INPUTS AND OUTPUTS: At his closing keynote at Microsoft's Global Learning Forum, Pearson CEO John Fallon outlined how technology has so far failed to engage students and deliver learning outcomes. (Dealing with bored kids around the world appears to be a big priority for him.) He also made this bold promise: "We are committed to provide audited learning outcomes data for all our products and services by 2018." (More here on Pearon's efficacy framework.)
He quoted Andreas Schliecher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills at OECD: "Technology can leverage great teaching; technology can’t displace poor teaching." Shoddy pedagogy and products need to be weeded out in a systematic way, Fallon argued.
"Today, we primarily provide inputs into the process of education...We put all of those ‘inputs’ in the hands of an educational leader, an experienced teacher or an enthusiastic student, and off they go. We are rarely able to predict or measure the learning outcomes that this investment of time and resource will produce."
To truly assess learning outcomes, he said, we ought to focus on measures other than test scores and look at real-world impact like
"teaching a generation of young Chinese professionals--the masters of “silent English” as they are often known, with top marks in grammar and vocabulary--the speaking and listening skills they need to prosper in their careers."
