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Nestled in a city that almost feels like the countryside, Woodlands Primary School is a place where community and nature blend seamlessly.
The school, with its lush green spaces and towering gum trees, is home to over 400 students from Kindy to Year 6. Among the branches of these trees, you might even spot one of the several frogmouths that call the school grounds home.
This idyllic environment is where Lynette Martin, a dedicated science specialist, has spent the last 15 years shaping young minds. The school boasts a combination of fantastic facilities, a warm local community and a successful student body.
Woodlands Primary School use iPads to integrate technological solutions into the classroom and the students are proficient in mixing traditional and modern practices for their learning.
The ecosystem that Lynette and Woodlands Primary School has created is paying dividends with the outcomes for students and the differences their teachers are experiencing with their workload.
Experimentation beyond the Bunsen burners. What strategies were tried to overcome challenges?
For the past eight years, Lynette has devoted herself to teaching science, a subject she transitioned into after recognising the challenges classroom teachers faced in delivering effective science lessons. “I felt it was quite difficult for classroom teachers to conduct science activities properly,” she shared. With a passion for hands-on learning, Lynette secured a grant to create a purpose-built lab, fully equipped for her students to explore the wonders of science. “The kids can just go and get their stuff for experiments… they use glassware, all sorts of things. I’m very lucky”.
Even in this perfect setting, challenges emerged. Lynette found that managing the workload, particularly with marking and assessments, was overwhelming. While she previously used other tools to gather some data, they didn’t quite meet her needs. Enter Elastik, a technological solution that Lynette only began using this year after being away the previous year.
The results of the strategies.
“I’ve been trying to look for something that’s actually decent,” Lynette explained. One of the biggest obstacles facing Lynette was the curriculum mapping between PAT tests and the Western Australian curriculum.
The applicability of the PAT test data to Lynette’s need was not appropriate for the teaching Lynette wanted to carry out. While the students still sat their PAT tests, Lynette was not satisfied with using the data that came from this assessment. She needed a new tool that could fit her needs.
It was during this search that Lynette discovered Elastik which allowed her to tailor assessments specifically to her students’ needs. Lynette was aware that she needed to put some early work into the platform to curate it to her needs, but it is now supporting her with exactly what she needs.
This customisation enabled her to conduct pre- and post-tests, a method she hadn’t been able to implement effectively beforehand.
A shift began to show using Elastik
Elastik brought a significant change in how Lynette approached her teaching. The platform’s ability to deliver immediate feedback to students allowed her to address learning gaps promptly.
“The kids know what they know and what they don’t know,” she noted. With Elastik, Lynette could identify precisely where a student was struggling and offer targeted support, something that had previously been difficult to achieve.
With the real-time identification, Lynette could foster a transparent environment between herself and her students which promoted the identification of learning gaps and a positive student reaction to work towards filling those gaps.
One of the biggest advantages of Elastik, according to Lynette, was its impact on her workload. “It actually specifically targets where your kids are and what you need to teach next,” she said.
This data-driven approach not only saved her time but also provided a clear picture of her students’ progress, enabling her to make informed decisions about her teaching.
Reflecting on the past year, Lynette noticed a marked improvement in her students’ performance. “Their grades were a lot higher compared to the previous year,” she observed, attributing this success to the more explicit and targeted teaching she was able to deliver thanks to the data and insights Elastik provided.
What advice would you give?
When asked what advice she would give to other teachers considering the use of technology in the classroom, Lynette emphasised the importance of embracing the change. “It will save your workload. The data tells the story” she said, encouraging teachers to see technology as a tool to enhance their teaching rather than a burden.
As Lynette continues her journey with Elastik, she remains confident in its ability to support her teaching and improve her students’ learning outcomes.
When asked to sum up her experience with Elastik, she chose: “Less workload, targeted [towards their] needs.” And for Lynette, that’s exactly what she was looking for—a tool that empowers her to teach more effectively while making the learning experience more meaningful for her students.
“It will save your workload. The data tells the story”
