Teaching and E-Learning
Saint Nicholas School’s academic record is amongst the best in the country. A team of experienced staff teaches a full range of academic subjects and class sizes are kept relatively small, thus ensuring that each pupil has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential. Staff, pupils and parents value highly the undoubted positive ethos of the school and pupils are happy to attend. All members of staff strive to maintain a well-structured, positive environment in which pupils feel secure and are encouraged to do their best at all times.
In keeping with our ‘Strive to Better’ motto, at Saint Nicholas School, we are always looking for new ways to maximise the learning of our students. In an increasingly digital world, education has been a little slow to embrace the digital revolution happening in offices and homes across the country. Access to knowledge can now be instantaneous. With a world of information at our finger tips, as educators, we need to teach students how to navigate this sea of data efficiently, how to assess the usefulness of the myriad of available resources, and to how use new tablet technology to support more collaborative learning. With so much information readily available, teachers are no longer the gatekeepers of knowledge. Instead, teachers need to be facilitators or coaches, helping students to work together to develop their understanding. Developments in technology have already changed the way children acquire knowledge and interact with the world. At Saint Nicholas School, we believe that we can use e-learning to fundamentally change the way we teach and the way students learn.
Over the last three years, we have been researching the possibility of using tablet technology to improve learning outcomes for students. Technology companies are now beginning to wake up to the exciting possibilities that this technology has for education, and Apple are leading the way. At Saint Nicholas, the school is investing heavily in this new technology. Staff have been issued with ipads and have familiarised themselves with the devices. Extensive training has been provided teachers and we have been exploring the huge range of possible applications that tablet technology can provide. The school’s network has been strengthened, our wi-fi access coverage has been improved, and we have greatly increased the internet bandwidth that the school has at its disposal. We have made strong links with a company called Academia that specialise in setting up Apple technology in schools from all over the country and with Hardsoft, a local Apple reseller.
We would like every student in years 6 to 11 to benefit from owning their own iPad for use in and out of lessons. Years 1 to 5 have access to two banks of iPads available for teachers to use within lessons. We believe that students can be more efficient learners by using tablet technology and collaborating together in a way that is made possible through e- learning technologies.
All details can be found on our VLE under E-learning.
