Administrative loads impede innovation. EdTech is the key!
Without question, teaching is a demanding job. Irrespective of any developments in the field of education, teachers have only gotten more on their plate. Often, they’re bogged down as they try to discharge duties thanks to circumstances beyond the classroom. Unsurprisingly, one main culprit is their inundating administrative responsibilities.
Piling administrative workload is something commonly faced by teachers across the globe. It’s also a classic problem that only seems to have gotten worse as schools ramp up their efforts to provide personalised education and support to their students. Most worryingly, it introduces problems to the classroom.
For instance, there is the threat of inhibiting teaching innovation in the classroom. With less time to plan lessons, teachers are finding it more challenging to innovate. This may lead to less engaging lessons as a whole. It is easy to see how this could impact students. Additionally, despite all the resources available to assess students at the granular level, all becomes moot if teachers are starved of the time needed to properly leverage said tools. The recent push to tailor education down to each student is not something that can be easily achieved without some reimagining current processes as well.
Indeed, there is a strong claim to be made in improving the classroom environment by fine-tuning administrative inefficiencies.
According to a survey done by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), teachers in Singapore were found to work much longer hours than their international compatriots. The figures stated a 7-hour difference in working hours. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that these figures marked an improvement since the last survey. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has pinned the reason behind this improvement to a reduction in administrative workload. Since 2013, there had been a 1.5-hour reduction in workload. While schools ought to celebrate this progress, it is safe to say that it is still too soon to rest on their laurels.
So, what are some things schools can do to relieve these bottlenecks? The broad approach to this problem is of course to embrace technology. Even solutions that streamline basic processes and save just a few minutes can become a worthwhile investment. Take our relief planning solution for example. By shaving half an hour each day for relief organisation, school staff cumulatively save up to hundreds each year!
The tech solutions in the wild range from automated attendances to relief planning systems. In other countries such as the USA, hardware solutions have even become popular with the emergence of companies such as GoGuardian.
Conclusion
The confluence of technology and automation in modern education is as much unavoidable as it is a necessity. As the personnel nurturing the backbone of Singapore’s future society, they deserve the best environment to do the job they love. Though schools should understandably remain cautious in choosing WHICH tech they acquire, perhaps it is time to actively SEEK new ways to improve. Give teachers a peace of mind and they’ll take care of the important matters for you.
