Tutor Hunt provides Chromebooks for Woodcroft Junior Primary school

Tutor Hunt has been sponsoring Woodcroft Junior Primary school for a number of years, initially in the areas of sports and music, providing funding for a sports coach, and music lessons for pupils. In 2021 we increased our sponsorship by providing the school with 16 Asus ChromeBooks. The headmaster of Woodcroft School, Mr Talon, suggested the idea to us, and is currently using the tablets as part of a `homework and after school club.`

Tablets are highly effective teaching aids, and are becoming more and more commonplace in classrooms, with teachers able to use them to create interactive learning programmes. While some schools are fortunate enough to posses sufficient funding to equip each of their students with these devices, many more lack the resources to do so. Tutor Hunt has been more than happy to provide Woodcroft Junior with these learning resources, which Mr Talon has told us are used by pupils every day.

Tablets enable teachers to track the academic progress of their students with a precision that would be difficult to match using traditional means. They can be notified whenever a task is completed, and then provide specific annotations and corrections, sent from their own computer or tablet to the pupil`s device. Upon identifying an area the student is struggling with, the teacher will be able locate any webpages or videos that will help with their comprehension, sending this information directly to the pupil`s tablet.

A tablet is an extremely versatile learning tool, having quick and easy access to the wealth of information available on the internet. Articles, whole textbooks, audio lectures, video documentaries - all this is just a few screen taps away. Tablets are of course highly portable, allowing a student to effectively take their entire library with them wherever they may be travelling travelling. The days of having to carry around a bag full of textbooks are thankfully over.

Here are just a few other benefits tablets can offer students:

Intuitive interface, and ease of use

While many students (and adults alike) find computers difficult to use, there will be few who have the same troubles operating tablets. With most students having been exposed to touchscreen devices from their earliest years, they will find the intuitive interface and operating system of a tablet easy to operate. Using tablet devices will be second nature for the vast majority of students, so there will be no need to spend much time explaining them how to use them. Studies have show that students are generally more comfortable learning online than using traditional printed media - and while many will lament the decline in use of textbooks, if students actually learn better using computers and tablets, that has to be a good thing.

Provide personalised learning

Students are all different, and they all learn in their own individual way. While one student may be an auditory learner, acquiring new skills better through the medium of sound, another may be a visual learner, preferring to learn through pictures, diagrams and videos. By identifying the specific learning traits of each pupil, teachers will be able to modify lessons in accordance with the pupil`s needs. Generally known as e-learning methodology, teachers can easily adjust existing lessons to ensure each student gets the learning style they need. Teachers will be able to use something called CAE methodology, which permits the curriculum to be taught in different ways, each lesson having the potential to be presented differently to each student, in a way that best suits their particular learning requirements.

More affordable than textbooks

Though it seems hard to believe, tablets work out to be a better investment than buying textbooks, which have to be replaced at regular intervals, in accordance with changes to the syllabus, or general wear and tear. Tablets can also be easily updated, with new learning resources uploaded at ease, and a list of suitable websites sent out to students. Tablets are also surprisingly durable, and students will benefit from the responsibility of having to look after their device.