Author: erinconradmountainbradley hi

I am a IT teacher, who enjoys using and exploring technological tools -unconventional learning models opened up by 21st century technology. Avid reader and somewhat philosophical type (a Tektologist) in the Bogdanovian sense) out to explore the limits of where learning can go -from a comprehensive perspective.

The COVID-19 crisis and reflections on systems transformation

By Jenny Perlman Robinson, Molly Curtiss

For many of us, it has been a stunning experience to find ourselves adjusting our daily routines to take safety precautions to protect ourselves, loved ones, and neighbors.

In the midst of this global pandemic, we are reflecting in real-time on how systems undergo large-scale transformation—how government, businesses, schools, cities, and communities adapt and make fundamental changes to existing ways of working. This issue of systems change and, more specifically, how education initiatives scale and spread, is a topic that we at the Center for Universal Education (CUE) have been exploring in our Real-time Scaling Labs over the past year. These scaling labs—action research projects led by CUE and undertaken in partnership with local institutions across five countries—are an effort to learn how effective education practices scale across communities and countries. Through learning from, documenting, and supporting the process of expanding and deepening the impact of education initiatives around the world, the labs aim to develop concrete, practical guidance on key drivers that contribute to large-scale transformative change in education.

Prior to the spread of COVID-19, we had been reflecting with our partners on how difficult it is to change a system: Systems prefer the status quo and often require a crisis to transform. We are certainly watching this play out today—many countries have been slow to respond to the global pandemic despite significant data and advice from experts on what measures are needed—and have only leapt into action once the magnitude of the virus was apparent.

As the world grapples with responding to the current crisis, we are struck that some of the same key principles we have been studying in the Real-time Scaling Labs might also be relevant in responding to this pandemic. These include:

  1. Iterative, adaptive learning. Flexibility and adaptive capacity are crucial at a time when events unfold rapidly, and households, communities, and leaders must constantly adjust to a new reality on a day-by-day basis. The situation has also brought to the forefront a deeper appreciation of the importance of reliable, high-quality, timely data for decisionmaking, while acknowledging the limitations of existing data in representing the true scope of a rapidly shifting crisis. At the same time, we are witnessing firsthand what behavioral science has long shown—that data alone are not always enough to spur change as attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are deeply ingrained in people and institutions.
  2. Engagement of multiple actors. This crisis has underscored the essential role of government in preparing for and responding to a crisis and ensuring that the basic needs of individuals, especially the most marginalized, are met. Now more than ever, the duty of government to provide social services, safety nets, and investments in global public goods is clear. At the same time, COVID-19 has also underscored that government is unable to address this crisis alone; managing a situation of this scope absolutely requires the collective efforts of actors across the system, bringing together non-usual suspects from the private sector, civil society, and community leadership to creatively collaborate. For example, to help millions of students continue to learn remotely while schools are closed due to COVID-19, China launched a national online learning platform for junior and senior high school students and broadcast primary school classes on public television. To make this digital solution work smoothly for millions of children at once, major telecommunications operators and technology companies collaborated with the government to back up servers and ensure sufficient bandwidth. And even before the platform was rolled out, Chinese tech companies had already been offering students free online courses.
  3. Knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer learning. If ever there was a time to learn from one another and avoid repeating mistakes, it is now. We often say we are a global community, but the crisis has made these words all the more real. In some ways, COVID-19 has leveled the playing field; wealthy countries are unable to insulate themselves from a virus that does not respect borders or discriminate based on socio-economic status, gender, race, or religion. High-income countries have much to learn from the experiences of lower-income countries that have previously coped with the realities of massive displacement and crises such as the devastating Ebola outbreaks. At the same time, while COVID-19 can affect anyone, we do know its impact absolutely will discriminate. Those who are already furthest behind or marginalized are most at risk of suffering from this crisis—economically, physically, mentally, and educationally. During the Ebola crisis in West Africa, we know it was often girls who suffered the most, with spikes in teen pregnancy, sexual violence, and increased need to support family members, and consequent school dropouts and stigmatization. And we are seeing this play out firsthand in the schools in our own communities. My [Jenny] children in Connecticut were all given Chromebooks to continue their education virtually, while children in neighboring towns risk going hungry or losing critical physical and mental health services in the wake of school closures.
  4. Innovation in education. One of the silver linings from this crisis may very well be reimagining what education can and should be in the 21st century. This may include the global community doubling down on investments to ensure continued educational opportunities in situations of instability and crisis, as well as further exploring distance learning possibilities. While technology will certainly play a role in reconsidering the possibilities for teaching and learning, especially in support of virtual learning opportunities, we also know that technology alone isn’t a panacea for future crises—and the risks of technology further exacerbating inequities must be addressed. The current situation provides an opportunity to think outside the box about how our education systems can best deliver quality learning opportunities for our children to survive and thrive in today’s rapidly changing and uncertain world.

The COVID-19 crisis is already having and will continue to have devastating consequences for individuals and communities across the globe, which must not be underestimated. At the same time, the crisis also provides a critical opportunity for us to learn more about the essential principles underpinning large-scale transformative change, as is needed in many education systems around the world. The hope is that we can come out on the other side of this pandemic with more evidence and lessons learned about how to expand the impact of effective social interventions and introduce new ways of working within our education systems to provide quality learning opportunities to all. In future posts, we will share stories from our scaling lab partners from around the world on how they are innovatively coping during this crisis to ensure that millions of children continue to receive an education.

       

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In search of global innovations for education

In search of global innovations for education
In global rankings and comparisons of education systems around the world, the UK’s education system regularly scores highly. Yet, these…

Here at the Churchill Fellowship programme, we believe that the UK’s education sector can learn from new ideas and best practice in other countries. We also believe in people and in the potential of an inspiring individual to be a changemaker in their profession or community. 

In March we announced this year’s Churchill Fellows: a group of 141 dedicated individuals from across the UK who will be seeking international solutions to some of the UK’s most pressing challenges. Thirty of them will be looking for innovations in educational topics. They will bring these back to the UK and, with our support, will share their findings in their workplaces, schools and communities in order to bring about positive change. 

From education in rural communities or how robots in schools can help children with medical needs to participate in lessons remotely, to mental health programmes in schools or supporting young people following a crisis or bereavement, these 30 Churchill Fellows will explore a range of life-changing issues. Here are just a few of their upcoming projects… 

Supporting and training teachers with safeguarding responsibilities

Poor mental health, self-harm and suicide within schools are increasing, and teachers are not always equipped to cope with their safeguarding responsibilities. Integrative Child Psychotherapist Jane Brinson will visit models for clinical supervision of teachers and school staff in Australia’s and New Zealand’s health and social care sectors, which can be applied to education settings in the UK. Jane will use her findings to create a framework for UK schools and supervisors.

Teaching Science in schools

Scientific illiteracy is common in the UK and less than one in ten students leave secondary school with an A-Level in maths or physics, leading to a skills shortage in the UK. Science teacher Simon Palmer is investigating ways to improve the teaching of maths in secondary school science, in Singapore and the USA. Simon will share his findings with colleagues to help make the subject more accessible. 

Teaching sex education and relationships in primary schools

From September 2020, the teaching of relationships and sex education will become compulsory in UK primary schools, yet teachers have little clarity on the level of training they will receive. Primary school teacher Hannah Steele will explore how Estonia, the Netherlands and the USA have delivered sex and relationships education as part of initial teacher training programmes. Hannah will use her findings to influence teacher training programmes in the UK. 

Disability inclusion in schools

Only 6% of school leavers who have a learning disability go into employment. Head of Growth at the learning disability charity ENABLE Scotland Ashley Ryan will visit the USA and the Netherlands to research inclusive education and transitional support opportunities for people who have learning disabilities. Ashley plans to use her findings to influence UK government policy on inclusive education.

We’re hugely excited to see what ideas these new Fellows will bring back to the UK and what changes they will initiate. You can view more of this year’s Fellows’ projects in education here. 

Anyone can apply for a Churchill Fellowship, regardless of age, background or qualifications, so long as they are a UK citizen aged 18 or over. In the last ten years, we have appointed more than 150 Fellows in the area of education and have seen some incredible results. You can read some of their stories here. This year, our Education Fellows are jointly funded through a partnership with the Mercers’ Charitable Foundation, enabling us to support more in one year than ever before.

If you would like to find out more about applying for a Fellowship, and to be alerted when we open for applications, please visit www.wcmt.org.uk. We would love to hear from you.

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/in-search-of-global-innovations-for-education http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/in-search-of-global-innovations-for-education

How to learn online

How to learn online
With all schools, colleges and universities now closed, and thousands of workers at home with children to educate, people around…

An Internet connection, a smartphone, tablet or a computer gives the ability to unlock an almost infinite world of learning opportunities and interaction. Here digital learning experts Dr Alex Fenton, from the University of Salford Business School and Dr Aleksej Heinze from Kedge Business School in France, give their top tips for maximising the opportunities for online learning.

 

  1. Make sure that you have the technology to engage in the learning process

This means a reliable Internet connection and using the best screen possible. If you know where in your home the WiFi hub is, position yourself closer to it. If you have a chance to use a wired connection, this can also give you the most stable and fastest Internet speeds in your home. If you have a choice between a smartphone or a tablet – choose a tablet with its bigger screen, which is also easier on your eyes. Make sure you take regular breaks from the screens – take some exercise and make a drink.

  1. Identify your learning objectives and study goals

Your attitude and motivation will largely determine your success and effectiveness of your learning process. Decide how much time you would like to devote to learning and what you would like to achieve.

  1. Build a study routine

When learning online, it is also important to have a study routine. Commit to certain goals each day and then take a break. Reward yourself – eat one of your favourite treats for example. It is important to experiment with which time of day works best for you. Some people are early birds and like to learn first thing in the morning when they are less distracted and have not connected to the world news, social media or other distractions. Others like to wind down with learning and do it before they go to sleep and forget about the daily worries. Reading offline or listening to audiobooks and podcasts as part of your routine will also break up screen time.

  1. Find learning buddies 

Learning together is more fun, better for learning and also helps you to overcome challenging times together. Many learning tools allow for interaction with the other learners and tutors. This is great if you are struggling with something and want someone to help you as well as making friends and developing existing relationships. Using audio or video conferencing technology and additional communication tools that are free such as Skype can help you to make the learning process more interactive.  

  1. Don’t give up!

Every time that we start something new it is a challenge. Online learning presents a number of these challenges such as connectivity, ability to follow the time management routine as well as following the learning instructions.

The biggest challenge for you is to motivate yourself and keep going and trying to understand if something does not work. For example, a number of tools might be expecting a certain version of a web browser or a certain Internet speed to connect and engage. Try things out, experiment and ask for help – the actual process of learning how to learn will be a great skill for your future. If you stick to these principles this could be a great way of maximising the opportunities available over the coming months.

 

 

Five educational resource ideas

Watch tutorials on video sharing platforms

If you like to go to a gym but it is closed, there are some great online resources that you could follow. For example, if you are missing your Metafit session – one of the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), you could find a number of videos on YouTube, such as Joe Wicks, where you can join others and just follow them. Assuming of course that you have no medical conditions that prevent you from doing physical activity. 

Reading and online books

Your school, university or community library will have a variety of e-books that you can download and you can also find many low cost and free books to read through a Google search.  Project Gutenberg for example offers almost 60,000 free ebooks which are in the public domain as the copyright has expired.

Learning apps 

If you only have a smartphone and no computer or a smart TV, you can download and learn a number of things using smartphone apps. For example, you can learn new languages, history or geography for places you might want to visit once the confinement is over.  

MOOCS 

MOOC’s are Massive Open Online Courses and cover a wide variety of courses at little or no cost. They work on a combination of recorded materials and support from the wider learning community and it is sometimes possible to get a certificate of completion for those that finish.

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/how-to-learn-online http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/how-to-learn-online

New ‘Great Exhibition at Home’ challenge launched

New ‘Great Exhibition at Home’ challenge launched
The Great Exhibition at Home Challenge is a positive contribution to independent learning at home during this period of unprecedented…

Meaningful, structured and creative STEM activities build to an exhibition to be held in bedrooms, kitchens, shoeboxes, gardens across the country. Inspired by the original Great Exhibition of 1851, The Great Exhibition at Home Challenge asks young people to explore how engineers can help protect the planet. Weekly activities, digital resources and a fantastic video challenge for participants. The Challenge is suitable for home-working or classroom, for primary or secondary ages, and can be completed alone or with friends. The challenge can be started at any time, but will be especially suited to providing an instructive, inspiring and fun activity during the summer term. 

The Great Exhibition of 1851 was an international celebration of innovation. To Prince Albert and his team of commissioners it was the ultimate demonstration of a modern world – fast moving and dynamic.        

The Great Exhibition at Home Challenge is inspired by the wonder of such a momentous undertaking and the ambition of those involved. It provides an opportunity to connect schools and communities today in the spirit of the Exhibition of 1851, to look to the future and engineer a better world.

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 has partnered with The Royal Academy of Engineering to deliver the Great Exhibition at Home with Big Ideas. Students throughout the UK are invited to take part in a seven-week project, culminating in a video challenge. This final challenge asks students to create and share a Great Exhibition, wherever their classroom may be. Free resources are available and winning participants will receive £500 worth of equipment to supersize STEM subjects in their school, as well as other prizes to be announced soon!

Nigel Williams, Secretary of The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 says, “The Great Exhibition at Home Challenge is very much in the spirit of Prince Albert’s legacy. He would urge us to tackle the immediate challenges we face with the pandemic, but not to lose sight of the long-term goals. Prince Albert was a master of innovation and sought to promote it all his life, reminding us of the need to support and develop our young people and to nurture their curiosity. I am looking forward to seeing what young people today make of Albert’s story and the ways in which it will inspire them to create new inventions for 2020 and beyond.”

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says “Young people are natural engineers – creative, problem solving, adaptable. This is an amazing opportunity for them to think about how they might use engineering to help protect the planet and showcase their ideas, in the style of the famous Great Exhibition of 1851. We will be encouraging students to take part through our Connecting STEM Teachers network and look forward to seeing future engineers step up to this important challenge. As our This is Engineering campaign shows, engineering is a great career for anyone who wants to make a difference and shape the future.”

Dr Virginia Crompton, CEO of Big Ideas says, “Our everyday lives may have changed beyond recognition, but that’s all the more reason to offer engaging and meaningful content for young people, especially as schools are closing. The idea of a Great Exhibition is a brilliantly simple and immediate way to get us all involved and inspired. It really doesn’t matter if the setting is a classroom or a cupboard! We are looking forward to supporting students across the country to take part in this exciting and creative challenge and are honoured to be working with our partners at The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and the Royal Academy of Engineering to provide this flexible and engaging home-friendly challenge.”

To receive a free copy of the Great Exhibition at Home resource pack and challenges for Week 1, sign up at https://www.big-ideas.org/join1851/

The deadline for entries is July 2020. 

http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/new-great-exhibition-at-home-challenge-launched-to-inspire-young-innovators-in-wake-of-school-shutdown http://www.innovatemyschool.com/ideas/new-great-exhibition-at-home-challenge-launched-to-inspire-young-innovators-in-wake-of-school-shutdown