I’m Freddie and I’m a Year 9 Senior Ambassador at the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai and I am so proud to receive the honour and privilege of providing a commentary for this snapshot I have been studying at RGSGD for two years and I will be among the first cohort to sit the GCSE
Angela, Mahdalena, Mateo and Sena
Year 6,The British School of Barcelona, Spain
Freddie, Sasha and Olivia
Year 9, Royal Grammar School Guildford
Dubai, UAE
Berry, Flossie, Florence and Alec
Year 6, Charterhouse Square School, United Kingdom
Dominic, Steve and Alina
Grade 11 and 12, Stamford American School, Hong Kong
Elisa, Fernando and Maximiliano
Grade 11, Dunalastair School, Las Condes, Chile
Kristie Overton (author) Head of Group Education Insight and Projects
Simon Camby (author) Group Chief Education Officer
Doan Tran (designer) Content Manager (Group Education Team)
The ‘In Their Own Words’ series, shares the insights of students from around our global community, regarding important topics in education. We hope that this series encourages educators to provide varying opportunities for students to share their views and use their voices to have an impact, including through focus group discussion opportunities. We believe that such opportunities support students to show leadership, demonstrate agency and impact their own learning journey.
At Cognita, we are dedicated to prioritising the voices of our students in everything that we do This is especially important at a time of rapid change that is transforming children’s learning experiences That is why, between September - November 2024, we listened to students’ insights regarding the key elements of ‘high quality teaching’ and how these elements impact their learning, during a number of focus group sessions This snapshot highlights five key takeaways from the students involved
personalised
Our student participants shared that at its heart, High QualityTeaching and Learning involves teachers having an in-depth understanding of each student in their care It is with this understanding that teachers are able to adapt their style to each class and deliver differentiated instruction that caters for everyone The participants endorsed two useful ways that teachers can understand and cater to individual needs, as follows:
Regular assessments which evaluate depth of learning
Lessons that feature a variety of different activities (to cater to students’ preferences and strengths)
A self-reflection question for educators… Do students complete a variety of different activities within most individual lessons? If not, could you do more to enable this?
When teachers observe and interact with a new class, they get an idea of what it's like and can notice if some students need extra help
Berry, Charterhouse Square School, UK
Persistent challenge for every student, in everysubject
The students explained that by deeply understanding the needs and wants of each individual student, teachers are able to deliver challenge for all. Our students unanimously agreed that by consistently providing access to additional challenge (both within and beyond the syllabus), teachers can enable deep, effective learning and continual improvement amongst all students.The participants also considered that if additional challenges are always available to them, they can be empowered to lead their learning journey Our group fromThe Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai built upon this point, highlighting the impactful role that teaching assistants can have in ensuring that every student is challenged
A self-reflection question for educators…
Do we feel confident that students feel able to seek out additional challenge in all subjects and phases?
Theyare always thinking about howto support usto go further, make ourwork even better and howto challenge us even more
Freddie, Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai
3 Relationships rooted in mutual respect,with awillingnessto share reciprocally
Our student participants explained that the classroom should be seen as a ‘safe space’for learning and that this is made possible by supportive, mutually respectful relationships between students and teachers To build these relationships and make learning more memorable, Dominic from Stamford American School Hong Kong suggested that teachers should connect with their students on a personal level and share stories in a reciprocal manner –that is, encouraging students to share information about their lives but also sharing their own personal experiences with students Dominic cited the example of his economics teacher explaining how the 2007-2008 financial crisis impacted them, which helped the students to remember what occurred during this period
A self-reflection question for educators… Could we continue to enhance our relationships with our students and support their learning by sharing examples of our own personal experiences with them?
The classroom should be a safe space for learning
The best lessons are the oneswiththe most interactions withteachers and classmates
4
Collaboration atthe heart ofthe learning experience
All of the student groups were highly supportive of collaborative, interactive learning environments, where discussion flows readily both between peers and between the teacher and their students They explained their understanding that regular discussion, debates and collaboration with peers can help them to develop important critical thinking skills and more effectively‘interrogate’ subject material to enhance learning Our group from Dunalastair School recommended that to ensure that active learning through discussion is a reality in every classroom, teachers might like to consider integrating shorter opportunities for discussion into almost every lesson, instead of reserving longer periods of time (e g individual lessons) for more formal opportunities for debate or discussion.
A self-reflection question for educators… Do we feel confident that lessons in all subjects regularly involve opportunities for discussion with and between students?
To ensure that technology enhances learning as much as possible, students from the Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai recommended that school leaders regularly analyse device usage data and evaluate their choices about device types
A self-reflection question for educators… How effective is our approach to harnessing technology as an enabler for learning? (Including the extent to which individual devices are used effectively and whether the ‘best-fit’ devices have been selected)
Our student participants unanimously recognised that technology has an important role to play in modern education, however there was a consistent sense of hesitation regarding how significantly technology contributes to HQTL All students showed an awareness of the benefits of harnessing ageappropriate technology and AI for both the quality and speed of their work However, they unanimously outlined the value that they saw in more traditional learning methods also, including writing things out manually to support retention and recall Technologyneedsto
be used inthe rightwaysto improve our learning, it is not alwaysthe right answer
It is clear from this process that schools have much to gain from engaging students in important conversations about the present and future of education. During our conversations we observed that students considered that HQTL was not defined by a single approach but rather by a combination of strategies that recognise individual learning needs, encourage deeper thinking, and foster meaningful relationships Students shared that theyvalue teachers who deeply understand their needs, provide persistent challenges,foster mutually respectful relationships, encourage collaboration and integrate technology effectively as a tool rather than a defining characteristic.
Some key recommendations emerged from our discussions with pupils.We hope these recommendations will help schools around the world to ensure that students gain the high-qualityteaching and learning that they deserve
Conduct regular assessments to allow learning to be personalised
Create an intellectually ambitious learning environment,where students can seek out additional challenge (beyond the curriculum) in every subject
Share stories reciprocallywith students to enhance relationships and make learning more memorable
Promote a classroom culture where students feel comfortable to share their voices and collaborate
Regularly evaluate digital tools and train teachers on balancing digital and traditional learning methods
www cognita com
Founded in 2004, Cognita is a leading global schools group with over 100 schools across 17 countries, which are united by a single purpose: empowering students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.With more than 95,000 students and 21,000 dedicated staff across Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the US, Cognita offers a truly global education experience Our schools prioritise academic excellence and then go beyond, fostering resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed.
For more information about Cognita please visit: www.cognita.com
Cognita
41-42 Eastcastle St, London, W1W 8DY UK