FEATURES ADVANTAGES BENEFITS
If you have not yet explored Frontrunner, click here to create a profile and access the FREE demo modules. Then email me: jeff@frontrunnerlearning.com for free 10 day licence codes for the subjects and information about a FREE 30 day trial with your class.
BACKGROUND
Frontrunner Learning is an Australiasian product. It has been customised from a version developed for New Zealand schools. The Australian licencee is Jeff Quinn.
FRONTRUNNER'S FEATURES:
A. Accelerated Learning Approaches
Frontrunner enables teachers to use the principles of accelerated learning which include:
1. Immediacy of Feedback – FL (Frontrunner Learning) marks instantly whereas teachers often take work home to mark and bring it back to students the next day. There is a 5 minute learning cycle vs a 24 hour one. FL therefore has the ability to have multiple learning cycles in one period.
2. Individualised and specific feedback. Even if you have 20 students in a computer suite the feedback is specific to the student and to the content. This can never be achieved by a classroom teacher unless immediacy is sacrificed.
3. Immediate reinforcement of appropriate cognitive strategy. The green (correct) answers immediately reinforce correct thinking strategies.
“In addition there is the ability for the teacher to rotate around the room to track progress and discuss learning at a higher metacognitive level. For example: What strategy did you use on this problem? You got it wrong why did you change it? Did the change work? What other strategies could you use?” (Comments from Wayne Duncan, DP at Northern Southland College, NZ)
B. Student-centred Learning
Frontrunner Learning is devised to assist students to learn independently. It enables students (and their teachers/parents) to monitor how well they are doing in their studies.
C. Comprehensive Coverage
1. Each subject covers many of the topics covered in class.
2. Comprehensive course coverage: for example, Science has 75 modules of work; Maths Year 11 has 105 modules of work plus the 45 modules of Year 10 material in revision folders
3. Modules are accessed either by Achievement Standard or by Topic.
4. Large item banks of questions: each module has an item bank of up to 40 questions set at 3 levels: 'Achieved', 'Merit' and 'Excellence' level which are equivalent to C, B and A grades. Modules can be done several times; students will encounter new questions and improve their learning.
5. Parallel modules with Achieved-only questions to provide plenty of practice.
6. Revision folders: some subjects like Maths Years 10 and 11, English Year 11 have revision folders containing the previous year's work which facilitates multi-level teaching.
7. All subjects contain Definition of Terms modules
8. All subjects have an in-house glossary to support learning.
D. Automatic Marking and Assessment
1. Each question is marked automatically.
2. Explanations are available for most marked answers.
3. Frontrunner Learning provides adaptive learning (the difficulty level of the questions adjust to the ability level of the student).
4. Questions are formulated to meet the critical thinking, processing and knowledge requirements of 'Merit' and 'Excellence' level answers.
E. Personalised Records of Learning
Each student creates a personal profile which then records and stores the results of every module of work completed. Results can be easily printed off.
F. Flexible Installation
1. Frontrunner Learning is web based and Mac compatible.
2. Frontrunner is accessible from school and home 24x7 for 365 days so is ideal as a homework tool.
G. Student Administration Suite
The back-end Learning Management System (LMS) has features such as:
1. Students login as usual but there will be open access to all subjects.
2. Teachers will be able to select students and assign them to appropriate campuses and classes (or this can be done at login)
3. Teachers can import a whole class, create logins and activate a whole class.
4. Teachers will be able to log in under an administrator password to track work and progress, and create reports.
5. Simple reports indicating number of modules attempted, average raw score, working at level will be created for a given period of time.
FRONTRUNNER'S ADVANTAGES
THIS PROGRAMME WAS DESIGNED BY TEACHERS FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS.
It was designed to
1. Give teachers peace of mind. Access to this high quality learning and revision material means this programme will supplement not supplant your own teaching programme.
2. Help teachers meet the needs of student's different learning styles. Students enjoy interacting with computers and engaging with learning in this medium.
3. Strengthen your students' chances of success if used effectively.
4. Provide a way of integrating IT into the teaching and learning programmes of school.
5. Strengthen the link between school and home with regard to homework.
FRONTRUNNER'S BENEFITS
The programme is designed to save teachers
1. Class time. Frontrunner handles the skills revision and practice aspect of learning. It also provides challenging extension material and extends student's higher order thinking skills both for class and home work.
2. Preparation time. Preparation of resources and marking is already done for teachers.
3. Reporting time. Individual printouts of results are available and it is planned to develop a more sophisticated reporting suite.
4. Money. The need for photocopying or to purchase textbooks/workbooks is reduced because there is so much relevant material already on the programme.
Minimal Computer Investment Required
Frontrunner Learning can be used on any browser but works best on Internet Explorer, especially the Year 11 Maths. Check that your computer has the MS Reference font installed. If not, contact Jeff Quinn, jeff@frontrunnerlearning.com, for a copy and installation instructions.
