FEATURE FOCUS: CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY
State of the Nation: A litmus test of UK schools’ approach to technology
in a post-Covid world, taking forward the learnings of what had worked well when it came to the use of technology.
While online learning was forced upon both teachers and students during the lockdowns, today the use of technology to support lessons can be much more fluid; teachers can select the tools that best suit the needs of their students and which complement the curriculum. But when there is such a vast amount of edtech at their disposal, are educators feeling fully supported to use it effectively, and achieve the best possible outcomes from their pupils?
The State of the Nation report I
n our third piece this month on technology and its use in the classroom, Janice Prandstatter, Senior Education Consultant at Promethean, discusses UK schools’ approach to technology and offers valuable insight drawn from the company’s recently released State of the Nation report.
After the turbulence of 2020 and 2021, last year educators had an opportunity to rebuild a consistent and structured school experience without the risk of sudden closure. Rather than playing catch up for time missed in face-to-face lessons, there was the chance to redefine learning
The Promethean State of Technology in Education Report has been running for seven years in the UK and Ireland, to gather insights about the use of technology in schools and, in recent years, the role of wellbeing factors on the staff and student experience. Each year, the report evolves, and this year has been condensed to focus on three pressing, hot-button topics:
• Social-emotional learning: what are schools doing to cater to it, and how is technology helping? • The life and role of an educator: how has their experience in their job and using tech changed? • The future of education: how will tech, digital fluency, soft/hard skills, and priorities change? Additionally, we’ve explored students’
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approaches and attitudes towards technology – specifically how it impacts their school experience.
Social-emotional learning
In response to the research, more than half of all teachers (57%) said technology is a good tool for supporting students’ social-emotional needs. And while it’s broadly the norm for teachers to factor social-emotional learning (SEL) into their lessons in some way, a significant proportion say that achievement still takes precedence, with almost a third (29%) saying their school hasn’t implemented any SEL-dedicated measures at all. When we explored this topic in 2021/22, 44% of educators said SEL was their school’s key strategic priority. As part of this year’s research, numbers dropped, with just 38% saying the same. Similarly to last year, a quarter said that attainment/achievement is prioritised over it. In terms of application, half of educators are dedicating lesson time to SEL, with counselling (36%), messaging tools (33%), and group work (26%) focusing on the topic also being implemented.
Overall, educators are largely confident in technology’s role in supporting SEL (57%), particularly in its ability to improve student engagement (71%) and strengthen collaborative or community-based learning (69%).
The life and role of educators Strike action has been on the news agenda for March 2023
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