A Platform for Learning?

At Yellowbird Education we always strive to clarify the picture
for parents. An independent view is important, so when the London
11+ Consortium announced that they are using the Atom platform
to develop their exams on-line, it prompted us to take another look
at the inexorable rise of Atom Learning.

The background:
Just in case you are puzzled by all this, it’s important to have a bit of
background knowledge about the way the 11+ exams have changed over recent
years. For quite some time now, some secondary school heads have been beating a
drum for a simpler exam system. On the face of it, this seems very reasonable idea,
given the stresses of 11+. However, it hasn’t quite worked out like that. Almost biannually,
the London 11+ Consortium, for example, have been announcing that
they are changing formats. And now, once again, a new format has been declared,
but not in full detail (making the whole process not quite as stress-free for parents
as hoped). However, the overall drive has been, more or less, to move away from
the fairly straight-forward (if a little old-fashioned) system of testing English and
Maths.
As a result, comprehensions became multiple-choice rather than written
answers, creative writing became discursive then persuasive and/or moral-dilemma;
Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning were introduced; maths exams included algebra
and so on. All of this has become part of a series of ‘new ways’ to replace the old.
And there is no doubt that the old way did mean lots of exam marking, but then
secondary schools did charge for that entrance exam. Interestingly, in making more
changes, the London 11+ Consortium have reintroduced a 25 minute creative
component to their exams (something we applaud) rather than keeping the focus
just on Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning. Writing is back into the mix.
It must be said that COVID also played a part in the confusion, forcing a shift
to the ISEB. Many schools were moving away from the ISEB prior to COVID, but
returned to it out of necessity. Is it back to stay? We’ll see.

Where does Atom Learning come into all this?
Now, it seems that Atom Learning is trying to ride to the rescue of exams.
Why not set the test on-line? What’s more, they’ll provide the learning package too
in order to facilitate this move.
On the face of it, this seems like another good idea - no more of that timeconsuming
marking for a start (although parents will still have to pay to take an
exam). Homework will be set on-line and be the best way to learn, because the
exams will be on line. Atom Learning claim they can assess your children and
compare them with others. Job done! Why didn’t anyone think of this before? you
ask. Well, the fact is people did. CEM for example (created by teachers rather than
bankers) have been providing excellent tests for years. Why haven’t the secondary
schools gone for a more tried and tested system of testing? Well, perhaps it isn’t
new enough.

The inherent danger for all private schools:
In the long run, the more the private schools are enchanted by the new
utopic glitz of on-line convenience, the more they are backing themselves into a
corner. Already we are hearing parents asking: why shouldn’t we all save a fortune
on primary education by going State, and then simply using Atom Learning to pass
the tests? I’m beginning to see why the bankers have got involved.

Mind the gap:
Already, teachers are finding it far more convenient to set homework on
Atom or Bofa. A lot less marking! But there can’t be a parent or a nanny that hasn’t
been drawn in, at some stage, to help the child (I know I have as a parent). I’ve also
watched my own son guessing his way through Reasonings and comprehensions
(not to mention the long, overly-complicated maths problems) getting the answers
wrong, but then not reading the explanation on how to do it. Someone needs to
be with them to help. Admittedly, all children aren’t like mine, but at the very least
the question should be asked: is Atom actually learning?
The fact is, there is no way that teachers can know how much of the on-line
homework is actually being done by the children themselves. Are they teaching the
child or the nanny? This pales into insignificance, when you realise how much online
learning removes the teachers from their students. Teaching is all about
understanding the student, playing to strengths and supporting weaknesses. It’s a
personal relationship. To know a student well enough to help them, a teacher has
to read and mark their work constantly - in and out of weeks, all through the year.

The conclusion:
So there’s a danger in thinking that Atom is anything more than just one
more tool ( a useful one, admittedly) in a private school’s armoury. It certainly can
help, but not to the extent that it is allowed to take over. It came as no surprise to
us to hear perplexed parents saying that they couldn’t understand how their child
hadn’t got into the school of their choice - despite doing brilliantly on Atom.
Platforms like Atom Learning and Bofa are businesses. It pays them to
encourage parents to think they need more of what they offer.
This is why we, at Yellowbird Education, try to focus on
what’s needed. It’s also one of the reasons why we still offer
mock exams on paper. They are tangible and visual, not
something in the Cloud. An independent, out-of-comfort-zone
snapshot is, we believe, the best way for parents to see if their
children are understanding what they are being taught. After
all, isn’t just about how our children are being tested. It’s about how they are being
educated too.

Yellowbird Education Snapshot Mock Exam Format:

English
4 sections. Duration: 65 minutes
Section A. Comprehension: 20 minutes, part multiple-choice, part written answers.
Section B Grammar: 10 minutes, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
Section C. Verbal Reasoning: 10 mins. A mix.
Section D. Creative Piece: 25 mins. Written.

Maths
4 sections. Duration: 60 minutes.
Section 1: Timed: Maths multiple choice
Section 2: Shapes, area etc.
Section 3: Word problems
Section 4: Challenge questions for Tier 1 schools level

NB. In Maths, Sections 1-3 are marked together to show expected levels based on
the current maths curriculum.

Sections 1-4 are also marked to give an overall level including Tier 1 schools.
Exact exam format may vary slightly from exam to exam.