Analysis
Since the mid 1980s teachers have been reporting the considerable improvements in learning that they have achieved with their pupils when they have embedded the use of digital in teaching and learning.
Despite this large body of evidence, often carefully assessed by schools, the educational research community have failed to produce research studies confirming this. The reason is that it is not ICT that produces improved learning, it is the changed pedagogy and changed mindsets of the teachers and pupils which produce the impact. These cannot be studied through randomised controlled trials, the whole system has to be looked at in its entirety. Because of this it is not possible to compare impact in different schools, as all schools are different in their pupil intakes and school culture. The only way to research the impact of digital on learning is through action research, comparing outcomes before adoption of digital to outcomes after. This is what schools have been doing to prove to themselves the high impact digital has.
The impact is however totally dependent on a school's educational philosophy and learning culture, which is why a change of school leader can rapidly destroy the improved learning happening. Many school leaders still have an analogue mindset and fail to understand the ecology that has enabled digital mindset and growth mindset to develop in the school.
I have been involved with numerous action-research analyses of the impact of digital, involving professional educators across the UK and Europe, and very many schools.
Of particular note are:
The Apple Distinguished Schools programs.
Learning Platform studies for Capita Education Services.
The Naace Future learning project investigating 'Transformed Education'.
The archived website of the European Education Partnership; including analysis of the value-add of ICT in Education, ICT-rich pedagogy, and teachers’ skills in ICT-rich environments. The E.E.P. was a Europe-wide Industry-Education Partnership funded by subscription. It engaged with and helped manage various EU initiatives such as the NetDays and independently set up opportunities for industry and education to come together to explore issue.
The 'Compelling Case' studies undertaken with the help of the e-Learning Foundation. How some primary schools are now creating significantly better learners, and whether secondary schools are capitalising on this or creating a set-back for such learners. Watch the videos.
Frog Education case studies.
The studies undertaken with Mal Lee - see Publications.