Inspired Italy share why they think CENTURY is the perfect tool to complement IB delivery

Finding an Edtech tool that can support the delivery of IB can be a real challenge due to the inquiry based nature of the curriculum. CENTURY’s Jordan Scearce and Charles Wood spoke to Paul Barrie (Principal, International School of Modena), Michael Perry (Head of Primary, International School of Modena), Natalie Carman (IB Maths lead, International School of Monza), Jennifer Tickle (Principal, International School of Siena) and Iain Sachdev (Education Director, Inspired) about how the AI-powered platform can complement the IB.

What motivated you to bring CENTURY into your schools?

Paul: We were looking for an EdTech solution that could complement our IB framework. CENTURY stood out because of its adaptability and alignment with inquiry-based learning, allowing students to explore topics at their own pace while supporting our curriculum.

Michael: We really liked the fact that CENTURY’s AI means that children can have agency over their own learning and follow a differentiated path for themselves. The BBC content was also a big draw. With this we’ve taken a flipped learning approach and students can do some learning at home by themselves and then come back and use the knowledge in the classroom with that inquiry mindset. 

How has CENTURY been implemented across the different schools?

Michael: Younger students follow their Recommended Path and complete teacher-set assignments. As we move up into year five and year six, the children take a more independent approach and look at their focus and stretch suggestions.

Paul: In MYP Grade 10, we’ve integrated CENTURY as a revision tool as part of our mid-year assessments, particularly in science and maths. Students were told what the assessments would cover and then they used CENTURY to target their revision.  We saw particular improvements for certain students who used the platform. These students were also able to articulate what they needed to work on as CENTURY presents this really clearly. 

Natalie: It’s particularly useful for consolidation and spaced repetition. In our school, students work on teacher-set assignments weekly as part of consolidation and then we use the AI-driven stretch and focus features as part of spaced repetition to revisit key topics. Students can then ensure they are embedding that knowledge into their long-term memory. Learners also access content through ‘My Courses’ before or after an assessment when they have a list of things they need to practise. 

How do you balance inquiry-based learning with making sure you cover specific learning objectives?

Natalie: I think CENTURY brings the two together perfectly. We can use assignments to set the specific skills we want students to focus on now, but there is also a way for students to be independent using CENTURY’s recommendations.

Jennifer: When I talk to parents and teachers about the platform in my role as headteacher, I emphasise the role of differentiation and about the personalised learning journey. It allows students to be empowered. We’re not scared of students learning things asynchronously in a different sequence, because they can cover concepts in depth with us. It’s a much deeper learning journey when they’re revisiting something that they’ve explored on their own. So I think it’s a very positive tool to be able to talk to families about differentiation, particularly, and as an IB school, it’s perfect.

What impact has CENTURY had on learning and teaching?

Paul: The diagnostics are really useful as a way of assessing new students when they arrive. We need to get a really quick understanding of prior knowledge and their gaps. The personalised nature of the platform is great to help us to support them, especially if they are approaching the DP. 

Michael: It’s also been useful in primary to use the diagnostic as a pre-assessment tool. Looking at the data we can see that students have already grasped a topic. We can then save valuable time as we don’t need to cover the concept in class. 

Paul: Having that instant feedback from the platform has generated more time for planning and preparation. Teachers can look at the data and plan interventions into their follow-up lessons. 

Michael: We’ve also noticed that students are more engaged with their learning. It also allows us to see what children are completing at home, as even if we don’t use the platform for homework, students are deciding to log on and complete work independently because they enjoy it. 

Natalie: It’s been especially useful for cover lessons. Non-specialist teachers can direct students to watch the videos for support. Once the lesson is over, you can see how students have performed. We expect students to reattempt a nugget if they get a score below 80%. We can see students are rewatching the videos and other learning material to improve their scores and you can really praise them in class for this positive behaviour. 

How do you use the data provided by CENTURY?

Michael: We look at the data together in our staff meeting. Initially, there was a learning curve, but the good thing is it’s so quick and easy. Teachers have found the data dashboards incredibly useful as they quickly identify gaps in student understanding, helping with targeted interventions. It’s definitely saved us time marking assessments, entering and analysing data. Towards the end of the year, we’d like to use the data to identify the gaps in our curriculum and see what we need to work on.

Paul: The maths department has particularly benefited as CENTURY’s analytics help us to structure home learning and revision. We have a real range of ability and the platform allows us to see which students are progressing. 

How do you plan to develop CENTURY’s use in the future?

Jennifer: We aim to integrate CENTURY more deeply into lesson planning, structuring it into our units of work. We also want to develop that sense of home learning being an opportunity for independent learning.

Michael: Next, we want to strategically align CENTURY with our Programme of Inquiry to ensure it fully supports inquiry-based learning.

Finally, what do you think makes a successful rollout of CENTURY?

Paul: CENTURY provided some great workshops on how to use the platform, but you want to make sure teachers have enough time to practise using the tech before it’s launched to learners.

Michael: I’d really recommend having an EdTech Lead or CENTURY Champion who can be the go-to person if staff have any questions. 

Natalie: I agree about having expert teachers who can lead the implementation of the platform, but also I’d emphasise the importance of expectations for staff. What are we asking staff to do? For example, in maths, we’re setting 3 to 5 nuggets a week and students need a minimum score of 80%. We were able to share these expectations after piloting the platform. This means everyone knows what’s expected of them, staff and students included. 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your IB delivery with CENTURY. Limited spots are available for our free, managed pilot. Click here to register your interest and a Partnership Executive will be in touch.