Copnor Primary School

Beth Eddy, a year 6 teacher at Copnor Primary School, explains how AV1 has helped one of her pupils with high medical needs.

“The AV1 was used with a year six pupil who is susceptible to catching different kinds of illnesses and has been shielding since March 2020 as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The AV1 has allowed the student to engage with their learning from home and communicate with their classmates”

Beth explains how the AV1 was first used to help the student reconnect with their friends “During the first week we only used it at break and lunchtime. This was so the other students could get used to AV1 being around and help the user reintegrate with the social side of school first. Then we started using it more frequently in lessons.”

AV1 allows children to have a presence in the classroom. The various features of the robot, that the student can control from their device
at home, allows them to have more agency in a lesson, as Beth comments:

“The student was able to engage and be vocal in our lessons whilst using the AV1. It was easy for them to talk to their classmates when doing pair work and the hand up function made it clear to me when they wanted to say something.

I didn’t have to adapt the way I teach too much and was able to set the same expectations for the student using the AV1 as everyone else.”

Beth describes how AV1 can work alongside other distance learning platforms to become a full school solution:

“Initially I was concerned with how I would monitor the work the pupil was doing.

We are now much more prepared when it comes to remote learning and have moved all our homework onto Google Classroom.

For the student using the AV1, this means that I can now see the classwork they are doing at home, send them resources and even give feedback in real time.”
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Beth highlights that, to her surprise, the AV1 integrated easily into the classroom environment:

“The technology is so easy to use, you literally just have to turn it on at the start of the day. I hate being on camera yet I got used to the AV1 being in the classroom very quickly.

"I think the AV1 has had a massive impact on the student’s well being. If she didn’t have access to the AV1 she would be completely cut off from her friends. The AV1 provides her with purpose for the day, and allows her to get the support she needs from a teacher and from her classmates.

Beth Eddy, year 6 teacher at Copnor Primary School, April 2021

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