When we launched Teacher Tapp six years ago, our goal was to help teachers by giving you – a community now more than 10,000 strong – a way to share what was happening on the ground in schools. Our hypothesis was simple: the more decision makers know about what’s really happening, the easier it is for them to make good decisions.
The impact since then has been remarkable: your voice helps shape education, regularly listened to by policymakers and journalists alike. And the numbers of you who join in, show that you value being part of a community where your contributions amplify teachers’ voices.
But we’re not finished. When we started we had a clear issue in our sights: the fact that too many teachers leave the profession. We hoped our insights might start to help understand why, and they have. We’ve also provided you with daily reads to sprinkle your day with CPD, keeping you informed and inspired. Yet, we’ve always been eager do more. If 10,000 teachers are tapping each day, what else can we do to help?
This summer, Teacher Tapp’s commitment to this problem was recognised on a global stage. We entered and won the global “Learning Engineering Tools Competition”, bagging a prize to fund new features and research initiatives over the next year.
Starting this Friday, some of you might notice a fresh twist in the app. Each Friday, a quarter of you will receive an invitation to share a rewarding or enjoyable moment from your week at school. This is entirely optional, as usual, so feel free to participate or skip – the choice is yours and there’s no penalty either way! (Streaks remain intact whatever you choose!)
Post-Christmas, there will be more buzz as we introduce a nifty new feature to streamline your access to professional development opportunities. Stay tuned for this!
Come January, we’ll also be taking steps to tailor extra support and communications for tappers who express dissatisfaction in their current roles.
Please note, to understand the impact of our efforts, we’re grouping you randomly for this next phase of research. This means your Teacher Tapp experience may differ slightly from that of your peers. We don’t think it will limit the community experience and it will help us refine the app to serve you better. Think of it as helping us to research about research!
Given the messages we’re testing are meant to positively influence your work life, we’ll also be approaching this with full ethical rigour and will offer a chance to opt out. (You can read about our ethics and values here.)
In time, we will also write more about our findings and share useful insights for decision-makers, as we usually do.
Ultimately, teaching is a wonderful but tough job. Much of the day is spent in the classroom, away from the camaraderie and support of colleagues. This isolation can make it difficult to get support and learn from experienced peers.
Our app may be just one small way of solving this very big problem, but we are as excited as ever to try!
