Newark Hill Academy’s EducationCity Display Board Drives Student Learning

Here at EducationCity, we were so excited to see this (below)! In fact, when we saw it, we contacted the school to get in touch with them and say how much we loved it, as well as to say well done to 5C, where 97% of the class used EducationCity in December for their learning at home – great work!

We love this display board for showing how many students in certain classes are using EducationCity during one month. It’s a great idea and one we wanted to share with other schools to show them how they can use EducationCity too.

In fact, we’ve been speaking to Miss Calver, Year 1 teacher at Newark Hill Academy, who manages EducationCity there, all about the display board and more. Take a look!

Why did you decide to do the display board and what data did you use from EducationCity to calculate how many students used EducationCity?

I thought it was really important for the children to see that the milestones they reach and achievements they gain on EducationCity do not go unnoticed. I’ve really been promoting the use of EducationCity to the children, their parents and also my teacher colleagues, so for them to see that I am keeping track of who uses it, has been a real motivator.

I use the ‘Student Overview’ section to dip in and out of each year group, and calculate the percentages of children in the classes accessing the resources on EducationCity. There is a little bit of maths involved on my part, but the site is so easy to use and so it does not take much time at all. The response and results have been worth the extra work.

Aside from the display board (which is great!), is there anything else you do to encourage teachers and students to use EducationCity?

I have created simple step-by-step guides for the teachers on how to set EducationCity homework, so learning is continued out of school. I frequently offer support to my colleagues – I believe that if they know how to use EducationCity confidently, they’re more likely to use it in their lessons, set tasks for homework and also promote it to the children and their parents.

How do you use EducationCity to support your students’ learning?

I currently teach Year 1, and we use EducationCity most days. We use it in all areas of the curriculum. Sometimes I will print off activity sheets, other times, I encourage the children to log in and access a particular game linked to the subject or topic I am teaching. All of the children have a copy of their username and password so that they can access the learning platform at home, and lots do!

Which areas of EducationCity do you find particularly beneficial for your teaching?

I like to track who has done the homework (it must be the teacher in me!). I don’t have to mark it either, which is brilliant! I can reward my students accordingly, which always encourages the others to log in and have a go.

How do you hand out your students’ logins quickly?

I print the logins directly from the website – it’s so quick and easy to do. I distributed a copy to all teachers in the school for their class at the beginning of the academic year. They then copied them and gave the children their own individual ones. I have the logins stuck on my wall for easy access when we need them.

What do you advise your students try to learn with at home?

With EducationCity, they need no other practical resources, it is all there for them on the screen. They just need to remember to turn the volume up sometimes, as explanations and instructions are often given verbally as well as visually on screen. We encourage our parents to support with the use of EducationCity even if we know, and they know, that their child is confident. They should be there to assist, but to also challenge and extend learning. A printer is helpful, because you can then print EducationCity certificates off and display them, at home and in school.

How does EducationCity help you save time with setting resources to learn with at home?

Zero printing or laminating and no time spent using the guillotine! And as I mentioned before, you don’t really have to mark it either, as EducationCity lets them know their scores, and highlights their mistakes for them.

Thank you, Miss Calver! We hope you and everyone at Newark Hill Academy continues their great work.

If you’re a teacher and you’d like some materials to put together a similar classroom display board for EducationCity, see our Classroom Teaching Resources page for resources.