Academies in the UK are state funded, independent schools who receive funding from the government instead of the local authority. In total, there are 3381 secondary schools throughout the UK and two-thirds of those schools are now academies. There are many less primary schools that have become academies, with only an eighth of the total schools in the UK. Schools are overseen by charitable bodies called academy trusts who regularly provide support, advise and expertise to the head teacher. Academy schools have more freedom and can control their admission process. When the policy was introduced under the Labour government, it was initially started to help schools which were having difficulties or which may be situated in a deprived area. However, now the policy encourages all types of schools, whether they are struggling or successful.
AV Equipment in Academies
Most schools have installed Audio Visual Solutions for Academies, replacing certain methods of teaching with modern-day resources. This has had a positive effective on teaching and has encouraged motivation and learning in the classroom. Students can now interact with whiteboards, view educational information on LCD display screens and projector screens. It not only boosts a student’s way of learning, but has given teachers improved way of explaining topics, enhancing teaching using visual and audio presentation. Indeed, research has shown that using AV solutions for teaching in academies has helped the students to retain information better, linking diagrams, words, images, sound and colour with each topic. Lessons are becoming more self-explanatory with audio visual, rather than relying on old teaching methods that were only vocally or text book led.
Interaction in the Classroom
Audio visual technology has provided a complete platform for academies, helping teachers to approach teaching from every angle possible. Educational videos projected from laptops to screens means that presentation is sufficient, compared to a class huddled around a TV some years ago. Diagrams, charts and graphs can be displayed on projector screens, or students can work individually on LCD display screens using educational programmes. Recent research in educational and cognitive psychology theory strongly suggests that educating students using audio visual has become the most successful approach in teaching. The studies show that presenting educational information visually and verbally helps students to remember and encourages them to interact in the classroom.
Improvement in Education
The method of teaching using audio visual technology has not only given students confidence in the classroom but it has improved education and academic success. Research shows that human brains react well to colour and imagery, making the information more memorable and easier to link with additional data. Results in academia throughout the UK is increasing and averages have improved, and academic authorities have indicated that this is strongly associated with audio visual teaching. Perhaps because academia students have grown up using technology, laptops and smartphones, audio visual is a natural draw for them too. Not only is it encouraging students who have normal learning capabilities, but it has also become a powerful benefit to students who suffer from autism spectrum disorder. There are currently around 150,000 children with autism and the National Autistic Society consider audio visual learning to be a huge advantage for children with autism, because visual prompts are much easier to learn than written information. Audio visual teaching also encourages autistic students to communicate and interact in the classroom, giving them the confidence to be more assertive.
If you need affordable audio visual equipment for your academy or need advice on finding the best solutions, then please do get in touch. Our experienced team can give you guidance and advice on the most cost-effective solutions to help education in the classroom.
