Education news roundup – July/August 2020

Here are three of the latest UK education and edtech news stories from July and August 2020.

75% of teachers need more training in remote teaching for the upcoming year

Teacher training consistently recurs as a neglected concern in schools’ strategies; our State of Technology in Education Report last year found most educators agreed training receives insufficient funding. This Education Technology article confirms training needs to be a greater priority to ensure teachers can use the technology efficiently and deliver the best support to students. 

“While lockdown has normalised the use of technology, staff need more training in remote teaching to support student success,” the article explains. “Three quarters (75%) of UK school staff are calling for more training in online teaching, according to a study of 2,400 school representatives, conducted by Tes Global.”

“The findings follow the government’s announcement that schools must lay out plans for the continued delivery of quality remote lessons, even once schools reopen, to ensure there is a strategy in place if schools are forced to close once more, or if students are isolating.”

Read more of the study’s findings here.

British pupils ‘struggled to continue learning at home’

“A majority of British children struggled to continue learning at home during the lockdown,” this report says.

We understand that, now more than ever, keeping students motivated is a significant challenge. The article also mentions, “The Office for National Statistics research found that of the 52% who struggled, three-quarters of parents gave a lack of motivation as a reason.” Our edtech solutions overcome this by integrating stimulating technology at the forefront of the classroom experience.

Layla Morgan, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, asserts that: “thousands of children have struggled to learn from home during lockdown due to a lack of devices.” You can ensure your school is fully equipped with our latest edtech offering to reengage students as they return to the classroom.

Read the full article here.

Attainment gap widened in Covid lockdown, data shows

Insight into the impact of the sudden shift from classroom to home-schooling reinforces the need for an enhanced teaching strategy going forward. “Research has shown that the gap between the scores of the highest and lowest performing pupils taking reading and understanding tests has increased during the partial closure of schools,” this article outlines.

“The effect is stronger on primary-age pupils, with the largest increase in Year 3 at 52%, while the gap was smaller for Years 7 and 9 at 13%,” it continues. To combat this issue, it’s crucial to ensure you have the right tools and equipment in your classroom. Our front-of-class displays not only add teaching value with an intuitive, interactive learning experience, but also come with our award-winning lesson delivery software.

Read more of the report’s findings here and request an ActivPanel demo to find out how our edtech solutions can reengage your students and bolster attainment.