BESA CORNER


BESA CORNE R


In our regular feature highlighting the work of members of the UK education suppliers’ trade body BESA, Education Today this month hears from ALEX MACMILLAN of Firefly Learning, an information storage platform for schools; and NAIMISH GOHIL, CEO and Founder of Satchel, the company behind Show My Homework and other educational apps.


In our regular feature highlighting thework ofmembers of the UK education suppliers’ trade body BESA, Education Today thismonth hears fromALEXMACMILLA


for schools; and NAIMISH GOHIL, CEOand Founder of Satchel, th e company behind ShowM y Homework an d other educational apps.


Our approach to teaching SEND and ESOL students


Comment by ALEXMACMILLAN, Firefly Learning Sibford School, in Oxfordshire, is not a place that sits still – in fact, the A co-educational day and boarding school with some 400 pupils


school has big ambitions.


aged between three and 18, Sibford is a mainstream school which nurtures individual talents and believes that each child is talented, each different and all valued.


This philosophy has led to the school attracting a number of students with special educational needs: 33%of intake are SEND – that is, dyslexic, dyscalculic or with autistic spectrum conditions – and 13%are overseas students, China, Russia or Ja


pan, for whom often from


English is not the first language. VictoriaMacaulay, Science


Teacher and Head of House, Sibford School, said: “We look at all barriers that our students might face,


whether it’s organisational skills, literacy skills, the ability to read and write and also other areas such as social skills and mental health. In the case of our ESOL students, not only do they have a different first language, but they are also often used to working with a different alphabet. It is therefore very important that we explore different ways of teaching and testing, so that no student is at a disadvantage.” Two years ago, Sibford School adopted Firefly, a tool that categorises content, tracks homework, and enables collaboration, including parental engagement. This move saw a cultural shift, as Firefly rapidl y became part of day-to-day school life with teachers embracing this new way of keeping resources in a single place.


students’ notes a work is complete


For example, Drama classes focus on board work, bringing together writing. After the board and


d the teacher photographs the white nd ideas without heavy emphasis on


uploads it for students to use as a revision tool.


The Library has implemented a digital one stop shop for online resources, including checklists, revision notes and relevant safe to access websites. This is of particular help to students conducting projects, enabling them to access information when they need it and saving teacher time, as they no longer have to produce wor ksheets fo r different tasks .


The Science Department has introduced the ‘Talking Textbook’. Each topic area has been broken down into a designed page, including images and rich media, like videos. To help students digest the information, every page includes a podcast, allowing students to follow the text as it’s read. This has proven an effective approach, as students can learn or revise a topic at their own pace. It has also reduced the need for TA support.


Sibford School has found that this clear structure and cross-


departmental approach has made a real difference to learning. Students know where their materials are kept, what assignments are due and how to contact their teacher for further help.


Excitingly, by adopting this approach, new opportunities have opened up for o b th teachers and t d


t d s u ents. For example, s u en t


ambassadors are now creating their own podcasts and resources for their peers.


Sibford plans to continue this digital innovation, always focusing on making learning accessible to all.


https://fireflylearning.com 1 4 www .education-toda y.co.uk.co.uk www


Reclaiming time and rethinking homework through technology


Comment by NAIMISH GOHI L, CEO& Founder, Satchel


Time is the one thing we never have enough of. Regardless of the profession we are in, we could always do with having an extra hour in the day. After having been a teacher myself for many years, it soon became clear to me that I


in fact give teachers the thing they so desperately needed – time. Educators have long done an outstanding job of ting students, however, the impact of excessive working hours in the midst of the teaching crisis soon began to take its toll on our teachers. Through embracing the new technology that was available to us, I was able to create software that actually streamlined manual processes, so their time was freed up to spend on the things that mattered to them.


educa more could


Satchel started out initially as our flagship software, ShowMy Homework (SMHW), but over time has evolved into a suite of apps that provide schools with a truly holistic learning experience. Since our inception, we’ve seen an abundance of new tech and companies come onto the scene, but it is through working with over 1500 schools and the learnings they have gifted us with, that we’ve been able to focus on giving them quantifiable value that not only support our claims of saving time but shows the amount o f money our software saves them and the environmental impact it has.


Schools have saved on average 60,000 pieces of paper (equivalent to 7 trees) and 0.6 million litres of water per year; as well as saving up to £5000 previously spent on paper planners and up to 95%of time previously spent trackin This shows technology is helping to mak more sustainable and how we’re contributi wellbeing through reducing unnecessary admin.


ng to improving teacher e the education sector g homework.


Additionally, the success of SMHWand the scale at which Satchel has grown has helped to raise the profile of homework. For years, homework’s worth has been debated. Despite its proven benefits in conjunction with aca demic success in secondary school students, the subject has remained somewhat controversial, however the prominence of Satchel has helped to bring surrounding homework into a more positiv


e and truthful light. This the conversation


was most apparent when I was invited to talk at BBCWorld about SMHWand my reasons behind founding the company, fully cementing homework as a global issue.


We’ve been fortunate enough to change hearts and minds when it comes to both technology and homework thanks to innovations in this sector.We will of course continue to innovate and enhance our software – I’m excited for both ours and the industry’s future and the impact technology will continue to make.


Today, schools have a choice when it comes to the technology they can implement and, in some cases, this can be a double-edged sword. However, we as humans will always learn from our mistakes and it’s much better to have a choice than have software forced upon you .


 ww.teamsatchel.com www Marc h 2018 2018 LAN of Firefly Learning, an information storage platform


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