GEMS-hosted event shares best practice using CENTURY

GEMS Al Barsha National School recently hosted CENTURY’s Jordan Scearce and Henrietta Riddell, alongside other GEMS schools in the region. The aim of the event was to celebrate the staff and students’ success stories and share best practice across the group. 

Jordan and Henrietta kicked things off by sharing some impressive data. During this academic year, across 17 GEMS schools, over 18,300 students have answered over 1.5 million nuggets, totalling over 13.5 million self-marked questions. Thus saving teachers invaluable time and giving them actionable insights into their students’ progress. 

Initial pilot and student success stories

Four of the GEMS schools outlined their CENTURY journeys, starting with Michelle Maher (Primary Assistant Head) and Ahmed Sahbi (Secondary Assistant Head) from GEMS Al Barsha National School. They shared how they rolled out CENTURY; initially piloting the platform with a small KS2 focus group so they could evaluate the impact. They then dove into specific student success stories from Year 4, showcasing the fact that CENTURY usage correlated with improved performance. Their presentation also highlighted how the TeacherGENie feature’s generated worksheets are able to reduce teacher workload. 

Flexible models of use

Josh Brain, Year 5 class teacher & CENTURY lead at GEMS Wellington International School shared how flexible the platform can be by detailing how CENTURY is used across different subjects. In English, for example, it’s as a starter activity or targeted intervention during curriculum consolidation, particularly for Guided Reading. Weekly assignments are also set for home learning. He also shared how the platform’s data can give insights into potential gender gaps, allowing schools leaders to tackle these head on.

Implementation challenges and how to overcome them

Next up was a presentation from GEMS Cambridge International School Dubai’s Head of Primary, Phil Yates. He focussed on the challenges of a mid-year roll out and gave concrete suggestions for how to combat common challenges faced by schools. For example, when schools feel they are lacking a clear direction at the start, it’s best to appoint a CENTURY Lead. He also suggested creating a working party of colleagues to distribute the duties and responsibilities. If your school has too many Edtech platforms, Phil advises an audit of these tools to analyse usage and impact in order to streamline and reduce costs.

A phased approach

GEMS Founders School – Al Mizhar was the last school to present but the first GEMS school to integrate CENTURY. It was initially used for COVID-19 learning continuity, then reintroduced due to demand. Saba Adnan (Director of Innovation & Digital Transformation) shared the school’s phased approach for structured adoption. In term 1 the school trained teachers and used CENTURY for homework. In term 2 the platform was integrated into classroom teaching and assessment. Saba also outlined how CENTURY is a key pillar to the school’s objective of developing independent, self-motivated learners facilitated by personalised learning.

The event was a great opportunity to share the success of the schools so far, as well as insights into how to effectively embed technology. It was also the perfect opportunity to showcase how the platform can be embedded using different approaches depending on the school’s context. The CENTURY team loved the chance to meet staff who they’ve been collaborating with remotely and hear first hand the impact of the platform. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with GEMS schools and other schools across the region. 

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