Cornerstone Multi Academy Trust (TCAT) in Devon uses Discovery Education Espresso to support teaching and learning across its four primary schools.
Here, teacher Dale Lawson – who will be speaking at Bett on Friday 25th March 2022 – explains how Espresso’s digital content enriches learning and prepares pupils for tomorrow.
Dynamic digital content
Espresso combines high quality digital content with customisation, creation and collaboration tools.
It’s incredibly easy to use and the resources are high quality. Espresso has a simple layout and I can find everything I need for a lesson quickly.
The search function is excellent and you can search by subject and theme. It’s intuitive and it saves teachers’ time.
Powerful resources
Espresso’s high-quality learning resources are grouped into ‘Channels’, making it easy to find content to enrich lessons.
If we’re learning about full stops, for example, I’ll begin by showing the children an Espresso video.
The videos are great for introducing new topics and provide a much more engaging way of teaching.
The visual explanations help children to learn and deepen their understanding.
Tracking pupil progress
Checking pupils’ understanding is easy with Espresso, thanks to built-in tools such as individual log-ins and subject quizzes.
These help me to see if my pupils need extra support or challenge.
Using the Quiz function, I can check if a child has paid attention to a video, read a text or listened in class.
Quiz also helps me to consolidate learning and revisit areas if I need to.
Individual learning
Espresso includes a feature called My Classrooms, which makes it easy to assign lessons individually and keep track of what pupils have done.
This increased visibility makes it easier for me to measure pupil progress. Being able to see what the children have accessed is a real benefit, it’s also great for supporting blended learning.
Creating amazing lessons
Espresso’s Studio tool allows teachers to create lessons and presentations using Discovery Education resources or their own materials, while pupils can create boards to display their understanding.
I use Studio to share and assign lessons to individual pupils. It’s really flexible because you can add resources from elsewhere, though we have everything we need within Espresso.
Having a single resource bank is also useful for pupils, because they don’t need to go off and search for things.
Helping children go further
While Espresso helps children to stay on task, it also inspires them to go further and extend their learning.
Because Espresso contains so much exciting real-world content, it encourages children to become independent learners.
We find that the children want to extend their learning by exploring Espresso on their own. It’s a safe place to search and if they see something in class that sparks their interest, they always want to go further.
Augmented reality
Recently we used the Augmented Reality resources which the children absolutely loved.
Discovery Education’s immersive experiences are really unusual and something that the children haven’t necessarily seen before.
Our students are very much inspired by their learning and you often see them sharing that experience with their families at home.
Taking learning beyond the classroom
With a vast library of real-world content and resources, Espresso extends children’s learning. And at a time when trips and visits are restricted, it also brings the outside world into the classroom.
We haven’t been able to take children on school trips in the usual way recently, but Espresso has recreated that for us. The digital resources enable us to take children out of the classroom into the past, to a different country and even into space.
Bringing teaching and learning to life
Espresso gives me the tools and content I need to deliver engaging lessons, which spark my pupils’ curiosity and help them to go further.
The high-quality digital content enriches learning right across the curriculum.
I’ve been using the Espresso platform for many years and for me, it’s invaluable. It gives my pupils a window to the world, preparing them for tomorrow.
Dale Lawson will be speaking at Bett on Friday 25th March. His talk, entitled ‘A Window to the World – Inspiring Teachers and Learners’ takes place at 1:20pm in the Teaching & Learning Theatre, Excel Hall North.
To experience Espresso, sign up for a 30 day free trial.
