Becta Research: Young people, schools and technology-supported learning Vanessa Pittard, Becta

1. Becta Research: Young people, schools and technology-supported learningVanessa Pittard, Becta ALT-C 8 September 2009

2. Communication Entertainment Personal Management Education • To empower learners and citizens to make the best use of technology for learning • To ensure schools, colleges and other learning providers are ‘e-mature’, including a workforce that is skilled and confident. • To build effective innovation and leadership of technology • To ensure there is a fit-for-purpose and value for money technology infrastructure. • And all this to enable improved, personalised learning experiences. Context: The Harnessing Technology Strategy

3. Context: 21st Century SchoolsExcellent, personalised education & development • Enabling easy access to high quality learning and teaching resources • Professional networking, sharing practice and resources • Differentiating learning to better meet individual needs • Provide specialist tools to support young people with special educational needs • Making learning more engaging, connected, real and fun! • Empowering children and young people and equipping them for lifelong learning

4. Context: 21st Century SchoolsEarly intervention and support For example: • Making recording of information easier, for example lesson registration • Tracking progress in real time, data analysis and information management • Bringing information together – seeing the whole picture for a child or young person – attendance, behaviour, performance, other information and indicators • Computer-based diagnosis of individual needs e.g. literacy, mathematical understanding

5. Context: 21st Century Schools Parents as partners “We know from schools around the country that if families are going to be involved really effectively, they need a good two-way flow of information – a channel which is more efficient and more frequent than a once a year written report, or a letter home when there is a problem or a cause for celebration.” Jim Knight, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, BETT Show 2008

6. What about research?Becta research programme Tracking/monitoring: HT surveys of schools, colleges, practitioners, learners Exploring, researching: Policy/issue focus; technology focus Evaluating/assessing impact: Programme; technology adoption/use Narrowing the Gap Supporting NEETS YP Digital Literacy & Participation Curriculum and Pedagogy 1 to 1 personal mobile access Impact on learning and outcomes

7. What can we say? C&YP • Young people behave and position themselves differently from each other in relation to technology. (e.g. UnivNottm, Web 2.0; Univ Oxford, The learner and their context) • Young people are engaging with the computers and the internet at younger ages (e.g. SQW, Home access evaluation; UnivNottm, Web 2.0) • Technology-based activity in young people’s lives has significant implications for how they manage their lives and their learning. (e.g. Univ Oxford, The learner and their context; UnivNottm, Curriculum and pedagogy) • Children and young people are increasingly bringing related expectations and behaviours into their learning in school/college. ‘Like, they just teach you like stuff, like formula for Excel which you could just like go onto a webpage and just read’ (Univ Oxford, The learner and their context) .

8. Source: Ofcom Children's Tracking Survey, in April to September 2005, April to September 2007 and April to October 2008

9. What can we say? C&YP • But there are also critical gaps in children and young people’s abilities to use technology well to participate educationally, and still a digital divide relating to access. The problem with the ‘digital natives’ idea, then, is that it often overestimates the amount of knowledge that young people have about digital technologies and digital cultures. (Futurelab, Digital literacy and participation, forthcoming) • Learning and innovation skills like creativity, critical thinking and problem solving. Increasingly important . (Futurelab, Digital literacy and participation, forthcoming; OECD, various) • Parents need to be helped wherever possible to understand how they can develop mature, independent approaches to using technology (Univ Oxford, The learner and their context) • Schools are not always good in equipping C&YP for the future and building the right competencies and behaviours with technology (Univ Oxford, The learner and their context).

10. The Rose Review

11. Source: Family Spending 2008, Ipsos Mori

12. What can we say? Schools • Teachers using ICT to support learning in a full range of ways: • primary: 26% • secondary 17% NFER/Becta HT Schools Survey 2008

13. What can we say? Schools

14. What can we say? Schools • Participation in the Becta SRF as part of the school’s ICT strategy is biggest predictor of e-enablement – for both primary and secondary For example 62 per cent of e-enabled primary schools have this as opposed 29 per cent of those at the bottom. • A wireless or mixed network accessible to pupils appears another important factor for primary schools.  This high in secondary schools so is a much weaker predictor for that sector. Other fairly strong predictors: • The use of a learning/online platform • Leaders have confidence on funding for ICT CPD • CPD for teachers is in the ICT strategy • Personalised learning is a school priority for ICT • Teachers are enthusiastic about ICT • Analysis of data from NFER/Becta HT Schools Survey 2008/9

15. What can we say? Impact To date, the strongest systematic impact appears to come from: • Learners’ use of the internet for assessment-related project work (e.g. Nottm Trent, Evaluation of Broadband in schools) • Embedded use of interactive whiteboards at primary stage (7-11) (MMU, Primary IWB evaluation) • Learners use of technology at home generally (notably link to GCSE outcomes, rather than other stages) (DCSF IFS/Longitudinal Survey of Young People; Univ Leeds Home Use of ICT) • Learners’ use of revision-focused online resources and services prior to examinations (Univ Lancs analysis of online revision usage data) • Use by schools of integrated online information systems for monitoring and managing learners (Nottm Trent, Impact 08, Impact 09 emerging)

16. What can we say? Impact Other practices with technology which seem to produce positive learning benefits: • Engaging underachieving learners through creative and applied learning with technology (Univ Lancs, NEETS; Becta grant, BESD study) • Connecting formal and informal learning using mobile devices (Univ Bristol, 1-to-1 mobile learning) • Engaging C&YP in critical and creative media production using technology (Futurelab, Digital literacy and participation; Univ Nottm, Web 2.0) Narrowing the gap: Exemplar projects from the literature (Nottm Trent, NTG study): • Improving results by monitoring behaviour • Authentic learning • Using learner self-assessments • Practice makes perfect • Changing student perceptions of the classroom • Just-in-time tutoring • Learners with English as an additional language • Improving central executive functioning • Using biofeedback to ameliorate the problem of ADHD

17. What can we say? New modes . Univ Nottm/SERO, Curriculum and Pedagogy, forthcoming

18. Thank youVanessa Pittard, Becta