I work with children who are ‘looked after and accommodated’ away from home by the state (‘in care’). From a social justice perspective, I will show how web-based technologies can be used to support vulnerable pupils who may be motivated by academic qualifications not available within their present education setting. I can be contacted at dafc1885@hotmail.com.
In this article, I will show that, presently, new technologies are connecting learners with each other and their tutors beyond traditional physical spaces, and that some ideas of Clayton Christensen’s, in his book ‘Disrupting Class’, can be applied to the prevailing underachievement of children who are looked after away from home in residential education establishments.
Increasingly, learning establishments possess and make use of a broadband connection. They also have technology which is able to make use of the many browser-based communication tools in ‘the cloud’, making use of online instead of hard-drive space. The main technical restriction which many learning professionals are finding difficult to influence, is centralised management of web access (‘blocking’).
Despite this, significant numbers of educators are making use of web tools to communicate. Many do so within their workplace and other physical spaces such the home personal computer or mobile device. The use of 3G technology for ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning and communication can be seen with the popularity of the iPhone 3G and ‘dongles’ for laptops, amongst other products. Many educators have skills and experience in participating in online learning opportunities such as live webcasts, web conferences and streamed conferences; utilising audio, visual and web-based technology, all of which continues to fall in price.
Before outlining one way of drawing on these developments, I will provide some background on why educational use of such ‘web 2.0’ technologies should be made in pursuit of social justice for motivated ‘looked after and accommodated’ children.
Children who are 'looked after' in the
A child who is intrinsically motivated to study and to progress academically, but who has had to deal with prolonged crisis in their family life, is likely to have their needs unmet by the current system of care and education for children who are 'looked after'. Residential schools are at the heart of the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure that vulnerable children and young people aspire and achieve. However current difficulties in the sector see reductions in education staff and wider deployment of generic teachers instead of subject specialists. Broadly, teachers are not encouraged to work directly with children who are ‘looked after and accommodated’.
Working with a geographically diverse group of 15-16 year old children who are close to leaving care, the project would help them to enhance their skills, qualifications and ability to make positive choices, and assist them in making a smoother transition into post-16 education, training and employment. Residential schools and units would work with 'children’s rights' organisations to encourage 15-16 year old children to become involved in the project. Initially, around sixteen children who are 'looked after' would be supported in their study for subjects which are not traditionally offered and are increasing in relevance; courses with currency which are rarely available in residential settings, for example advanced qualifications in Spanish, Mandarin, Digital Media, Care, and literacy and numeracy. Employability skills and mentoring could also be offered.
Tutors (practicing, subject specialist teachers, each with extensive web 2.0 experience) would be recruited to facilitate 3-4 one hour web conference sessions per week, and continue study support via, for example, Ning sites which can support tasks, multimedia resources, synchronous/asynchronous chat, and links. Two-three web conference slots would run each day or evening from Sunday to Thursday for almost two years. There would be 1-2 tutors per subject (not necessarily based in the same country as the tutees), with one acting as lead tutor. The project would need to be accredited by the examination board to deliver and assess each of these courses. Each participating school or unit would be provided with one laptop, with 3G web access if need be. Use and storage of this resource by the child and their place of residency would be strictly monitored following the signing of an acceptable-use contract. I have costed such a project and believe it would require initial 2-year funding of around $130,000. This compares favourably with the average salary of one Scottish teacher over the same period.
The project idea has been inspired by The School of Everything, which uses the web to connect those who have ‘something to teach’ with those who want to learn, along with Clayton Christensen’s argument that new technologies can effectively meet non-consumption within schooling/learning; that online learning can meet learners’ needs where there is no immediate, viable alternative in their physical learning space.
Such a project would break down barriers around content delivery, teacher location, and the use of online multimedia, to offer opportunities to those who are ready to push themselves academically, but who are currently away from home and mainstream education, often through no fault of their own. The use of commercial, publicly-funded Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) has not yet led to increased attainment. Smaller-scale, web-networked projects, which nonetheless keep the tutors and tutees in regular, direct contact, appear to offer more likelihood of tangible impact on attainment, with its established link to later opportunities and quality of life.
