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Brought to you by the Founder of the Future of Education 3.0 Council
GM, this is the Future of Education. The email that tells you what’s going on in education technology, from a team of educators. Don’t forget if you like this newsletter and think its useful for your network - you can share at the bottom of the page and get a free copy of our Model Metaverse Safeguarding and Risk Assessment Policy just for spreading the word.
In Today’s Email
🐘The Elephant in the (class)Room
🎓Technology driven results at Sophia High School
🕹 The Power of Immersive Education
🌱 Nuggets of Wisdom - Summer to Do List
The Elephant in the (class)Room
There is a lot of press around the ‘covid slide’, and learning loss perpetuated in classrooms in recent weeks, but how much is this a hangover from the pandemic and more about our classrooms reaching the breaking point.
We have a global teacher crisis on our hands. 1 in 6 teachers in the US and 12.6% of UK teachers are leaving the profession each year. This combined with growing demand for education which will see 64 million teachers needed by 2030 (that’s 1.5 million new teachers every year!), increasing class sizes and social and emotional struggles in our young people, is a recipe for disaster. If we want to know why our kids aren’t learning, and indeed rates of progress are stalled or going backwards, I think we need this traditional mandate of education to take a good hard look in the mirror.
But it is not all doom and gloom. Technology is more accessible than ever before, holding the power to change the way that our students both access and engage with learning. When delivered correctly, designed for exceptional learning experiences in the physical, digital and virtual educational landscape, incredible things can happen.
Where Technology drives results in Schools
Just look to what has been accomplished at Sophia High School in their recent GL standardised assessments across the school (KS1 to KS3) in English, Maths and Science. All this without teaching to tests, passive learning, 6.48 hours of lessons per day or mind-numbingly boring lessons.
Technology has meant we can teach students in very small personalised learning pods, online (6 children per teacher in these core subjects across the school), and close the gaps in learning through highly engaging lessons, driven by technology and a community that fosters communication, global citizenship and a curriculum designed for the future.
The impressive academic results reflect the commitment of both the students and the staff at Sophia High School to provide a nurturing and stimulating learning environment. Our children join our global classroom from all around the world, ready and motivated to tackle the challenges with through at them. Learning has purpose, it drives connections with the wider world, is collaborative and relevant to students.
And I might add for those ‘nay sayers’ - just have a look at the link below of where the starting point of these children began back in September. Many of whom began their online schooling journey with us because the traditional school sector had failed them and parents saw a new way of unlocking their potential. Now this is value add worth paying attention to!
Believe me when I say, the future of education is going to be Hybrid. And it has the potential to be incredible!
The Power of Immersive Education
Step into a world where reality and imagination collide, where learning becomes an immersive adventure, and where students, staff and parents can push the boundaries of education.
Welcome to the summer term theme at Sophia High School aptly titled "Meet us in the Metaverse."
Over the past two years, Sophia High School has been on a groundbreaking journey into the future, as students and teachers from all grades and disciplines have been stepping into virtual reality based learning environments, to bring learning to life like never before.
From exploring ancient civilisations to Shakespeares Globe, conducting scientific experiments in outer space, and taking field trips to Mars, the possibilities for this global online school are endless. But it doesn't stop there.
The Metaverse has also become the stage for end-of-year performances, podcasts and celebrations of student work, creating a truly unique and unforgettable experience.
With the announcement of Roblox moving to VR with Meta in October, there has never been a better time to dive into this extraordinary world, where education meets innovation and imagination knows no limits.
Summer To Do list:
If you missed our latest Future of Education3.0 Linkedin Audio - you can list to that back here
One of the topics we discussed was essential summer reads and AI tools to explore : You can find that list below plus a special invite below
Great Reads
The AI Educator by Dan Fitzpatrick
To Be a Machine by Mark O’Connell
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
Imagine If - by Sir Ken Robinson & Kate Robinson
AI Tools to help Educators
Don’t miss the Cottesmore School, 3 Day Free Edtech Festival taking place September 4th - September 6th.
Get in touch with Tom Rogerson and his team at Cottesmore School for more information on how to join, in person, online and in the Metaverse.
We will be there on Tuesday 5h September hosting the Masterclass in VR for Educators. See you there.
