Let's give teachers and parents the tools to help every child

 Schools need technology boost to catch-up from Covid, not longer working days

 By Richard Marett, Education Expert

EVERY child deserves an education that caters for their individual needs - but how do we achieve that in the light of the havoc inflicted on schools by the pandemic?

Boris Johnson has previously stated that the loss of learning for children and young people should be society's main focus as we recover from Covid-19, with the PM expected to unveil a four year plan for schools next month.

Longer school days and reduced holidays are reportedly being considered, although a recent survey by the National Education Union found that teachers were strongly opposed.

This is not a case of the unions being obstinate: teachers know that children learn best when they are in the mood, ideally absorbing knowledge in bite-sized chunks.  

Overburdening schools, parents and pupils with longer hours and shorter holidays, would only add pressure on a system that is already buckling under the strain of trying to rebound.

Thankfully, there is an alternative. We could easily give every teacher direct access to technology that would help to them to support every pupil. This would create the flexibility to ensure that children have an opportunity to learn in their own time, at their own pace.

This type of flexible schooling is known as 'asynchronous learning', which is used at home in order to complement the synchronous learning that takes place face-to-face with the teacher. 

Of course, the scale of the challenge is such that there is no silver bullet. However, by supporting teachers and parents with teaching technologies powered by artificial intelligence, it would significantly reduce the burden. 

Teachers can use these types of computer programmes like a virtual tutor, for example in order to take the headache out of marking homework. Teachers can set virtual lessons, which are interactive, fun and engaging, with colourful animations and sounds. Children can then access learning in their own time from anywhere in short bursts.

Significantly, technology can also be used to accurately assess the academic impact of Covid on each and every pupil. This is a momentous, but vital task.

Children have not only missed-out on time in the classroom, but their previously acquired knowledge before lockdown has also been eroded.

In a study of nearly 1,000 pupils by my own learning organisation found that 46% of children - nearly one in two - experienced a regression in their mathematics ability by an average of eight months since the start of the pandemic. 

In other words, these pupils had gone backwards. Many are now a whole year or more behind where they would otherwise have been by now.

Teachers are very aware of this because even in normal times there is a 'summer slide' over the holidays due to pupils becoming rusty. A class in Year 4 may typically have a 'learning gap' of up to four years between high achievers and those who learn at a more sedate pace.

Teachers often tackle these learning gaps by a process known as "differentiation", which involves splitting classes into smaller groups that work at different paces in order to master a subject in stages.  

The depth of learning gaps due to 'Covid-slide' is shocking and unprecedented. It has made differentiation far more complex, because teachers require a much deeper understanding of how every single pupil has been affected.   

Whilst our study found that nearly half of children had regressed, the remaining 56% of students were on average roughly where we would have expected them to be. 

The Education Endowment Fund has previously stated that children in low-income families are most likely to be adversely impacted. However, disadvantaged parents care just as much as affluent parents, but it's much harder to act if your full-time focus is on making ends meet. 

It is not a difference in aspiration: it is a difference in resources. That's why, as a nation, we need to equip our classrooms with teaching technology that schools and parents can rely on.

Studies have shown that three flexible 20-minute sessions of quality learning in mathematics can achieve better results than a single longer session when a child may be bored or distracted.

Rolling out forward-thinking technological solutions would achieve three goals.

Firstly, it would allow access for all. Children could learn anytime, anywhere.

Secondly, it would empower teachers to stay in control with long-term integrated solutions.

Thirdly, it would provide real-time accountability by monitoring the progress of every child and adapting to their needs through course correction.   

If we do nothing, a study by UNESCO estimated that it could take up to eight years for the worldwide education sector to recover - hence we will lose a generation of students. However, if we are proactive, we can halve the recovery period, enabling a return to normality within in the proposed four year plan for schools. 

* Richard Marett is the co-founder of Whizz Education, which is a leading member of the British Educational Suppliers Association and has provided learning programmes for 1.5million children around the globe.