Teachers know that simply adding more technology to classrooms isn’t going to fix anything.
A survey by Education Week earlier this year shed light on the disconnect between tech adoption and efficacy: Though 50 percent of teachers report they are comfortable using new technologies, most of them are using it for “test taking and drills rather than more interactive or collaborative approaches.”
If we simply use technology to make age-old practices more efficient, we miss its potential to unlock a new era of pedagogical innovation – namely that of personalized learning. More than ever before, we have an opportunity to use technology to engage students in new ways, giving them agency over their learning—a personalized experience.
After working in education reform for more than a decade and now as the head of a national nonprofit-based in Chicago that helps schools and educators navigate the implementation of personalized learning strategies, I’ve observed a number of commonalities among teachers who are leveraging technology to support a personalized learning model. As teachers continue to grow their practices this year and look into what’s ahead for 2017, here are five observations from the field that may help inform that work:
Think practice first, technology second. Shiny new iPads and Chromebooks are great, but great teachers don’t start their lesson planning with devices or software programs. They start with an eye toward specific student learning outcomes and objectives. When they start with real-world classroom challenges vs. the problems technology developers think they have, teachers avoid standardizing or subrogating the role of teaching. I’ve seen brilliant, low-tech approaches to personalized learning. Putting practice first and technology second is how savvy teachers are using technology to improve outcomes and meet students’ unique needs.
Develop a plan. More than half the schools we’ve worked with in Chicago were using technology everyday before they joined our Pilot Network, but like many schools across the country, they had no concrete plan on how to use it to inform and personalize instruction effectively. By developing a plan, these schools have gone on to see some of the largest gains in student achievement across the city. Teachers now see technology as more than an electronic notepad, but an integral tool that allows them to personalize and customize instruction for every student in their class – all because they changed their teacher practice.
Give it time and adapt as you go. If you choose to try a new education technology, make sure you test it long enough to gather meaningful results. Across our Pilot Network, we had the opportunity to test six ed tech products in 15 schools in our first year. It took about six to eight weeks before the pilots were running consistently and efficiently. If our teachers had given up before hitting that critical stage, we would have lost our ability to learn whether those technologies – and most importantly, the ways they were implemented – would have a positive impact on student achievement. As it turns out, the results were very promising: in Pilot Network classrooms, the impact on a leading national assessment was equivalent to closing the low-income achievement growth gap by 45 percent.
Find your champions. No pilot is successful without a network of support. In schools that are successful, we see strong leaders that pave the way for innovation, outside organizations that help identify promising products, teachers who provide valuable insights and feedback, and educator leaders within the school who are passionate about collaborating. Trying something new can be scary, but having the right support system in place will help make sure your implementation is solid and consistent.
Focus on data. Not every education technology product on the market generates quality data, so it’s a good idea to understand what you will and won’t have access to when selecting a product for the classroom. Reliable data helps teachers to understand student progress in real-time and identify challenges early. It also allows teachers to revisit, assess, and revise instructional strategies. Joseph Lovett Elementary School in Chicago used data from reading software to tailor instructional strategies that led to larger reading gains. They are also now taking their data focus further and changing the model with student-led conferences where 2nd – 5th graders will interpret the data and share insights with teachers about the areas where they see a need for improvement.
Technology is an important and powerful tool and I am encouraged to see teachers embracing it and entrepreneurs exploring ways to make it better and more effective.
But it’s the intersection of practice and technology that allows us to implement truly personalized solutions to transform teaching and move toward better outcomes for our students.