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Smooth transition next year for students

For teachers August is a time of reflection on the year gone by, and excitement and planning for the year ahead. For students, particularly those that have worked hard to sit end of year SATs or exams, it is a chance to unwind, let off steam and put the last school year behind them whilst enjoying the summer break.

The transitional period between leaving one year group and entering the next can often be a precarious move for any student, and none more so than for a child graduating from primary education and about to navigate themselves through the unfamiliar territory of secondary.

In this blog, we take a look into how teaching staff can help to make this crucial transition as smooth as possible, whilst ensuring a student’s education doesn’t suffer along the way.

Common transition difficulties

The advancement to secondary school means a number of major changes for all children and the settling in period can take anything from a couple of weeks to a number of months.

Analysis of data collected within the Department for Children, Schools and Families report showed that the main causes of a poor transition between academic years are:

• Experiences of bullying;
• Worrying about their ability to do work;
• Having new and unfamiliar teachers;
• Worrying about not making new friends.

The academic dip

It is these variables, amongst others, that all act as contributing factors to the well-known and on-going problem of the slip in standards amongst transitioning pupils.

Research featured in the report has revealed a post-transition academic dip for students – and this could be down, in part, to teachers underestimating the ability of new year 7 pupils.

In turn, the report brings to light the concern that teaching staff and the curriculum may not be challenging the pupils sufficiently, and poses questions about the communication and relationships existing between schools and the impact this has on navigating successful transitions.

Evidence suggests that there is a need to pay particular attention to the social, emotional and pedagogical needs of pupils if a transition is to be successful.

How can teachers help pupils transition and avoid the academic dip? Assist children in developing new friendships

One of the main problems that arose throughout the research was that children are increasingly anxious about leaving old friendships behind and building new ones. This can have a large and often rather detrimental impact on a student’s confidence. To counteract this, it is important for teachers to introduce students to extracurricular activities and encourage group work to ensure that they are able to integrate with other children who have similar interests.

Identify the pupils who need extra support

All teaching staff have a responsibility to ensure each and every one of their students are adequately prepared for their next academic step. Even the most confident of students may struggle with these transitions, so it is vital to take the time to identify the pupils that might need extra support and guidance.

Ensure children are part of the process

Ensuring that pupils are an active part of the transition process, instead of passive observers is also vital. If students feel empowered throughout the process, are encouraged to communicate about their feelings and feel like they have an element of control over what is happening, their confidence is less likely to be bruised and their transition more likely to be a successful one.

Be prepared in the classroom

Don’t let a lack of preparation in the classroom deter any students. Forgotten passwords and logins can often hinder progress and stand in the way of a pupil being able to get on with the task in hand. Ensure these details are all collated and ready to go, alongside as a record or portfolio of work for each student.

Build good relationships between schools

The most important step to safeguard students during their transition between schools is to ensure a strong relationship between schools and a solid process for data-management. Sharing accurate data is the key to a good transition as it will support teachers to do their job well.

Teachers can share information with students and help to set expectations about the next academic year early – this could include an introduction to their new classroom, teacher and peers, distribution of booklets or talks at the school, and will help to support the student, and in turn avoid the academic dip.

Are you looking to go greener with your IT efforts?

Whilst universities have been at the forefront of understanding the challenges of sustainability, Higher Education remains one of the UK’s largest non-commercial consumers of energy, therefore concerns about sustainability need to be addressed.

An increasing number of universities are focusing on carbon emissions and footprint and putting this as a main priority, with targets to reduce emissions set by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

The HEFCE is committed to reducing carbon emission levels by 43% (against a 2005 baseline) by 2020 and requires all the higher education institutions (HEIs) it funds, to have a carbon management plan that contains carbon reduction targets, meaning it’s paramount to monitor performance to create a sustainable campus.

To help the sector reduce their carbon emissions, HEFCE are providing:

• Recoverable grants through the Revolving Green Fund (RGF) for projects that reduce institutions’ emissions
• Good practice guidance on producing carbon reduction strategies, targets and associated carbon management plans
• A report to estimate carbon dioxide emission baselines for each HEI that they fund.

However, many institutions have also adopted the SMART strategy when setting targets:

1. Specific – each target should address one issue
2. Measurable – targets should be expressed as a quantity
3. Achievable – targets should be reasonable for everyone involved
4. Realistic – targets should be challenging but practical, they can be reviewed once accomplished
5. Time-bound – target must have a deadline

Although, there are no financial penalties for failing to meet the 2020 targets, institutions are required to publicly report their progress towards carbon reduction targets – which is hoped will encourage them. It’s also predicted that a university’s record on sustainability will become increasingly important for students deciding where to study.

What is conclusive, is that sustainability must become deeply embedded in an institution’s policies and practices, the easiest way to make a difference and become more sustainable is through innovative and pioneering new technologies.

XMA sit on a number of frameworks that can help you meet your needs. Our team of tech specialists can find opportunities for you to save time and money in your efforts to provide cleaner, greener technology in your institution.

Did you know there are over 11 million people with a limiting long-term illness, impairment or disability in the UK? The Office for Disability Issues, state that someone with a disability is half as likely as someone without to hold a degree qualification. It is the duty of universities to ensure that students have access to the right learning tools for successful education.

But can technology be the answer?

There are an array of assistive technologies to aid students with special-needs, in offering them support, independence and confidence in the learning environment. Universities must now outline how they can support special needs students in a Disability Statement, offering all students an equal opportunity to learn and accomplish qualifications. Universities can make some simple changes to existing campus devices and discover an array of accessibility tools that will help aid learning for students with limitations.

E-textbooks

Following a study by the Higher Education Academy in the UK, it was indicated that resources are a common issue affecting the happiness of disabled students. E-textbooks offer the ability to scale text to your needs or to make use of text-to-speech software. It also allows you to hold an unlimited number of textbooks all on one device – so no more struggling to juggle lots of heavy books that also cost a fortune to buy!

Online resources

Similar to E-books, students can now access all types of digital learning materials online, including whitepapers, journals, blogs and more. Content sharing has become increasingly popular with the development of the cloud, using solutions such as Google Drive and Microsoft SharePoint. Students and teachers can share notes, presentations and other documents in one central place for anyone to access (anywhere and at any time), offering a totally accessible world of knowledge to all students.

Keyboards

University IT departments can now arrange to have their devices and desktops set up with Keyboard shortcuts for easy access to apps. This saves time and offers ease to students with disabilities.

A standard keyboard has over 100 keys, which can appear confusing and intimidating to some students. Universities can purchase special built keyboards for assistive learning, with features that include larger keys with audible click, bigger gaps between keys or coloured keys to distinguish between vowels, consonants and numbers.

Touchscreens

Some students with learning difficulties may find it hard to relate the movement of their hand on the mouse to the movement of the cursor on the screen. Therefore, it is advisable that educational institutions keep stock of touchscreen devices for students who may struggle using the standard mouse. Other mouse alternatives are also available if touchscreens are not an option.

Accessibility features

Different features are available for different types of disabilities. For example, those with a vision impairment can benefit from increasing the colour contrast of text and images or braille narration. Alternatively, those with a hearing loss can take advantage of visual alternatives to sounds such as Skype translator, visual notifications and for longer or mono audio for those with partial deafness. Setting up in-house devices with these features or offering training to students to set features up on their personal devices will hugely benefit in aiding their learning.

Dominated by technology

Technology is probably the most powerful tool that surrounds us today. With the worldwide reach of the Internet, a new age of ‘anytime anywhere’ education has begun.

Universities and Schools alike must prepare the next generation for a world ultimately dominated by technology. The possibilities technology can provide education are limitless. Information is now within the palm of our hands and accessible within seconds. Whether a student needs to revisit key moments in history, or read up on scientific research that could change lives forever, it is now at the click of a button. No longer than 10 short years ago, the main source of research was through books. Literature was our only path to discovery.

The classroom community now goes much further than just the physical classroom – students can work collaboratively no matter where they are in the world, handing in assignment can now be done at the click of a button, and lecturers can provide personal feedback in an instant message. The functionality of an iPad alone allows the user to carry education assets with them wherever they go. There are now thousands of downloadable Apps, which can support teachers and students in everything they need, be it revision or lesson planning.

Keeping up with technology in education does not have to be expensive. Visit theEDUstore where you will receive exclusive savings on all Apple product! Register with your .ac.uk or .sch.uk email address today.

Visit: www.theEDUstore.co.uk

Enhance, learn and inspire in the classroom

As every academic year passes, new technology seeps into the classroom. These devices are predominantly upgrades of the existing i.e. handheld tablets and smart whiteboards, but it isn’t often that a revolutionary piece of technology is introduced into the classroom that has the power to make huge waves in both the way we teach, and the way we learn.

One of the more innovative pieces of technology appearing throughout the education sector in the UK over the last couple of years is the 3D printer. Used globally by manufacturers in many industries, the 3D printing technology can be used to enhance classroom based learning and inspire the inventors and creators of tomorrow.

The adoption of 3D printing across schools has been slower than originally expected, due to the perceived expense of purchasing and integrating the technology. But in a bid to infiltrate classrooms and re-engage students, the cost of 3D printers has reduced, and training has become more accessible.

In this blog, we look at 5 reasons why 3D printing technology can have a beneficial impact on the classroom.

1. Prepare students for the future of technology
   From building cars to creating prosthetic limbs, 3D printers are becoming more and more popular in a huge range of industries.  In fact, last year 67% of UK manufacturers were using the technology in some way or another.

By giving students an opportunity to become familiar with the technology that is set to play a huge role in the future manufacturing industry, teachers are able to equip them with the skills they’ll need for a smoother transition into the working world.

1. Increase student engagement within lessons
   In a report from The Department for Education (DfE) on the use of 3D printers in the curriculum, it was shown that teachers saw a huge rise in engagement in lessons when printers were used within lessons.

The study showed that even pupils with poor concentration were seen to produce tangible results and felt confident to explore more complex designs and ideas throughout the session.
By stepping away from traditional methods of teaching, lessons will be given a ‘wow’ factor, making students more excited to come to school and re-engage them in the learning process.

1. Give students a better understanding of subjects
   3D technology allows students to do much more than draw with pen and paper. Investigating volume and areas of spheres? Have your students create and learn. Teaching about how wind turbines are manufactured? You can show your students the process right before their eyes.

Giving your students the opportunity to become more hands-on with their learning to help them gain a better grasp of complex subjects and inspire a new way of thinking about subjects that might have otherwise assumed to be predominantly textbook based.

1. Encourage collaboration between peers and departments
   Within the DfE’s report on 3D printing, it was highlighted that one of the key successes from introducing 3D technology into schools was how it not only encouraged students to work together on projects, but it also brought different subjects together.

During the study, teachers and technicians from both design technology and physics were able to work together closely to create a model of scattered alpha particles of gold leaf foil. This exercise meant that students and teachers were able to bridge the gap between STEM subjects and gain a better understanding of how skills can overlap.

1. Inspire students to engage in STEM subjects
   Although the number of students choosing to take an interest in STEM subjects is rising, experts are still concerned that the rise won’t necessarily mean students will go on to having careers in those fields.

Introducing students to the technology used within the working world of STEM will give you the opportunity to inspire them to go on and succeed in gaining great opportunities when students go on to graduate and kickstart their career.

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This bundle is exclusive to XMA! If you would like to know more, complete the form below and one of our specialists will be in touch.

XMA has received further recognition for its public sector leadership, fighting off stiff competition from other UK IT solutions providers to be awarded Public Sector VAR of the Year in the 24th annual CRN Channel Awards.

It has been a very positive 12 months for XMA staff, customers and its partners across local and central government, higher education, schools and the NHS. Making up 75% of our business, the public sector remains a core focus for XMA technology excellence and customer collaboration.

Our recent investments in back-end infrastructure have successfully brought about reduced delivery times and costs through increased efficiency, while new support and services capabilities – notably around Apple and Viglen technologies – improve the customer experience and enable greater solution flexibility.

XMA remains number one in education for Microsoft, Apple and Google, and this was among the key proof points that convinced the CRN judging panel to present XMA with this highly respected award. In fact, XMA’s entry was described as “inspired” by the judges.  They also commented: “A lot of effort had clearly gone into this entry that demonstrated growth through facts and figures, and outlined exactly what it did for the public sector over the past year. It also contained passion and personality, impressive case studies and very strong testimonials.”

XMA is also prominent in 90% of the public sector frameworks that exist across the UK for the procurement of ICT and related solutions, including G-Cloud 8, HealthTrust Europe, ITRAP and many others.

We are thrilled to have achieved HP Premier MPS Partner Status. This is an industry wide trading status, and a symbol that we are recognised as an established print IT reseller and a key partner of HP.

Achieving this status is testament to our ability to provide strategic guidance in managing print environments and providing services and software solutions that can help reduce costs, improve security and free up your time.

We operate a technology-based, results oriented approach to managing your print environment, built on the premise that printing and document management are essential parts of your IT architecture.

What could you achieve with MPS?

• Lower printing costs by implementing a targeted print strategy for improving processes and increasing efficiencies.
• Reduced need for IT support for your printing environment, so your IT staff can spend more time on strategic projects.
• Manage and deploy devices and supplies from multiple vendors in a more convenient and effective manner.
• Ensure that your imaging and printing devices are being used in the best ways for your employees and your organisation.
• Increase employee productivity by reducing device downtime.

Because we recognise the importance of incremental and continuous improvement, you will be better able to respond to changes in your business as they arise.

Ready to talk MPS?

Go to our Managed Document Service page or contact us below.

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