Why so much educational technology fails, and how to make it better

Technologies are flooding into schools, but with very little evidence that students are learning any better. The problem is that all too many educational technologies aren’t grounded in what scientists know about how people learn. Instead, they use the flashy buzzwords of the moment—MOOC, flipped classroom, et cetera.

Learning scientists have discovered a lot about how people learn, and one of the most solid findings is that simple information delivery—such as a lecture—is incredibly ineffective. People learn best when they actively engage with the material. Think about what you know better than anything else—did you get that way from sitting in a lecture? I’ll bet you didn’t. Instead you actually did stuff.

But that doesn’t mean that we can get rid of teachers and schools. Students learn best when their engagement is guided and channeled by a well-designed learning environment—one that optimally helps learners reach the desired learning outcome.

This simple research finding should guide all educational innovations. Take the example of tablet devices in schools: If you just take a traditional textbook, and replace it with an electronic book on a tablet, why would you expect better learning? Instead, take advantage of what makes tablets unique, and design an interactive learning game. If you videotape a lecture, and then stream it over the Internet, why would you expect better learning than sitting in a big lecture hall? Instead, intersperse short video clips with interactive exercises and frequent assessments, so students always know how they’re doing.

Look for schools, websites and educational technologies that actively engage learners on a minute-by-minute basis. That’s the best way to help students develop the 21st century skills so critical for today’s economy.

The Morgan Distinguished Professor in Educational Innovations at UNC Chapel Hill, Keith Sawyer is the editor of The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (2006). He is creating a new master’s degree program in educational innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship at UNC Chapel Hill.