What is your teaching philosophy? – Judith

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact upon the teacher you aspire to be?

My teaching philosophy is based on the premise that every single child is unique with varying blends of strengths. Each is full of potential and has a plethora of different possibilities. I intend to foster their personal best in regards to academic, personal and social development so they can truly thrive.

As a teacher I feel it is my responsibility to cultivate a mindset that is open to change and full of curiosity. The foundations of my approach will be centred around Growth Mindset research and methodology. I view it as a key differentiator to achieving successful learning outcomes and flourishing children; “ With the right mindset and the right teaching people are capable of a lot more than we think.” (Dweck,C.S 2006 p 64).

One of my class mottos will be progress not perfection. Mistakes will be viewed as opportunities for growth and learning. Differences will be celebrated and focus placed on individual strengths. Success criteria will be personalised so each child can move forward with their learning in their own unique way with success and confidence growing. I want each child to recognise that we all are lifelong learners. Furthermore, I wish to develop a thinking classroom where deeper level questions and techniques are actively used and encouraged.

Wellbeing will have a high priority. Giving the children the tools and skills to flow through life’s inevitable rollercoaster with more ease is, in my view, paramount. Academic rigour will be upheld with a focus on “Learning to Know” and “Learning to Do” however equal weight will be given to the 2 pillars of “Learning to Be” and “Learning to Live”; (UNESCO 1996).

The importance of being a positive role model and developing an excellent rapport with each child will underpin my teaching. Mindfulness and yoga will be used to promote well-being. Elements of Vygotsky theory of learning will be utilised. I believe scaffolding is a great way to ensure personalised support and effective learning. Compassion for the self and others will be continually developed alongside a strong sense of community.

There are many touchstones that have lead me to wish to adopt such an approach, a few of which I will expand on. Having come from a competitive academic grammar school that fostered competition and had little time for rapport development, has lead me to desire a more collaborative and inclusive classroom. It has lead me to focus more on formative assessment with personalised goals. I left school with a sense of lack of possibilities of where I could go in my career and life. This perceived lack of choices has made me passionate about developing a culture of growth and possibilities for my students.

To achieve the goal of thriving students I will need to work to the best of my abilities, continuing to learn, grow and adapt. I will need to create the inclusive and fair environment so I can successfully promote positive behaviours and increase positive emotions for all. I intend to keep reflecting on what effective teaching is in terms of student outcomes especially in the context of an international school environment. Whilst academic achievements will be fostered I believe this is not sufficient for them to flourish and thrive in our dynamic, fast paced and changing world.

Dweck, C.S (2006) Mindset. Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. New York, Random House.

Seligman,M.E.P (2001) Flourish. A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. New York, Free Press.

UNESCO (1996) Learning; The Treasure Within. Paris, UNESCO.

Abigail Ball : 30 Nov 2020 09:58 |  Tags: Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What is your teaching philosophy? – Richard

What is your teaching philosophy? How has this originated and can you evaluate how your educational touchstones will impact on the teacher you aspire to be?

My personal teaching philosophy directly applies to my touchstones. My touchstones are a reflection of the person I am. As educators we are rarely, if ever, asked to articulate our philosophy of education or core convictions and likewise, rarely if ever, take time critically to reflect and ask if our practice matches our philosophy, beliefs or core convictions. My philosophy is that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. This belief of mine comes from my experience of working as an International Baccalaureate (IB) grade five teacher. According to Sinek (2017) ‘Once you understand your WHY, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what makes you feel fulfilled and to better understand what drives your behavior when you’re at your natural best’.

I attained a First Class (A) TEFL certificate and moved to Thailand to begin a career in teaching. Following my first appointment with one of the private local teaching schools in the country, I progressed (through language institutes and international schools) to my current position as a Grade Five PYP Teacher for the Canadian International School of Beijing. Throughout my teaching career, I have worked tirelessly to improve my lesson planning and pedagogical practices. This has involved constantly reviewing and reformulating lesson plans, individual and group strategies, classroom management, and consulting with other teaching professionals.

I personally think teachers do not generally enter the profession for accolades or affluence but rather see it as a calling and a way to give back. According to the blog post Educational System (2013) ‘Education and philosophy are closely inter-related. If philosophy is love of knowledge then education is acquisition of knowledge’. As I get older and reflect upon my practice, I have a deeper understanding of what type of teacher I want to be, and I make the necessary adjustments along the way. I have great admiration for the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum and feel that my educational philosophy is similarly aligned as I try to foster the potential of my student’s so that they can pursue their ambitions and become global citizens. The International Baccalaureate ‘aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect’ (IB).

Effective, intentional teaching begins with a strong set of beliefs, but even the best teachers struggle to make sure that their classroom practice consistently reflects their core convictions. One thing I have come to realize is that I can always learn from others in order to become a better teacher. No matter what age we are, it is important to take things into consideration before arriving at a decision. Reflection and seeking opportunities to grow wiser by learning about different theories of philosophies, then applying these theories towards my outlook on life, will most certainly impact my teaching.

References List

Educational System (2013) ‘Importance of eclectic approach in education’, Educational System, 27 January. Available at: https://educational-sysetm.blogspot.com/2013/01/importance-of-electic-approach-in.html (Accessed: 5 July 2019)

IBO. (no date). Mission Available at: https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/mission/ (Accessed: 10 August 2020)

Sinek, S. (2017) ‘The science of WHY’, LinkedIn, 16 November. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/science-why-simon-sinek/ (Accessed: 10 August 2020)

Abigail Ball : 25 Nov 2020 15:07 |  Tags: Philosophy Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

JISC Student Experience Meeting Feedback

In mid-October I attended the JISC Student Experience Experts Group meeting. This is normally a face to face event which takes place in Birmingham, but obviously due to Covid-19, this time it took place online via Zoom.

The first part of the event shared the findings from the JISC 2020 Student Digital Experience Insights surveys. A key concern was the very low percentage of students who were informed about how their data was being used at their institution. This is something that clearly needs to be addressed for students but I would argue that it also needs to be addressed for staff.

The second session discussed some research that JISC is currently undertaking on teaching during a pandemic. The research was conducted by Lawrie Phipps (Senior Research Lead at JISC) and Dr Donna Lanclos (an American anthropologist and researcher). They discussed some of the findings and implications from conversations with lecturers and leaders, based in higher education institutions. Unsurprisingly many of the issues and concerns are not new, but little evidence was given about how these issues are being tackled (although this may emerge from the data once their work is published). Topics raised included:

Device and internet access

Many lower income students rely on their institution to provide PC access, free internet access and a quiet space to work, therefore the importance of these 'basics' should not be underestimated, especially in the current climate.

Recording online lectures

The availability of recorded learning opportunities (lectures and seminars in this case) is very important to students not least because device availability, internet access and a quiet place to work can impact their ability to engage synchronously in online learning opportunities. Additionally many students have caring and/or work commitments which means they may not be able to attend at specified (and likely different) times. I know some staff have concerns about intellectual property rights with regard to recorded lecture content, but the benefit to the students of these resources must necessitate a discussion about this (which should be linked to the discussions about data use mentioned above).

The prevelance of passive learning

Concern was raised about how much online learning is staff-led rather than student-led. Students are largely passive in the pandemic online learning process and this was felt by many to be a retrograde step (although not an unexpected one due largely to the speed that teaching has had to be transferred online). Respondents felt that online students were deemed lower in priority than traditional face to face students and therefore there was less concern about what online teachers were teaching when compared to those delivering traditional face to face sessions. Additionally it was felt that more practice-based questions needed to be made available for online learners but it was recognised that this was not an insignificant task in the current climate. Attendees were pointed to the work of Jesse Stommel (his hybrid pedagogy articles) as a good place to start.

Social connectivity

Social connectivity for both staff and students is another concern for respondents as well as the lack of opportunities to develop online trust. Again this is linked to passive learning as discussed above but in short if you are not engaged in the learning process you will not invest in it and therefore you will not develop trust in your lecturers or peers.

Pastoral workload

It was recognised that the amount of pastoral work that staff have had to undertake since the pandemic has increased exponentially. Again this is partly linked to the social connectivity issue but also to the prevalance of passive learning. If students are not engaging in the learning process they will expect everything to be teacher-led and this includes pastoral support.

The next session challenged the temptation in higher education institutions to rely on just their learning technology platforms and tools to gather information about how their students are learning during the pandemic. Chris Thomson from JISC delivered this session and argued that there needs to be a balance between data and narrative to gain a complete picture that accurately reflects current online learning realities.

The final section of the day looked at member stories with PechaKucha presentations from:

• University of Northampton (Developing interactive simulations for Early Years students)
• Glasgow Caledonian University (Tailored and personalised asynchronous teaching tool without duplication of effort)
• University of Wolverhampton (Co-created interactive courseware)

Abigail Ball : 27 Oct 2020 13:32 |  Tags: Jisc |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

BERA blog

The BERA blog was established in 2015 to provide accessible research informed content for the wider public on important and topical educational issues. Current posts include identifying the potential impacts of Covid-19 on school-based sexuality education and the Black Lives Matter movement in education.

https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog

Abigail Ball : 16 Jun 2020 17:00 |  Tags: Bera Research |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

What happened to reading aloud in primary schools? – Kate Glavina

In a recent article in The Guardian, Michael Rosen wrote about the importance of reading aloud to children, even well into their teens. Since it is not uncommon for an emphasis on reading aloud to children by both parents and teachers to fall away after Key Stage 1, it is worth reconsidering why continuing to read aloud is important. Firstly, the way we speak, Rosen points out, is very different from the way we write, so it is through story that children are introduced to a much wider range of vocabulary and grammatical structures than from spoken language alone, especially if books chosen are literary and read with ‘expression, emphasis and inflection’ (Cremin). Through carefully chosen texts, children can be introduced to highly patterned language and challenging vocabulary in contexts which make them meaningful. Compared to previous generations, children today are bombarded by other forms of storytelling such as film and television; they are bombarded by images to accompany storytelling through screen and print – so for children to rely on their imagination alone to conjure an image is perhaps not a regular experience in their ‘reading lives’ and yet an invaluable one. Extending that idea further, imagination is central to story activity. Fleer argues that imagination is the means by which children ‘imbue meaning of stories and relate it to real life situations.’ While listening to stories, children imagine the characters they cannot see, conceptualise what they hear and think about what they have not yet experienced (Vygotsky). Therefore, listening to stories engages children in complex imaginative activity that reaches beyond the immediate parameters of the stories themselves.

Further arguments for urging teachers and parents to read aloud to children abound. Philip Pullman, for instance, treasures the pleasure he remembers from being read to as a child, regarding as irreplaceable, hearing a ‘beloved voice’ telling a story. He points out that additionally, of course, when listening to stories read aloud, children can access literature beyond their independent reading age, thereby being introduced to rich and more complex texts than they would encounter alone. Pullman articulates this in the following way: ‘Children can borrow your stamina, as a duckling can swim easily in its mother’s wake’. The act of teacher and children coming together to listen to stories read aloud creates a sense of ‘community’ in the classroom – it creates warmth and intimacy – it is a bonding experience through which participants build a very particular relationship based on a shared repertoire of stories. Clearly, then, there are very powerful arguments for promoting reading aloud to children of all ages and yet the profile of this activity is not exactly prominent in Key Stage 2 classrooms. One of the recommendations of the Rose Report (2009) was that all schools should have a ‘Read Aloud’ policy, but it is questionable how many did. It is interesting to consider the emphasis afforded reading aloud and the terminology used in the revised National Curriculum (2014). The non-statutory guidance for Reading Comprehension in Key Stage 1 states that children should have ‘extensive experience of listening to… a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction’ (P12), although the phrase ‘read to them’ remains implicit. For children in both Lower and Upper Key Stage 2, the statutory guidance does state explicitly that children should ‘participate in discussion about…books that are read to them’ (P26 & 34). Despite this directive, however, it is frequently the case that dedicated time for reading aloud (aka ‘Story Time’) is absent from the timetables of Year 5 & 6 classes. Of course not everyone enjoys reading aloud and it is notable how uncomfortable and lacking in both confidence and fluency many of our trainees are when asked to read aloud in taught sessions. If reading aloud and listening to stories is to be re-established as a ‘communal art’ then all of us must engage. It must become part of a holistic approach to the use of children’s literature in the classroom; it must become a key component and central feature of a school’s reading programme across all year groups; it must be flourishing in libraries and cherished in our homes.

Abigail Ball : 08 Jun 2020 12:33 |  Tags: Reading Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Blackout Tuesday – Secondary SSLC reps

Today is Blackout Tuesday and Secondary SSLC representatives from the Monday and Friday cohorts are raising awareness about racism and structural racism.

Hate crimes have risen in the UK by 10% since 2017/18

Here are some useful resources on the understanding of this and the question of identity:

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
2. The Renni Edo-Lodge’s podcast and book, http://renieddolodge.co.uk (episode number 2), talks about Education.

Race should not to be understood in the biological sense but in the sociological sense. Systemic oppressions deserve to be studied in order to deconstruct them. A paper dated from 2016 released by the Centre for Research in Race and Education from the University of Birmingham is also available for consultation:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325011060_Race_Racism_and_Education_inequality_resilience_and_reform_in_policy_practice_A_Two-Year_Research_Project_Funded_by_the_Society_for_Educational_Studies_SES_National_Award_2013

In line with this, the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA) is looking at understanding BAME students’ experience; a project which has been ongoing for the past few months. You may want to register your email address should you wish to be kept informed about this.

Furthermore, you may have experienced triggering situations yourself, and should this be the case, the University has systems to support students and trainees who have had these experiences. You can get in touch with Rachel (R.A.Cooper@warwick.ac.uk) and the Warwick Wellbeing Team.

Best wishes,

Your SSLC Course Reps

Abigail Ball : 02 Jun 2020 18:33 |  Tags: Racism |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Reading for Wellbeing – Kate Glavina

I have often shared with trainee teachers the analogy promoted by Professor Sims Bishop of books being ‘windows, mirrors, and sliding doors’ and how important these concepts are in terms of the range and diversity of books shared with pupils in school. ‘Windows’ is to do with ‘looking out’ – it is the idea that the books we give children offer views of the ‘worlds of others’, beyond their own reality. ‘Sliding doors’ is to do with stepping beyond the view from the window – enabling children to enter (albeit imaginatively) the world of the book to experience a different reality. ‘Mirrors’ is to do with book choices including texts that mirror and reflect the child’s own reality so that the pages of the book value and validate who that child ‘is’. In other words, the child is looking back at themselves. The combination of ‘mirrors, windows and sliding doors’ is a powerful way of encapsulating the different ways in which books enable children to enter new worlds, visit new places, inhabit the lives of characters and, most importantly, learn to empathise by ‘walking around ‘in someone else’s shoes’. These are surely undisputed reasons for all schools providing pupils with a rich range of texts and a wide range of reading experiences, including time in the day for independent reading and for being read to.

A further reason for parents and educators to recognise and understand the importance of encouraging children to read is the fact that research by The Reading Agency has found reading can benefit our wellbeing and help us to make social connections. Research suggest that people who read regularly are more satisfied with life and more likely to feel that the things they do are worthwhile. Reading for pleasure can improve relationships and reduce symptoms of depression. Considering these research findings in relation to children, it seems fair to suggest that emotionally, books can offer children dual benefits – they can be an opportunity for the reader to become rapt and delighted in an ‘escape’ from the ‘real world’ into a magical, fantastical one. Equally, books can be transformative for children who are feeling isolated, worried and vulnerable, in the way that they can offer children scope to share and identify with a character who is depicted as sharing similar ‘life challenges’. Jacqueline Wilson highlighted this exact point recently, emphasising the power of books to reassure children experiencing difficult times, helping them to feel that they are not ‘alone’. In terms of wellbeing, then, the world of books has the scope to provide both reassurance to children and a sense of ‘connection’. More generally, books which invite and enable children to enter the lives of others and inhabit their concerns and preoccupations – whether mirroring their own or not - can be a key antidote to the inward-looking, self-absorption which is engendered by many social media platforms which isolate and create anxiety for many youngsters in our classrooms.

At a time when the Education Inspection Framework is placing an emphasis on reading for pleasure and schools will consequently be reviewing their reading programmes, it is timely to build on the issues around diversity of text selection and opportunities for reading and to make explicit to parents and educators, the role books play in promoting emotional wellbeing. What should we be doing? What messages should we be sharing? Perhaps a key message to convey to parents is that ‘family encouragement’ to read beyond early childhood is invaluable. In areas of social disadvantage where literacy levels may be low and some parents may be holding enduring negative memories of reading themselves, teachers could invite them to share story time during the school day so they can observe ‘how it’s done’ and recognise that sharing a book is not a threatening or difficult thing to do. Class and school libraries should offer diversity in their stock so that both teachers and pupils have ready access to books which reflect important themes and highlight pertinent issues. Steadily, in these ways, it is possible for schools to develop a culture in which it is routine for staff, children and parents to reach for a book for solace, ‘company’ and understanding. That is to say, in terms of supporting children’s wellbeing, the power and potential of reading has never been more important.

Abigail Ball : 28 May 2020 13:12 |  Tags: Reading Research Teaching |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Digifest 2020 part three – Abigail Ball

Where they have been made available, the slides for the various sessions are on the link below:

https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/digifest-10-mar-2020/programme

Exploring digital wellbeing

Alicja Shah and Heather Price from JISC ran a workshop introducing JISC’s new definition of digital wellbeing. They got workshop participants to create digital wellbeing trees looking at the challenges organisations face in this area and what the possible solutions to those challenges might be.

Practical approaches to building the digital capability of staff and students

Lisa Gray (JISC), Elizabeth Newell (University of Nottingham) and James Kieft (Activate Learning) discussed their practical experiences of building the digital capability of their students and staff. They outlined the approaches they’ve taken and identified benefits, lessons learnt and next steps. All of these presentations centred around using the JISC Discovery Tool.

Supporting student wellbeing through our virtual learning platform

Kim Blanchard and Faz Masters both from Activate Learning introduced how they have used their VLE to support their learners on their journey at the college. They explained how they have developed key dimensions of core wellness for their students:

• Occupational
• Physical
• Intellectual
• Emotional
• Social
• Spiritual
• Environmental
• Financial

And how students can gain badges for the different topics.

Making a learning environment accessible to everyone

In this session Alan Crawford a Microsoft Learning consultant, discussed how to make content accessible in Windows 10. Points discussed included:

• The mobile accessibility deadline on 23rd June 2021
• Using building blocks for coding
• Using the translator functionality – which literally translates word for word (not into meaningful phrases)
• Eye control/narrator
• Dictate
• PowerPoint Designer
• Accessibility checker
• Office accessible templates on the web
• Accessibility Insights on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge
• Automated transcripts from videos (not as accurate as you would hope)
• Immersive reading in Office 365
• Wellbeing in My Analytics
• PowerPoint Coach
• Accessibility Insights 10
• The importance of using meaningful display names in hyperlinks

The closing keynote was cancelled.

*These notes are my own personal reflections and have not been endorsed by JISC or the individuals who presented the sessions.

Abigail Ball : 18 May 2020 16:19 |  Tags: Assessment Research Technology |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Digifest 2020 part two – Abigail Ball

Where they have been made available, the slides for the various sessions are on the link below:

https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/digifest-10-mar-2020/programme

Digital imposter syndrome - Theresa Marriott, digital learning technologist, Bishop Grosseteste University and Kate Bridgeman, teaching enhancement officer, University of Hull

I was quite interested in this session because of the nature of my role and because I am co-lead of the WIHEA Third Space Professional Learning Circle. Many third space professionals view themselves as imposters (although interestingly not with the negative connotations that this presentation implied) so I wanted to see if the presenters had a different perspective to add to the topic. They talked about recognising the signs of digital imposter syndrome including feelings of inadequacy when faced with something new, fear of failure and avoidance. They then moved on to discuss positive steps to help overcome digital imposter syndrome including coaching, the use of a safe/neutral workspaces and drop-in and open-door policies.

Bridging the skills gap: a novel approach to delivering academic skills support

Catriona Matthews from the University of Warwick talked about her experiences of running a pilot programme in an undergraduate classics module, to bridge the student transition skills gap between school or college and university.

Leveraging tech to close student support gaps

Vygo is a mobile platform that enables peer-to-peer tutoring and mentoring for university students via what it calls ‘local tutoring marketplaces.’ Vygo has a mobile app which allows students who need support to contact other students who can provide that support. Joel Di Trapani, co-founder of Vygo and Professor Jonathan Shaw from Coventry University talked about Coventry University’s approach to student support and how they have used Vygo to enable this.

Blackboard Ally

I saw an interesting piece of software at Digifest called Blackboard Ally. This helps staff to make digital content more accessible for students. It works with Moodle; it automatically checks content against WCAG2.1 and AA rules and it generates alternative formats such as semantic HTML and audio braille. This is something that needs to be considered at an institutional level rather than at a departmental level, so I will be encouraging the central Academic Technologies team to explore this further, as I think it is important for our students, particularly in this increased time of online learning.

Digital transformation: the bear in the room – Lindsay Herbert, author of Digital Transformation

According to Lindsay, real transformation comes from tackling problems that matter, but we spend far too much time and energy on ‘elephant in the room’ type problems instead. She argues that we need to tackle ‘the bear in the room’ to create lasting innovations with wide-reaching impact.

Lindsay introduced us to the five stages of personal digital transformation (denial, fear, anger, delight and attachment) and then went on to talk about the BUILD acronym. BUILD is essentially the five stages that all successful transformations have, namely:

1. Bridge [the gaps between your institution, its stakeholders and the changes happening around it]
2. Uncover [hidden barriers, useful assets and needed resources to achieve the transformation]
3. Iterate [use short cycles, test with real users, improve gradually]
4. Leverage [use successes to access more resources, influence stakeholders and give yourself the space to scale up]
5. Disseminate [tell people what works and why]!

*These notes are my own personal reflections and have not been endorsed by JISC or the individuals who presented the sessions.

Abigail Ball : 11 May 2020 14:17 |  Tags: Assessment Research Technology |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Digifest 2020 part one – Abigail Ball

This event (which feels like an eternity ago given lockdown and all of the changes since then) took place across two days in mid-March in Birmingham. Where they have been made available, the slides for the various sessions are on the link below:

https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/digifest-10-mar-2020/programme

Make way for Gen Z - Jonah Stillman, co-founder, author and speaker

This was an interesting keynote on day one where the very engaging Jonah, explained the difference between his generation (Gen Z) and other generations, such as Millennials or Baby Boomers. He described how Gen Z students:

1. are realistic
2. are driven (competitive)
3. suffer from FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) - which is why they always have their devices with them
4. are Phigital (yes apparently that is a real term and means they are comfortable with a blend of physical and digital experiences)
5. like to engage in hyper-customisation (which means they expect to be able to choose what they want to read/listen to/watch/eat and when they want to do this - think boxset binging and ordering take-aways)
6. Do It Themselves (are independent and happy to try give things a go)
7. are Weconomists (another new term which means they engage in a shared economy)

Whilst most of this was fairly light and quite tongue in cheek in some cases, the important point Jonah was making was that our universities are now multi-generational, and we have to accommodate these generations in our teaching practice. What works or worked for Millennials does not necessarily work for Gen Z students and we need to be much more aware of this. He did not provide answers per se, but he did raise awareness which I guess is the purpose of a keynote.

An evidence-based journey of digital transformation - Gavin McLachlan, vice-principal, chief information officer and librarian, University of Edinburgh

Due to the cancellation of the session I had planned to attend, I missed the first part of this session, but Gavin talked about the importance of digital culture and vision and how an institutional digital strategy needed to be aligned with the culture and vision of that institution. He also talked about the importance of having a digital e-safety policy and how the University of Edinburgh has developed a digital transformation programme which is composed of seven pillars:

1. Every educator is a digital educator (very apposite)
   
2. Every student is a digital student (it was almost as if he were psychic)
   
3. Every University service is a digital service
4. Every decision considers the available evidence
5. Everyone plans and updates their digital skills (particularly liked this one as Edinburgh mandates two digital skills courses per year; controversial I know but probably necessary especially given Covid-19)
6. Stop wondering about the future and start predicting the future (easier said than done)
7. Hyper-connected digital economy and digital community (again much easier said than done but a good aspitation to have)

If you would like to know more, Edinburgh have contributed a case study to the JISC website.

*These notes are my own personal reflections and have not been endorsed by JISC or the individuals who presented the sessions.

Abigail Ball : 05 May 2020 19:51 |  Tags: Assessment Research Technology |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem