VIEWS & OPINION


The role of interactive


technology in 21st century learning


Comment by SIMON HILL, Managin g Director at YPO


The digital revolution is often referred to as the “The Third Industrial Revolution”, and with good reason.


Technological advancement has changed the way we do everything – from learning to processing information and implementing what we have learned, developments in the digital world have transformed the way people and sectors work. The education sector is no different – spending on technology within schools has increased over the last decade and the trend is likely to continue in the future, particularly where technology is being used to support th le earning process.


Based on the British Educational Suppliers Association’s (BESA) annual ‘ICT in UK State Schools’ research, as of 2015, pupils were exposed to ICT for 53%of teaching time, in comparison to 50%in 2014. So where does interactive technology come into play?


Interactive technology, or “smart education”, where learning becomes more immersive and the teacher acts as more of a facilitator – rather than a source, is an excellent way of getting pupils involved and expanding those limited attention spans.


Using interactive technology to support learning is not engaging, but also prepares pupils for the use of technol education and their careers as adults from a very young age.


ogy in further only fun and


There are a number of ways in which interactive technology can help create a classroom environment that fosters learning and engagement. Using interactive touch screens is just one of the ways in which the digital revolution has made its way into classrooms. This innovative teaching tool, which helps teachers engage with pupils in new and dynamic ways, is quickly gaining popularity across schools in the UK.


As part of our extensive range, YPO offers a number of interactive display products designed to meet the ever-changing needs of the education sector. Our customers are regularly exploring creative options of relaying the school curriculum to children in an impactful yet cost-effective manner.


In fact, our market research has shown that 57%of all global interactive display sales are now interactive flat screens. For the UK, this figure is higher at 69%.We also f ound that the interactive display market in the UK has grown 20%year on year.


Most recently, we have worked with Bright Beginnings Nursery in Stockport to help them address some of their classroom challenges through interactive technology. The nursery was keen on helping young children develop the educational and social skills required for primary school. However, in line with changes to the national curriculum, there is now a growing emphasis on helping children to develop ICT skills and an understanding of technology.


This led to them considering our interactive technology range, and ultimately taking the decision to invest in an interactive screen to help prepare young children for using interactive touch screen technology at primary school. The nurser y chose Clevertouch, an interactive fla t panel, which is considered to be the updated technological alternative to interactive whiteboard and pro


ojjector solutions.


Fortunately, the UK education system is not led by pre schools are generally free to explore how they can adopt


technology and use scription – i.e.


it to improve teaching and learning. Therefore, schools should take advantage of this and look into ways of incorporating interactive technology into their teaching programmes.


1 8 www .education-today.co.uk.co.uk www


VIEWS & OPINION


Is the problem less about the quality of textbooks and more about matching them to each child’s reading level?


Is the pro roblemless about the


quality of textbooks and more


re aboutmatc hing t hem to each child’s re’s reading level?


Comment by JASON TURNER, vice president of global services at MetaMetrics


If you ask anyone to arrange textbooks in order from those used in year one to year 11 based on their level of


complexity, most would assume that year one pupils would use the lowest level of text complexity, with year 11 reading the most difficult text books. And that was the hypothesis of our


research.


Of course, as expected, the median text complexity of textbooks used for the mandatory foundation subjects (English, maths and science) along with history, geography and


citizenship, does increase each year.


If you ask anyone to arrange textbooks in order from those used in year one to year 11 based on their level of complexity, most would assume that year one pupils would use the lowest level of text complexity, with year 11 reading the most difficult text books. And that was the hypothesis of our research.


Of course, as expected, the median text complexity of textbooks used for the mandatory foundation subjects (English, maths and science) along with history, geography and citizenship, does increase each year.


However, the worrying part lies in the fact that the research findings highlight the fact that the greatest increase in complexity across the years and key stages occurs early on when young readers are still developing their reading skills: between years one and two, and also in the transition from key stage 1 to 2. After this time, the increase in complexity declines. The question is, ‘does it matter’?


However, the worrying part lies in the fact that the research findings highlight the fact that the greatest increase in complexity across the years and key stages occurs early on when young readers are still developing their reading skills: between years one and two, and also in the transition from key stage 1 to 2. After this time, the increase in complexity declines. The question is, ‘does it matter’?


To a certain extent the answer is ‘no’, bu alone does not provide insight into the qual


published for pupils in any genre, it does indicate the accessibility of the content.


To a certain extent the answer is ‘no’, but while text complexity alone does not provide insight into the quality of the materials being published for pupils in any genre, it does indicate the accessibility of the content.


ity of the materials being t while text complexity


AtMetaMetrics, we work with leading education sector publishers worldwide to match reading level to their text complexity. Fo r example, if year five pupils are presented with reading materials at a level of complexity above their reading ability, absorbing the information could be quite challenging, and will generally ‘turn them off’. Conversely, materials written significantly below a pupil’s ability level may foster boredom in the classroom and limit the pace of learning. In theory, if we are to raise standards in our education, each child should be reading books that are very reading level.


As education sector publishers have such an excellent reputation, maybe the issue is less about the quality of the textbooks and more about matching each child to - reading materials that inspire and engage them.


As education sector publishers have such


an excellent reputation, slightly above their


maybe the issue is less about the quality of the textbooks and more about matching each child to - reading materials that inspire an d engage them .


partners, including Scholastic and Achieve3000 now use the ‘Lexile Framework for Reading’ measure on all their reading materials so that students can be easily matched to the best reading material for their needs. The Lexile measure represents a pupil’s reading ability or a text’s complexity, with the scale ranging from below 200L for emergent readers and texts, to above 1600L, for advanced readers and materials.Rather than find the time to match a child’s reading level with a range of textbooks from various publishers all using different grades, colours and measures, the international measure for all ages and publ i


Our text is


shers. By using such a Lexile is now an


scale, we can start to ensure that our students are given engaging reading material at their correctly assigned level, while also driving up standards at all key stages, not just in the early years. For further information on the Lexile Framework for Reading and the list ofmore than 200 publishers using the measure, please visit https:////lexile.co.uk /


The first step in understanding the relationship between pupils and text is to recognise the text complexity of the materials. Our partners, including Scholastic and Achieve3000 now use the ‘Lexile Framework for Reading’ measure on all their reading materials so that students can be easily matched to the best reading material for their needs. The Lexile measure represents a pupil’s reading ability or a text’s complexity, with the scale ranging from below 200L for emergent readers and texts, to above 1600L, for advanced readers and materials.Rather than find the time to match a child’s reading level with a range of textbooks from various publishers all using different grades, colours and measures, the Lexile is now an international measure for all ages and publishers. By using such a scale, we can start to ensure that our students are given engaging reading material at their correctly assigned level, while also driving up standards at all key stages, not just in the early years. For further information on the Lexile Framework for Reading and the list of more than 200 publishers using the measure, please visit https://lexile.co.uk/


The first step in understanding the relationship between pupils and to recognise the text complexity of the materials.


Jun e 2016 2016


At MetaMetrics, we work with leading education sector publishers worldwide to match reading level to their text complexity. For example, if year five pupils are presented with reading materials at a level of complexity above their reading ability, absorbing the information could be quite challenging, and will generally ‘turn them off’. Conversely, materials written significantly below a pupil’s ability level may foster boredom in the classroom and limit the pace of learning. In theory, if we are to raise standards in our education, each child should be reading books that are very slightly above their reading level.


Comment by JASON TURNER, vice president of global services atMetaMetrics


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