With more than one million students returning to schools and universities across the UAE, Renaissance, a global provider of leading edtech products, has announced the top solutions that can support learning and also reduce teacher workload in the classroom environment.
Working with over 870 international, private and Ministry of Education public schools, Renaissance is actively promoting literacy and numeracy development to combat the challenges faced by schools as they provide both distance and in-class learning to students. The products support differentiated instruction and personalise learning to optimise overall student development.
The products support differentiated instruction and personalise learning to optimise overall student development
Popular edtech solutions currently adopted by UAE schools include:
- Star Assessments: Star Assessments are 20-minute tests in reading, maths, and early literacy. The data they provide allows educators to assess the ability levels of all students (no matter how vast the differences between them may be), plan differentiated learning journeys for each student based on their current knowledge, and measure the impact of their instruction through progress monitoring. It is recommended that schools administer Star tests around four times per year, although they may choose to do more. The assessments work on any device with internet access and are very simple to administer. All Star Assessment data is available immediately after the student has finished the test, with no marking or printing required.
- myON: With a wealth of innovative features, myON is unlike almost any other online reading platform. It offers every primary student in a school or organisation unlimited access to a library of enhanced digital books, working as both a standalone product and in harmony with other Renaissance products. myON can be used by students whose first language is English as well as being perfect for English-language learners. Each student can access their myON account from any tablet, laptop or desktop computer, 24/7. Books can also be downloaded to be read offline later when an internet connection is unavailable. Additionally, multiple students can access the same book at the same time. The solution also provides real-time reading data, with teachers and educators able to log into their school’s myON account to see exactly what students have been reading, when, and for how long.
- Accelerated Reader: Accelerated Reader (AR) is a guided, independent reading programme that motivates primary students to read for pleasure. It allows pupils to read a book, take a comprehension quiz, and receive instant feedback. AR can help teachers to track, monitor and improve their students’ reading while they are at home. Students can read physical and digital books and complete online comprehension quizzes to test their understanding of the texts, which gives teachers invaluable data they can use to track progress and guide future learning. It is computer-adaptive, so the quizzes intuitively and automatically modify to the pupil’s level in real-time and help them move forward in their learning. Successful use of AR requires students to read for at least 15 minutes a day, inspiring a vital skill that can be hard to encourage, and the rewards are great. Schools can easily track pupils’ performance by tracking their quiz results when reading books of different levels. The quizzes incentivise children to read more, to quiz again, and to meet personal targets.
- Freckle: Freckle is an online learning platform that allows students to practice maths and English Language Arts at their own level. Freckle continuously adapts to each student’s individual skills, so each student is getting the appropriate challenge, whether they’re working at, above, or below grade level. Students can access Freckle from home for free using an iPad or computer. There are several different, age-appropriate and skill level-appropriate maths and English Language Arts (ELA) activities that students can practice independently.
- Lalilo: Lalilo is an innovative, visually-engaging, online program students can use for developing foundational reading skills. Lalilo leads students through a series of guided practice and supplemental instructional activities to perfect pre-reading and reading skills. Innovative artificial intelligence technology adjusts the student’s experience to make sure they know the content before moving on. Media-rich lessons span various activity types and use animations, sound cues, and speech recognition to give each child a positive and effective learning experience. Personalised exercises adapt to students’ zone of proximal development in phonics, word recognition, and comprehension, so students are always working at a level appropriate to their own skills. Lalilo is accessible on tablets, iPads, and computers so that students can work from in-person, hybrid, or distance-learning settings.
For over 35 years, Renaissance has believed in the power of technology to both support teachers and improve student outcomes
Joan Mill, Managing Director of Renaissance International commented: “As teachers and students return to schools across the country, we are really proud to be supporting them with our assessment and practice solutions that are versatile enough to enable learning wherever it happens. For over 35 years, Renaissance has believed in the power of technology to both support teachers and improve student outcomes. With evidence-based data, and intelligent recommendations from our products we strive to help all education providers understand, measure, and evaluate impact while effectively prioritising strategies that improve students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes.”