Accelerated Learning Trends for Schools

EduTech education congress has reinforced that ELC is far ahead of education trends for engaging our students effectively and efficiently in relevant accelerated learning.

Ideas of personalised and accelerated learning that have been at the core of ELC since its inception were presented in professional development seminars on Making Learning Relevant in the 21st Century (presenter Daren Mallett’s blog) and Accelerated Learning Frameworks (Stuart Taylor, Riverside Christian College). In fact, ELC exists because schools are so slow to recognise and implement these ideas and techniques.

ELC is Accelerated Learning

ELC’s learning process was built on the fundamental concepts still being explained to teachers and principals, and we always adjust to take advantage of new techniques and technologies.

Properly developed and implemented systems of self-paced, self-directed learning are more effective than the stratified, compartmentalised systems that the majority of schools fall back on. Schools are still struggling to get their heads around frameworks such as Mastery Learning to incorporate these ideas into existing school systems:

• Diagnostic pre-testing – only teach what students don’t yet know.
• Self-paced learning – dragging students along as a class at the same speed is inefficient.
• Self-directed, autonomous learning – given the right tools, skills and guidance, students will propel themselves through the curriculum.
• Vertical extension – students who have already understood a concept to use their time to explore the concept more deeply.
• Relevance – stop teaching to tests! The point is not tomorrow’s test but the students’ futures, wellbeing, careers…

Schools Struggle to Catch Up

These accelerated learning concepts are still being presented as ‘break-through’ and ‘revolutionary’ because change in schools is slow. In the short-term, it is easier, seemingly more cost effective, to perpetuate whatever system is already in place. Long-term thinkers see that the cost of not changing is the disengagement and dumbing-down of students. ELC engages, inspires, empowers, builds up its students through accelerated, extended learning.

The findings of teachers and academics show that all of this results in much higher engagement levels, keeping students interested in learning (as well as earning higher grades). As frustrating as it is seeing this drawn out struggle to update our school system, I know that future students will benefit, one day. For our children today, I’m very proud that there is ELC.