How Abraham Lincoln School uses CENTURY to Target Learning Gaps and Save Teacher Time

Abraham Lincoln School is a distinguished international institution in the Dominican Republic that prides itself on balancing traditional educational values with progressive technological growth. We spoke with Deputy Head Paul Sheldrake to discuss the school’s thoughtful, teacher-led approach to integrating CENTURY into their unique academic environment. 

How did you approach the initial implementation of CENTURY to ensure it was a sustainable addition for your staff?

We chose to let the platform grow in the school organically to ensure authentic buy-in. Because we introduced the platform midway through the academic year, we felt the most effective strategy was to let it be driven by the enthusiasm of our teaching team, particularly within our maths department and our 4th and 5th-grade classes. By allowing this initial group to use it regularly, we enabled students to provide positive feedback to their peers and teachers, which encouraged wider adoption naturally. This approach ensures that the platform is already a proven and welcome part of our classroom toolkit.

What specific benefits has CENTURY provided in terms of extending learning support beyond the classroom?

For us, the goal was to provide high-quality, consistent resources that empower students during independent study. In a diverse international school environment, it is important that materials are accessible and clear for every household. CENTURY has been excellent in this regard; the bite-sized nuggets are engaging and the language is self-explanatory. It provides an extra layer of online support that complements our existing resources, ensuring that every student has a reliable, high-quality learning companion available to them at any time.

In what ways has the platform helped to streamline teacher workload and support staff well-being?

A primary consideration for any school adopting new technology is ensuring it does not add to the faculty’s busy schedules. Our experience has been that CENTURY actually helps to reduce teacher workload. Staff have found it very quick to set work and are increasingly using the scheduling features so the platform supports the curriculum automatically. Teachers can then simply check in to monitor student performance. This efficiency has helped to alleviate initial apprehensions, proving that digital tools can simplify administrative tasks.

How is CENTURY being utilised across different year groups to enhance the daily teaching and learning experience?

In our upper school, the platform is an invaluable tool for informing our instruction. Teachers review the data from home learning to identify concepts where the class might benefit from further clarification, allowing them to enhance teaching practices by guiding the planning process before the lesson even begins. In our 4th-grade classes, students use any spare time in the lesson to visit the computer lab and complete nuggets on what they have just learned. This immediate application helps to consolidate learning and reinforces the day’s objectives.

What would you say to other international schools considering a pilot with CENTURY?

I would tell them not to be apprehensive about the work involved or the alignment with their specific curriculum. Initially, our heads of department were concerned that an AI platform might not match our unique way of teaching. However, once we started digging into the vast library of nuggets, we found that there is a resource for almost every learning objective. I have been able to take recommended courses, remove sections that aren’t relevant to us, and add in bits from other courses to tailor learning perfectly.

The CENTURY team was incredibly flexible with our setup and essentially took the heavy lifting off our shoulders. The pilot was so seamlessly handled and well-supported that we felt comfortable and empowered to move forward on our own from the very start.

Find out more about how CENTURY can support your international school.

If you are already a CENTURY customer and would like to know more about maximising your schools’ engagement with the platform, speak to your Account Manager or email support@century.tech