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Improving learner outcomes

The Golden Teacher

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The Golden Teacher is a web resource for teachers that’s designed to work on basic web-enabled feature phones and smart phones. The delivery platform was chosen, following advice from UNESCO, to make it accessible in developing countries.

The GT takes teachers through a step-by-step process of formative assessment that enables them to design, deliver and evaluate a learning experience for a student or students. It has been developed in the English language in the first instance.

Users progress through stages in which they plan (bronze), implement (silver) and evaluate (gold) a teaching programme. Bronze is achieved when SMART goals are set, silver – when these goals are met, and gold – when students have consolidated the learning after a four-week period.

The strategies introduced can be found in Principles of Instruction, one of a series of educational papers published by the International Academy of Education (IAE). They are evidence-based, having been identified through a meta-analysis of research conducted by the Sutton Trust in the UK.

The main concepts introduced are:

  • The phases of learning – accuracy, fluency and generalisation
  • Setting SMART goals
  • Differentiation
  • Modelling and demonstration
  • Scaffolding and prompting
  • Task analysis – small steps
  • Practice and rehearsal
  • Giving effective feedback
  • Metacognition

References

Higgins, S., Katsipataki, M., Kokotsaki, D., Coleman, R., Major, L.E., & Coe, R. (2014) The Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit, London: Education Endowment Foundation

Rosenstein B., (2010) Principles of Instruction, Educational Practices series 21, International Academy of Education, Brussels


If you work with schools in developing countries and would like to talk to us about using the GT, please get in touch:

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