Digital Learning Hub Hub

Main aims of the project

The Hub will support school improvement in Camden by supporting Hub participants to assess, reflect on and improve their whole school systems so that they work better for every child. The EEF shows that teaching quality is more important than how lessons are delivered; one of the main ways that we will ensure that digital learning works better for students is by developing excellent online pedagogy that allows teachers to meet the news of students and close gaps in attainment. We will also explore how to safely manage peer interactions in online learning as again research shows that they provide motivation and improve learning outcomes, especially in online environments. What activities are planned and when are they likely to take place?

The shared project with school specific tangible outcomes, will promote a collaborative and dynamic environment. Our use of a virtual learning platform will ensure members are supported between sessions and have an opportunity to develop a strong group identity. Initially reflection will be important and participants will be helped to consider their individual aims and set objectives. The course will be structured using an action research model which enables each school to be supported in a bespoke way to meet those aims and objectives. Growing areas of expertise will be shared between the members of the group. We will support Hub members to track the progress of their remote learning systems, as well as the progress students at cohort and group level, such as disadvantaged students. Since the start of the COVID 19 epidemic in the UK many schools and teachers have had to adapt with no notice to supporting students to learn from home. Whilst this posed many challenges it has also been a time of incredible learning and creativity. This Hub will support schools to capture their experiences and knowledge, applying this to learning now that schools are open.

This Hub will build on the scenario that if there are possible future partial or whole school closures, staff and students would be better prepared to engage in remote learning with more confidence and better academic and pastoral outcomes.
Other applications of remote learning will be considered such as interventions for school refusers, cover lessons and the application of digital learning to support schools to closing attainment gaps post COVID.

Want to get involved?

The key areas covered by the hub will be:

To provide opportunities for teachers and leaders to work collaboratively to develop knowledge of remote learning platforms and how they can be implemented effectively in times of both school closures and schools being opened.

To develop teachers and leader’s pedagogy whilst using digital and remote learning platforms.

What does the Hub plan to achieve and what resources will be created?

Each member will complete their own bespoke action research to increase their school’s capacity to deliver remote learning outcomes successfully and contribute to a bigger piece of research with the Hub.

In order to capture learning and so that it can be shared each member will write a short research paper on the implementation of their remote learning platform and the impacts it had. This will include a methodology section, results and discussion
Resources such as training videos, and CPD sessions will be created to share learning
The Hub leaders will create an EEF style one-page summary document to capture the lessons learnt in the Hub to share with schools in Camden. This would showcase work on distance learning. The project will also model how to conduct action research for any area of improvement
Schools could also create short videos using their chosen online learning platform which shows cases best practice in remote learning and the work that students produce.