Research & Validation

Built on decades of pedagogical research.

ALfA Pedagogy synthesises four research traditions: reflective practice, experiential learning, video-based teacher development, and peer observation.

Phase 1 evidence

Control vs Treatment: the ALfA advantage

We compared schools using ALfA (Treatment) against schools continuing regular education (Control). The evidence is the difference between the two — measured across every grade and subject.

+6.2 pp

Academic advantage

Treatment 86.0% vs Control 79.8%

+18.8 pp

Participation advantage

Treatment 97.8% vs Control 79.0%

12 vs 12

Campuses compared

Treatment vs Control

Headline comparison

Control (regular school education) vs Treatment (ALfA). Higher is better.

Learning advantage by grade & subject

Treatment minus Control academic average (percentage points). Positive = ALfA higher.

Direct values — academic average by grade & subject

The actual Control and Treatment averages behind each gap.

Source: Phase 1 All Campuses report. Academic average weighted by students who attempted the assessment; participation = attended ÷ enrolled. Differences shown in percentage points (pp). Treatment = ALfA education; Control = regular school education (12 vs 12 campuses).

Foundations

The studies that shape our approach

Schön, D. (1983)

Reflective practice and teacher growth

Foundational work establishing that teacher expertise grows through structured reflection on practice — not just through accumulated experience.

Kolb, D. (1984)

Experiential learning cycle

Concrete experience → reflective observation → abstract conceptualization → active experimentation. The cycle that underlies ALfA's Prepare → Practice → Reflect arc.

Sherin & van Es (2009)

Video-based teacher reflection

Empirical evidence that teachers who watched and discussed their own classroom video showed significantly greater pedagogical sensitivity than those who reflected without video.

Hendry & Oliver (2012)

Peer observation and professional learning

Peer review of teaching practice — when scaffolded by a shared rubric — produces growth comparable to expert coaching at a fraction of the cost.

Operating Principles

What we will and will not do

We never grade.

AI surfaces observations against the ALfA rubric. It does not generate scores, percentages, or rankings. Period.

Human review is mandatory.

Every AI-generated report passes through a peer reviewer and a coach before it reaches the teacher. The AI is a layer, never a gatekeeper.

Every observation is traceable.

Each report records the rubric version, prompt template version, and exact evidence (timestamped). Improvements to the AI never overwrite historical reports.

The teacher owns their data.

Classroom videos are private to the teacher, their reviewers, and their coach. Institutional analytics are aggregated and de-identified.

Talk to us about your institution

We are partnering with a small number of institutions to validate AURELIA in real classrooms over the next year.

Request pilot access