Devon schools offered free state-of-art technology to support remote learning
In response to the Coronavirus Sparx – a socially focused learning technology company – is offering secondary schools free access to Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom so Devon students can continue their maths lessons remotely. The Exeter-based company will support any school that has had to close as a result of the virus through the product, for the duration of their closure.
Sparx already provides its maths learning platform, Sparx Maths, to secondary schools across Devon, including those within the Ted Wragg Trust, Education South West and West Country Trust. The technology allows maths learning to be completely personalised and research shows that using Sparx for four hours per week, on average, helps increase its students’ predicted GCSE maths result by one GCSE grade.
Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom is a quick-to-learn version of the award-winning technology. Designed to be used remotely, it supports teachers in running online lessons with students answering maths problems in real time. Each student has access to explanatory content, support and feedback.
With Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom, students can:
- Complete their classwork online through an internet-connected device.
- Receive immediate feedback as to whether their answers are correct or incorrect.
- Watch support videos for every question.
Teachers can:
- Build online lessons using a bank of over 2,000 learning objectives.
- Monitor the progress of every student in real time.
- See whether students have joined the lesson, how each student is progressing through the lesson, and who might be struggling.
Schools can sign up for Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom online at: learning.sparx.co.uk/virtualclassroom
Dan Sandhu, CEO of Sparx is encouraging schools to consider remote learning technologies as they prepare for potential closures:
“We are keen to ensure all young people in Devon can continue their maths education with as little disruption as possible. We also want to support teachers as they make plans for teaching students remotely. Working alongside schools in the local area, we’ve been impressed with the measures they are putting in place to enable continued learning. We hope Sparx Maths Virtual Classroom can provide useful support at a time of unprecedented challenge.”
Moira Marder, CEO of the Ted Wragg Trust said:
“While this is a concerning time for our community, we are confident with the plans we have put in place to ensure that students can continue to learn. Even if our schools are closed, teaching will go on and technologies such as Sparx Maths will underpin this. We’re delighted that Devon schools and suppliers are working collaboratively to face the challenges of Coronavirus.”
