The Educator Magazine U.K. Sept-Dec 2022 - Magazine - Page 32
askOLA & YPO:
a future for EdTech
Schools are, by and large, back to
functioning in a way that is similar to
before the pandemic. In-person
teaching, and the use of physical
resources are once again the basis of
how teachers educate children, as
opposed to a reliance on online
technologies and digital learning
methods. However, during the
pandemic, YPO, one of the UK’s largest
public sector buying organisations in the
UK, surveyed educators and found that
79% believed the crisis would have a
lasting impact on teaching. Respondents
outlined their belief that the result of this
would be a hybrid approach that
combined traditional ways of teaching
with educational technologies and
online resources.
to children, whilst relieving pressure on
teachers, who can then focus on inclassroom teaching. This is a
particularly important benefit given
the current teacher shortages that the
country is facing.
Teacher shortages
According to a recent survey from the
Association of School and College
Leaders, 95% of schools are currently
experiencing difficulties recruiting staff.
Teacher shortages, which result from a
culmination of factors including a lack of
national recruitment and low
retention rates, are having a real impact
on the education system and the
students within it. For example, 69%
Digital technology served
teachers well during the
pandemic – they were
anabsolute necessity and
successfully allowed for
education to continue
whilst many other sectors
were brought to a halt. It’s
no surprise that teachers
continue to find these tools
useful, as professionals in
schools continue to face a
myriad of challenges ; be
that to overcome teacher
shortages or assist students
with their mental health.
As a key support to the
sector, YPO is always
focused on finding new ways to alleviate
pressures felt by education professionals.
Recently, this has led to a partnership
with edtech tutoring platform, askOLA.
askOLA
askOLA is an online, on-demand
platform developed by GLUU, which
acts as an alternative to private tutoring.
Young people can access professional
academic support from online learning
assistants(OLAs) via the platform –
qualified and vetted professionals who
deliver personalised academic coaching
across English, maths and science –
whenever pupils feel that they need it.
YPO has always been a helping hand
for schools, identifying and providing
high-quality resources to assist with
learning. askOLA is a tool that provides
appropriate out-of-school support
Wellbeing
askOLA’s point of differentiation from
other, similar platforms is that OLA’s are
trained to check in on young people’s
wellbeing alongside their provision of
academic support. YPO’s research on
education during the pandemic found
that 64% of parents were concerned
about their children’s mental health and
wellbeing, and NHS figures show that
the likelihood of a child experiencing a
mental health disorder has increased
following COVID-19, so it is imperative
that the support extended to children
covers this ground too.
In its pilot, students reported feeling
that askOLA had helped them with
their wellbeing, including
stress felt over homework,
anxiety about not knowing
the answers to questions
and general mental health.
If students show signs of
needing more serious
mental health support,
OLA’s are also able to point
students in the direction of
wellbeing resources or to a
professional mental health
support platform, Kooth.
Looking ahead
ofschools are using non-subject
specialists to teach classes. askOLA and
YPO’s partnership can help to alleviate
some of this pressure.
In a term-length pilot at Shireland
Collegiate Academy Trust, the askOLA
platform extended student’s learning
time by 1,500 hours. Previously, this
would have made up for lost learning
time resulting from Covid-19, but going
forward, schools can rely on askOLA
to provide additional support that
teachers are currently too stretched
to give themselves.
With new research from the National
Foundation for Educational Research
estimating that shortages will continue
until 2025, its important that schools
consider this type of alternative support
to ease the pressure on teachers in the
long-term.
Investment in resources
such as askOLA is
absolutely key to the
functioning and
continued modernisation of
the UKs education system,
but it’s important to acknowledge
that this must come alongside a
consideration of how many young
people can feasibly access these digital
platforms when they are at home.
YPO’s research found that ensuring
digital inclusion was the biggest
challenge that schools faced during the
pandemic, so it must be a continued
focus for young people to have access to
basic digital services and technology.
It’s clear that digital learning methods
have a place in the future of education;
teachers and students alike value them
strongly, and they can be developed
in a way that pinpoints what the
education system needs. Having
education professionals fully embrace
these technologies, and ensuring access
to them for all pupils, is the next step.