooms.

• In a world that is constantly assaulting the senses, travel teaches young people the value of doing nothing and using time and space to unwind and make sense of their experiences
• The last twelve years has also cemented the idea that learning doesn’t end with a high school degree. In fact, graduating high school can be like baby steps – true education happens while you’re living and experiencing life in the real world
• Culture connects us all; despite having unique ways of experiencing the world, once you spend enough time with people you will realize that we have more shared humanity than we realize. The things that make us different, make us special, but the things which we share in common unite us too.
• Until I moved to the UAE, world travel seemed like a distant dream; the kind that sits at the back of your head, but you never give it any importance because you doubt it will happen for you. Over the last twelve years I have gained confidence in the idea that dreams are attainable if you work at them. I know that sounds cliché, but it is true, and when I tell that to my students, I believe it; because that has been my own experience.

So there you have it, if I were to sum up everything that I am feeling as I type this, I would say that sharing my travel experiences with my students has helped me create a safe zone for learning about life. Students are always interested to know about their teachers’ personal lives and sharing my travel experiences with them helps me intersect the personal with the profound in a way that subject content might never be able to. 

I hope that each of my students can have some degree of world travel experience. When I started wandering and wondering, I discovered things about the world I had not known before and through it, I discovered who I was. I hope they too have the wonderful opportunity to discover themselves and the history of shared humanity through the joys of travel.

The reason I started with this small brief, is because the first step as educators is understanding what’s happening in society, admitting that racism still exists, admitting the biases and inequalities that still prevail. Current affairs have made me refocus my energies on the education sector where I can have the most impact and begin to lead change. Another reason I began this piece giving a brief summary (from my point of view) is to encourage learning. By no means have I gone into any detail, so I would urge educators to understand this is a process of learning and potentially changing our views in line of new information gained from research, conversations, books etc. To effectively be a Champion For Change, we must engage in learning, educating ourselves and thus enabling ourselves to educate the students we teach, being confident in having open conversations about these topics with staff and students alike. Only when we do this can we effectively tackle inequalities within the system. 

One thing that I’ve begun doing a lot more of is reading. Now if you know me, you’ll know I read pretty slow. I have a long reading list which I’m probably not going to get through anytime soon, but this is okay – as I mentioned previously, this is a learning process so I’m in no rush. I couldn’t recommend the book I’m slowly making my way through enough: For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin is fantastic. Don’t worry, no spoilers, but it encourages reflection on your teaching practice, your own bias, and provides actionable points through pedagogy. It’s also important to understand nobody is perfect: we will make mistakes and we may get it wrong, which is why having safe spaces is incredibly important. I regularly mention safe spaces in conversations with students and my fellow teachers. Usually the reason why we don’t speak up is due to fear. Fear of how whatever we want to say maybe perceived, fear that you’ll lose friends, fear that you’ll cause tension… the list goes on. A culture of fear is damaging especially within an educational environment which is meant to nurture and encourage growth through mistakes and learning opportunities. Safe spaces are crucial for both staff and students.

I created this short animation which includes my top tips for teachers to begin promoting cultural diversity in their classrooms:

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I won’t repeat anything from the animation, but I will say this: Through my many conversations with educators over the past couple of weeks, it seems that some people think the promotion of cultural diversity or adapting your curriculum only suits black children. I would say this couldn’t be further from the truth. A classroom which is based on and becoming enriched through diversity, with a holistic curriculum to support the development and education of urban youth, has benefits for all students regardless of their ethnicity. 

‘Representation matters’ is a phrase which I truly believe. This is ultimately how educators should engage and teach students, this is how students will develop a love of learning with a curriculum and teaching body that cares about their skin colour. But not just their skin colour, also their heritage, backgrounds, upbringing, culture – representation matters. 

5 quick tips to get you on your way:

1) Understand that it’s okay to make mistakes. Nobody is perfect, but an open mind helps us respond to feedback, to learn and improve. 

2)  Tackle bias head on. Biases exist for everyone, but how we let these impact our teaching is our responsibility.

3) Cultural diversity is important for ALL students. Even if you don’t teach any Black or Asian students it’s just as important for white students to be aware and understanding of various cultures and backgrounds.

4) The learning doesn’t stop – continue reading and engaging in conversation with both students and staff.

5) Be a champion for change in your classroom and school community. Promote safe spaces in class for students to ask questions, discover new things and challenge societies perceived norms & inequalities.