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A number of young people feel disconnected or alienated from learning and school, often leading to truancy, dropping out, or just plain disinterest. Schools are often overstretched and can’t always meet individual students’ needs. But what support is available to re-engage these young people, and how might technology help?

There are a number of organisations that work hard to re-engage young people with education, using a range of strategies and tools to raise interest, inspire and co-create learning opportunities that are more relevant to today’s learners. One means of re-engaging young people with learning through the use of technology was demonstrated by Pembrokeshire College’s mLearning project, which ran from 2005 until 2007 - the project was funded by the now defunct ERDF (European Regional Development Fund). The idea behind the project was to use PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) to help young people to engage, communicate and stay in touch with their tutors with a greater degree of flexibility.

Initially, tutors met with the individual learners once a week and got to know them and their specific needs. These sessions provided learners with help in developing key skills and preparing CVs, and assisted them in finding a job or enrolling on training courses and gaining qualifications.

Gaining trust was the key in the one-to-one tutor-learner relationship. Learners were required to complete individual learning plans and assessments and commit to the project in order to be loaned a PDA. The device provided the learner with flexible access to their tutor and online resources and could also be used for carrying out relevant learning activities such as literacy and numeracy games.

The project’s target of assisting 90 people was easily met and more than half of these successfully achieved their personal objectives.

GAINING TRUST WAS THE KEY IN THE ONE-TO-ONE TUTOR-LEARNER RELATIONSHIP

Former mLearning tutor Lisa Smith thinks that the key to re-engaging the participants was not the obvious loan of a PDA ‘carrot’, but the bespoke one-to-one tutoring package the learners received. “It was handing over the control of the learning process back to them. They could choose what they wanted to do and discuss what was relevant to them. And you can achieve so much more in a short amount of time like that. I really believe that wasn’t anything to do with the gadget. I think the gadget drew them in, but actually it was that one-to-one time that retained them.”

Another successful initiative is Notschool.net, an international online learning community that is aimed primarily at 14-16 year-olds and offers an alternative to mainstream education for disengaged young learners. It was developed as a DCSF-supported research project in 2000, and since then 5,500 young people have been through the system. On average the learners take part for 18 months, but some stay longer – up to three years if they join in Year 9. Most students go to college at the end of Year 11.

Participants receive a computer that they use from home. Being part of an online community means that Notschool.net learners are in touch with each other and feel less isolated. Learners are called ‘researchers’, choose how they want to work and follow a curriculum that they want to follow. The teachers are called ‘mentors’ and their job is to find out the learners’ interests and build projects around them.

“We take a lot of notice of the kids and what they tell us. They take part in interviews when we recruit new staff and we really try to listen to what they say. It’s their community. Teachers often say that our approach is why they came into teaching in the first place. They can focus on the learner in a far more positive way,” says Jean Johnson, Chief Executive of the Inclusion Trust which runs Notschool.net.

“IF YOU’RE NOT TOLD WHAT TO DO, THEN YOU END UP DOING THAT THING THAT PEOPLE WANT YOU TO DO”

The success rate is excellent: 98% of the participants achieve point-carrying qualifications on the national framework, with about 76% per year moving on to college or college-related work such as apprenticeships and day release schemes.

“I enjoy taking part as you’re not told what to do, you can do any piece of work you like and earn certificates at the end of the work you do,” says 19 year-old Jamie Reid from London. “I find that, if you’re not told what to do, then you end up doing that thing that people want you to do. Things are so much better that way. Notschool has educated me to the brim. I know much, much more now than I did when I was in school.”

Jamie struggled with dyslexia and maths, for which he was bullied at school. He ended up avoiding school until he was referred to Notschool.net. Being part of this online community improved his spelling and maths and he became more confident. Notschool.net also helped him discover his passion for making animated movies. Jamie now hopes to find work experience in an animation studio and a place on an animation course at college.

The voluntary youth sector organisation, Rathbone, provides opportunities for young people to change their life circumstances by encouraging them to re-engage with learning. This re-engagement enables them to pursue their goals and progress into further education, training and employment. It’s aimed at 14-19 year-olds and each year over 14,000 young people join Rathbone’s programmes – which cover areas such as ‘Youth Engagement’ and ‘Preparation for Life and Work’. Rathbone has more than 70 Youth Engagement teams throughout the UK and its participants often live in the most deprived areas.
“We do any kind of activity that we know that the young people love to do, as long as it builds a foundation skill. So when they go into work they actually have a whole host of skills that we know the employer needs, like literacy, numeracy, communication at a higher level,” says Ann McInnes, Centre Manager for Rathbone in Glasgow.

Technology plays an important part in what Rathbone does to help: young people use e-learning, record sounds or make movies - all with the view that they can learn problem-solving skills, improve skills they already have, take responsibility for their own behaviour and build their self-esteem. For example, the voice-activated dictation program Dragon helped 22 year-old Anastasia Relph from Penrith to improve her writing skills. Anastasia had been told that she couldn’t become a teacher because of her dyslexia, but now she is hoping to go on to study NVQ Level 3 in childcare next year and then to continue her studies at university.

“THE TUTOR LISTENS TO US AND WE CAN HELP PUT THE ACTIVITIES TOGETHER”

Leanne Connolly is one of the young people on Rathbone’s Life Skills programme. The 16 year-old was bored at school and had a bad attendance record. Her school referred her to the Glasgow centre and she is now registered with Careers Scotland where she is being helped to make informed, effective career choices and being supported to enter the world of work. Leanne is currently learning skills that will help her in gaining employment at the same time as searching for a job.

Rathbone is helping her to find a placement in a nursery and, since joining the scheme, her confidence has improved. “The Life Skills programme teaches me how to look after myself with cooking, money matters, interview skills, job searching, team working and communication. It is a small class and we go out on trips to see things that we would not normally go to, like museums. I like it because the tutor listens to us and we can help put the activities together.”

The Glasgow centre has currently assisted 57% of the young people it has worked with into employment or further education, a rate that is indicative of centres up and down the country.

The independent education organisation Edge seeks to raise the status of practical and vocational learning. One of Edge’s many projects is the Edge Learner Forum, a network of eight learner forums across England with about 200 young members, which aims to give them a voice and seeks to change education in the UK. Although it is an online community, a lot of its projects are carried out offline, with members meeting regularly around the country to debate and discuss current Edge projects and new ideas.

These projects include a documentary about the new 14-19 diploma and ‘Edge Instead’, an alternative version of a school inspection run by young people and designed for South Camden Community School in London.

“I see the Learner Forum as a place for change more than anything else. It’s somewhere for me to learn skills and knowledge, and to educate people in power and other young people at the same time,” says 22 year-old Michael Jones. Youth worker Michael, who experienced problems at school because of his dyslexia, has been a member for almost five years. He thinks it is important that people in power listen to young people and give them more options and ways to learn.

“More than anything, give them a say in what they are studying and let them direct their own courses.” Michael thinks that the current system does not cater for the way young people want to learn and that there are not enough hands-on activities and real-life projects for them to get involved with. “There is too much learning from books, listening to teachers and sitting in classrooms.”

Edge is hoping to grow its Learner Forum and make it more widely accessible to other parts of Britain. “We currently don’t have a physical presence in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, but we hope to involve more young people in our online work and research projects,” says Jonathan Bramsdon, Partnership Director of Edge.

As we’ve seen, technology can play an important part in re-engaging young people with learning. Used responsibly as a tool in conjunction with skilled teachers, it can make a difference to a young person’s life, enabling them to learn how and when they want. But what are the other factors that are important when re-engaging young people with learning? A recurring theme is the need to listen and respond more to learners, valuing and personalising their learning experience. And, as we’ve also seen, practical help is at hand – there is a range of organisations dedicated to doing this that can work with young people, both inside and outside the school system. But it also seems that more help is yet to come, in the form of insights into what it takes to re-engage disengaged learners. Bramsdon again: “The Edge is conducting a major piece of research at the moment to investigate the motivations that excite young people about being in school, training and education, and conversely what turns people off.” Perhaps it’s from the latter that we will learn most – watch this space...

Links

Edge - www.edge.co.uk and www.edgelearnerforum.co.uk
Free handbook on designing educational projects for ALL learners - www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/handbooks/Handbook967
mLearning - www.pembrokeshire.ac.uk/mlearning
Rathbone - www.rathboneuk.org
Notschool.net - www.inclusiontrust.org/notschool
The Mobile Learning Institute’s film series ‘A 21st Century Education’ - www.mobiledigitalarts.com/21stCenturyEducation.htm
SHINE - www.shinetrust.org.uk
Launchpad - www.learninglaunchpad.org/portfolio.php
Publications such as the NEET Toolkit can be downloaded from the Department for Children, School and Families (DCSF) website - www.dcsf.gov.uk

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