FEATURE: SUCCESSFUL INNOVATIVE TEACHING PRACTICE
Transform Trust: focusing on teaching, not technology
the edges, installing a learning platform here and curriculum content there. I’m talking about a fundamental re-thinking of how our schools function, and being able to focus on teaching, not technology.
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n our final feature this month we are delighted to hear from Phil Herd, Associate Headteacher and Digital Lead at Transform Trust, who explains how a focus on teaching and not just technology for technology’s sake has allowed excellence to flourish across the Trust.
Over the past two decades technology has given us the opportunity to completely reform our schools. I’m not talking about tinkering around
The problem I believe lies in the culture that our education system has built over these years. Many of us have fallen in love with the dream technology sells us, believing that it is the elixir of the perpetual improvement in teaching standards. It has certainly helped in many areas. Digital books are igniting a love of stories in reluctant readers, maths resources are making teachers’ lives easier by providing visual interpretations of mathematical problem-based learning and of course learning platforms have provided schools with a place to track progress and store student records. But in my mind, what has happened is that these disparate systems are not the quick fix they are sold to be, and can in many ways make teachers’ lives harder if the right solution is not implemented in the right way.
The potential presented by edtech can only be fully realised if the focus remains on teaching rather than the technology. Tools should enhance teaching, even transform it but digital strategies must always be led by the needs and wants of teachers and student or you risk ending up with shiny new technology that isn’t actually helping anyone.
We wanted to make sure that when 34
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introducing digital solutions throughout the Trust, they would truly improve pedagogical standards and the experiences of our staff and students. From teacher’s lesson plans, activity notes, student assignments, learning content, to ongoing assessment results and rich feedback, we wanted to ensure everyone across all our schools could collaborate easily and efficiently to share information for a connected learning environment. Our vision was for a digital infrastructure where students could move towards having more autonomy to take control of their learning, fostering their own independence; a vital life skill!
Transform Trust is a community of 19 schools based in and around Nottingham and Derby. All our schools work to ensure that all students, regardless of their stage of learning, race, gender or socio-economic status, receive a world-class education that prepares them for success in college, careers and beyond. While each of our schools operates autonomously, the Trust functions as an enabler, to ensure educational excellence, allowing our teachers and staff the autonomy to explore and innovate to improve the education of their students. Of course, each day there are many different ways to approach teaching, from the traditional learning model to some of the most innovative and creative classroom activities. The positive classroom culture that we wanted
September 2022
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