WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY....
TIME OVER TECH: WHY PRACTICALITY MUST SHAPE TEACHERS’ CHOICES
Comment by CAROLINE FISHER, ActiveHub Product Lead, Digital and Assessment, Pearson W
hen it comes to making a difference to students, teachers are by far the most valuable resource any school has. So when schools invest in technology, one of the most important questions is simple: will this give teachers meaningful time back? That question matters more than ever. In the Pearson School & College Report 2026, almost a third of secondary teachers (30%) told us technology had improved student progress tracking over the past two years. Yet only 28% said it had successfully improved their overall workload or administration.
With teacher workload cited as a top-three challenge for school and college educators in the year ahead, that gap needs to be tackled. Teachers can see the potential. Secondary educators told us AI could be used more to support administrative tasks (63%), insights and data analysis (56%), and marking and feedback (49%).
But not all digital tools - or uses of AI - are created equal. The presence of AI is not, in itself, a mark of quality. The real test is whether technology solves a genuine problem and improves teaching and learning. Some digital ‘solutions’ can inadvertently add new layers of administration: another login, another system to update or another source of data for teachers to interpret. General-purpose AI tools that have not been designed for education can create challenges of their own too, including distractions for learners and promoting cognitive offloading. That is why I believe the next phase of edtech needs to be shaped by practicality. Instead of asking only, ‘What can this technology do?’, schools should also ask: ‘What will it help our teachers do more easily – and what will it give them more time to do?’
Schools already have access to huge amounts of information. The challenge is turning it into something teachers can understand and act on quickly.
Good digital tools can shorten the journey from assessment to insight to action: marking appropriate activities automatically, identifying patterns in performance, surfacing misconceptions and helping teachers see where individuals or groups may need additional support.
That does not mean removing professional judgement. In fact, it means protecting it.
Used well, automation should take on repetitive processes while leaving teachers firmly in control of the decisions that matter. It should support professional judgement rather than replacing it.
These principles are helping to shape our development of ActiveHub, where technology is education-led and pedagogically grounded. In ActiveHub, automated marking and AI-supported summaries and feedback are designed to make information easier to interpret and act on, while keeping teachers in control of the decisions that affect their students. The same principle applies to the less visible parts of technology, which can reduce unnecessary administration. ActiveHub can integrate with a school’s management information system (MIS), so changes such as class moves, year-group progression or leavers can be pulled through automatically rather than updated manually.
These features may not generate the same headlines as the latest advances in AI. But they can make a tangible difference to teachers’ working lives and students’ learning experiences.
Ultimately, the best technology should fit around good teaching, not the other way around. It should remove friction, make useful information easier to act on and give educators more time for the things technology cannot replicate: professional judgement, creativity and meaningful interaction with students.
October 2026
www.education-today.co.uk 27
It’s worth asking these questions when considering digital tools and platforms:
1. Does it reduce the administration burden? Too many tools require manual data entry and set-up. Look for technology that integrates with existing systems and reduces duplication, with different parts of the platform working together so teachers do not have to move information manually between them. 2. How intuitive is it to use? Good edtech should not require extensive training simply to get started. Clear navigation and effective onboarding should help staff understand how the technology fits into teaching across the year and how it can support their goals.
3. Is digital and AI being used strategically, or for the sake of it? Technology should be adopted where there is a genuine benefit to teaching and learning, not simply because the capability exists. Where AI supports marking, feedback or other student-facing decisions , schools should look for meaningful human oversight, appropriate safeguards and a clear explanation of how it is being used.
4. Does it turn information into something teachers can act on? Dashboards alone do not save time. Useful technology should help teachers identify patterns, understand where personalised support is needed and take the next step quickly. The most useful platforms go a step further by connecting those insights to relevant resources or interventions, helping teachers respond without having to begin another time-consuming search.
5. Does it provide trusted, ready-made content? Teachers often instinctively move to build their own assessments, which takes time and effort. Trusted ready-made and time-saving assessments can significantly reduce workload, but schools should be confident with the subject expertise, assessment content and mark schemes underpinning them. 6. Is data usage and storage transparent? Schools should know where data is stored, how it is used and how long it is retained. Providers should make this information clear and accessible so the right teams can carry out due diligence without creating unnecessary extra work for teachers.
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