My Education report

* Full question:
Do you agree that each of the following factors is important in helping you to improve your learning and your chances of reaching your future goals? Proportion who strongly agree.

"I never faltered – even though I wished to at times. My persistence made me consistent, and that is thanks to all the people who surrounded me as I grew up.

"Other young people have dreamt of the same thing, but their passion and desire gradually died away. Some of my classmates decided to stop trying to get an education at a young age.

"All the while, children around the globe are dying to get an education many of us take for granted. As a society that has so much to offer to its people, we must ask ourselves what is making children who have a much greater chance to achieve their dreams stop trying?"

- Youth Ambassador Tite-Live Wasolua Kibeti, 17

Our findings

Students taking part in the My Education debate groups often said it was difficult for them to connect the relevance of school and learning to their future work aims.

There appear to be three causes of the disconnection:

• Little association between lesson content and career preferences;
• Teachers not knowing their pupils’ hopes and dreams;
• Inadequate opportunities to gain foundation ‘life’ skills.

Students expressed the need for learning that relates to their goals. They are hungry for that connection, and speak easily and specifically about what they want to do with their lives. Many aspire to go to university, and understand that means doing well in core subjects. But they also enjoy lessons that link clearly to their career ambitions.
 

I have never been asked about my hopes and dreams.

Teachers could make their classes more relevant to my future goals by asking what I wanted to do to in the future and help me try to achieve those targets by helping me in the areas I need help in.

* Full question:
To what extent do you agree that each of the following factors is important in making a lesson engaging and interesting for you? Proportion who answered ‘strongly agree’ and ‘agree’.

"‘Bang!’ isn’t the sound you want to hear, ‘crash!’ isn’t the sound you want to hear.

"With these noises going round on an infinite loop as if the class is on repeat, on full volume, how are we expected to learn?

"The environment in which you learn has to have stability and a good friendly teacher, who builds a strong relationship with every student…so every student can feel confident speaking to their teacher to ask for help.

"In this environment, I feel like I’m learning and enjoying education. I wish that every teacher could care about students and help us learn to achieve our full potential."

- Youth Ambassador Cade Gannon, 15

“The way he speaks shows he is interested in the subject. You can tell he enjoys it, and that kind of goes into us. You can hear the excitement in the way he speaks and the way he moves around the classroom.”

It is important for teachers to know me. I need that relationship to be my best.

“If a teacher doesn’t enjoy the lesson, they just tell you what you need to know to pass the exam.”

When the teachers are enthusiastic, it helps motivate me no matter what the subject.

Our findings

Top teachers know their students and treat them as individuals, and great teaching is active, passionate and exciting.

Our evidence shows that teachers who exude true passion for their subject are the ones that fire students’ appetite for learning.

During the My Education debates, we repeatedly heard young people speak warmly about teachers who showed eagerness during lessons and clearly enjoyed sharing their knowledge. For them, a passionate teacher communicated the thrill of the topic in an original way.

* Full question:
Imagine you are in charge of the education system for the entire country...
To what extent do you agree that each of the following changes would have an impact in making sure that education helps all students achieve their goals?

"That’s before we met Mr G… the one teacher who relished making you think, and not telling you the answer.

"The one whose enthusiasm and passion was contagious. He challenged every student with his thought-provoking questions, showing us there was so much more to maths than just getting the ‘right’ answer. ‘Maths is life’, he would say, like Socrates.

"Thanks to Mr G, I’ve been able to open my eyes to the beauty of mathematics. It upsets me to think there are so many young people missing out on education. Doesn’t it upset you to think that thousands of young people across the country grow up never getting a chance to realize their full potential?"

- Youth Ambassador Haengeun Chi, 19

Aren’t exams testing your memory, not what you’ve learned

We are not robots. We need education that excites and challenges us.

Our findings

Throughout our My Education debates, students expressed strong opinions about end of year exams not being the best way to assess learning, and how there is relatively little opportunity to qualitatively measure ability. For formal examinations in particular, students felt their future rests arbitrarily on their performance on one given day.

When students talked about what assessment method worked best for them, most said they wanted confirmation they were learning the course material and staying on target. They consistently conveyed the need for feedback. Information about performance or progress carries greater value than grades or marks.

* Full question:
Why do students feel that they don’t have sufficient opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions at school?

‘Do as you’re told and don’t question it.’ Words probably every child has heard from their parents at least once.

But when you’re told that by your headmaster when you question him about how many young people he consulted when he decided to change the rules and regulations of the school, it becomes a different matter.

That was the point where I realised that, for the past 10 years, I was never once asked my opinion or what I thought about the changes that were happening.

Student voice is lacking in this country. We are rarely consulted or asked our opinion, and when we are there is no outcome. No wonder students feel disengaged and unwilling to learn.

Youth Ambassador Yasmin Rufo, 15

Students told us that when it comes to improving their education and their future, the chance to speak out, and have their opinions both heard and acted on, is crucial.

Yet while most My Education debate participants said this was what they wanted, many find themselves stifled by lack of opportunity or confidence.

Our Youth Ambassadors on why it’s been important to start the ‘My Education’ conversation

1. To ensure that education encourages the ambitions of the students, reflects the global competition they face, and gives them the support and advice they need to achieve their goals.

2.  To assess students in a way that deepens their understanding, and rewards their creativity

3. To create a classroom environment that engages all in learning, and allows everyone to contribute positively.

4. To develop the tools, and carve out the time, for teachers to interact with their students as individuals, and support their specific learning needs.

5. To recruit the minds of students to tackling these challenges. There are nearly 4 million secondary school students in the UK. Our small start through My Education has told us that learning will be at its most enjoyable, engaging and effective if we work with them.

Our 9 Youth Ambassadors presented the report findings to Parliament on 5 November 2013.

The report will also be presented to key influencers and decision makers across the education sector. The My Education campaign has already inspired change within the two companies, Pearson and Teach First.

We’re introducing QISA’s iKnow My Class pupil survey. Offered to the students of more than 3,000 Teach First teachers, it will give them the chance to comment on their learning experiences, helping teachers understand what inspires them to succeed.

"Teachers will use the survey results to monitor progress, and change or adapt their classroom methods based on their pupils’ experiences. We’ll use this alongside a new student attainment tracker to identify how each young person learns, and how teachers can make a tangible contribution to their achievement.”

Brett Wigdortz OBE, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Teach First

When we develop our degree programmes, we involve students as ‘co-creators’ in both the design and evaluation. As a result of the My Education campaign, we’re going to be extending that principle of actively involving learners in development and feedback across everything we do – in schools, colleges, as part of our apprenticeships, and with universities too.

Rod Bristow, President, Pearson UK