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Computers to replace teachers in the classroom by 2016, under radical plans
being considered by new free school
New free school wants children to spend longer being taught over
internet
London 'Ark Pioneer Academy' set to trial new 'blended learning' model
Teachers unions have attacked the proposal which could see staff cuts
A new flagship 'free school' is planning to replace teachers with computers
for some day-to-day lessons, it was claimed today.
One of England’s biggest academy chains - Ark Schools - wants to set up a
new 'blended learning' model – which will see children taught over the internet
for large chunks of the day.
The new 'e-school' will be known as the Ark Pioneer Academy and is due to
open in London from September 2016 as part of the government’s free schools
scheme, according to the teaching journal the Times Education Supplement.
Charter schools in the US - which were an inspiration for the Education
Secretary Michael Gove's free schools programme - have already tried and tested
similar radical schemes with some success.
One called Rocketship pioneered the model and now operates nine schools in
Milwaukee and San Jose, teaching 5,000 pupils who spend a quarter of their
school day online.
Rocketship chief executive Preston Smith said that computers had allowed
his organisation to 'really rethink the school day'.
'We have fewer teachers than a traditional school serving the same number
of students.'
By slashing the number of staff, the school can plough the savings into the
remaining teachers' salaries - therefore better teachers.
Mr Smith said this allowed him to pay teachers up to 50 per cent more than
nearby schools. He added that he wanted teachers earning more than $100,000 'as
quickly as possible'
Mr Smith said: 'If your kids are performing incredibly well, and you have
eliminated the achievement gap in your classroom, and your kids are on a par
with the most affluent kids in the country, we should be paying you incredibly
well because you are doing amazing work.
'We want to help you realise six figures, if not more, as quickly as
possible.'
But Christine Blower, of the teaching union the NUT, said: 'The use of the
word "efficiencies" is all very nice but what it really means is cuts.
'If we have got circumstances where we have got children ostensibly being
taught, but actually sitting in front of computers for a significant amount of
time and not having routine access to a teacher for every lesson, then that
would be a completely wrong departure.
'We would be concerned about the loss of teaching jobs and about the loss
of proper good quality education for all children and young people.'
Ark has said it hopes that by using computers it will 'increase the reach
of great teachers'.
Documents given to the Times Education Supplement reveal how Ark believes
the new model will allow teachers' roles to be 'revised'.
Other schools using the system have introduced new roles that include
'master teachers' responsible for 'leading full-class or small group
instruction' while the computers take on more of the routine tasks.
Teachers in the new computer schools could also be responsible for 'leading
small group instruction' or the 'supervision of online learning'.
An ARK spokesman today said: 'Our plans are at a very early stage, but it
is worth reflecting that our blended learning pilot at King Solomon Academy did
not mean fewer teachers or bigger classes, but ensuring that pupils have access
to the latest in educational technology and techniques.
'The school is rated outstanding by Ofsted and results have been improving
every year, above national averages. High quality teaching is at the core of the
ARK approach, and helps our schools to achieve excellent standards.'
相关介绍：
英国最大的连锁学校方舟学校(Ark Schools)13日宣布将建立一种新的“混合式学习”模式，由电脑代替老师来教授一些日常课程。
据《泰晤士报教育增刊》报道，这所名为“方舟先驱学园”的电子学校将于2016年9月起在伦敦开学，这也是英国政府“自由学校”计划的一部分。
美国的一些特许学校已经尝试了类似的模式，并且取得了成功。其中一个名为“火箭船”(Rocketship)的项目在密尔沃基市和圣何塞市的九所学校展开，5000名学生每天在学校花四分之一时间上网学习。
据美国“火箭船”项目的总裁普勒斯顿•史密斯(Preston
Smith)介绍，学校削减了教师人数，因此可以将钱投入到剩余老师的薪资中，从而也可以保证更好的教师。该校的老师薪资比起周围学校的老师高一半，史密斯还称希望尽快使老师们的工资达到六位数。
但英国教师工会的克里斯丁•布洛尔(Christine
Blower)却认为，新的模式使学生电脑前待很长一段时间，看上去是在学习，但实际上无法从老师处得到每节课应有的帮助。“我们担心教师职位减少，以及教育质量的退化。”布洛尔说。
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发表于 2016-7-10 18:05:30