Part of the Newton Group of Schools that operates eight campuses for over 10,000 students, Newton International School Lagoon in Doha is an independent International British School with a purpose to get the best out of all students, no matter the activity or discipline. Newton International School creates an environment and atmosphere of learning and education, striving for excellence.

With students here coming from all over the world, there is a wonderful opportunity for the curriculum to reflect this gathering of cultures, languages and nationalities. Resources such as LiteracyPlanet support this approach by providing a platform with which students can learn and progress at their own speed, with a focus on their specific individual learning requirements. This personalised teaching is an important point of difference.

Digital resources have been adopted by the school and incorporated into the curriculum in a number of ways to support and supplement learning. LiteracyPlanet serves to expand the literacy curriculum by creating a positive experience for students, where they feel safe and rewarded in their learning. Implementing LiteracyPlanet was also a strategy to improve the students’ confidence in their understanding and use of digital resources as a skill outside of school.

Importantly, LiteracyPlanet was also identified as a useful tool for supporting the many non-native English speakers at Newton International School. It’s a platform with which they can build their English literacy at home, as well as in the classroom.

LiteracyPlanet is integral to teaching at Newton International School, particularly in the English classroom. More than 500 students in Years 1 to 6 are now benefitting from access to LiteracyPlanet on a regular basis, both in class and outside of class as group work and homework. In particular, it is an excellent resource for comprehension, grammar and spelling. In the earlier years, guided reading is a favourite aspect of LiteracyPlanet. The programme’s clear instruction style and abundant examples are ideal for these students to practise literacy concepts and then immediately see how they are performing through the useful assessment tools and engaging leaderboard.

Teachers at the school have already seen their students become more rounded in their literacy work and are impressed with how much the programme really encourages the pupils to use English at home, practising what they have learned within the platform and with household members. 

Improving learning outcomes is of the utmost importance at Newton International School. LiteracyPlanet allows teachers to track students’ scores and progression, and they have seen improved reading skills, as well as improvements in overall spelling and vocabulary outcomes.

Apart from seeing real results with the programme, the students ask for more LiteracyPlanet time for several reasons. The games and interactivity make for a fun experience, while the programme will take each individual on their own learning journey, ensuring they are supported and rewarded for their efforts. Students find LiteracyPlanet clearly explains concepts and provides useful feedback for areas of improvement. And who doesn’t like a certificate, adding extra gems to their account, or seeing their name on the leaderboard? 

Happy students make for happier teachers. Beyond being a tool that really engages their students, the educators at Newton International School are fans of how easy it is to assign missions, enabling additional learning at home, as well as the depth of content in the comprehension and spelling strands. Anything that saves teachers time is appreciated, and the programme does just this with its built-in pre-made missions, immediate marking and feedback functions and its seamless integration with other units of study. LiteracyPlanet also creates a little healthy competition amongst the students, which they enjoy as it encourages them to continue their learning, with the sweetener of a reward each time they achieve.

The pandemic affected some children in ways that disengaged them from learning. One Year 6 student at Newton International School was a reluctant learner until he was introduced to LiteracyPlanet. The programme was what this student needed to reengage him in his education, encouraging him to keep up his efforts. A sense of competitiveness has meant that his excellent progress in four months of using the platform has propelled him on the class leaderboard and incentivises him to maintain this position. Most pleasingly, his literacy skills have improved as a result.

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