Am I bovverd?!
Have you ever stopped to think why students lack the motivation to learn?  According to research produced by EPPI Centre ‘pupils are more likely to be engaged with the curriculum they are offered if they believe it is relevant and if they are given opportunities to take ownership of their learning.’  This requires a shift in focus from concentrating on what we teach, to learning more about who we teach it to.

The 2020 Vision Gilbert Review identifies the vital role of personalised learning to ‘transform education’.  This vision of tailoring the curriculum to the unique needs and interests of every child would certainly help to enagage learners more.  However, can this vision be made a reality?

Achieving the vision with ICT
In fact, many learners are already ahead of the game.  ‘By the age of 21 the average person will have spent 15,000 hours in formal education, 20,000 hours in front of the TV and 50,000 hours in front of a computer screen’ (Futurelab Report).  Young people are using technology informally to learn about issues that interest them and share their ideas with online communities.  The challenge for schools is whether they can catch up with their students!

It is clear that technology has a significant role to play to inspire and motivate our learners.  We all know that WWW stands for World Wide Web.  However, many schools have yet to realise its true potential for bringing the real world into the classroom.  Communication is literally at the heart of ICT.  Sadly, students are often given tasks involving made up situations rather than being given the opportunity to communicate with a real audience for a real purpose.

A Right to Learn
In the past our students did a project to research and create leaflets about their school.  They included information about the history of the school and subjects they learn.  The ICT skills they demonstrated were fine, but the information they communicated was very basic and uninteresting.

This year we adapted our scheme of work by making it more personal.  We asked the students to think about how they learn best and what makes a good teacher.  They shared their ideas by adding comments to a blog post.  We also invited students at our link school in the USA to contribute too.  We gave the students a digital camera and asked them to take images of the school from their perspective.  Students at our link school in Malawi took photos of their school using disposable cameras and we uploaded them into a digital gallery.  The students then did some basic research about the universal right to education and why it is such a valuable part of our lives.

With all of the ideas and information they had gathered themselves, the students are currently creating leaflets on the right to education and learning to learn.  The best examples will be sent to our link schools.  It will be the students that make the selection, not the teachers.  This will provide a real reason for peer assessment and consolodate what they have learnt to produce a well designed leaflet with a clear sense of audience and purpose.

Keep IT Real!
Enabling students to research real issues, create real resources and communicate with a real audience gives their work a real purpose.  The improved quality of our students’ work proves that this motivates the students to produce their best.  So, if you want to inspire your learners, remember to Keep IT Real!

Links:
Alex Savage’s Blog www.communicty.org
A Right To Learn lesson plans http://www.ndhs-sites.org.uk/ICT/7.3/index.htm
Futures of Learning Seminars 2005 Report http://www.futurelab.org.uk/research/personalisation/report_01.htm
2020 Vision, Gilbert Review http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=10783
Eppi-Centre Review on Motivation and Assessment http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/Default.aspx?tabid=304