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Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Re-scooped from Thomas Hennesey.

This list identifies some really interesting activities that could be used for persuasive writing activities. Given the unit's focus on difficult topics, and ultimately facilitating conversation, the Taboo Topics Challenge and Moral Dilemmas Questionnaire could be really interesting.

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Although Business English students can be more willing to do boring but useful topics than most students if they need English for their job, just as often Business students need the same kind of games as other classes get to help them relax around their colleagues who are also their classmates, get their energy levels [...]
Although Business English students can be more willing to do boring but useful topics than most students if they need English for their job, just as often Business students need the same kind of games as other classes get to help them relax around their colleagues who are also their classmates, get their energy levels up after a long working day etc. Below are descriptions of 15 easy to use lessons that are guaranteed to be both fun and useful for Business English classes.

1. Emailing appointments race
Students send short "emails" written on scraps of paper to each other to try to make new arrangements, e.g. going for a drink after work or having a meeting. The person who has made the most new arrangements in 20 minutes is the winner of the game.

2. Politeness board game
Students are given a board game with typical business situations on each square, like "Ask your boss for some more photocopy paper". When one person lands on that square, everyone takes turns trying to make a more polite sentence than the last person, e.g. "Could I possibly have some more photocopy paper?" trumps "Can I have some photocopy paper please?" The person who produces the most polite sentence can move forward a number squares equal to the number of the other students' sentences they trumped. The winner is the first person to the end of the board. If one person always wins, you can make the rule that the person who has just moved cannot take part in the next round. You can also play the game without a board, just by keeping track of how many points each person has.

3. Flip A Coin Ask and Tell
Students make a personal question about business, e.g. "Do you really like your boss?", and then flip a coin to see if they should answer the question themselves ("tell", equals tails), or if they can ask anyone else in their group ("ask", equals heads). This game works best if you give them a list of possibly controversial business topics to make questions about, e.g. "office romance" or "bankrupt".

4. Definitions race
One student tries to explain a business word or expression without saying it, any part of it, or any variations on it. For example, if they are trying to explain "marketing executive", they can say "The first word is like sales and the second word is like director", but they can't say "market" or "execute". When someone guesses what they are trying to define, give points either by how quickly they explained it or just one point to the person who explained and the person who guessed.

5. Taboo
This is similar to Definitions Race, but it is more difficult because students are given 3 extra words they cannot say when trying to define the word so that their partner can guess, e.g. for "Marketing executive" they can be told not to say the words "director", "sales" and "advertising". As an additional stage to make sure the students learn the vocabulary well, you can get them to write the 3 taboo words for each word or expression for another team or group to try and define.

6. Taboo topics challenge
Students are given a list of topics that range from 5 points (very difficult/ taboo) down to 1 point (easy safe topics for small talk). The points for how difficult each topic is can either be decided by the teacher or by the students. Each student decides how difficult a topic they want to try and talk about, and the other students choose one of the topics of that level and ask them a question. They then get a percentage of the total points available depending on how well they answered it, e.g. 4 points for a 5 point topic talked about quite well. This leads on well to discussions about differences in businesses in different cultures, business entertaining etc.

7. Moral dilemmas questionnaires
Give the students the beginning of a 2nd conditional question involving a difficult business moral dilemma, e.g. "If you knew your son had lied on his CV when he got a job at your friend's company, would you...?" Students write the end of the questions with two or more options, predict which option someone else in the class will choose, and ask them the question to check. Some classes may be able to do this just as a speaking activity without writing the options down.

8. Stock and commodities trading
Give groups of students a suitably large amount of money, e.g. a million dollars, as toy money or just as a total written on the board. Ask them to invest some of that money in stocks and commodities you offer them. Give them the starting prices and then tell them how much the prices change in the first day, so that they have the beginning of a graph for each one. Then allow them to buy and sell. Continue for at least 7 "days", allowing them to buy and sell after each "day". The prices you tell them can be based on real ones in the past, or can be made up. To practice the language of trends, you can also give them hints on what will happen in the next "day", e.g. "One of the prices will bottom out".

9. Describing personal graphs
Another fun way to make the language of trends and describing graphs fun is to get students to describe some real data about themselves, e.g. the number of CDs in their collection. Their partner listens, draws the graph and tries to guess what it represents. Other fun graph topics are height, English level, amount of hair on head, number of hours sleep etc.

10. Real ansaphone messages
Give students something to record their voices on and get them to leave ansaphone messages for each other that need a response, e.g. ideas for when to meet up or an offer as part of a negotiation. Another group then listens to that message and leaves a response on the same machine. Repeat until there are at least 4 messages on each machine. When time is up, give points for having reached a successful conclusion, e.g. having made the arrangement for a meeting. This activity is easier if you have 2 or more rooms available.

11. Guess the job 15 questions
One student thinks of any job, and the other students ask them yes/ no questions (e.g. "Do you have to work outside?") and try to guess which job they have chosen. After the game is finished, students can then ask the same questions to each other about their real jobs and use that to introduce their partner to the rest of the class.

12. Job interviews problem roleplays
Another good way of practising questions and talking about job roles is to get students to interview each other for their real jobs. This can be made more fun by giving each student a roleplay card that has one (imaginary) negative thing on their CV that the interviewer needs to find out by asking the right questions, e.g. "You have never used a computer". When the interviews are finished, ask the interviewers if they would give the job to their partner and whether they have guessed what the problem is.

13. Negotiating with points
Although negotiations is always a fairly interesting topic, the end of the activity can be a let down if the students don't know how well they have done. This problem can be solved by giving each side of the negotiation a roleplay sheet with how many points they will get by obtaining particular concessions from the other side, e.g. 20 points if the other side gives them a 5% discount. At the end of the negotiation the students add up their points they get for negotiating that order size, price, payment arrangements etc, and a clear winner can be proclaimed.

14. Inventions presentations
Presentations is another Business English activity that is motivating but can finish without any clear conclusion. The best general tactic is to get students to vote at the end of all the presentations on which of the ideas from the other teams (they cannot vote for themselves) they preferred. This activity works best when students are presenting their own ideas with a little help from the teacher, e.g. being given the photo of a real or imaginary invention and being asked to imagine what it can be used for and present their ideas.

15. Number trivia up and down
Number practice can be very boring but very useful. By adding a real reason to listen and some personal interaction, you can boost the interest in the topic and aid memory of the numbers vocabulary. One way is to give students some interesting trivia including numbers and make them turn them into questions to get their partner to guess the numbers, e.g. "How much did the Oedo underground line in Tokyo cost in dollars?". After each guess, they tell their partner if the real answer is (much/ a little/ very slightly) higher or lower, until they finally get to exactly the right amount.

Leave a comment

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Although Business English students can be more willing to do boring but useful topics than most students if they need English for their job, just as often Business students need the same kind of games as other classes get to help them relax around their colleagues who are also their classmates, get their energy levels [...]

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As mentioned earlier, Kialo forms one of the most important roles in the redefinition of a persuasive writing task. Of course, other technologies have been used as part of this redefinition - including Newsela, Flipgrid (see below) and a range of presentation tools (see to the right).

But Kialo has the highest capacity for higher order pedagogy. As a debating platform, it fosters collaboration between students and encourages a deeper analysis and articulation of ideas and view points.

Kialo can also be used as a central hub for assessment and learning tasks. Teachers can set specific assessments for completion and submission through Kialo, as well as simple learning activities such as writing tasks and small presentations.

Indeed, Kialo plays an instrumental role in redefining persuasive writing and presentation tasks, shifting learning into online environments,  facilitating sustained discussions between peers and teachers, and enabling teachers to measure learning progress through dated debates and commentaries.

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Kialo Edu is a custom version of Kialo ( kialo.com), the world's largest argument mapping and debate site, specifically designed for classroom use. Its clear, visually compelling format makes it easy to follow the logical structure of a discussion and facilitates thoughtful collaboration. Kialo's mission is to promote well-reasoned discussion online, and to that end, Kialo is free for educators to use.

To put their knowledge into action To sharpen their critical reasoning skills To demonstrate their understanding To engage constructively with each other
Take your classroom discussions online, break down complex subjects for students, and shake it up with new types of assignments.

Try Kialo in Your Classroom

What can you use Kialo for?

Create discussions for your students, where they can put their knowledge into practice, develop their own views on classroom content, and consolidate what they've learned. In a Kialo discussion, every student has a voice - there's no talking over each other, and students have the space to explore arguments at their own pace. Kialo's collaborative platform encourages students to work together to find the best way to express each idea.

Assign students to write a Kialo discussion instead of an essay - or use Kialo discussions to outline larger writing projects. Kialo's argument-tree structure leads students to consider counter-arguments, develop a logical outline of their argument, and visualize how their ideas fit together.

Write a discussion for your students to explore, and set out content in a clear and easy format. Link to additional sources and reading, challenge students to add arguments or question concepts.

How does Kialo work?

With Kialo, discussions and debates are clearly visualized as an interactive tree of pro and con arguments. At the top of every discussion is the thesis, which is supported or challenged by pro and con claims. Each one of these claims can in turn branch into subsequent claims that support or challenge them.

All discussions are private and can only be seen by those you choose to share them with. To start a discussion with your students, simply write a brief description and a thesis (or theses). Share the discussion with your whole class, or divide students into smaller groups.

Each claim has a comment section underneath that allows you to give students feedback, suggest improvements, and ask questions without cluttering the surface of the discussion. Similarly, students can easily collaborate with each other to improve their arguments, examples, and phrasing.

You can set up teams for each of your classes to easily share and organize the content you want your students to see. All content on Kialo-Edu.com is private, accessible only to the people you share it with.

These features are just a small fraction of what you can do with Kialo.
Find the application that works best with your teaching style.

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Kialo Edu - The tool to teach critical thinking and rational debate

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Kialo is a free tool used by educators world-wide to teach critical thinking, facilitate rational classroom debate and explain controversial issues.

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Re-scooped from Thomas Hennesey.

Acting like a pseudo Facebook, albeit without distractions, it functions as an excellent hub for students and teachers to interact.

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Lesson Plans: Ages 10-13 - Kialo Edu Help Center

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Writing Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia?

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Writing Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia?

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Which Bronze Age Civilization Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia? - Writing Activity

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Ages: 10-13Suggested length: 1-2 class periods (45-55 minutes each)Device accessibility: 1 device per 1-2 students
Jump to: At a glance
Learning objective(s)
Prior knowledge
Teacher preparation
Pr...

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Classroom Debate Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia? 

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Classroom Debate Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia? 

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Presentation Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia?

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Presentation Activity - Which Bronze Age Civilisation Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia?

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Which Bronze Age Civilization Would Be Better to Live In: Egypt or Mesopotamia? - Presentation Activity

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Ages: 10-13Suggested length: 3-5 class periods (45-55 minutes each)Device accessibility: 1 device per 1-2 students
Jump to: At a glance
Learning objective(s)
Prior knowledge
Teacher preparation
Pr...

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Sample Assignment: Hosting a Classroom Debate

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Sample Assignment: Hosting a Classroom Debate

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The beauty of Kialo Edu is its versatility. Though it's possible to create public discussions, most teachers will opt for private discussions and organize students into mixed ability groups (teams) to ensure that different viewpoints are equally represented. Kialo can function as a place for debate of societal or political issues, but it can just as easily be used to discuss character motivation in a novel or the ethics of scientific research, or to help a class make a decision about something as simple as where to go on a field trip. Students can even use Kialo to organize and visualize their ideas and arguments for essays, presentations, projects, and live debates. Most of all, though, it's an ideal platform to practice having reasoned, respectful discussions and making arguments with reasoned evidence and analysis.

Teachers should consider focusing their instruction and assessment on skills beyond the pros and cons contributions. For instance, teachers can encourage students to get active in the comments nested within each pro or con. It's here that students discuss individual contributions or provide sources to further establish or debunk claims. Focusing on this layer of detail will help students see how claims must be backed up -- and that moderation is an important part of healthy online discussion.

Teachers will appreciate the many different forms of formative or even summative assessment that Kialo makes it easy to use. Teachers could develop a set of rubrics that look at things like:

Students' use of evidence and examples

Whether comments build on those of other people

Whether responses to other participants address their arguments directly

Thankfully, it's easy to filter each student's individual contributions to see where and how they've participated, to jump to those specific contributions, and then provide feedback in context.

Continue reading Show less

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Kialo Edu Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

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The beauty of Kialo Edu is its versatility. Though it's possible to create public discussions, most teachers will opt for private discussions and organize students into mixed ability groups (teams) to ensure that different viewpoints are equally represented.

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How to Have a Classroom Debate Online with Kialo Edu

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How to Have a Classroom Debate Online with Kialo Edu

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How to Have a Classroom Debate Online with Kialo Edu

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I have selected a range of resources around the idea of redesigning persuasive writing tasks using principles of higher order pedagogy. While all of these artefacts are important, I have selected Kialo as the key artefact which the collection is built around.

Morrson (2012) argues that ‘learning happens in the dialogue, the conversation, the problem solving (or not solving)’. I couldn’t agree more. The debate is where the deeper learning occurs in a persuasive essay task.

Of course, the research and presentation stages of persuasive writing are important. These stages of learning can be enhanced with a range of platforms such as Newsela and Mindmeister as you can see in the collection.

But I feel that the important learning, the real learning, occurs in collaboration with one another, hence the focus on Kialo as the collection’s selected artefact.

The collection has been designed as a continuum of a persuasive writing task, beginning with the underpinning principles of pedagogy that inform teaching, before exploring a range of ICT resources that could be incorporated in the research, discussion and presentation stages of the assessment task.

Morrison, D. (2012, April 27). Online Groups - Cooperative or Collaborative? Online Learning Insights. https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/online-groups-cooperative-or-collaborative/

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Kialo Edu is a custom version of Kialo ( kialo.com), the world's largest argument mapping and debate site, specifically designed for classroom use. Its clear, visually compelling format makes it easy to follow the logical structure of a discussion and facilitates thoughtful collaboration. Kialo's mission is to promote well-reasoned discussion online, and to that end, Kialo is free for educators to use.

To put their knowledge into action To sharpen their critical reasoning skills To demonstrate their understanding To engage constructively with each other
Take your classroom discussions online, break down complex subjects for students, and shake it up with new types of assignments.

Try Kialo in Your Classroom

What can you use Kialo for?

Create discussions for your students, where they can put their knowledge into practice, develop their own views on classroom content, and consolidate what they've learned. In a Kialo discussion, every student has a voice - there's no talking over each other, and students have the space to explore arguments at their own pace. Kialo's collaborative platform encourages students to work together to find the best way to express each idea.

Assign students to write a Kialo discussion instead of an essay - or use Kialo discussions to outline larger writing projects. Kialo's argument-tree structure leads students to consider counter-arguments, develop a logical outline of their argument, and visualize how their ideas fit together.

Write a discussion for your students to explore, and set out content in a clear and easy format. Link to additional sources and reading, challenge students to add arguments or question concepts.

How does Kialo work?

With Kialo, discussions and debates are clearly visualized as an interactive tree of pro and con arguments. At the top of every discussion is the thesis, which is supported or challenged by pro and con claims. Each one of these claims can in turn branch into subsequent claims that support or challenge them.

All discussions are private and can only be seen by those you choose to share them with. To start a discussion with your students, simply write a brief description and a thesis (or theses). Share the discussion with your whole class, or divide students into smaller groups.

Each claim has a comment section underneath that allows you to give students feedback, suggest improvements, and ask questions without cluttering the surface of the discussion. Similarly, students can easily collaborate with each other to improve their arguments, examples, and phrasing.

You can set up teams for each of your classes to easily share and organize the content you want your students to see. All content on Kialo-Edu.com is private, accessible only to the people you share it with.

These features are just a small fraction of what you can do with Kialo.
Find the application that works best with your teaching style.

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Kialo Edu - The tool to teach critical thinking and rational debate

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Kialo is a free tool used by educators world-wide to teach critical thinking, facilitate rational classroom debate and explain controversial issues.

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MindMeister: Online Mind Mapping and Brainstorming

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Create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps with MindMeister, the leading online mind mapping software. Includes apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.

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VIDEO CREATION MADE EASY Dream bigger. Reach and engage your audience, anywhere with powerful videos in every style, for every audience - no design skills needed. Effortlessly create high quality, on-brand videos and visual content for clients, at scale. Promote your business with captivating videos for company announcements, kickoffs, social media, and more.

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PowerPoint is used around the world to share compelling stories—from personal to professional. As the world shifted to working remotely, we all faced new challenges presenting without a live audience. Reading the room, seeing people’s expressions, and natural interactions all became more difficult to do from behind a screen.

We created an entirely new remote presenting experience with PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams. This exclusive and unique experience benefits both presenters and audience members, offering the rich presenting capabilities of PowerPoint and the collaboration of Microsoft Teams.

Discover PowerPoint Live in the new Share content experience in Microsoft Teams meetings

To get started, simply launch a Teams meeting. Then, instead of opening a PowerPoint deck and sharing your screen, unlock the benefits of PowerPoint Live by picking a file under the PowerPoint Live section of the new and improved Share content in Teams. (Note: this new and improved Share content experience is coming soon).

Share content in Microsoft Teams meetings

Present with confidence on your own or as a team

When presenting, being able to share your content is just one of your needs. To be successful, you want to be able to “read the room” while presenting so you can not only deliver your content but also adapt based on the reactions and body language of the audience. With PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams, you see everything that is happening in one place, while also being able to see what’s ahead to make transitions seamless.

Presenter v iew gives you all the too ls to present confidently - With PowerPoint Live, you have full control over your content. The view you see as the presenter is yours only – review notes, engage in chats, and see your audience – all in one panel view. This private view allows the presenter to see everything in one place while the audience sees only the active slide. For example, view a slide, and next to it your slide notes—so your talking points are never far away. Using the thumbnail strip, you can see what slides are coming next and jump to one. The Grid view enables you to easily find your place in a large presentation.

Seamless transition between presenters - If you have co-presenters, they can seamlessly “Take control” and instantly get access to the Presenter View as well. Control can also be easily shared between any number of presenters, so no more fumbling during the presentation to give control to someone else, or worse, asking someone to move to the next slide for you.

The new Presenter mode helps you feel like you’re in the room together – Presenter mode is the latest innovation in Microsoft Teams that empowers you to customize how your video feed and content appear to the audience. Seeing the speaker can reduce the cognitive overload for your audience since they can read your non-verbal cues and stay more focused with you as their visual guide. Presenter mode is a great companion to PowerPoint Live in Teams that makes your presentation immersive and engaging. This will begin to roll out to customers soon, and you can learn more about the options here.

PowerPoint Live in Teams enables inclusive and engaging experiences for your audience

It’s just as important for audiences to feel engaged and included during a presentation. Often, people in the audience have different needs – some want to be able to see what’s ahead, while others need to refer to the previous slides or change the view to high contrast view so they can see better. With PowerPoint Live in Teams, we want to ensure that you have the right tools to interact, engage, and follow along in a way that fits your needs.

Interactive presentations help to engage your audience - PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams encourages attendees to interact with content like hyperlinks and videos. This redefines the way people engage with presentations. It not only helps keep viewers’ attention, but also allows attendees to consume the content at their own pace.

Also, with the latest Live Reactions in Microsoft Teams meetings, all attendees can use emojis to share reactions to the presentation in real time. These reactions help promote inclusivity in the meeting while keeping the tone upbeat and interactive.

High fidelity viewing experience tailored to match your audience needs - Whether they join via a mobile phone or 8k monitor, each attendee experiences the presentation optimized for their screen type. The text and graphics are crisp, animations and transitions are smooth—all while using significantly less bandwidth than typically needed in screen sharing. So, even participants with poor network connections can still enjoy the presentation. Using less bandwidth also allows participants to turn on videos and see each other, which is especially important while working remotely.

Accessible content enables better comprehension for your audience - PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams allows attendees to access the shared content through screen readers. Additionally, a high-contrast mode for all content is available to each participant to choose privately on their device. This high-contrast mode within PowerPoint Live is coming soon.

PowerPoint Live takes presenting in Microsoft Teams to a new level of professionalism, personalization, and inclusivity. It brings together the creative capabilities of PowerPoint and collaboration features of Teams meetings, to deliver an unparalleled remote presentation experience that’s engaging for both presenters and attendees.

Continue the conversation by joining us in the Microsoft 365 Tech Community! Whether you have product questions or just want to stay informed with the latest updates on new releases, tools, and blogs, Microsoft 365 Tech Community is your go-to resource to stay connected!

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Introducing PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams

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PowerPoint Live transforms your presenting experience - only in Microsoft Teams PowerPoint is used around the world to share compelling stories—from personal to professional. As the world shifted to working remotely, we all faced new challenges presenting without a live audience. Reading the room,…

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Newsela has enormous potential as a tool for differentiation in the English classroom.

Importantly, Newsela creates "customized reading levels for each student and presents them with articles at their current reading level," (Newsela, n.d.).

Importantly, this ensures students can conduct research at their own pace, and access information at a level that suits their reading and literacy competencies.

This is an essential step in an persuasive writing task, and ensures all students have equal opportunities to explore perspectives and ideas prior to any debates that take place in Kialo.

Newsela. (n.d.). Student reading Level. https://support.newsela.com/article/student-reading-level/

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It's time to improve literacy skills during social studies instruction and ensure that readers of all abilities have what they need to access grade-level social studies concepts.

Join us on Thursday, December 7 for a look at scaffolded materials that provide extra literacy support while building key social studies concepts and skills.

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students. Tween Tribune has been a valued educational brand of Smithsonian magazine, and we appreciate your continued support.

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

Erin Blakemore

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As of Monday, October 24, content that was on TweenTribune.com will now be available here on our new educational resources page and on our learning pages. While much of the content that you enjoyed will still exist, educators will unfortunately no longer be able to assign content to students.

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I have included Flipgrid as a platform that could be used for a precursory, individual brainstorm of the students' various ideas and opinions.

Using Flipgrid, students record a video of themselves in response to a topic and post it to a bulletin board alongside their peers. Students can then view one another's responses to the topic, evaluate their opinions, compare their own, and engage in brief discussions through the comments.

It doesn't require students to write rigorous, well supported arguments like Kialo. Instead, it functions as an initial exploration of opinions and ideas.

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We express ourselves in different ways. On Flip, you can use our simple and fun built-in camera to record your thoughts, add effects and share within your Flip group as video, audio only or text in your web browser or mobile app.

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Flip is a video discussion and sharing app, free from Microsoft.

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Flip (formerly Flipgrid) is a video discussion and video sharing app, free from Microsoft, built for classrooms and beyond. Learn more.

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Educators: Getting Started with Flipgrid

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Educators: Getting Started with Flipgrid

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Educators: Getting Started with Flipgrid

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What is Flipgrid? How do I use it with my students?

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What is Flipgrid? How do I use it with my students?

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What is Flipgrid? How do I use it with my students?

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3 Ways to Use Tween Tribune in the Classroom

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3 Ways to Use Tween Tribune in the Classroom

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3 Ways to Use Tween Tribune in the Classroom

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Using technology effectively in the classroom isn't about having the 'best' technology, it's about employing technology purposefully so that it supports targeted forms of learning (Terada, 2020).

If teachers are to integrate technology effectively, there are few frameworks more powerful than Puentedura's SAMR.

In order to redefine persuasive writing tasks, teachers need to analyse their task using the SAMR's framework, and identify how they can use to boost the task higher up SAMR's hierachies. Technology isn't simply thrown into the classroom for no reason. It is selected as a means to transform tasks higher up the SAMR framework.

Terada, Y. (202, May 4). A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/powerful-model-understanding-good-tech-integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

The biggest obstacle to teaching online probably isn't the technology. Teachers seek out educational technology, in fact, because it "can have considerable positive impacts on student performance," according to a 2016 study -improving test scores and allowing teachers to assess student achievement more efficiently. The big problem is how to integrate it: Beyond the sheer number of tech tools available, the same researchers identified "inadequate professional development and training" as the primary obstacle to using technology productively in classrooms.

Understandably, the emergence of the coronavirus has dramatically accelerated the process of integrating edtech, as educators around the country race to get online as fast as they can. But as many of our teachers have noted, the current state of K-12 online learning is more like triage-a form of crisis management-and not at all like skillfully managed distance education.

What's missing from the conversation right now, which makes sense given the immediacy of the need, is a focus on the bigger question of what the highest quality technology integration actually looks like. That's an important conversation to have, because in a post-coronavirus world there's likely to be a greater emphasis on digital learning, even as we return to physical schools and take advantage of face-to-face opportunities.

A Hierarchy of Tech Uses

A powerful conceptual tool to think about technology integration-and edtech's best uses-is the SAMR model, developed in 2010 by education researcher Ruben Puentedura, who was the 1991 recipient of a Phi Beta Kappa teaching award.

The SAMR model lays out four tiers of online learning, presented roughly in order of their sophistication and transformative power: substitution, augmentation, modification, and r edefinition. When switching to an online format, teachers often focus on the first two levels, which involve replacing traditional materials with digital ones: converting lessons and worksheets into PDFs and posting them online, or recording lectures on video and making them available for asynchronous learning, for example.
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Those are important steps, especially when teaching online for the first time, but in classrooms where tech integration has moved to the mastery level, the last two levels of the SAMR model-modification and redefinition-should also be in the mix. Students in classes where this kind of mastery is embedded find more novel and immersive uses for technology. They are creators and publishers of their own work across multiple forms of media, for example, or they are inviting professionals to provide feedback on their work products, or participating in digital forums with other peers around the world.

It's tempting to think of SAMR as a mountain to be summited. But good technology integration isn't about living at the top of the SAMR model; it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

Here's a closer look at good classroom practices at each level in the model:

Substitution

"Substitution" means replacing traditional activities and materials-like in-class lectures or paper worksheets-with digital versions. There is no substantial change to the content, just the way that it is delivered.

The goal here is to keep things simple: there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Scan your lessons and worksheets, convert them into PDFs, and post them online using Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or a similar file-sharing service. Think about the information you have on your walls, such as the classroom norms, the daily schedule, or vocabulary lists, and convert them into digital formats that students can easily reference.

It may also help to provide synchronous as well as asynchronous versions of your lectures. If you're holding class meetings over a videoconferencing service like Zoom or Skype, provide a recording for students who can't attend. You can also create your own instructional videos for students to view at their own pace.

Augmentation

This level involves incorporating interactive digital enhancements and elements like comments, hyperlinks, or multimedia. The content remains unchanged, but students can now take advantage of digital features to enhance the lesson.

For example, students can create digital portfolios to create multimedia presentations, giving them more options to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. And instead of handing out paper quizzes, you can gamify your quizzes with tools like Socrative and Kahoot.

Teachers can also create virtual bulletin boards-using an app like Padlet -where students can post questions, links, and pictures.

Modification

At this level, teachers can think about using a learning management system like Google Classroom, Moodle, Schoology, or Canvas to handle the logistical aspects of running a classroom, like tracking grades, messaging students, creating a calendar, and posting assignments.

Teaching online opens up new channels of communication, many of which can help students who have traditionally been marginalized. Research shows that girls may be less likely to speak up in class, for example, so they may benefit from backchannels -alternative conversations that can run alongside instruction-that encourage participation.

Zoom's text chat feature, meanwhile, gives students an opportunity to write their questions out, which can feel less intrusive if there are dozens of students participating in the call. Also, students who prefer to collect their thoughts may benefit from slower-paced, asynchronous discussions in an online forum or email threads.

Redefinition

Learning is fundamentally transformed at the "redefinition" level, enabling activities that were previously impossible in the classroom.

For example, virtual pen pals can connect students to other parts of the world, whether it's with other students or experts in a field. Virtual field trips enable students to visit locations like the Amazon rainforest, the Louvre, or the Egyptian pyramids. After reading a book in class, you can invite the author to chat about their work and answer questions.

Technology also provides an opportunity to bring authentic audiences into your virtual classroom, and can make publishers out of your students. Kids can write their own wikis or blogs for public consumption and feedback-and platforms like Quadblogging can connect distant classrooms together so students both write and respond. Students can tackle local problems-like investigating the water quality of a nearby river-and invite members of the community to assess their digital proposals.

Going Beyond SAMR

Finally, consider how technology can be used not just as a way to deliver content, but also to strengthen relationships with your students. For elementary school teacher John Thomas, Seesaw and Flipgrid allow him to share a daily greeting, which his students then respond to-or to each other-with a typed or voiced comment. It's a good way to provide some stability while they're isolated.

How can my lesson be improved using technology?

How can I engage and empower students through technology?

How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?

Remember, again, that SAMR is sometimes thought of as a mountain to summit, but it's really more like a toolbox. The goal isn't to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it's a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

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A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration

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Good technology integration isn't about using the fanciest tool, it's about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy-or strategies-for the lesson at hand.

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Online Groups - Cooperative or Collaborative?

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Online Groups - Cooperative or Collaborative?

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There is much debate regarding the efficacy of online tools to support effective collaboration (Morrison, 2012). In this article, Morrison explores the differences between cooperation and collaboration, highlighting the fact that “creating virtual teams, and placing students into groups within the online learning platform, and providing assignment guidelines does not make cooperation or collaboration happen,” (Morrison, 2012).

Kialo has its limitations, and simply instructing students to use it as a discussion platform will not immediately yield higher order thinking. Effective collaboration is possible with online tools, but, as Paulus (2005) indicates, group tasks need to be purposely structured to ensure collaboration, and higher order thinking skills, are supported.

Morrison, D. (2012, April 27). Online Groups - Cooperative or Collaborative? Online Learning Insights. https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/online-groups-cooperative-or-collaborative/

Paulus, T. M. (2005). Collaborative and cooperative approaches to online group work: The impact of task type. Distance Education, 26(1), 111-125. doi:10.1080/01587910500081343

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When looking to achieve higher order pedagogy, teachers need to consider whether learning tasks sit within their students' zone of proximal development.

McLeod (2019) describes Vygotsky Zone of Proximal Development as "the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner."

Naturally, technology can be employed to differentiate learning tasks according to students' needs. For example, Newsela offers non-fiction and news stories that have been rewritten to suit a range of reading competencies.

This enables students to select articles for research that suit their reading ability, thereby promoting learning with their capacity for success.

The Zone of Proximal Development is an important consideration for any teacher looking to integrate technology effectively in the classroom.

McCleod, S. (2019). Development and Scaffolding. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html

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The zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.

It represents tasks beyond the learner's current abilities but are attainable with the help and guidance of the more knowledgeable other (MKO)). The ZPD is the range of tasks a person can't complete independently but can accomplish with support.

Thus, the term "proximal" refers to skills the learner is "close" to mastering. The ZPD ensures challenge is not too hard or too easy.

ZPD is the zone where instruction is the most beneficial, as it is when the task is just beyond the individual's capabilities.

To learn, we must be presented with tasks just out of our ability range. Challenging tasks promote maximum cognitive growth.

ZPD Theory

The zone of proximal development was developed by Soviet psychologist and social constructivist Lev Vygotsky (1896 - 1934).

Vygotsky introduced the ZPD concept to criticize psychometric testing which only measured current abilities, not potential for development. He argued assessment should be collaborative to reveal emerging skills.

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) has been defined as:

"the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).

For teachers, the ZPD is the space between current teaching knowledge and potential new level with assistance. Willingness to learn enables ZPD progression.

Vygotsky believed that when a student is in the zone of proximal development for a particular task, providing the appropriate assistance will give the student enough of a "boost" to achieve the task.

To assist a person to move through the zone of proximal development, educators are encouraged to focus on three important components which aid the learning process:

The presence of someone with knowledge and skills beyond that of the learner (a more knowledgeable other).

Social interactions with a skillful tutor that allow the learner to observe and practice their skills.

Scaffolding, or supportive activities provided by the educator, or more competent peer, to support the student as he or she is led through the ZPD.

Scaffolding Theory

The ZPD has become synonymous in the literature with the term scaffolding. However, it is important to note that Vygotsky never used this term in his writing, and it was introduced by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976).

Scaffolding consists of the activities provided by the educator, or more competent peer, to support the student as he or she is led through the zone of proximal development.

Support is tapered off (i.e., withdrawn) as it becomes unnecessary, much as a scaffold is removed from a building during construction. The student will then be able to complete the task again independently.

Wood et al. (1976, p. 90) define scaffolding as a process "that enables a child or novice to solve a task or achieve a goal that would be beyond his unassisted efforts."

As they note, scaffolds require the adult's "controlling those elements of the task that are initially beyond the learner's capability, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence" (p. 90).

It is important to note that the terms cooperative learning, scaffolding and guided learning all have the same meaning within the literature.

The following study provides empirical support both the concept of scaffolding and the ZPD.

Wood and Middleton (1975)

Procedure: 4-year-old children had to use a set of blocks and pegs to build a 3D model shown in a picture. Building the model was too difficult a task for a 4-year-old child to complete alone.

Wood and Middleton (1975) observed how mothers interacted with their children to build the 3D model. The type of support included:

* General encouragement e.g., 'now you have a go.'

* Specific instructions e.g., 'get four big blocks.'

* Direct demonstration, e.g., showing the child how to place one block on another.

The results of the study showed that no single strategy was best for helping the child to progress. Mothers whose assistance was most effective were those who varied their strategy according to how the child was doing.

When the child was doing well, they became less specific with their help. When the child started to struggle, they gave increasingly specific instructions until the child started to make progress again.

The study illustrates scaffolding and Vygotsky's concept of the ZPD. Scaffolding (i.e., assistance) is most effective when the support is matched to the needs of the learner. This puts them in a position to achieve success in an activity that they would previously not have been able to do alone.

Wood et al. (1976) named certain processes that aid effective scaffolding:

Gaining and maintaining the learner's interest in the task.

Making the task simple.

Emphasizing certain aspects that will help with the solution.

Control the child's level of frustration.

Demonstrate the task.

Intersubjectivity

Intersubjectivity is when two people (i.e., the child and helper) start a task together with a different level of skill and understanding, and both end up with a shared understanding.

As each member of the dyad adjusts to the perspective of the other, the helper has to translate their own insights in a ways that is within the grasp of the child, and the child develops a more complete understanding of the task.

It is essential that they work towards the same goal, otherwise there won't be any collaboration. It is important that they negotiate, or compromise by always working for a shared view.

If you try to force someone to change their mind, then you"ll just get conflict. You need to stay within the boundaries of the other person's zone of proximal development.

Example of Scaffolding

Vygotsky emphasized scaffolding, or providing support to learners to help them reach higher levels of understanding. This can be mapped to progressing through Bloom's taxonomy, where educators scaffold tasks from basic understanding to more complex analysis and creation.

For example, a teacher might start by providing information (Remembering) and then ask questions that require understanding.

As students become more proficient, tasks can be scaffolded to require application, analysis, evaluation, and creation.

Example: In teaching a concept like photosynthesis:

1. Remembering: The teacher provides the basic definition.

2. Understanding: Students explain the process in their own words.

3. Application: They might conduct an experiment on plants.

4. Analysis: Dive deeper into how different variables affect the process.

5. Evaluation: Debate the most critical components of photosynthesis.

6. Creation: Design an optimal environment for plant growth.

Each step can be scaffolded, starting with substantial teacher support and gradually releasing responsibility to the students as they climb Bloom's taxonomy, guiding students from foundational knowledge to higher-order thinking skills.

Scaffolding vs. Discovery Learning

Freund (1990) wanted to investigate if children learn more effectively via Piaget's concept of discovery learning or guided learning via the ZPD.

She asked a group of children between the ages of three and five years to help a puppet decide which furniture should be placed in the various rooms of a doll's house. First, Freund assessed what each child already understood about the placement of furniture (as a baseline measure).

Next, each child worked on a similar task, either alone (re: discovery-based learning) or with their mother (re: scaffolding / guided learning). To assess what each child had learned, they were each given a more complex, furniture sorting task.

The study's results showed that children assisted by their mothers performed better at furniture sorting than the children who worked independently.

More Knowledgeable Other

The more knowledgeable other (MKO) refers to anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level in a particular task, process, or concept than the learner.

It's essential to note that the MKO isn't necessarily an adult or a teacher. It could be a peer, a younger person, or even technology or media, as long as they provide the learner with the knowledge or scaffolding needed to perform a task.

Often, a child's peers or an adult's children may be the individuals with more knowledge or experience.

The relationship between the MKO and the ZPD is vital to Vygotsky's theory. The MKO assists or scaffolds the learning experience to help the learner function within their ZPD.

Through this guidance, the learner can tackle and master tasks they couldn't accomplish independently.

Over time, as the learner internalizes this support and becomes more capable, the scaffolding can be reduced, and the learner can perform the task without assistance. The ZPD moves as learners acquire new skills and knowledge with the help of the MKO.

In educational settings, the concepts of MKO and ZPD have inspired practices like cooperative learning, differentiated instruction, and scaffolded learning experiences.

Teachers aim to identify each student's ZPD and then act as the MKO, or facilitate interactions with other MKOs, to provide the right level of support, allowing students to achieve and learn effectively.

Educational Applications

Vygotsky believes the role of education is to provide children with experiences which are in their ZPD, thereby encouraging and advancing their individual learning. (Berk, & Winsler, (1995).

"From a Vygotskian perspective, the teacher's role is mediating the child's learning activity as they share knowledge through social interaction" (Dixon-Krauss, 1996, p. 18).

Cooperative Learning

According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs through social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may model behaviors and/or provide verbal instructions for the child.

Vygotsky refers to this as cooperative or collaborative dialogue.

The child seeks to understand the actions or instructions provided by the tutor (often the parent or teacher) and then internalizes the information, using it to guide or regulate their own performance.

Lev Vygotsky views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills and strategies. He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers - within the zone of proximal development.

Scaffolding is a key feature of effective teaching, where the adult continually adjusts the level of his or her help in response to the learner's level of performance.

In the classroom, scaffolding can include modeling a skill, providing hints or cues, and adapting material or activity (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).

Consider these guidelines for scaffolding instruction (Silver, 2011).

Assess the learner's current knowledge and experience with the academic content.

Relate content to what students already understand or can do.

Break a task into small, more manageable tasks with opportunities for intermittent feedback.

Use verbal cues and prompts to assist students.

Scaffolding not only produces immediate results, but also instills the skills necessary for independent problem-solving in the future.

A contemporary application of Vygotsky's theories is "reciprocal teaching," used to improve students" ability to learn from text.

In this method, teachers and students collaborate in learning and practicing four key skills: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting. The teacher's role in the process is reduced over time.

Vygotsky's theories also feed into current interest in collaborative learning, suggesting that group members should have different levels of ability so more advanced peers can help less advanced members operate within their zone of proximal development.

Examples of ZPD

Example 1

Maria just entered college this semester and decided to take an introductory tennis course. Her class spends each week learning and practicing a different shot. Weeks go by, and they learn how to properly serve and hit a backhand.

During the week of learning the forehand, the instructor noticed that Maria was very frustrated because she kept hitting her forehand shots either into the net or far past the baseline.

He examines her preparation and swing. He notices that her stance is perfect, she prepares early, she turns her torso appropriately, and she hits the ball at precisely the right height.

However, he notices that she is still gripping her racquet the same way she hits her backhand, so he goes over to her and shows her how to reposition her hand to hit a proper forehand, stressing that she should keep her index finger parallel to the racquet.

He models a good forehand for her, and then assists her in changing her grip. With a little practice, Maria's forehand turns into a formidable weapon for her!

In this case, Maria was in the zone of proximal development for successfully hitting a forehand shot. She was doing everything else correctly, but just needed a little coaching and scaffolding from a "More Knowledgeable Other" to help her succeed in this task.

When that assistance was given, she was able to achieve her goal. Provided with appropriate support at the right moments, students in classrooms will be able to achieve tasks that would otherwise be too difficult for them.

Example 2

Clinical psychology trainees at the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University are trained using approaches aligned with Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (Hong & del Busto, 2020).

Trainees are paired with more senior trainees (e.g., a first-year student with a second or third-year student) for co-therapy sessions. The senior trainee scaffolds the junior trainee's learning by initially taking the lead and modeling skills, then gradually encouraging the junior trainee to become more independent in leading sessions as they demonstrate competence.

This allows trainees to be involved in clinical care early in their training, with support and coaching from a more experienced peer. It meets them in their zone of proximal development - what they can do with guidance vs what they cannot yet do independently.

Supervisors assign trainees different roles based on experience level. More senior trainees are given opportunities to develop supervisory skills by training junior peers. Junior trainees are supported in gaining clinical skills.

The zone of proximal development concept is applied not just for patients in case conceptualization but also for trainees' own professional development. Supervisors provide individualized support and scaffolding to help each trainee progress.

Example 3

Social interaction, aided by cultural tools, supports teachers in developing new aspects of their practice and identity. The interpersonal activity facilitates the transformation of their teaching expertise.

This demonstrates the value of mediation through the ZPD (Shabani et al., 2010).

Collaborative peers and mentors: Observing and discussing teaching practices with experienced colleagues helps teachers learn new instructional approaches and strategies. This social exchange facilitates development within their ZPD.

Action research: By studying their own teaching through classroom inquiry, teachers can gain insights into improving their methods. The self-reflection shifts their ZPD forward.

Diaries: Writing reflectively about teaching experiences enables teachers to analyze their development and assumptions. This metacognition expands their ZPD.

Technology: Using digital tools and platforms introduces teachers to innovative teaching techniques. The technology mediates new pedagogical capabilities.

TESOL discourse: Engaging with academic research and theory opens teachers to alternative perspectives on teaching and learning. This discourse stretches their ZPD.

Coursework: Formal professional development courses scaffold teachers' learning of new knowledge and competencies. The instruction targets their ZPD.

Student data: Responses and achievement metrics provide feedback to teachers on areas needing growth. This evidence shifts teachers' self-perception.

References

Berk, L., & Winsler, A. (1995). Scaffolding children's learning: Vygotsky and early childhood learning. Washington, DC: National Association for Education of Young Children.

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dixon-Krauss, L. (1996). Vygotsky in the classroom. Mediated literacy instruction and assessment. White Plains, NY: Longman Publishers.

Freund, L. S. (1990). Maternal Regulation of Children's Problem-solving behavior and Its Impact on Children's Performance. Child Development, 61, 113-126.

Hong, N., & del Busto, C. T. (2020). Collaboration, scaffolding, and successive approximations: A developmental science approach to training in clinical psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 14(3), 228.

Shabani, K., Khatib, M., & Ebadi, S. (2010). Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: Instructional implications and teachers' professional development. English Language Teaching, 3(4), 237-248.

Silver, D. (2011). Using the 'Zone'Help Reach Every Learner. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 47(sup1), 28-31.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Wass, R., & Golding, C. (2014). Sharpening a tool for teaching: the zone of proximal development. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(6), 671-684.

Wood, D., Bruner, J., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 17, 89−100.

Wood, D., & Middleton, D. (1975). A study of assisted problem-solving. British Journal of Psychology, 66(2), 181−191.

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Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development & Scaffolding Theory In Psychology

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The zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.

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Judy Willis is one of the foremost experts in the field of educational neuroscience. Her work is well worth reviewing for teachers looking to understand the science of learning.

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Social and Emotional Learning

The noted neurologist turned educator talks about the science of boredom, how to get students' attention, and the most important lessons for 21st-century learning.

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Big Thinkers: Judy Willis on the Science of Learning

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Social and Emotional Learning The noted neurologist turned educator talks about the science of boredom, how to get students' attention, and the most important lessons for 21st-century learning.

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English Teaching Talks - Integrating ICT

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English Teaching Talks - Integrating ICT

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This a helpful article for any other English teachers considering how they can integrate technology in the classroom.

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About the videos

In this series of six short videos, Nik Peachey helps us with many important issues about integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology), including a framework to help think about how we integrate ICT, sources and the motivation for using ICT for our professional development, practical ideas for class to build both language and digital literacies, criteria to help choose the best apps for your learners and guidance on how to plan blended work. Below is a list of each video. All videos include subtitles in English:

Video 1: Introduction (3:41 minutes)

Video 2: Integrating ICT into the classroom (3:46 minutes)

Video 3: ICT for Professional Development (3:34 minutes)

Video 4: ICT for Developing Language and Digital Skills (3:48 minutes)

Video 5: Selecting Apps for Students (3:47 minutes)

Video 6: ICT for Blended Learning (4:10 minutes)

Rationale

To integrate ICT effectively, Nik says that teachers need:

a framework to help see how to use ICT to increase learning impact.

to know how to use ICT as a tool for their own development.

ideas for developing language and digital literacies using ICT.

to be able to select the best apps to use in class for their context.

to know how to integrate ICT into a design for blended learning.

Pre-viewing task

Before you watch the videos, think about the questions below. If you are using this resource as part of your professional development in your institution, discuss the questions below with your colleagues

1. Why do you choose the ICT options you use?

2. What sites or apps would you recommend to a colleague who is starting to integrate ICT? Why?

3. Which ICT tools have made the most difference to your learners' language and/or digital literacy skills?

4. How do you 'mix' or 'blend' ICT tools and face to face contact into your courses? Why?

5. What ideas would you expect to be included in the video? Why?

While viewing

What ideas does Nik give for each of the teacher needs specified in the rationale above?

After viewing

1. Which ideas would work well in your context? Why?

2. What ideas would you add?

3. What are you going to do as a result of watching this video?

4. Was this a good choice of ideas for the video? Why/ why not?

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English Teaching Talks - Integrating ICT

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In this series of six short videos, Nik Peachey helps us with many important issues about integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology), including a framework to help think about how we integrate ICT, sources and the motivation for using ICT for our professional development, practical ideas for class to build both language and digital literacies, criteria to help choose the best apps for your learners and guidance on how to plan blended work.

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21st Century Skills. Preparing students for a changing world

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21st Century Skills. Preparing students for a changing world