iPads in Year 6

It’s a Matter of Teaching and Learning, Not Technology

This year has seen our Year 6 teachers reflecting on their digital practice, embedding their skills with iPads, and building on the teaching and learning benefits we'd already seen. This is not just a change in device, it's actually a change in our boys' learning. They're creating their own works, selecting photos and creating videos, creating animation, and combining text, drawing and speech to capture their learning with a highly portable tool. In this way, our boys are leading their own learning.

Cognitive psychology tells us that long-term memory is enhanced when students use "dual coding", which is the combination of visual and verbal representations of information. A great example of this dual coding can be found in our Year 6 Languages classrooms. The boys first composed a letter using their knowledge and understanding of French vocabulary and grammar. This was created in text format on the iPad and the boys then used Speech to Text technology to read the letter in French while the iPad transcribed the words they were speaking. By comparing the two (the letter in text form and the dictated version) errors in the boys' pronunciation of French vocabulary became evident and they were able to work on areas of weakness while re-recording their letters.

This task clearly placed each boy at the centre of his learning, and the repetition and dual coding required meant these writing and speaking skills in French will be retained in their long-term memory.

Mrs Sophie Berry
Dean of Teaching & Learning Middle School