Sunday, May 5, 2019

‘Can teachers be replaced by technology in the future?’

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog - Digital Competency



Technology has had immense impact on how the education system has evolved, especially in the UK. It has given education endless opportunities and widened the teaching scope massively for teachers. There has been speculation that one day teachers will ultimately be replaced by technology, although there is no definite answer or certain yes or no to if technology will be replacing teachers in the foreseeable future is something that’s worth the discussion.

It’s hard to imagine a classroom without teachers as in England alone a there were 498,100 teachers in state funded schools in 2015  according to The Department of Education (2015). Furthermore, there are many reasons both for and against will technology replace teachers in the future and the aim of this blog post is to cover as many influential arguments as possible.
Although artificial intelligence has had a large impact on education in recent years and will continue to do so as it develops further, Lynch M (2018) argues that technology will never overtake teachers as ‘Human teachers will always be needed to manage the classroom environment and to give students the encouragement they need.’ stating how children rely on social and emotional bonds with teachers and the support is indefinitely required, stating how children wouldn't be able to receive emotional support and encouragement from artificial intelligence. Bowlby, J (1958) also expands on the attachment linked to a child and their caregiver he states how children form attachments which will indefinitely affect all ‘future social relationships so disrupting this can have severe consequence. Of course the biggest hit that would come from technology replacing teachers would be the ‘primarily be the elimination of an obsolete job roles that have been taken over by a piece of technology.’ Fedena (2018) following on from this Fedena also go on the say the purpose of a teacher ‘is not merely to teach, but to provide an education. There is an art to imparting knowledge to students that current technology is nowhere close to mastering. Educational technologies are currently aiding teachers in their work, not completely taking over them. They are tools, not replacements.’ this establishes that teachers are infact they are the sole provider of education to young people and technology is merely just a resource which enhances this skill, as being able to educate someone is a skill.
‘Robots won’t replace teachers because they can’t inspire us.’ Smerling, N (2017) again supporting the idea that technology is merely just a tool and it cannot have any real emotional attachment, the purpose of having some form of attachment to a teacher is simply to be inspired and motivated.

Bryant, A (2016) said that ‘Technology doesn’t discriminate based on a student’s ability or skill, but instead provides an opportunity to engage students using a medium that they recognise. Lest we forget, technology is growing not just within our classrooms but also in our everyday lives, so it is therefore natural that we should increasingly incorporate it into classrooms.’ education is something that has existed a long time before technology and will probably outlive it. There were times when education was basic without the use of technology and still to this day there are still third world countries without access to clean running water never mind technology.  ‘Technology has, no doubts, brought a lot of relief for the human kind, but that doesn’t mean it can overpower or substitute humans. And, the major cause for this is its inability to interact with humans.’ JP International (2018). Meanwhile technology is something that has massively assisted the education system it is physically impossible for technology to represent a teacher. Although technology has provided us with immense resources it'll never be able to take away a child bond with their favourite teacher, or someone for students to emotionally turn to, it'll never be able to communicate with us on an emotional platform.
Personally, I believe that technology is simply just a resource, agreeing with Bryant, A (2016) that there were simpler times before technology and there are less fortunate countries in the world have no access to this media. Although technology has done immense things for education and has assisted it in many ways there is lack of evidence to support that one day it will over rule teachers. If technology does somehow manage to out run technology then based on the Bowlby (1958) attachment theory then children will lack emotional support and empowerment which is needed for their general development.  
Overall, from the research provided the evidence shows that majority of people and practitioners believe that technology will not overpower teachers due to reasons such as; lack of humane bond, it's just a media, just a resource, it hasn't existed forever where as education has and not everyone has access to it yet are still educated. There are many reasons against technology taking over the education system although we must acknowledge the great things and access that the technology has provided the education system, its provided teachers and pupils with international access, data storage, records, internet etc technology has given the education system a lot, but it'll never be able to give children emotional support, humane contact and bonds and many other things. From the reasons presented it is hard to support the idea that technology could replace teachers, one day it might or it'll just continue to be a resource for teachers.





References  -

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‘Cross curricular numeracy - How and Why Numeracy should be cross curricular?’

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog post - Numeracy


‘Go down deep enough into anything and you will find mathematics’ Dean Schlister
Cross curricular numeracy is considered to be a collaboration which involves maths crossing over into other subjects. Making maths cross curricular is something which is becoming more common within the changing curriculums across the UK. There are currently schools across the UK which are currently collaborating cross curricular maths, for example Kensington Community Primary school currently have cross curricular maths in place. Maths is described as not only a one hour lesson but something which impacts every subject in our everyday life Kensington Community Primary school. The school has listed examples of how maths collaborates within every subject taught at the school.
According to Ransom, P (2012) pupils should be aware of how the branches of mathematics interconnect with each other and the whole school curriculum. Basically stating how maths intertwines with more than one subject and how pupils should be aware of how this link is made. Making maths cross curricular is hard and in previous years is something teachers have struggled with, but with the changing curriculum taking place there are ways which teachers can collaborate maths and by collaborating this can help children engage in maths who have had minimal interest in maths previously. Cross curricular maths should be encouraged within primary education for the helping children who suffer with maths anxiety or a lack of interest in maths can make improvements.
There are many resources available for practitioners and teachers to use when making maths cross curricular and according to Barton, C ‘Subjects do not need to be forced together in this manner. Indeed, there is plenty of scope for rich cross-curricular projects that bring out the best, most rewarding elements of all the subjects involved.’ This connotes that making maths cross curricular isn’t something which needs to be forced its a collaboration which happens naturally.

According to Vazquez Shaw, S (2018) there are 4 main benefits to teaching cross curricular maths and those benefits being;
  1. There aren’t any rules to teaching cross curricular maths - there are no limits to what can be taught and what can be incorporated into cross curricular maths
  2. It integrates other ways for students to learn - the students that require extra support and help with maths for example those who have maths anxiety or struggle regarding maths this can help provide extra help.
  3. It can easily incorporate other spaces - teachers employing a cross-curricular approach to maths instruction may find integrating new environments helps acquaint students with new concepts.
  4. It may make math more relevant - cross curricular maths may make math more enjoyable and relevant.
The 4 stages which are suggested are all relevant in modern education and starting with these simple steps making maths cross curricular will easier. From what Vazquez Shaw, S (2018)  has suggested above is that there arent any rules into making maths cross curricular, aslong as a guideline is met and children are being taught relevant information. All teachers that decide to do so can develop and adapt this to fit the needs of their pupils and help progress their development. Next, looking at the idea of intergrating maths into the way students learn connotes again how teachers teachers can use cross curricular maths to help develop students their general maths skills and even by slightly encorporating maths into all subjects then their basic maths skill will have immense development. Looking at the idea of keeping cross curricular maths more up to date and relevant exolains how practitioners can personalise this and choose how and in what way its taught to the pupils. This can be very benefical aas students can participate and help the teachers develop subject focus points to base the maths on. Finally, looking at how maths can be incorporated into other subjects explains how maths can be taken and incorporated into other environments than just the classroom, for example taking children outdoors and making math cross curricular with outdoor activity can be very beneficial to children mentally and physically. ‘The need for cross-curricular teaching has become more prevalent in recent years’ Beckmann A (2009) this continues on from what has previously been said about the nessecity of crosscurriclar subject but this also connotes the importance of planning and preparing for lessons, although there is some leeway to how maths is incorporated into other subjects and in what way its included it still requires a large amount of planning and prep.

“Mathematical literacy is an individual’s capacity to identify and understand the role that mathematics plays in the world, to make well-founded judgements and to use and engage with mathematics in ways that meet the needs of that individual’s life as a constructive, concerned and reflective citizen”. (PISA). Many people fail to realise that maths is involved in everyday life, as much as we aren’t aware maths is something we use everyday.  In Wales, specifically looking at the new curriculum design the idea of having cross curricular subjects was majorly influenced by the successful futures report presented by Donaldson, G (2015) he said that by introducing three “cross-curriculum responsibilities” – literacy, numeracy and digital competence – that would be expected of all teachers. He suggested that the expecation that the three cross curricular subjects should e encouraged and incorporated into all lessons by all teachers. Cross curricular maths is a nessecity in modern day education and it slowly becoming the new ‘norm’.








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‘How can storytelling be used in Primary Education?’

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog post - Literacy



Storytelling has been a common feature of primary education for a long time. Traditionally storytelling is something which is apart of our childhood, something which we grow up with. Many children benefit massively from storytelling as it can be incorporated into their education and varied in many ways. For example, storytelling can be rehearsed aloud and ‘the activities that students engage in when preparing, and performing a story aloud have many built in benefits, not the least of which develop greater fluency.’ (Campbell, T and Hlusek, M. 2009) this shows how adding a purpose to storytelling it becomes more engaging and children benefit subsequently from this, and they exceed expectations and develop their reading and fluency further.
There are many ways in which storytelling can be incorporated into this classroom and there are many ways storytelling can be personalised in the classroom, for example; adding drama,writing in the role, making the story memorable, reading as a writer, using the writing journal, practise words and sentence features, innovation - developing from known stories as known stories. (Corbett, P) According  to Belet, D and Dal, S (2010) storytelling would develop the primary school students’ skill of evaluating the events from different perspectives and gain them different thinking ways, contribute to develop the questioning and research skills. According to Campbell, T and Hlusek, M. (2009) ‘Stories can stimulate student interactions with one another and with texts and activities built in storytelling and talk can provide practise in speaking and listening skills. Gordon Wells also considered the educational significance of hearing stories read or told at an early age is influential.


Storytelling Schools (2019) have incorporated storytelling dynamically into primary education with their method of ‘effective, engaging and empowering’ these three stages were designed to engage children and promote reading within school, they designed this to help teachers. Effective - the purpose of effective storytelling is to narrow the attainment gap and raising standards for storytelling in the classroom. Engaging -  is to have have interactive workshops which are designed for teachers to give tips and provide new methods of having inclusive story time for pupils. Empowering - providing teacher with skills to provide creative and inspiring story time, the purpose of this stage in the method is to create a time that children are excited and look forward too. The purpose of Storytelling schools is to equip teachers with methods and skill to promote storytelling in primary education and give children a free space to look forward to being imaginative and fun through the use of storytelling. Lui, S (2016) has developed 5 ways in which storytelling can be used greatly in the classroom: sharing your own experiences, use stories to introduce a new topic, use stories to illustrate concept, nature listening skills and storytelling attracts less motivated learner. Its known that storytelling is a great way to engage children in more than one way and it is a consistent pattern that practitioners / researchers believe that storytelling is a fantastic way to engage those pupils who are the least interactive and unmotivated. ‘Children love listening to their teachers telling stories. While they listen, they begin to focus and follow the story through until its end.’ Lui, S (2010) so not only does storytelling engage pupils it’s also very enjoyable for them to listen because they develop their imagination and thought process beyond the story. ‘Storytelling is, we must remember, the oldest and most universal art-form in the world, that preceded the more sophisticated developments of literature and books, education, religion, drama and the media.’ (STELLA) storytelling has a larger importance to children’s development and education than people tend to realise. Collins, F (2006) says that beginning with connections between oral and literate skills allows examination of the relevance of storytelling in education to the learning of literacy skills, she is connoting the use of literacy and oral skills within storytelling to gain greater connections to the story. Rather than just read a story and expect children to connect and understand we need to develop narrative and Myra Barrs (1990) has categorised some of the narrative competences which children display in their stories, when writing and reading texts. These idea connote the perspective of children's narrative are relevant to storytelling, as she claims that listening to stories plays a key role in shaping 'children's personal theories of narrative' (p.38). In addition to this she also stressed the importance for teacher-storytellers to recognise the child's developing understanding of narrative as more than 'a simplistic theory of modelling' (p.32).
According to Lui, S (2016) stories come in more than one form and those forms being;

  • ONE OF YOUR TRUE LIFE STORIES.
  • A TRUE STORY BUT NOT YOUR OWN.
  • A STORY BACK IN TIME.
  • A FICTIONAL STORY.








References -


  • Barrs, M. (1990). 'Children's theories of narrative' in English in education, Spring 1990, Vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 33-38.
  • Belet, D and Dal, S (2010) ‘The use of storytelling to develop the primary school students’ critical reading skill: the primary education pre-service teachers’ opinions’. Pp 1830 - 1834. Doi; 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.409
  • Campbell, T, Hlusek, M. (2015) 'Storytelling for fluency and flair', Teaching Tip, Volume 69, Issue 2, doi: 10.1002/trtr,1384
  • Collins, F (2006) ‘The Use of Traditional Storytelling in Education to the Learning of Literacy Skills’.Early Development and Childcare. Pp 77-108. Doi: 10.1080/0300443991520106
  • Corbett, P. (no date). Storytelling and story-telling. Available at; https://learn.cardiffmet.ac.uk/pluginfile.php/868721/mod_resource/content/1/Storytelling%20and%20story-making.pdf (Accessed 24/4/19)
  • Lui, S (2016) ‘ the power of storytelling in the classroom: 5 ways it can be a great help’. Available at: https://teach.com/great-educational-resources-the-power-of-storytelling/ (Accessed 20/4/19)
  • Software for Teaching English Language and Literature and its Assessment (STELLA) no date. Available at; https://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/STELLA/STARN/journal/stories.htm (Accessed 17/4/19)
  • Storytelling schools (2019). Available at: https://storytellingschools.com/ (Accessed 20/4/19)
  • Wells, G. (1987 edition). The meaning makers, Kent, Hodder and Stought

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Thursday, April 11, 2019

‘What is the purpose of education?’

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog post - Literacy
‘What is the purpose of education?’

‘Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world’ (Nelson Mandela). The purpose of education is something in which we cannot define, although there are many ideologies of what the idea of education is, it’s something which we are unable to define. Education is again something which people are unable to define and always sparks healthy debate. Although we all have an ideology that education is going to school to receive some form knowledge, that’s the general idea. Although there is no right or wrong idea of what education is it is one of the greatest resources in the world.
Most people are lucky enough to receive their education for free while others aren’t so fortunate and will go a lifetime wishing for an education. (Gibb, N 2015) said that ‘Education reform is the great social justice cause of our times. If we are to deliver a fairer society, in which opportunity is shared more widely, we must secure the highest standards of education for all young people, regardless of their background.’ The current purpose behind education is trying to provide a system for everyone, it is a human right to receive an education. ‘How many of our citizens could build a nuclear power station, judge a case in Chancery, read a grant of land in mediaeval Latin, conduct a Mozart concerto, solve an equation in aerodynamics, repair a railway engine?’ (Scruton, R. 2016) Many people have the ability to do incredible things but without education and understanding they can’t access their knowledge.  
Article 2, protocol 1 states that everyone should have the right to an effective education. Meanwhile there are organisations such as Sustainable Development Goals in place which aim to provide a qualitative education for all by 2030 (SDG 2018). This still doesn’t define the ‘purpose’ of education. It’s a good thing to be knowledgeable but it’s pointless if you do not have the education to support it. ‘Education ought to be time and money well spent on investing in the future for our children and, through them, for society as a whole. Instead, for a great many individuals it is a waste of resources, of opportunity, and of young people’s lives’ (Sadler, B. 2018) Many people do ‘waste’ their education and don’t put their knowledge and capabilities to good use and Sadler, B defines this as a waste of a resource as it is the most powerful resource on the planet. Education provides people with endless opportunities. The idea of a purposeful education is to eventually end up with a well paid job, but the idea of a purposeful education has changed massively as the curriculum has changed and will continue to change. As (Donaldson, 2015) proposed an Arts based curriculum which focuses on well being and creativity the idea behind the purpose of education has changed. Many people feel that education should provide people with the power to express themselves creatively, to understand, think cohesively and the performance of knowledge.

One question that many parents and even students ask is ‘why do we have to go to school?’ why do we send children to school for countless hours?(Khun, D Et al, 2005) What is that were trying to achieve by doing this? (Khun, D Et al, 2005) Due to the changing world of work these are questions that teachers are given on the daily, many people feel that a purposeful education equips children with the power to both think and learn and by combining these skills they have enhanced and used their knowledge to access a purposeful education. ‘Education is the passport for the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today’ (Malcolm X).
Different people have different perceptions of education and its purpose and (Gibb, N. 2015) described education as  ‘the engine of our economy, it is the foundation of our culture, and it’s an essential preparation for adult life.’ It seems that the most common factor of why education is purposeful is to prepare children and to help deliver a successful future, or to have a successful adult life. Although this is a good idea as the next generation is the future and we should prepare and build a sustainable economy for them to develop further, education shouldn’t just be based upon this. Education should be meaningful, creative, exploration, imaginative, cultural and expressive. Children should be able to harness their knowledge and apply it to all of these things for a successful adult life. The main motivation for education shouldn’t be for a successful adult life, children should have endless possibilities with the things they do with their knowledge and education, they have the power to change and develop the modern world and they’re the future. The skills and abilities develop in real world and not in artificial situations in class.  People need to go outdoors in order to develop the modern world. Taking into consideration the needs and tendencies of a modern society, we can assume that the purpose of education is to prepare students to be self-sufficient citizens.
Overall, there is no real definition of a purposeful education and what that is,  Although the change in the curriculum will have a massive impact on this and people opinions. There are just many ideologies of what the modern education system should consist of and how we should use the societal needs to develop children to maintain and develop the world. The overall purpose of education seems to have many different reasons the most consistent being that children should be set up for adult life.



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'How can teachers use technology effectively in the classroom?

Areas of Learning and Experience Blog - Digital Competency

‘How can teachers use technology in the classroom effectively?’
Technology has had an everlasting influence on education and has had a massive impact on decisions which have been made towards designing a new curriculum.  Technology has provided teachers with endless education platforms as it has given them a new dynamic way to teach which allows them to fluctuate their teaching dynamic to fit the needs of every pupil. Although technology has provided education with a digital platform and helped educate children there is speculation regarding its positivity and how much it actually supports children in the classroom. Does technology stand more as a distraction rather than a digital learning platform for children? In a primary classroom it can be hard to monitor every child when using technology and there are many precautions teachers must take before providing children with technology. For example ensuring children are safe with the software which they are using (e-safety), ensuring that there are certain websites and tabs blocked so they can’t access anything that puts them at risk.
There are generally more positives to teachers using technology in the classroom than there is negative. The only negatives really include;
  1. children can become more easily distracted
  2. too much screen time for children
  3. Can foster / encourage cheating
  4. Lack of human connection / communication
  5. Technology can promote inequality in the classroom
All the points provided are very solid points which are all common and have been done using technology. (Fedena, 2018)
For professors in universities and colleges providing technology in the classroom is easier as although the risks are there when providing this platform it’s a lot less compared to primary education.

One of the most common pros to allowing technology in the classroom is that it provides teachers the ‘opportunity to experiment with new pedagogy and provide active learning’ (Himmelback, V. 2019). Using technology in the classroom also has positive effect on all students as it’s a way for teachers to engage all students, even those who may lack the confidence to speak during class, it provides a new way to participate for students who are shy. Another pro may be that technology in the classroom provides more resources to pupils that another other resource available. Although, there are books and files available some may be outdated and that’s where technology can provide new information and resources. (Himmelback, V 2019).  Meanwhile (Cox, J) has her own ideas of pros and cons of using technology in the classroom and one pro being that by using technology teachers can ‘customise learning to enable it to meet the needs of all students’.

There are many ways in which teachers  can use technology in the classroom;
  1. To communicate with parents
  2. To keep records
  3. To assess students
  4. Providing new resources
  5. Communicating with other teachers and schools
  6. Communicate with other schools and teachers on an international scale etc.
Technology has many benefits outside of the classroom also which then benefits pupils in the classroom, teachers can use technology to communicate with parents through email and social media, they can gain weekly feedback and also use this to their advantage to ask parents about how the feel their children are progressing in school. They can also use apps which they can set work and extra activities for pupils to complete at home and they can then track their progression and analyze what they may be struggling with and need extra cover in class. Technology has brought further collaborative work in schools all over, for example it provides students to communicate with other international schools for projects.

Although technology is a modern dynamic in the education system with provides countless opportunities to students, we must remember that it’s there as a tool and not a replacement. Technology serves as a support resource rather than a replacement for teachers or the quality of teaching. The two most important resources that come with providing technology in the classroom is money and time as technology is expensive and requires a lot of maintenance.

Technology is something that will have a huge impact on students in the future, it’ll pretty much be involved in their everyday routines and many jobs in the modern day involves some form of technology so it is important for teachers to introduce and include technology in the classroom. ‘It is important to acknowledge that students are already interested and engaged in using technology, this creates many amazing opportunities for schools and teachers to benefit from integrating some forms of technology in the classroom’ (Webanywhere, 2019) They encourage the use of technology in the classroom and describes the use of technology as making ‘learning more effective’ (Webanywhere, 2019).
‘Technology in education is the biggest change in teaching we will ever see’ (Himmelback, V. 2019). There are many ways in which teachers can include technology in education and it can have many positive effects on students and there are many ways to do this. Technology will be one of the biggest changes to the education system and there are many ways in which teachers can promote this positively in the classroom and use technology to its full potential. According to (Education Based Teachers Network) ‘Technology can enhance our teaching and support our students’ learning, but it has to be used properly for it to be effective.’




Image result for technology in the classroom


References -
The Image displayed is from, Cox, J. Available at; https://www.teachhub.com/10-necessary-technology-classroom-skills
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