Latest News

TeacherMatic Pilot at Newham College 

Newham College London have piloted TeacherMatic as part of the LSIP programme since April. We managed to obtain almost 70 licenses for staff, which we allocated to all departments, based on staffing number in each, need and ability to engage with the tool. Shirley and I attended the excellent training delivered weekly by the brilliant Vikki Liogier on different tools available on TeacherMatic and how much it has to offer.  

The journey was not without challenges. At the beginning, we had high levels of enthusiasm from all staff and this meant we had to choose carefully how to allocate. However, following first registration, some teachers stopped engaging with the tool. This called for a more structured approach for the pilot. We created a TeacherMatic Teams group for the whole college and have kept a close eye on usage in order to continue allocating/re-allocating licenses to maximise the use of the tool. We used surveys to analyse engagement and used the Teams group to share ideas. To further support the integration, we found that gathering user feedback frequently helped us fine-tune the allocation of licenses and adapt training to meet specific needs. 

TeacherMatic has been very successful and popular with new users. Prior to that, teachers had training on use of Generative AI for planning, teaching, developing resources, assessment and administrative tasks by using effective prompts. They were therefore able to see the difference between using generic bots and TeacherMatic, which targets a range of aspects linked to teaching and learning. We discovered that users particularly appreciated certain key features, such as the interactive quiz, PowerPoint and lesson planning generators, which significantly streamlined their workflow. Most users said the platform saves them between 2 to 3 hours of work when used regularly.  

We have also made the decision to trial this in a focused and controlled manner with both our teacher training groups on Level 5. Shirley Green, the Senior Lecturer in Teacher Training has taken up TeacherMatic as one of the core platforms for engagement in initial teacher education. This pilot phase allowed us to address any initial resistance linked to confidence in using a new tool, technophobia, resistance to using AI, ensuring a smoother adoption among trainees. 

 See below the experience that Shirley has had on trialing TeacherMatic herself and supporting her teacher trainees on its use, as well as feedback from our new teachers. 

TeacherMatic from the point of view of Shirley Green, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Training: 

When using TeacherMatic, I initially felt a combination of excitement and apprehension. I was excited about the potential of the tool to enhance my teaching skills, but I also felt unsure about how to effectively integrate it into my educational practices. Vikki’s sessions incorporated Generators to support with our practice, giving me the confidence to create interactive lessons, engage students, and track their progress. Our training sessions also involved collaborative workshops where we practiced using specific features, which helped in building confidence across the team 

For example, I used a unit syllabus and created a scheme of work for a period of 5 weeks, lesson plans, learning activities, PowerPoints, quizzes, scenarios, classroom questions in less than an hour! Yes, an hour. Of course, there was a need to adjust some areas, de-Americanise some words and differentiate where needed. However, without TeacherMatic, that would have been hours of work required for just one unit. 

Since learning a wide range of TeacherMatic features (which there are over 70 Generators), I have become a mentor for a few of my teacher trainees, I have also delivered group tutorials on TeacherMatic, instead of simply explaining the features of TeacherMatic, I am able to organise interactive demonstrations to captivate the learners’ attention. I have prepared a series of short tasks that showcase the platform’s capabilities, such as creating interactive quizzes or incorporating multimedia elements into a lesson; allowing the learners to follow along on their own devices or provide them with a guided tutorial (which I have created using TeacherMatic!) This hands-on approach gave my teacher trainees a taste of the possibilities TeacherMatic offers and helped them understand its potential. 

Feedback from trainees: 

‘I have used TeacherMatic everyday I am teaching.  I’ve done my PowerPoint, my planning and various worksheets; also I’m using it for my scheme of work, which is absolutely amazing very good time saver.’ (Kia) 

‘I have found that creating lesson plans, power points and quizzes is so much easier with TeacherMatic, its AI creates detailed lesson plans as long as you put in key words that you want.’ (Sarah) 

‘TeacherMatic has really helped me in my teaching. It’s been a game-changer when it comes to creating PowerPoint presentations what used to take me a lot of time is now much quicker and easier. It has been a great tool for streamlining a lot of my work, and I’d definitely recommend trying it out if you haven’t already.’ (Mustapha) 

‘I have found that the true and false section of TeacherMatic to be really helpful with starter activities.’ (Ayten) 

In conclusion, I am definitely saying goodbye to the overwhelming workload and hello to more time for what really matters – connecting with my students and making a real impact on their learning. We aim to continue refining our use of TeacherMatic by analysing usage patterns and soliciting more user feedback, ensuring that we maximise the platform’s potential for all users. 

I know I still have so much more to learn; I have identified areas for improvement (through TeacherMatic!) and devised strategies to enhance my utilisation of the tool.  

Shirley Green, Lecturer in Teacher Training and Claudia Boerescu, Head of Teaching and Learning 

Share!