Is failure to use technology to enhance learning failing school pupils?

The format of education hasn't really changed since Victorian times. Students are still packed into a classroom with a teacher who spends most of their time doing some variation of lecturing to the students, before they then apply whatever they've just heard to some real examples. This system treats everyone equally by treating pretty much everyone the same, using the same techniques and the same curriculum for everyone, regardless of their differences. Liberal Democrats tend to challenge traditional policies, and should challenge the current educational system too. We also tend to look solely to teachers for educational policy but it is also worth listening to the perspective of students.

Technology promised a revolution in classrooms, with very little change in the techniques in the publicly funded and conservative education sector. Technology has changed the way in which the teacher delivers the information to the class, allowing a little more interactivity but keeping the key parts of the teacher lecturing to the students on masse. Technology could, and should, be causing a more revolutionary change to education, like a number of charter schools are in the United States.

One charter school chain, called Summit Public Schools, has used technology to revolutionise their teaching. Students mainly learn from online courses and doing project work, supported by a teacher who moves from more authoritarian current role to a mentor, supporting students in their learning and explaining more difficult concepts. These schools save teachers a significant amount of time on marking, allowing teachers to support their students more and removing a significant source of stress. The school still requires students to cover a broad curriculum using a personal learning plan, though they are free to learn at their own pace and choose their topic at the time.

The think-tank RAND Corporation, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, studied 23 new charter schools around the US that were experimenting with personalisation techniques for student learning. This study can be found here. They found that student achievement in maths and reading had improved faster than the national average since these programs began. The most dramatic impact is in maths for children aged 7 or 8, where personalised learning almost doubled their ranking nationally, on average raising them from the 33rd percentile into the 64th. These programs are not even as advanced as those used by Summit Public Schools, so the gains from using their system may be even more profound.

This radical overhaul of the education system is likely to provide large benefits to students, while not requiring divisive streaming in schools or between schools. Students learn together, supporting each other in a more collaborative while individual environment, teaching every child a broad curriculum while also allowing them to pursue their passions.

* Oliver Craven is a party member in Lincoln, Sleaford and North Hykeham Liberal Democrats. Oliver Craven is a party member in Lincoln, Sleaford and North Hykeham Liberal Democrats.