Technology is set to play a vital role in helping the 263 million children globally who are not in school, delegates at the annual Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) heard.
Mark Steed, the director of Dubai private school Jess, said the format was already being used by some teachers to offer global internet-based seminars, earning millions of pounds in the process. He pointed to a Korean teacher who offers online lessons on “cramming” learning and made $8m (£6m) in one year.
“I think we will see more robots in the classroom and I think they will become routine, particularly in primary classrooms, as teaching assistants,” he said.
Mr Steed, who outlined his vision at the HMC conference in Belfast, said virtual reality (VR) headsets could enable a child in the developing world to sit in on a lesson delivered in a top independent school. He suggested the for-profit school sector had the resources to invest in the technology required to deliver the concept.
The educationalist also expressed confidence that cost implications associated with supplying headsets would not be overly prohibitive in the developing world.
Mr Steed said he did not think the developments would catch on in UK schools in the short-term, claiming the nation was too wedded to the traditional concept of a teacher standing in front of a class.
Source: Schools Improvement