# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I once read an interview with a hero of my early teaching days - Donald Graves. He was asked about the way people had misinterpreted his 'process writing' model and replied that sometimes he wished he'd never written it down! Years later I understand the frustration behind that sentiment. It's hard to do justice to the complexities and nuances of inquiry in writing. So much gets lost. Something that is rich, layered and multidimensional can come across as flat, linear and recipe-like. Over the years, I have published several books that share a 'cycle of inquiry' and the kinds of learning engagements that we might design within a cycle. I have seen hundreds of interpretations of this idea in classrooms. Many have been gratifying and exciting. Teachers who really 'get' the intention, understand the complexity and invite their students into the learning have blown me away with what they have done. And I have also seen (and heard) many bewildering versions or iterations of the cycle that are such a long way off the original conceptualization and intent! Ironically, I have seen slavish adherence to a cycle actually impede rather than enhance inquiry.
So why even 'have' such a cycle?
Articulating a model or framework for the process of inquiry is a helpful way to support and guide our practice. The intention of the 'cycle' is to guide the teacher's (and learner's ) thinking beyond simply coming up with 'activities' and towards a more thoughtful process that assists students to move from the known to the new. The need to 'name' some kind of process was first revealed to me as a young teacher by my fabulous mentors Marilyn Woolley and Keith Pigdon. They helped me move beyond thematic planning and into a more rigorous way of thinking about how to guide learning. Once I understood constructivism - it made sense to me to describe what was such a natural process of building understanding over time. My job as a teacher was to help design experiences for learners that would support the brain's best inclinations to wonder, look for patterns, seek new information, link to prior learning and transfer. While it has changed over time, the cycle I now use owes much to Woolley and Pigdon's visionary work.

Here are some of the more common misconceptions about 'the cycle' and my response to them. I hope it is as useful to read as it has been to write!!
Misconception 1: Inquiry is all about 'the cycle'. We DO the cycle....therefore, we DO inquiry.
Simply using an inquiry cycle does not make us inquiry teachers. As I have written before, inquiry is a 'way of being' in the classroom. Yes, there are planning frameworks that can support the ways in which we design learning experiences for and with students but this is only part of the inquiry story. An inquiry teacher knows how to question students in ways that enhance and deepen thinking, how to offer choice and honour voice, how to seize an unexpected moment for investigation and how to embed learning in purposeful context It's a pedagogy - not just a planning framework.
Misconception 2: The cycle is a recipe. We need to follow the stages in sequence for it to 'work out' in the end.
Nope. It's a flexible framework. Not a recipe. Essentially, inquiry cycles provide labels for a process that is common to many disciplines. Most people agree that inquiry : involves time to establish your current thinking, your needs and questions, some 'hunting and gathering' of information/ideas/ data, some sorting organizing and meaning making and some kind of creation/application/transfer/use. And most agree that this process is cyclical in nature. New discoveries lead to new questions and so on. But this process is much neater on paper than it is in practice. True inquiry is often messy and recursive. We gather and sort then realize we have new questions so we return to some more gathering. In the cycle I use, I place great emphasis on the role of 'tuning in' to students' thinking to establish pathways for investigation. While it often sits at the 'start' of the process - I return to 'tuning in' regularly. These are phases more than they are stages, elements more than they are steps. There is nothing contained, neat or particularly orderly about a lot of inquiry BUT having a relatively simple iteration of it in the form of this cycle can help us think more clearly and actually better manage the messiness without getting overwhelmed!
#Misconception 3: All inquiries go through the same phases over a similar time frame.
Much as it would be convenient, no two inquiries are the same. Although most journeys will contain elements of this cycle, starting points, emphases and time frames vary from context to context and depend on the group of students, their age level and what they bring to the journey in the first place. I have seen some beautiful inquiry journeys travelled within an hour. I have seen some that last a year. I have seen some that really don't involve much 'action' but are highly worthwhile and engaging and others that are really all about the action.
# Misconception 4: Using a 'cycle' as a guide, we can plan a complete unit of inquiry for students
I think this is the most troubling use of the cycle I see. The cycle should INFORM planning, guide it but it doesn't mean we can create the whole thing before we start. When I use a planner with the elements of the cycle in it - I see that planner as a guide throughout the process - not as a template to be filled in one sitting. The cycle is emergent....how kids 'sort out' the ideas information depends on what they gather - and that is not something we can determine in detail. The cycle unfolds.
#Misconception 5: The cycle is for teachers.
Students benefit from having some 'meta-language' to attach to processes they use as inquirers. Some kind of framework should be developed for and WITH students that helps everyone gain a shared language. Making this visible to students helps them think about how journeys of inquiry are both similar and different. It is really useful to display the cycle but only if it is referred to, analysed, played with and critiqued!
#Misconception 6: The cycle only applies to 'units of inquiry' in disciplines like science and social studies.
I see many examples of this cycle in action in a range of disciplines and contexts. Some 'tweaking' is needed at times to best fit the nature of the discipline but it is interesting to explore this kind of transfer. Check out for example - the great work done on http://www.iphys-ed.com about inquiry based PE or Bruce Ferrington's application of the cycle to math inquiry - http://authenticinquirymaths.blogspot.co.at/
# Misconception 7: It's my way or the highway or 'there is only one cycle'....
There are many versions of a 'cycle of inquiry'. The fact that there ARE many versions is healthy and affirming. I love the different emphases, language and uses of these cycles and think that, together, they help offer us lots to consider as we continue to clarify this intriguing process in our own minds . Explore various cycles. Look for patterns...where do they all agree? Find one that works for you and your students. Create your own - but be consistent. Shared language across a school has great benefits.

A cycle of inquiry helps us plan and teach with intention. When it is understood, it pushes us beyond simply coming up with 'activities' and challenges us to think about how skills and concepts can be developed and deepened over time. It gives us some shared 'meta' language to use with students and colleagues

How do YOU use a cycle of inquiry to inform your work as an inquiry teacher?
...Just wondering....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Busting some myths about 'the inquiry cycle'.... - KATH MURDOCH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I once read an interview with a hero of my early teaching days - Donald Graves. He was asked about the way people had misinterpreted his 'process writing' model and replied that sometimes he wished he'd never written it down! Years later I understand the frustration behind that sentiment.

# data[].attributes.body
A simple approach is to think about the what, how, and why of a lesson.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Ways to Build Student Agency into Your Lessons - Dr. Catlin Tucker

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Although many teachers recognize the importance of making students active agents in the classroom, it is easy to overlook student agency when we plan our lessons. However, the ability to make key decisions about their learning is a powerful motivator for students. If they are invited to tailor the learning to their interests, decide how [...]

# data[].attributes.body
From a Toddle webinar about agency this padlet collect powerful resources related to agency.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Techniques Every Teacher Needs to Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback ) I'm a big fan of books and articles that condense years and years of hard-earned experience into a few, clear, tidbits of advice that anyone can benefit from.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Planning a Virtual Unit of Inquiry for the Early Years - Putting the Pieces Together

Simon Sinek shared the importance of sharing your purpose in his inspiring and thought-provoking talk: Start with why - how great leaders inspire action. Therefore, when Toddle invited me to share the process and strategies for how I approached the creation of a virtual unit for 5-6-year-olds, I knew I should first start by explaining my 'why'.

I created a virtual unit on Goods and Services on Toddle Community and by sharing my process of creating this unit, I want to:

support the PYP Early Years learning community in implementing remote learning more meaningfully,

share authentic examples of inquiry and play-based experiences that have worked in a real classroom which will bridge the gap between planning and execution,

promote play as the primary driver for inquiry,

develop age-appropriate inquiry-based learning experiences to set students up for success as they move to grade 1,

Before I start sharing the planning process, I think it's important to consider 'The Early Years Learner'. Loris Malaguzzi from Reggio Emilia says "Your Image of the Child is Where Teaching Begins", so we must understand the needs and interests of our students to design authentic and meaningful experiences. The young learner is strong, intelligent and beautiful, with ambitious desires and requests and as teachers, we need to keep their choice and agency in the centre of the learning process.

The enhanced PYP emphasises the importance of play and the need to promote student agency and interests for the learner in the early years. When designing the unit plan for How We Organize Ourselves, I kept my EY learners at the center to ensure that my personal beliefs about how young children learn match the PYP enhancements, and they do!

As a trained early childhood teacher, with over 30 years of experience, I am an advocate for play! My image of a 5-year-old child is very similar to that of Loris Malaguzzi's. Whilst designing the learning experiences, I thought a lot about the Reggio Emilia approach and the wise words of Malaguzzi. I aimed to "produce situations in which children learn by themselves, in which children can take advantage of their own knowledge and resources autonomously, and in which we guarantee the intervention of the adult as little as possible. We don't want to teach children something that they can learn by themselves. We don't want to give them thoughts that they can come up with by themselves. What we want to do is activate within children the desire and will and great pleasure that comes from being the authors of their own learning" (Malaguzzi, 1994).

Planning Process

Planning in the early years is like playing a game of snakes and ladders. Keeping play at the centre, I thought of the planning process as a game of snakes and ladders. Similar to the game, my planning process did not follow a linear progression - I found myself going back to add details, then leaping ahead- all to achieve a clear goal (which in my case was the 'Goods and Services' unit on Toddle Community'.

Click on the tiles to explore different steps of the process. As you go through this, you can consider what these "steps" might look like in your setting. Wonder about "have I considered agency, have I justified chosen concepts," and so on.

As we begin planning a unit of inquiry, it is important for us to be aware of the updated guidelines and resources for the Early Years. The IB's Programme resource Centre is a great starting point for you to upskill yourselves. When designing the virtual unit on 'Goods and Services',

I referred to many of the IB documents and found "Examining Learner Agency In my Setting" very useful.

Before planning a new inquiry, I spend some time reflecting on past successes and areas of improvement. Like most experienced teachers, I have a bank of successful learning experiences and tools from past inquiries. I started by reflecting on my past teaching experiences and I recall one of my proudest days as a KG teacher was the 'ECC Market day'. This experience motivated me to share and adapt the 'Goods and Services' unit, originally created in 2018 with colleagues from UNIS Hanoi.

I also asked myself:

What previous learning experiences were most successful?

How might they be adapted to suit the virtual learning environment?

As I started to think about my Goods and Services unit plan on Toddle, I considered several big PYP ideas including how to make it play-based, how can space be used, and how to explore student agency. I used the Think Puzzle Explore thinking routine by Harvard's Project Zero to help me move forward in the planning process. This thinking tool enabled me to connect to my prior PYP knowledge and gave my research a clear direction.

I asked myself the following questions:

What do my students already know about the central idea and the concept of 'Goods and Services'?

Since this is a virtual unit, what might parents need to know and understand about learning and teaching in the Early Years?

What learning goals and success criteria could I map to this unit?

As you plan your unit of inquiry, you can use the Think Puzzle Explore routine to ask yourself similar questions.

As I looked at the puzzle pieces, I identified two main questions I wanted to explore. The first was, how do I make my thinking about the planning process visible? Since I'm a visual learner, I decided to do so by connecting my thinking to the idea of a jigsaw puzzle, bridge, and a snakes and ladders game.

The second question I asked was, how can student agency be supported in a virtual learning environment? According to the IBO, "Agency is present when students partner with teachers and members of the learning community to take charge of what, where, why, with whom and when they learn."

Student choice, voice and ownership are integral to the learning experiences I designed. Students make choices by using a choice board, identifying the good or service they want to explore within their community, selecting how they want to showcase their learning, and by making decisions about what, where, when and with whom to play.

You can use the learning experiences I designed in your own units and share them with your families using the
Toddle Classroom Feature. For when you're back to in-person school, you can also explore how to Set up your own Market Stall with your students.

While planning a virtual unit, it is important to keep all stakeholders in mind, especially parents. Therefore, I created learning experiences with details that would provide adequate support to parents.

As I created this unit plan, I was thinking about the needs of:

Beginning teachers who are new to PYP and planning for virtual learning

Parents who have more than one child to supervise at home

Parents whose home language is not English

Our energetic five and six years old remote learning from home

A classroom full of Early Years students

Administrators who do not yet fully understand the value of play

Below are a few learning experiences you can read and use from my unit that actively consider perspectives of parents and other community members:

The learning experience 'Services for the Community' gives students an opportunity to role-play and consider different perspectives.

'Through the Needs and Wants- Scavenger Hunt', we get students to understand that needs and wants might vary.

'Markets around the world' helps students consider the needs and wants of producers and consumers.

To plan an exciting provocation, I kept in mind the developmental needs of Early Years learners. I wanted to pique their curiosity so they'll be excited about the unit- ready to engage with big ideas, ask relevant questions and be motivated to inquire and explore further. I also considered the needs of our learning community and decided to plan a provocation for parents who are monitoring their children's learning at home.

The learning experience, Play with your parents can be used as a provocation for both students and parents. You will also find resources and instructions for parents in the learning experience planners, to support them.

I found the in-built planning prompts on Toddle very helpful when developing questions, provocations and learning experiences that support knowledge and conceptual understandings. Using the planning prompts helped me create authentic opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate approaches to learning and attributes of the learner profile.

The planning prompts can also be used to have discussions with colleagues as you consider ways of:

Building in flexibility to respond to student's interests, inquiries, evolving theories and actions

Integrating languages to support multilingualism

Identifying opportunities for independent and collaborative learning, guided and scaffolded learning, and learning extension.

I reflected on the central idea with a virtual learning lens to check if I could find ways to make it more relevant, significant, challenging and engaging in its context.

I wanted my central idea to also meet the following criteria:

One sentence that expresses concisely an enduring understanding

Substantial enough to generate in-depth inquiries

Concept-driven

Promotes the ability to think critically.

Challenges and extends students' prior knowledge

The enhanced PYP focuses on learning experiences that allow for uninterrupted play, symbolic exploration and expression.

I asked myself:

What is play?

What does inquiry through play look like?

How can parents support their children's inquiry through play?

Inquiry through play: supporting PYP parents is a resource by the IB that describes what play looks like, explains ATLs and gives examples of questions that parents can ask to support children in play.
Through learning experiences like Set Up Shop, I explored play and inquiry. In Set Up Shop, students visit the school canteen to observe their school's food service. This learning experience can also take place at home with students observing the food needs of their family. After their observation, students engage in dramatic play in their classrooms or homes.

The way a learning space is used provides teachers with important information about learning. We observe the use of learning spaces, asking ourselves the following questions:

Is there a sense of focused engagement?

Are there opportunities for independent and collaborative explorations?

Do children have diverse opportunities and resources to creatively express themselves and their developing understandings?

Is there a range of choices to inspire children to follow their own ideas?

Are there inviting opportunities for collaboration in a social context?

(Inquiry in The Early Years 2019)
As I reflected on learning spaces for the Goods and Services virtual learning unit on Toddle Community, I considered how indoor and outdoor learning spaces and materials in the early years promote play for inquiry. I thought of objects and artefacts that get kids interested, using powerful pictures and a wonder wall to pique their curiosity. Role-play learning experiences are also a good way to encourage children to have some ownership over their learning space. In the learning experience,
Kindergarten bakery, students engage in playful inquiry, make choices and further develop ATL skills.

I tried to sequence the flow using Kath Murdoch's inquiry cycle - Tuning in, Finding out, Sorting Out, Going Further, Making Connections and Taking Action. However, inquiry can look different in different classrooms and these learning experiences can be interchanged depending on student interests and questions. You can use the following questions when mapping learning experiences to stages of the inquiry cycle.

Tuning In (The Provocation) -What do our students know?

Finding Out - What might our students want to learn?

Sorting Out- How can we use existing student knowledge?

Going Further - How can we expand student thinking?

Making Conclusions - How has student thinking changed?

Taking Action - What can students do with their learning?

To be able to effectively map attributes of the learner profile and approaches to learning, I reflected on opportunities students would have at home to develop and demonstrate growth. I went back to the learning experiences, key concepts and lines of inquiry to identify skills that could fit seamlessly in the virtual space. Due to COVID-19, early year learners are spending the majority of their time at home interacting with parents and siblings. These interactions and relationships have a significant influence on how children understand and experience the world around them. Therefore, I wanted to focus on building communication and thinking skills.

Through this unit, students would learn to:

Become caring (towards family and community helpers)

Think of new ways to help their community while following social distancing and safety norms

Use different modes of communication to share their feelings and thoughts with family and classroom community

Take risks to set up new learning spaces and opportunities at home

Through learning experiences that focus on developing learner profile attributes and ATL skills, students engage in meaningful action and demonstrate choice, voice and ownership. PYP Action in the Early Years outlines indicators for what action looks like for the Learner, Adult and the Environment. Toddle's inbuilt planning prompts helped me reflect on the types of actions I could plan for in this unit.

In the
Goods and Services unit, students have multiple opportunities to take action. They have opportunities to engage in acts of kindness, participate in community service, produce goods to meet the needs of others.

Through the market day, they are encouraged to think of ways to earn money and donate to a chosen charity.

I also reflected on ways for students to take action in a remote or virtual learning environment. Therefore, students will be given opportunities to be innovative and think of creative ways to provide community services keeping safety and social distancing norms in mind. Families may even be inspired to raise funds and sponsor a child.

Concepts are integral to the unit and its learning experiences in the PYP. For the unit on Goods and Services, I wanted to focus on Form, Function, Connection and Responsibility. Keeping the pandemic world in mind, I realized that the concept of responsibility would be my main focus to drive student action. Form, Function and Connection were important in getting the students to understand the interconnectedness of needs and services that support these needs. After identifying these concepts, I re-examined the lines of inquiry and thought of questions or provocations that would help unpack and drive conceptual understanding.

For example, to unpack the concept of Form, students will focus on the first line of inquiry and examine the needs and wants of the community. They will engage in learning experiences such as the field trip to observe the needs of the school or home community and draw conclusions about goods and services needed to meet those needs. Mapping questions and learning experiences to key concepts helps us ensure that learning is truly transdisciplinary.

It is really important for us to feel connected - especially in this pandemic world. While we have to observe physical social distancing from one another, technology helps us be a close knit community online. Using social media is a great way to stay connected and learn from one another. I found my personal learning network on Twitter and recently through some Facebook groups. Toddle Community is also an amazing way to share and learn together with like-minded PYP teachers. Even before I created my own unit on Toddle Community, I spent some time exploring the wide range of unit plans and learning experiences created by PYP educators like me, and it truly is inspirational.

As important as it is for us to stay connected, it is even more important to create opportunities for students to belong to a learning community. Giving students opportunities to collaborate and share online will help them develop a sense of belonging. I used the Toddle Student App to create opportunities for students to share, like and comment on each other's tasks.

Providing student templates gives students a structure and directs their thinking process. I uploaded student templates and graphic organizers on Toddle which can either be printed or used virtually using the Toddle Student App.

For the unit on Goods and Services, I wanted to ensure that I take into account resources that would be easily accessible to all children at home. I considered people, places, technology, learning space and physical materials to ensure that the learning experiences were authentic and meaningful. I asked myself, 'how will resources add value and purpose to learning?'

I chose a variety of resources for teachers, parents and students. This included:

Human Resources

Interviewing and playing with people students are living with

Using junk and toys that are easily accessible at home

Contacting people in the community using technology

Physical materials

Things that can easily be found at home e.g. toys, loose parts, natural objects, real food, art and craft supplies,dress-up clothing, playdough, kitchen and food items, and recycled trash!
Technology

Downloading free resources from the internet

Going on Virtual field trips

Using Toddle App to collaborate with teachers, students and parents

Toddle helps empower students in a variety of ways. Creating a unit on Toddle gave me a lot of different learning experiences to experiment with. Through Toddle's Student App, students can share their responses, reflections and questions easily and collaborate with one another through live classes or likes and comments. Students in the Early Years can record audio and video messages to virtually connect with their classroom community. Along with recording, I also find adding clear directions with visuals such as emojis, helps students complete the tasks independently.

Observing uninterrupted play is one of the most important ways to monitor student progress for an Early Years teacher. Through play, students communicate, reflect, problem-solve and demonstrate growth in ATLs and attributes of the Learner Profile. While observing play is challenging in a virtual setting, we can monitor progress on an ongoing basis by partnering with parents and giving them the required tools for assessment.

To be able to effectively create assessment strategies for this unit, I asked myself and you can ask yourself: Whenever and wherever possible, I create opportunities for students to practise self-assessing. In learning experiences, I provide ways for students and the parents/teachers to be actively engaged in providing feedback using the

What evidence can parents gather about their child's emerging knowledge, conceptual understandings and skills?

During remote/home learning, how are teachers monitoring and documenting learning against learning goals and success criteria?

How can we enable parents and young learners to use self-assessments and feedback to inform planning and next steps?

Toddle Student App. Student templates and assessment tools are designed to help students make their thinking visible and I find that even young learners can easily learn to navigate Toddle to share their work and thinking with their community.
My personal favourite is using my modified version of
De Bono's coloured Thinking Hats for self-assessments. Each coloured hat has a different meaning attached to it, and students can reflect on their progress using these colours.

💛 Yellow= positive thoughts

⚫️ Black = challenges or problems

🔴 Red= feelings

🔵 Blue = PYP hat- notice and name the Learner Profile Attributes and ATLs

Click on the tiles to explore different steps of the planning process
As educators, we tend to give a lot of importance to our planners as opposed to the planning process. I really like Kath Murdoch's response to Edna Sackson's Planning for teaching' post:

"A planner is a process - not a finished product..." One of my favourite moments in the planning process is when we ask : 'So, what are our students revealing to us - and where do we go from here?' This is true, responsive, organic planning that honours students' voices. And it's sooooo much more satisfying than simply coming up with 'good activities'!

Cathie has been an educator for over 30 years, 25 of these in international schools in S.E. Asia. She has taught PYP learners from age 3 to 8 in the PYP. She is passionate about The Early Years (in particular 5-6 year olds) and is an advocate for play. From 2011-2019 Cathie was a kindergarten homeroom teacher at UNIS, Hanoi. She is also a member of IBEN and has facilitated the Literacy, Maths and Symbolic Learning in The Early Years workshop. Cathie has also presented at the Vietnam Teach Conference and The Early Years conference in HCMC.

Disclaimer - The ideas and resources presented in this blog have been developed independently from and are not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate (IB).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Planning a Virtual Unit of Inquiry for the Early Years - Putting the Pieces Together - Toddle Learn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Planning a Virtual Unit of Inquiry for the Early Years - Putting the Pieces Together Simon Sinek shared the importance of sharing your purpose in his inspiring and thought-provoking talk: Start with why - how great leaders inspire action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's easy for a virtual class session to slip into a talking head approach. You turn on the camera and students see your face. At times, you might toggle back and forth between a slideshow and your camera but it can easily slip into something that is mostly auditory. You talk, students talk in breakout rooms, and you talk again. However, learning should also be visible. When students process information visually and make their thinking visible, they improve in their metacognition and the learning tends to stick. In this article, we explore how to make this happen in virtual learning.

Listen to the Podcast

If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) on Stitcher (ideal for Android users), on Amazon Podcasts, or on Spotify.

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Making-Thinking-Visible.mp3

Make Thinking Visible

I first learned about visible thinking about six years ago when I read Making Thinking Visible. A colleague had recommended the book to me and I realized that I had been using specific visible thinking routines for years after observing a colleague who was an expert at getting her students to think about their thinking. I had been integrating elements of visual thinking into our design thinking and inquiry-based projects as well as our curation process, research process, and brainstorming process.

I want to clarify something here. Visible thinking has nothing to do with "learning styles." Researchers have debunked the idea that certain students are visual learners, auditory learners, or kinesthetic learners. Instead, we all process information using all of our senses and using each of these learning approaches. Visible thinking isn't entirely visual. It incorporates auditory, reading, and kinesthetic elements as well. The core idea of visible thinking is to capture and understand the thinking process in the moment.

As Ron Ritchhart and Mark Church describe it in The Power of Making Thinking Visible, "We want, not only to get our students to think but also to understand that thinking process as it is unfolding, so that we can support it, prompt it, and grow it."

This process focuses not only on what students are learning but on how they are learning it. As students engage in visible thinking strategies, they are more aware of their learning, which can contribute to improved metacognition:

In addition, visible thinking can improve student engagement and student achievement. In my own experience teaching middle school and now at the university level, I have noticed that the learning tends to stick. Students are able to organize their thinking and retain information for a longer time and at a deeper level. So, with that in mind, I want to share specific ways we can help students make their thinking visible in virtual and hybrid spaces. Note that I am moving beyond the specific structures and strategies found in both Making Thinking Visible and The Power of Making Thinking Visible. However, I highly recommend both works, if you haven't checked them out yet. You can also learn more on the Visible Thinking site run by Harvard's Project Zero.

What I would like to share is how we can integrate thinking routines encourage students to visualize and make sense out of their learning in virtual environments.

1. Use visuals to spark new learning

Students can use visible thinking strategies as a way to make sense of new learning and to generate questions that they will explore as they research or design their own experiments. Here, a teacher will provide a video, a graph, or a photo that work as a provocation for deeper learning. This might tie into students' prior knowledge but it might also spark their curiosity. In a virtual science class, students might watch a video of a natural phenomenon or go off-screen and observe their natural world. The teacher can provide one of Harvard Zero's visible thinking strategy, such as see-think-wonder. Students answer the questions:

What do you see?

What do you think about that?

What does it make you wonder?

Individually, students might answer these questions in a Flipgrid video, as a comment on the class LMS, or in a journal. Next, they can discuss these questions in a small group via the Breakout Room option in a video chat.

In some cases, teachers might go more open-ended. Students might look at a photograph in social studies and answer, "What is going on in this picture?" However, you might provide a graphic organizer with the five senses and have students focus on what they would see, feel, smell, hear, and taste in that moment. A more advanced option from Making Thinking Visible is the Step Inside routine, where students watch the video or look at a picture and then answer:

What can this person or thing see, observe, or notice?

What might the person or thing know, understand, hold true, or believe?

What might the person or thing care deeply about?

What might the person or thing wonder about or question?

Again, students can debrief these ideas in a breakout room or they could answer these questions in an LMS, in a Google Form, or in a shared document. You might even have them sketchnote their initial answers (a concept in the next point) or create a mock interview between themselves and the person or object in the historical photo. In a virtual environment, students can wrestle with these ideas using both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools:

Note that this Step Inside routine can also work well as an empathy structure in design thinking.

In a math class, students might look a set of data and ask about trends. But it might also be an opportunity to have students create their own questions. I love Dan Meyer's notion of "What can you do with that?" Here, students look at a picture or a video and then develop their own questions that they eventually solve.

As a former middle school ELL teacher, I used to use these structures as a way to introduce new ideas. Then I would reinforce them by using the visual and doing a Total Physical Response (TPR) for vocabulary. Students would fill out the information in a graphic organizer and practice the hand / body movements as a whole group. In a virtual environment, you can create videos (or have students create videos) of their TPRs and then practice the movement, visual, and definition during synchronous virtual meetings. This is more challenging for older students, where a TPR can feel childish, so it might work best to have students submit their own TPR routines in a video format that they share one-on-one with the teacher.

The key idea is to use visuals to provoke learning, wrestle new ideas, and spark students curiosity. In inquiry-based learning, these routines work well in the first stage:

However, they can also work well in a more traditional lesson as an initial anticipatory set.

2. Encourage students to create visuals to make sense out of current learning

As students begin to make sense out of their learning, they can process these ideas by using sketch-noting. Sketch-notes (also called visual note-taking) consist of a blend of words, pictures, icons, and organizational cues (arrows, circles, dotted lines) used to make sense out of ideas. Students might sketch-note on a tablet or digital notebook (such as a Remarkable 2) or on a sheet of paper. They might do this during the direct instruction portion of a virtual meeting or while they watch a video, listen to a podcast, or read an article. The goal is that they are using their own sketches to wrestle with ideas and make learning visible. Note that it doesn't have to look nice. As the teacher, you'll likely need to stress to students that you are not assessing the artistry of their sketchnotes.

Students might also create an infographic, where they visualize facts and data to tell a compelling story. Some students will prefer a sketch-note style while others will prefer to create their own infographics using online infographic programs. In a language arts or digital media class, students can make sense out of sequential information using a storyboard instead.

Another option is a concept map. Here, students create a web of concepts and share connections between the ideas. A concept map is a bit like a snapshot of the mind in the way it captures how students conceptualize information. Unlike a traditional web, a concept map is not a spoke and wheel. Typically, there are multiple lines moving between ideas. Sometimes students put verbs between the ideas. Other times, they create symbols or use the shapes and the colors to create an organizational system for their maps.

There are some great online concept mapping tools. I've been using CMAP Tools for well over a decade, when I first learned about concept mapping through studying DH Johnassen's notion of technology as mindtools. However, this program can be a little wonky and it looks pretty outdated. In some cases, students will want to sketch out their concept maps in a sketch-note style. But whatever the tool, the goal is for students to make sense out of their learning by showing the connections between ideas. It almost functions as a snapshot of the synaptic connections in their minds.

In Making Thinking Visible, Ritchhart, Church, and Morrison share a concept mapping process that I've found helpful. First, the teacher sets up the process by checking that students know what a concept map is and how it works. This is a great chance for you to show some snapshots but also to sketch out a concept map in person using a Wipebook. Next, students generate a list of words connected to a topic. Afterward, they sort their words or ideas to see which ideas are central. This process works well in pairs through the use of a breakout room in a virtual meeting. Students then create their concept maps by selecting specific words and drawing lines connecting the ideas. They can then elaborate on their ideas by creating sub-categories and adding to the ideas with words or phrases that weren't in the initial generation stage. Finally, they can share their work. This might be in an annotated video that they create using their phones or using a screencast tool. Students can also post their concept maps to a class LMS or discuss similarities and differences between concept maps with their classmates.

Students can make sense out of current information visually using a shared sketch note concept. In Making Thinking Visible, the authors share the Chalk Talk protocol, which is similar to a graffiti board. In an online space, you can use an annotated whiteboard (an option on Zoom) or a Jamboard as a shared thinking space. You might also use an online program with space for students to share their thinking on virtual sticky notes.

3. Create structures to help students organize their thinking

As students make sense out of their ideas, they can begin to organize information visually. This might be something like a spreadsheet or a graph or it might be an outline or a slideshow. As teachers, we can help students organize information by providing easy-to-use graphic organizers. For example, you might provide a flow chart to understand systems. You might have students create Venn Diagrams for comparing and contrasting information. Many of these small graphic organizers work well as a way to add structure and accountability to breakout room discussions in virtual class meetings.

In Making Thinking Visible, the authors provide great protocols for organizing thinking, including connect-extend-challenge, where students answer:

How is the artwork or object connected to something you know about?

What new ideas or impressions do you have that extended your thinking in new directions?

What is challenging or confusing?

This can easily work within a table. In addition, if you having students do a group brainstorm, you can start with a structured brainstorm:

As they evaluate their ideas, they can use the compass points from Making Thinking Visible, which can easily work well in a graphic organizer. The compass points stand for the following:

E = Excited - What excites you about this idea or propositions? What's the upside?

W = Worrisome - What do you find worrisome about this idea or proposition? What's the downside?

N = Need to Know - What else do you need to know or find out about this idea or proposition? What additional information would help you to evaluate things?

S = Stance or Suggestion for Moving Forward - What is your current stance or opinion on the idea or proposition? How might you move forward in your evaluation of this idea or proposition?

Students can fill these out as a group in a shared document (Google Document). Other times, you might do a carousel activity. In a traditional classroom, students move from place to place adding their insights or giving peer feedback. In a virtual classroom, you can place students in breakout rooms and then use one larger Google Document. Students can then fill out information on graphic organizers as they rotate around the document. I typically create a 5-10 minute time limit and broadcast a message to each group. So, they might read a case study and then add to a connect-extend-challenge table for each case study. At the top of each case study, I have the current group name and then when it's time to rotate, I broadcast a message and change the group name on the document. Students can then read the next group's information and add their own while also inserting comments.

If students are engaging in project management, they can visualize their thinking related to the project planning process:

One of my favorite visual options is Trello. Note that Trellow works well for older students, because of issues around CIPA and COPPA compliance. With Trello, students can share a project management board and then move tasks from one location to a new location (such as to-do, doing, finished). They make it easy to archive lists and add resources and links to things like Google Docs. Often, students will break down their projects into a set of task cards with the sub-tasks on a to-do list. Here, they can check to see how close they are to completing the task by checking the progress bar.

Students can also organize their thinking visually when they engage in content curation:

In a virtual class, students can engage in visual curation using a platform such as Pinterest. Again, it's important to remember local district policies and to follow CIPA and COPPA compliance. For this reason, you might want to use a student visual curation tool, such as Padlet. I used to love EduClipper for younger students but I haven't found a great visual curation alternatives.

4. Use visible thinking to help students reflect on their learning

Students can use visible thinking strategies to reflect on their learning. In a recent podcast episode of How I Built This, Tim Ferris described the value of watching video of a performance and reflecting on what worked and didn't work. It was a critical part of how he mastered tango dancing but also how he improves in his workouts or learns new sports. Many of the previous examples have been connected to conceptual learning. But many skills are performance-based. Students in music, art, P.E., and even STEAM might want to record their actions and analyze the videos to make improvements. They can also create video reflections using a tool like Flipgrid or they can create a screencast video where they analyze their writing or reflect on their problem-solving in math.

In a virtual learning class, you might integrate this process with the 20-minute peer feedback process:

Students might do the peer feedback synchronously in breakout rooms or they might provide each phase in a shared Google Document.

Making Visible Thinking a Priority

Visible thinking is about more than merely the protocols found in Making Thinking Visible. It's what happens any time a student makes sense out of their thinking by making it visible - whether that's in a graphic organizer, in a conversation, or with a sketch. This visible thinking process can help students make sense out of what they are thinking and how they are thinking, which can help with the retention of information as well as the deeper understanding of concepts. Along the way, they have a deeper sense of ownership over the thinking process and that can help them to develop into empowered learners. This is especially important in virtual learning, where you, as a teacher, can't always be physically present. But, more importantly, it's the kind of thing students can use forever.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Power of Visible Thinking in Virtual Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's easy for a virtual class session to slip into a talking head approach. You turn on the camera and students see your face. At times, you might toggle back and forth between a slideshow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teaching is hard.

16 Ways To Reduce Your Teacher Workload

by Terry Heick

There are many ways to reduce your teacher workload-to work smarter and not harder as a teacher.

Working 'less hard' may seem counter-intuitive, but it's important to do so because teaching as a calling is important. The result is that we push ourselves-and are pushed by others-to be as close as we can be to perfect. This may not be our best thinking.

In public education, defined in terms and standards that it defines and measures itself by, perfect teaching means bringing every child to master every academic standard, then to be able to prove that mastery on a government-designed test.

This is a tragically limited view of knowledge, societal trends, and human potential, but let's just accept that in 2020, that's just where and what education 'is'; to argue against this definition the work of innovation and progressive thinking and clean-sheet learning design, and that's not what this post is about.

This post is about helping teachers.

So below, I've listed some strategies to save teachers time, effort, angst, or wasted potential. The big idea is helping you work smarter, and not harder, as a teacher.

While the benefits of smarter-not-harder-teaching include less mental and physical fatigue and likely more contentment as a professional and sustainability in your career, perhaps the most critical boon is to your creativity and inner genius: A cluttered mind burdened with task and tedium can't readily achieve its own potential. There are warning signs of teacher burnout-don't overlook them.

So many teachers are amazingly gifted, but never quite find the space in their own mind and heart to bring it all together at the same time, and after four or five years of mediocrity, just accept that that's what 'they are' or what 'education is.' And it doesn't have to be that way.

As it is, the field of education focuses on weaknesses and accountability and certification and data and committees and compliance. There is little room for greatness or reward for innovation or flexibility for the kinds of risk-taking and genius that innovation requires. If we want amazing teachers, we need to quit making it so difficult to be amazing.

Right, so, on to the list. 16 seems like a lot of tips, but not all will work for everyone. If you can just find two or three that help, that'd be a good start.

16 Ways To Reduce Your Teacher Workload

1. Stop Focusing on Your Weaknesses

There are certain things you do well-some even exceptionally well. Use those to drive your teaching. Whether you're creative, energetic, charismatic, forward-thinking, organized, effortlessly collaborative, hip, intellectual-whatever you are, use it.

By all means, if you're not strong with technology or classroom management or assessment or data, work to bolster those weaknesses. But as you plan your own teaching and the growth of your career, work backward from your strengths as you shift from working harder to working smarter.

2. Create a System and Schedule for School and Home

Sometimes you need to bring work home, and sometimes you'll need to bring home to work. That's part of being a human being.

But smart teaching requires a system and a schedule-some way to organize your priorities and workflow. Rules for grading (e.g., everything is graded within 48 hours or we grade it as a class or use self-assessment), rules for using your planning period (e.g., no cellphone), or rules for what work you let yourself take home (e.g., consider refinement of unit plans based on what you're seeing in class as 'okay' to do at home while 'grading papers' not)-anything that creates a kind of system you can depend on and refine as you go along that keeps you from unchecked inefficiency and long nights staring bleary-eyed at papers.

This is a simple way to reduce your workload as a teacher.

3. Make it Your Job to be Inspired

Being inspired and curious and enthusiastic and full of wonder are prep-requisites for excellence in most 'fields' and domains. Protecting your inspiration and your gifts and your little guilty pleasures as a teacher is as critical as being able to quiet a noisy classroom or extract takeaways from data.

4. Create Intentional Spaces

Physically and digitally, create specific spaces to organization, creativity, technology, neurology, etc.

As a metaphor, think Pinterest boards for each area crucial to your success as a teacher, but not just Pinterest - think communities and books and social media channels and online courses and websites and small-scale PLNs and whatever else you need as a teacher. If it's important to you, make it a priority - and making a literal 'space' for it can make that possible.

5. Say 'No'

You have to be selective here, of course. Don't tell that student that needs you 'no,' or your principal when they ask for documentation for something. But set clear boundaries for yourself and your time that make great teaching sustainable for you. You're not good to students if you burn yourself out.

6. Work With a 'Do less' Partner

Kind of like a workout buddy-someone to keep you company, share tips and ideas with, or hold one another accountable for working less-to reduce your workload as a teacher.

7. Delegate, Share, Empower

These are classic 'save yourself time' strategies. If not done well, they can end up costing you more time than they save; even done intelligently there can be an implementation dip. But get them right and stick with them, and others can grow alongside you as a teacher.

By delegating the right tasks to the right people, you can save time and increase the capacity of students. Delegate the creation of study cards, the creation and ongoing updating of a 'homework' folder for students that miss class, the editing and uploading and tagging of video for a flipped classroom, maintenance of the class website, use of class social media-what would actually help here depends on your classroom, but the lesson remains: spread the burden-and opportunity-of the day-to-day operation of your classroom.

You can share, too. Share lessons with other teachers. Share data - or share the administrating of data-giving fluency probes or mini-assessments. Share the responsibility for maintaining the bulletin board down at the end of the hall. Share apps through an iCloud account. Share the work of proactively calling home to parents by rotating with other teachers on your team or in your department. You get the idea.

Empowering those around you can make for smarter teaching, too. This is a lot like 'delegating,' but with more freedom. Instead of delegating a specific task, you can empower a student with autonomy for a specific purpose so that they can identify necessary tasks, then complete them and revise needs accordingly. For example, instead of delegating the changing of pictures for the proverbial bulletin board down the hall, you empower them to use the board entirely at their own discretion. They decide what it's used for and how to make it happen. Oversight is necessary, but by delegating your workload as a teacher is reduced.

And that's smart.

8. Become Learning-Model Literate

Learning models are powerful strategies for innovation in education-and a way to work smarter, not harder as a teacher. A learning model is really just an approach for learning-a pattern or sequence or set of strategies and values designed to promote learning. Each usually has a certain shtick - a problem it addresses or a benefit it seeks to provide.

The flipped classroom, for example, is a model that simply 'flips' the kinds of work students do at home and what they do at school. One 'drawback' is the demand for technology, but a benefit is an opportunity for improved ongoing learning feedback as they practice new skills. This has the potential to save you time as a teacher, but that (obviously) can't happen if you don't A) Know what a 'flipped classroom' is and B) Understand exactly how it might work and C) Know the ins and outs to really optimizing its function to help students.

The more you're aware of emerging trends and models, the more you can bring bits and pieces into your classroom for practice, or even adapting new frameworks outright to further reduce your workload as a teacher.

9. Do Less

Not everything you do needs to be done. It's not always easy to see that in real-time, but in hindsight, it can be clear. Not all tasks are equally valuable.

10. Reflect

See #9. Strong and consistent reflection is the closest you'll ever come to being able to predict the future.

11. Use Technology Effectively

Tech, done well, can save you an extraordinary amount of time. Seeing patterns in student errors through data analysis. Giving voice feedback to student writing. Creating quizzes that grade themselves. Empowering students for self-directed learning through carefully curated resources and networks. Automatic curation of select project-based learning artifacts. Notifications sent home. Sharing student work with parents with the push of a button.

Learn what tech does what, and start experimenting.

12. Don't Grade Everything

And even what you do grade, consider only grading the work smarter for specific items that are most likely to benefit that student for that skill that they need the most.

13. Use Social Media Effectively

Like #11, using social media can save you time by reducing communication barriers, increasing the relative velocity of information, scale certain tasks effortlessly, creating visibility for student progress, and more. Use social media effectively, then help students do the same.

14. Prioritize

This is similar to #9. Know what's most important, and do more of that to reduce your workload as a teacher. Identify what's less important, and do less of that.

Prioritization isn't rocket science, you've just got to have the courage to do it.

15. Use Emotion Intentionally

Emotion is what drives us as human beings. Affection, curiosity, insecurity, hope. Love. 'How' to use emotion to teacher smarter is probably a little esoteric, and this post is already almost 2000 words so I'll just stop short and say that emotion is what energizes you - and is also what fatigues you.

And students.

Know what kinds of thoughts and activities and projects and grouping activities and patterns cause what sorts of emotions, and you can begin to master the art of teaching.

16. Talk *with* rather than *to* parents

Talk with them. Not all will be able to 'help,' but we can agree that it's 'smart' to have parents at least on the same page with you as a teacher, and talking to-or worse, down to-them is the quickest way to make sure that doesn't happen.

It's difficult to get busy parents on board with over-worked teachers to help over-tested students, but what's the alternative? To whatever degree you are able, collaborate with them instead.

At worst, they'll 'know what's going on at school,' and at best they just might surprise you with support, resources, ideas, and other avenues to make your life easier, and student outcomes more compelling and enduring.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
16 Ways To Reduce Your Teacher Workload - TeachThought

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching is hard. by Terry Heick There are many ways to reduce your teacher workload-to work smarter and not harder as a teacher. Working 'less hard' may seem counter-intuitive, but it's important to do so because teaching as a calling is important.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The popular Google app facilitates meaningful collaboration for both remote and in-class students.

Student email: "Yesterday's Zoom class was the most interactive and engaging Zoom class that I have been a part of, so thank you!"

Me: (Mental fist pump)

My excitement came not because I wanted accolades but because I had worked hard to make my hybrid class as interactive as my in-person class. This gave me hope that I was achieving my goal. I was able to accomplish this through activities designed using Jamboard, an app as well as a Google Suite tool that functions as a digital whiteboard.

As an education professor, I teach my college courses using strategies that I used with my K-12 students, and Jamboard is an excellent tool to use when some of your students are learning at home and some are in class.

6 Strategies for Using Jamboard During Hybrid Learning

1. Concept maps: My first dive into Jamboard was to have students create concept maps. I started with a short group activity and discussion to get my students talking about the day's content. Next, I put my students in breakout rooms on Zoom to create concept maps using Jamboard to show what they had learned about the content. Since one Jamboard can have several boards, I assigned each group a different board. To make it simple, I labeled the boards 1, 2, etc. Three of my students were in person, and the rest were virtual. The cool thing is that virtual and in-person students can work together on the same board at the same time.

I gave the students a short tutorial, and they went right to work. They had fun using different colors and shapes to make their boards attractive as well as informative. I was able to watch them work on their boards as they were creating them. I also hopped in and out of the breakout rooms to make sure everything was going well. After a designated time, I had them wrap it up and brought everyone back together to present the boards.

Since I had created multiple boards on one Jamboard, everyone could see all of the boards. This made it easy for the students to look at the boards as they were presented. The boards provided a wonderful discussion and teaching opportunity. I was able to expand on what they said and correct misconceptions. I added one last board at the end for them to post questions they still had. This allowed everyone to read the questions as I answered them.

It was very exciting to see and hear the engagement as I flipped through the boards, went into the breakout rooms, and walked around my classroom. The students were actively processing the information.

2. Inductive learning: Lessons that use this method call on students to investigate and categorize small bits of information in order to find patterns. I love using this at the beginning of a unit to help students connect to background knowledge and develop a foundation for their new learning, as well as at the end of a unit to solidify student understanding and clarify misunderstandings.

To incorporate Jamboard, copy and paste vocabulary words or concepts you want to use onto one board in your Jamboard. Then duplicate the board in the same Jamboard, creating one board for each small group you have. If you teach the same class more than once, you can duplicate the entire Jamboard for another class. Have each small group organize the words into categories that make sense to them. After they finish, have each group share their thinking with everyone else.

3. Gallery walk: I enjoy using this for review questions to determine understanding or as a jigsaw to share learning. Write a different question, statement, or concept on each board, or have the students create a board to share. Put students in breakout rooms. Start each group at a different board. Have them discuss what's on the board and write a response. To keep everyone on track, use a timer, and have groups move to the next board when the timer goes off.

4. Four corners: Use something that can have multiple answers. Give each corner one possible solution, theory, or plan. Have the students choose their breakout room based on their choice of the best solution. Provide a board in your Jamboard for each corner. In their breakout rooms, they can build a case for their corner. They can present their ideas on their board to strengthen their case. Come back together to present ideas.

5. Idea lineup: Use this before and after a discussion. Choose a topic that elicits strong opinions. Create a Jamboard with a line that has the opposite choices at each end. Have the students put their initials, a picture, or a Bitmoji of themselves on the line showing where they stand on the matter at the beginning of class. Next, have a discussion and/or lecture. Close class with a new board where students place themselves again and talk about how their opinion did or did not change and why.

6. Vocabulary Vine: This is one of my favorite ways to strengthen vocabulary. Divide students into breakout rooms, and give each room its own board. Preload the boards with the vocabulary words on sticky notes. Have students start with one word and determine how it connects to another word. They will create a new sticky note between the words to show the connection.

One of my graduates, Jessica McDermitt, used Jamboard to do Vocabulary Vine in her high school English classroom.
Courtesy of Linnea Lyding
The ideas are endless. As a movement researcher, I ask my students to get up between boards. They can walk, jump, or dance around their room. Can you see it? Fun and learning combined in a hybrid classroom! (Real fist pump)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Ways to Jam on Jamboard: Using the Digital Whiteboard in a Hybrid Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The popular Google app facilitates meaningful collaboration for both remote and in-class students. Student email: "Yesterday's Zoom class was the most interactive and engaging Zoom class that I have been a part of, so thank you!"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Focusing on connections-both conceptual and interpersonal-helps teachers work well together to create engaging math work for students.

As math coaches, we've worked for months now with teachers who are striving to create lively, inviting virtual classrooms. Over time, it's become clear that there is one consistent ingredient for success when it comes to student engagement in remote math instruction: making connections, both conceptual and interpersonal. When teachers embrace an understanding of the importance of connections and apply it in different ways in their instruction and relationships, student engagement is fortified-and teachers are buoyed by their success.

Consider Visibility

Whether you are in a school building or teaching remotely, student thinking-including connections they make among ideas-needs to inform your teaching decisions; collecting student thinking and making it visible informs teachers' planning for the next day's lesson.

When you are in a brick-and-mortar classroom, you are constantly assessing how students are doing, watching them work out problems on the whiteboard and looking at how students arrive at their conclusions. But when you teach remotely, it can be very difficult to actually see students' work in real time-their thinking can be frustratingly opaque. Without that real-time, right-in-front-of-you insight, planning what's next is challenging.

The right platform can make all the difference when it comes to making student thinking visible, so look for tools that not only promote student engagement but make student thinking transparent; that transparency will inform your instructional decisions.

Jamboard, Classkick, Padlet, Pear Deck, and Nearpod are all platforms that both promote student engagement and capture student thinking. They also allow teachers to watch their whole class, on one screen, in real time, so that students can engage with each other and build on each other's ideas to arrive at a richer understanding of mathematics. With these tools, students can show what they know; teachers are then armed with the information they need, and, just as important, students feel seen.

Jamboard, for example, allows students to work collaboratively on the same page and offers options for students to share their thinking by text, drawing, dragging images, and inserting photos of their work into the page. Envision for a moment second graders studying the difference between two numbers: on a Jamboard, students or teachers can insert images of two people and visually compare the heights. From there, students can see that subtraction is not just a removal but the distance between two numbers-a subject for robust in-class analysis. Based on what they see in Jamboard, the teachers can offer immediate feedback to the whole class or to an individual student.

When selecting an online tool or platform, it is important to have a clear math learning goal in mind. Start with what you want your students to learn, and from there explore which tools can deliver on that, and how.

Use Strong Math Routines Regularly

Child psychologist Lev Vygotsky said, "Social interaction is the origin and engine of learning." Creating opportunities for students to connect, engage, and collaborate with rich tasks is a crucial part of a remote classroom-and so is creating the expectation of that regular, consistent experience among your students.

Daily five-to-10-minute math routines, which are designed to develop students' numeracy skills, reasoning, and sense making, are the perfect tool for practicing critical thinking skills and connecting concepts, and they help build students' confidence. Moreover, when students know what to expect, rather than focusing on the pragmatics of the task, they get to the heart of the mathematical inquiry, develop their own questions, and build on their own intuition.

One routine we use is notices and wonders, in which the teacher shares a math image, math task, or student work and asks, "What do you notice? What do you wonder?" The teacher makes it clear that there is no right or wrong answer. This routine builds a learning environment where everyone in the classroom is an intellectual contributor; something that seems obvious to one student is an insight for another. Since the ideas are coming from the students rather than the teacher, students' engagement, motivation, and curiosity is greater-they become more inclined to behave like mathematicians and sense makers whose ideas matter.

Notices and wonders can also prompt students to look at each other's work, again helping them to make connections with each other and analyze and collaborate to surface important mathematical ideas.

Some of our other favorite daily math routines include number talks, same but different, Splat!, Which one doesn't belong?, visual number talks, and slow reveal. The goal of all these routines is to create a " thinking classroom "-one where students' ideas are elevated and rich mathematics is explored.

Collaborate With Colleagues

Microinteractions in schools weave a tapestry of trust and interdependence among staff, but these days teachers have less contact with their peers and fewer opportunities to engage in the natural exchange of insights and practices. Since these connections among teachers, whether formal or informal, are key to successful student learning, you have to make a point of fostering them in a remote environment.

Schools that had PLCs (professional learning communities) or CFGs (critical friends groups) in place pre-pandemic already have protocols in place, but schools can still initiate regular meetings for teachers, math coaches, and administrators so they can work and think together. This way they can share problems of practice, success stories, and digital tools, and look at student work together. Doing mathematics with a colleague before teaching the lesson with students can be particularly productive because it provides an opportunity to relearn the math, gain a clearer version of the math goal, and experience multiple ways to approach the same problem.

We've noticed that teachers who work closely with colleagues are more grounded and more successful. Collaborating closely with colleagues removes barriers between classrooms. "Your students" becomes "our students"-again, it's a practice of building connections. Working together and learning more deeply about the content we teach allows us to enact the very practices we are trying to instill in our students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creating an Inviting Virtual Math Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Focusing on connections-both conceptual and interpersonal-helps teachers work well together to create engaging math work for students. As math coaches, we've worked for months now with teachers who are striving to create lively, inviting virtual classrooms. Over time, it's become clear that there is one consistent ingredient for success when it comes to student engagement in remote math instruction: making connections, both conceptual and interpersonal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by TeachThought Staff

How can you make remote teaching more enjoyable?

Easier? More sustainable for both you and students? Of course, there's no magic wand but we've gathered some thoughts below.

This post is a mix of tools, tips, and strategies. If you're looking only for tools, you can read more about the best remote teaching tools. So we won't mention the obvious tools like Zoom or Google Hangouts or Skype or Microsoft Teams.

We're also going to skip the more obvious and fundamental ways to improve streaming such as a decent camera and microphone, strong WiFi, and well-lit, dedicated area for streaming your class, unique backdrops, and some of the more well-known strategies.

Oh, one more thing: more than ever, ideas like 'teaching what's most important,' power standards, or however you approach this concept is necessary. Approach every lesson with, 'If they learn absolutely nothing else, every student will be able to...'.

On to the list.

15 Ways To Make Remote Teaching Easier-And More Enjoyable

1. Adopt the right mindset

This is critical for any challenging endeavor: how to think about it.

Just like in a physical classroom, the perspective and biases and hopes and fears and daily intentions you bring to remote teaching (and eLearning in general) will largely dictate the results.

Part of this is also considering different goals-not lowering standards but considering the sociocultural circumstance and developing objectives and goals and outcomes that make sense for your students and are sustainable for you and your class.

Being flexible. Tolerating uncertainty. Laughing when something's funny. (See below.)

2. Plan for the worst and hope for the best

Plan lessons with the worst in mind-zero engagement, barking dogs, dropped WiFi connections, etc.-and, as in life, hope for the best.

Be flexible and remember that the whole point of education is to empower children and improve life outcomes and the academics are just a strategy to get there.

Habits of Mind can help here-see What Are The Habits Of Mind? Also helpful? A sense of humor:

Teaching six year olds via zoom is so funny. I'll spend 15 minutes explaining a literacy task and when I ask if they have any questions they'll be like "do you have a cat?"
- ☁️ s o f t b o y ☁️ (@softboyuk) January 13, 2021

3. Use new grouping strategies & activities

You've probably learned this already but grouping is an incredibly useful remote teaching strategy but traditional 'elbow partner' or 'stand and find someone who...' approaches don't work in eLearning environments.

The more grouping strategies (and activities that lend themselves well to eLearning groups) you have in your teach toolbelt, the easier you'll be able to adjust during lessons on the fly.

4. Start with student engagement

Student engagement is an obvious goal for any teacher but the idea of planning expressly for student engagement from the beginning is less common. Easier said than done, of course-and a post of its own. To get started, see Remote Teaching Tips For Student Engagement.

5. Use planned and intentional 'calls to action' intermittently

To feel engaged and empowered, students also need to feel 'accountable'-not behavior-wise but to the learning itself. If you embed specific calls to action for every student-an ongoing 3-2-1 (3 questions, 2 comments, and 1 epiphany, for example) strategy that they record on a Google Document and you check after class-students have a better chance to engage and demonstrate learning.

6. Know your screencasting, live streaming, and recording tools.

We like Loom, and (of course) Zoom and other platforms all have their niches. The idea is to have tools that allow you to record streams-tools that you are comfortable with, that work on your given hardware, and that make sense to improve learning outcomes for your students.

You may also need an easy way to share large files.

7. Strengthen the bond

Team-building may be even more important in remote teaching and learning than it is in-person. Of course, this requires alternatives to the kinds of team-building games you use in the classroom.

8. New formats and workflows for remote teaching

This thread is an excellent example:

THREAD: Remote Teaching
I've spoken to a few people recently about our remote teaching approach and thought I'd share some of our ideas here for anyone who many find them useful.
1. We use Google Classroom and post lessons which include videos, Google Forms and any other docs
- Claire Hill (@Claire_Hill_) January 14, 2021

OneTab is a way to reduce the numbers of tabs you need to have at any one time by allowing you to save all open tabs with the press of a button.

10. Revise and adapt your 'class rules' and other policies

This includes rules, norms, grading policies, late-work policies, and other procedural elements of teaching and learning that have been turned upside down by the shift to remote teaching.

11. Humanize the digital spaces

As much as possible, humanize the digital spaces to make them feel more inviting to students and more 'belonging to your classroom' rather than your classroom merely using a digital space.

Use music and art and familiar videos and any other media form that helps emphasize the human and community elements of the remote teaching and learning process.

12. Have a central location to organize your digital classroom

In addition to Google Drive, Google Classroom, Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft Teams, also consider Trello and Nifty.

You will undoubtedly use dozens of tools-tools for video, for messaging, for document sharing, for grading, and so on. Keep a 'command center' of what you use and need and value as a teacher will help keep you sane and reduce the 'I feel like I'm forgetting something...' or 'I wonder if I should be doing more...' feelings.

13. Digital meeting formats and/or norms

This is a problem: 'quick meetings' that drag on far longer than they should. When meeting with colleagues, set meeting norms and boundaries beforehand and 'check-in' with those norms periodically during the meeting.

As much as possible, share the workload-with students, for starters. Never work harder than they do. Also with colleagues: divide large tasks and conquer them together. Don't reinvent the wheel; if what you need is already out there, use it.

Even involving your own family (where appropriate) to pitch in with routine tasks can make remote teaching less mundane and closer to what you signed up for when you decided to become a teacher: a way to change the lives of children.

15. Use new teaching and learning models

Whole class, direct instruction for 60 mins (or even 30) isn't ideal for PhDs in a physical classroom and it's nowhere near the best approach for 9 year-olds learning fractions.

Start with an entry ticket/slip to pre-assess. Use timed direct instruction for 12 minutes (with a timer they can see), transition to group work for 10 minutes, then assess with a digital exit ticket. Maybe mix in a few minutes of Genius Hour. Then use a team-building game that practices a skill or concept critical to your classroom.

Or use Sync Teaching. Self-Directed Learning. Whatever you do, adopt the tools (teaching strategies) to the function (facilitating learning in a remote teaching and learning environment).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
15 Ways To Make Remote Teaching Easier--And More Enjoyable |

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by TeachThought Staff How can you make remote teaching more enjoyable? Easier? More sustainable for both you and students? Of course, there's no magic wand but we've gathered some thoughts below. This post is a mix of tools, tips, and strategies. If you're looking only for tools, you can read more about the best remote teaching tools .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In order to customize learning for their children, parents and guardians need learning objectives and ways to achieve those goals. Teachers can be the partners that families need by providing them information and tools to assess student progress.

Give the Scope

Define for parents or guardians the big picture or the scope of what needs to be learned this year. One parent said she feels like she is flying blind, not knowing if her children are learning what they need to learn. Explaining the full scope of the curriculum can help families better prepare for individual lessons.

Teachers understand how some content is best taught in progression, and they know the ways to lay foundations of understanding before moving to the next objective. Conveying that process to families can guide their work. For example, in fourth grade, students learn to master multiplication of several digits. Begin by pointing families to resources to learn the mechanics of multiplication. Then introduce ways they can use the new skills in real life. If parents and guardians know the progression of the learning goals, it is easier to guide their children in that direction through multi-digit math experiences in the store or at the farmer's market. When parents know the scope of what their child needs to learn, they understand the purpose behind the learning activities and can take advantage of real-world applications.

Communicate Learning Goals

Parents and guardians need the "I can" statements that define learning goals. If parents know the goal, they can find alternative learning opportunities to get to that end, and they can evaluate if their child actually can do it when they are done.

Explain the importance of setting clear learning targets to parents or guardians. Encourage them to frame goals with an "I can..." sentence stem format. Make sure the goals are specific and measurable. For example, instead of "I can understand equivalent fractions," students write, "I can find four equivalent fractions for ½, ¾, and 7/16." Having specific outcomes in mind can help families develop lessons that serve the learning goals. In addition, clear and measurable goals will make assessment easier for parents and guardians.

Parents and guardians can share the end objectives with students as well. Research shows that students benefit from knowing the goal of the learning.

Provide Resources

Once parents or guardians have the scope and goals, they need the tools to deepen and extend learning. Rather than providing a list of online activities or assignment options, begin by assessing parents' needs. My most successful teachers found that taking the time to call, video chat, or message parents about what they need is critical. Discuss the student's progress and any challenges they are facing. Once those needs are identified, it is easier for teachers to provide tailored resources for the family.

Offering resources doesn't require explaining the pedagogy behind each tool. While some parents or guardians may not know about project-based learning or collaborative teams, they may benefit from implementing resources based on those principles. Some of the teachers in my school found that sharing fun learning activities based on these ideas, even if they did not share a full explanation of the process, was successful.

Encourage Flexibility

Parents and guardians want the flexibility to alter assignments to meet the needs of their family and individual students. One parent with multiple school-aged children told the teacher, "Sorry if I don't get all of your assignments done. We decided to learn together rather than individually."

Not everyone in the family must, or can, do the same thing to learn. A fourth-grade teacher at my school requested that the family go on nature walks. Her student was asked to keep a notebook of the plants and animals observed and write a paragraph for each entry. The other children in the family could draw or take pictures of what they found. After they returned, they shared what was unique about what they found. Flexibility in assignments allows families to learn together.

Distance learning also means that some parents may struggle, and teachers have to be prepared with alternative plans to help them find success. When parents encounter difficulties in getting students to focus, a teacher can offer to do video lessons with the students. An intervention by a teacher, even temporarily, can help get a student back on track.

Teachers and schools are making all sorts of accommodations for learning at home. To help families succeed, teachers can provide clear communication, the big picture of what the student needs to learn, and the necessary support for the parents and guardians to succeed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Coach Parents Who Are Teaching at Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In order to customize learning for their children, parents and guardians need learning objectives and ways to achieve those goals. Teachers can be the partners that families need by providing them information and tools to assess student progress. Define for parents or guardians the big picture or the scope of what needs to be learned this year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Problem-based learning and project-based learning provide a rich opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge, expand their repertoire of technical skills, and enhance their appreciation of thinking tools, processes, and strategies.

It is not enough, however, to understand concepts and principles and to solve that one problem, as challenging as it might be. The essential outcome is to develop and expand the dispositions of skillful problem solvers who can apply their learnings to an ever-expanding array of challenges not only in commonly taught subjects in school but also in their communities, in their world, and in their lives.

While we are interested in how many answers individuals know, we are even more interested in how they behave when they don't know-when they are confronted with life's problems the answers to which are not immediately known. The larger goal is for enhanced performance under challenging conditions that demand strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity, and craftsmanship to resolve complex problems.

Achieving this vision requires the internalization of certain dispositions-propensities or 'Habits of Mind.'

See also 16 Strategies For Integrating The Habits of Mind In The Classroom

According to Kallick and Costa, the Habits of Mind are less about behavior and more about intent.

A "Habit of Mind" means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems, the answers to which are not immediately known. When humans experience dichotomies, are confused by dilemmas, or come face to face with uncertainties-our most effective actions require drawing forth certain patterns of intellectual behavior. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality, and greater significance than if we fail to employ those patterns of intellectual behaviors.

Habits of Mind are dispositions that are skillfully and mindfully employed by characteristically intelligent, successful people when they are confronted with problems, the solutions to which are not immediately apparent. When we draw upon these mental resources, the results are more powerful, of higher quality, and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those habits.

Employing Habits of Mind requires a composite of many skills, attitudes cues, past experiences, and proclivities. It means that we value one pattern of thinking over another, and therefore it implies choice making about which habit should be employed at which time. It includes sensitivity to the contextual cues in a situation signaling that it is an appropriate time and circumstance to employ this pattern.

It requires a level of skillfulness to carry through the behaviors effectively over time. Finally, it leads individuals to reflect on, evaluate, modify, and carry forth their learnings to future applications. It implies goal setting for improved performance and making a commitment to continued self-modification.

See also What's The One Thing They'll Remember From Their Time With You?

While there may be more, 16 characteristics of effective problem-solvers have been derived from studies of efficacious problem-solvers from many walks of life. (Costa and Kallick, 2009). The list of Habits of Mind appears below.

1. Persisting

2. Managing Impulsivity

3. Listening with Understanding and Empathy

4. Thinking Flexibly

5. Thinking about Thinking

6. Striving for Accuracy

7. Questioning and Posing Problems

8. Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations

9. Thinking and Communicating with Clarity & Precision

10. Gathering Data Through All Senses

11. Creating, Imagining, Innovating

12. Responding with Wonderment and Awe

13. Taking Responsible Risks

14. Finding Humor

15. Thinking Interdependently

16. Remaining Open to Continuous Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What are Habits Of Mind? Habits of Mind are dispositions mindfully employed by characteristically 'successful' people when they are confronted with problems.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Implementing this method makes dividing a teacher's time between students in class and those working at home much easier.

UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock

As a result of the pandemic, many schools throughout the country are moving forward with the hybrid learning model, combining face-to-face instruction with both synchronous and asynchronous learning. The tricky part is during synchronous class time when some students are in class and the rest are at home. How can a teacher best manage in-person and at-home learning at once? According to Dr. Kristen Turner, "Teachers who are being asked to do concurrent teaching (it is technically not a hybrid/blended model unless lessons are designed virtually/asynchronously for those who are not present face-to-face) are facing an enormous challenge. No one has been trained for this scenario."

Let's begin to address this challenge with backward-design basics. Only after we know the lesson goals and assessments can we make decisions about the class schedule and range of activities, including who is doing what at what time, whether in person or at home.

One of the seven models of blended learning that stands out due to its ease of use is station rotation. The Blended Learning Universe site reports that the station rotation model "allows students to rotate through stations on a fixed schedule, where at least one of the stations is an online learning station." The inner workings of the model allow teachers to align a variety of activities to the learning goal and then break up the class into small groups to closely monitor their progress while students actively engage in the content.

To accurately reflect the station rotation model in our era of social distancing, students who are in person are grouped in squares so that all peers are only six feet apart and can easily turn to each other to talk. Students at home should be grouped together to easily shift into asynchronous instruction as the teacher decides how the learners will divide their time among stations.

A station rotation setup uses small groups for the purpose of teacher-led instruction, online learning, collaborative activities, and offline learning. Here is a sample lesson plan template for a station rotation; this is a good way to begin to map out your stations. When you are ready to go live, here is a great template to use for planning your rotation and sharing it with students.

4 Stations to Provide Teachers Greater Flexibility

1. An online learning station for independent practice.Use of the online learning station helps to drive immediate data-informed instruction. The online station is maximized by investing in a web-based learning platform that provides standards-aligned immediate feedback to the learner and teacher. With a focus on priority instructional content, teachers can leverage learning.

Several low-cost or free programs provide teachers with an effective way of getting students to practice grade-level material with immediate feedback upon completion signifying progress on the standards. At the end of the online learning station time, in-person students move on to the next station, with students at home potentially joining a virtual, small-group station.

2. A teacher-led station for real-time feedback. The teacher-led station begins with the learning goal. The STEPS Small Group Lesson Plan Form can work across content areas to teach into the learning goal and effectively work within the established time frame. Students try out the learning, and the teacher makes observations while providing real-time feedback in the instructional moment.

The teacher-led station is highly coveted instructional time. It's when connections are made, and teachers get to know how kids learn to better plan for and support their progress.

3. A no-tech station for independent practice. An offline station is critical to avoid screen fatigue in a virtually demanding environment. Materials such as books, notebooks, manipulatives, and other resources should be distributed at once to the students to keep for the duration of the marking period or semester. Students may be journaling in a marble composition notebook, reading a book, or creating a graphic organizer to self-check their knowledge of the content.

The first table in this article offers questions to promote students' understanding in planning, monitoring, and evaluating their work, which can be used in a journal entry. Ideally, the independent practice may serve as a time to engage in routine, written reflection.

4. A collaborative-learning station using peers as partners. This station can be hosted in a mixed (at-home and in-person) small group. It may also be an in-person group of four students in their square and an only-at-home group holding a virtual meeting. When only one group is in this station at once, ideally one in person or one virtual, the teacher can check for understanding by taking a brief pause from their teacher-led station.

Equally important, students build relationships, confidence, and trust by learning to rely on each other in group work. Here is a reference for establishing formal, cooperative-learning groups along with research that supports the need for socialization during student learning to grow understanding.

Before Stations Rotate: Invite a Brain Break

Students benefit from a brain break and physical movement every 15 to 20 minutes, or the typical duration of one station activity. Before transitioning into the next station, end the station by inviting all students, whether in school or at home, to stand up tall, stretch their arms out, and circle them forward and then backward while walking in place. After 30 to 60 seconds, students sit back down to begin their next station.

Simply put, the use of the station rotation is a time-management planning strategy that allows the teacher to break up learning activities and consider how to maximize his or her time. As a tip, teachers might want to see station rotation as a plan over a few days or class meetings as opposed to trying to fit all rotations into one block of time. Once you get started with a station rotation model, it can easily transfer to any instructional environment, whether virtual, in person, hybrid, or concurrent.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Make Station Rotation Work During Hybrid Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Implementing this method makes dividing a teacher's time between students in class and those working at home much easier.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We have now entered into a world of Zoom calls with our students, friends, and family members. It is a great way to stay connected and feel like you are a part of something. I have been in contact with my preschool class for the entire distance learning by conducting weekly Zoom calls. I created a list of classroom Zoom ideas that are fun and engaging for you and your students. Below you will see a list of my top favorites!

1. Create a class graph

Before the actual Zoom call, I sent parents an email to prep their kids so they could be ready for their answer. The topic was, 'What do you like to do when you play outside?' I gave 3 choices of:

During our call, I would pick out a popsicle stick from our class names and each student had a chance to share what they like to do. I recorded their answers on my white board with tally marks. We counted the tallies at the end and then recorded that amount onto our class graph. We touched on math terms such as greater than, less than, equal to.

2. Virtual show and tell

You can always do the tried and true show and tell where each student gets a chance to bring something they love to share with their friends. You can always put a spin on it and have them bring a "too big for school" show and tell. They would have to bring an item that wouldn't fit in their backpack to share. For example:

3. Dance party learning

This is one of my favorites! Pick a song that your class loves. Our class song has been ' Pancake Robot ' this year. I found the song on YouTube and had it playing in the background for our dance party. So here's how you play:

Tell the students to get up and start dancing when they hear the music playing.

When the music stops, they are to stop dancing and sit down

For literacy: I give them 3 words that have the same first sound and they are to write that letter on their white board and show me. I make sure to call on a student to tell me what letter they wrote. Repeat the process till the song ends.

For math: I show them my magnetic 10 frame and they write down the number. Or roll a dice and they tell me the number. Basically do whatever skill you're working on and go for it!

My daughter doing her thing!

4. First sound name game

This was also a hit with my students! Before the Zoom call, I told parents in an email to have their kids find something in their house that begins with the first letter of their name and bring it with them to their Zoom call. It was so fun to see how they could connect the first sound to something special that they have at home. My daughter also played this game with her class. Her name begins with J and she brought our dog who also starts with J!

5. Math Warm Up

This is something I do for about 5-8 minutes just to keep their number sense fresh. I have a magnetic 10 frame that I place on a cookie sheet. We do subitizing exercises. I have them close their eyes and then 3...2...1.. open! They have to write down the number on their white board. I also have done basic number recognition with the 10 frame as well as how many more to make 10.

Click on the image above to find this on Amazon.

Aside from the 10 frame I also do mental math with the dice roll. Quick and easy!

6. Rainbow hunt

This is a fun way to get students up and moving. A student picks a color and everyone runs off to find something in their house that is the same color. I then take time for the kids to share what they brought. Super easy yet super fun!

7. Small group snack chat

I did this one week and it was fun to break up my class into smaller groups. I ended up splitting the boys and the girls into two groups as we shared a snack together and just chatted. There was no agenda besides just connecting with each other. I must say, however, there was quite a difference in the two calls as the girls talked about how they missed one another and the boys made bubble cheeks and squished out the air directly into their camera. lol! Next time, I may rethink that and mix up the genders more! However, it was fun to just share some snack time like we do at school.

My preschool daughter enjoying snack time and sharing with her class.

8. Last day of school summer celebration

On our last day of school, I plan to read to them the book, I See Summer. I will tell kids to bring their favorite treat to eat while we Zoom. We will sing our preschool song and dance to our favorite song, Pancake Robot. Here are a list of more last day of school books. To find these books click on my affiliate link at the bottom of this post.

Amazon affiliate link at the bottom of this post

I hope you find these classroom Zoom ideas to be helpful to you and your students! Happy Zooming!

For some end of the year activities check out my favorites:

Amazon Affiliate Links for items in this post:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Classroom Zoom Ideas for early childhood - Kindergarten Smarts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We have now entered into a world of Zoom calls with our students, friends, and family members. It is a great way to stay connected and feel like you are a part of something. I have been in contact with my preschool class for the entire distance learning by conducting weekly Zoom calls.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inquiry and the “specialist” teacher. — KATH MURDOCH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I have been thoroughly neglectful of this blog! It is somewhat ironic that I spend a good deal of time talking about the need for reflection; time to think and slow down instruction for deeper understanding – while I rush around allowing myself precious little time out to write! There is a back-l

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Giant List Of Really Good Essential Questions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Essential questions are ‘essential’ in the sense of signaling genuine, important and necessarily-ongoing inquiries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Assessment Design: A Matrix To Assess Your Assessments Ed note: On May 26, 2015, Grant Wiggins passed away. Grant was tremendously influential on TeachThought's approach to education, and we were lucky enough for him to contribute his content to our site. Occasionally, we are going to go back and re-share his most memorable posts. This is one of those posts. Thankfully his company, Authentic Education, is carrying on and extending the work that Grant developed. On Rigor, Language, & Verbs
by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education

Rigor is not established by the unthinking use of Webb or Bloom or other verbs. Here, for example, is a widely-findable chart I found on the NJ Dept. of Education website, in which Webb's rubrics have been turned into a leveled chart of supposedly-appropriate verbs:

A moment's thought after looking over these verbs should make you say: Huh? How can the verb, itself, determine the rigor? Couldn't the rigor of so-called high-level verbs be compromised by a simplistic task and scoring system? Vice versa: can't we imagine some of the low-level verbs occurring in highly-challenging and rigorous assessments? (e.g. Who, what, when, and why in a complex journalism case would be rigorous work.)

Take 'predict' for example. It is viewed as relatively low-level - Level 2. But what if I ask you to predict the effects on plants of using special soil, food, and artificial lights, and I score you against industry-level standards? Vice versa: suppose I ask you to critique a drawing against the criterion 'pretty.' Pretty low level stuff.

In summary, just throwing some verbs around as starters for 'rigorous' tasks is not enough to address the first bullet concerning the challenge of the task. Rigorous tasks are a function of cognitive demand and situational complexity, not just the verb used. Self-assess against our audit matrix to test your tests, therefore:
*previously published at TeachThought.com
Looking to improve your assessment practices? TeachThought PD Assessment Workshops can help!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assessment Design: A Matrix To Assess Your Assessments | TeachThought PD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Assessment Design: A Matrix To Assess Your Assessments Ed note: On May 26, 2015, Grant Wiggins passed away. Grant was tremendously influential on TeachThought's approach to education, and we were lucky enough for him to contribute his content to our site. Occasionally, we are going to go back and re-share his most memorable posts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There has been a push for years to prepare learners to thrive in an unpredictable world. I shared this in my book Learner-Centered Innovation that resonates now more than ever.

Our world needs people who can think differently, solve problems, and thrive in a constantly changing and unpredictable society. SO how can we structure learning experience with a fixed curriculum that is outdated before learners access it. We can't! That said, endless possibilities exist to structure learning experiences for students to discover problems to solve, to develop and test ideas, and to receive feedback on the value of their ideas and products.
Learner-Centered Innovation

2020 is certainly evidence of how unpredictable the world can be and why it is so critical to have the skills that the World Economic Forum highlights such as the ability to think critically, be a complex problem solver, navigate complexity, and emotional intelligence to name a few. Rightfully, many have acknowledged the importance of social emotional health, equity and innovation in this time of uncertainty and challenge.

It is normal and feels safe to transfer practices that we have used in the classroom to an online or remote model yet if we substitute classroom practices that are standardized and designed for efficiency in the classroom, we quickly find that these same practices become inefficient, if not impossible to sustain over time. As educators have been forced to evolve in their roles and developed new teaching practices and identities to meet the needs of learners through distance learning, we continue to learn and grow and so do our students.

Over the last 4 months I have worked with students, educators, and families to understand their experiences in emergency remote learning environments. I have synthesized much of what I heard worked well, what was challenging and have identified 6 key priorities that can help us focus on designing for effective learning any time, anywhere in the fall and beyond.

1) Focus on educating the whole child, including both social emotional learning and academics

There is most definitely a need to prioritize the goals so that we can do fewer things well. One of my greatest fears is that we will become so overwhelmed with the need to "cover it all" with less time and resources and we will effectively narrow the focus to academics that are easy to track and measure rather than educate and nurture the whole child and develop the skills that they need to navigate our uncertain world. In their report, Imagining September (an MUST read), Justin Reich and Jal Mehta describe what this looked like in many schools under NCLB:
"Schools made dramatic cuts to the curriculum by reducing time and attention to science, social studies, civics, the arts, physical education, recess, extracurricular activities, social-emotional curriculum, and many of the things that teachers and students love about school. These cuts make room for schools to focus on test preparation for English Language Arts tests (really just reading tests) and Mathematics tests (really just computation tests). This path will be familiar and readily available to schools, but the costs of such an approach to teacher and student morale and to a comprehensive education are now well known to anyone who has taught during the era of standards-based school reform."
The legacy of these reforms and practices still permeate our curriculum, leadership, and view of success in many schools. One effective strategy for communicating and prioritizing a vision that focuses on the whole child is to create a learner profile that defines the skills, knowledge, and mindsets that you want learners to develop. This will help identify the broader goals and help to make decision about how you design the learning experiences and what resources you use. It also necessary to move from overwhelming lists of standards and surface level curriculum to prioritize the standards or competencies that matter most.

Here are some other ways to identify and prioritize what matters most:

Ask and listen to what matters most to your community

Prioritize desired whole child outcomes

Define proficiency and clear learning targets (both academic and SEL)

Align resources and support to your vision

2) Ensure Equity and Access for Each and Every Child

A response that I saw often in an attempt to alleviate the inequity was to not teach new content or not provide an engaging or authentic learning experience because not all could access it. One concrete example was a teacher who shared that she wanted her students to read novels and discuss them but because there were students who couldn't access the book, they did not set the expectation for any learners to engage in this rich opportunity to learn and connect with peers. Instead, what if we set high expectations high and then worked to remove barriers and provide access for the few who didn't have access to the book so that everyone had the expectations, opportunity, and support to engage in the meaningful opportunity?

Not all kids have devices, support, or consistent routines at home and it will make connecting and learning based on the expectations of schools challenging. This means that some learners will require additional support, guidance and feedback to meet the desired goals. We need to prioritize our goals, understand where learners are and then align support and resources to get them there.

Here are some critical steps to ensure equity and access

Ensure all learners know and feel valued for who they are (race, culture, gender)

Home visits and 1:1 check ins

Conduct empathy interviews with students and families

Provide resources, devices, and/or internet access

3) Employ Mastery or Competency-based approaches to Assessment

A standardized or traditional education system is designed to move kids along a certain path at a certain period of time and often ignores the variability in learners or their circumstances. In a mastery or competency-based system the learning goals are clear and transparent to the students and instruction, resources, learning experiences, and assessment are leveraged to meet the learner where they are and help them navigate their path.

This shift in assessment requires a different view of the role of the teacher, which shifts whole class lessons to more small group instruction, 1:1 check ins, and peer collaboration to move learners from their point a to their point b.

If you begin with your clear learning outcomes in step 1, some powerful tools for competency based assessment are:

Student goal setting and tracking

Progress monitoring

Student-led conferences

Digital portfolio

4) Develop and Facilitate a Community of Learners

Many of our students (and the adults) are experiencing isolation and lack of connection, especially with peers. One student shared that the people and the collaboration are often the best part of the school and moving online has removed the personal conversations and the connections built outside of the classroom experiences. Collaboration and connection are vital to our academic success as well as our social-emotional well being. They can occur more naturally in our face to face environments which is why we have to be more intentional about creating the conditions for this to happen when we are remote.

I believe that creating the community of learners to connect and collaborate with one another will be what keeps learners coming to class and what will sustain more powerful learning over time. People learn from one another, through observation, imitation, and modeling. We learn how to act and react to situations from others. When learning environments are organized to facilitate positive interactions and are designed to foster connection and collaboration, the community benefits from the collective expertise.

Here are some ideas to connect learners remotely:

Socially distant home visits

Small group, 1:1 check ins

Morning meetings

Interest/ Affinity groups

5) Create the Conditions for Learner Agency

Agency is one of the 10 characteristics of learner-centered experiences that I have written about. I often hear people equate learner agency with "doing whatever they want". Agency is by definition the power to act, but this doesn't have to be misconstrued as a free for all. We all operate within constraints but we don't have to all do things the same way to reach the intended learning targets and goals. Educators have certain expectations they are accountable for teaching and there is a variety of content and skills that we want students to learn. Within the constraints, there can still be opportunities for learner agency, which requires learners to set goals, initiate action towards those goals, revise and reflect, and develop the confidence and competence to continue to learn and grow.

I was talking with an educator who is deeply invested in his students and committed to promoting learner agency. He shared that he was really trying to create student-driven, authentic learning experiences. Yet when he asked his students to describe how they learn in school, most described him, the teacher, as the sole source of information.

So what's the disconnect you might wonder?

Despite the teachers goals, as we dove into the day to day activities he realized although he had created fun and engaging activities all the information still came from him. Students hadn't had opportunities to connect with experts beyond the teacher. All the books or articles had been assigned by the teacher and all feedback and guidance had been provided by the teacher so of course, the students believe that the teacher has all the answers.

As you reflect and plan for next year, consider these 6 questions to promote learner agency and help learners learn how to learn:

Here are some ideas to promote and develop learner agency:

Learner Profile

Goal Setting

Personalized Pathways

More opportunities for voice and choice

6) Co-design Authentic and Relevant Learning Experiences

One of the major concerns is that our students will regress without being in school and this fear is real but we have to remember that learning happens in learners, when they are interested and motivated, not just because we tell them to. Much of what I have seen in remote learning has been focused on foundational skills and content and while foundational skills are absolutely necessary, when these skills are isolated or learners lack the opportunity to use them in authentic contexts, they can lose a sense of purpose and disengage. While there are many other issues that can cause learners to disengage and prevent access, a sense of purpose is more important than ever for both our academic learning and social-emotional health. If we want young people to be skilled learners and motivated, we would be wise to provide opportunities that allow them to engage in authentic tasks that foster autonomy, invite the pursuit of mastery, and intrigue them with a sense of purpose.

When school begins in the fall the instinct might be to figure out how we can accelerate the curriculum and double up on assignments and homework to "catch students up" from what they missed. What if instead, we flipped this instinct to find out what they learned? What if we take the time to understand what they do know and what they have experienced? What if we hear their questions and ideas about the world they have experienced during the spring and summer where our world has changed dramatically? What if we understand what new hobbies they picked up or the skills they learned? Our students are learning many things that we haven't taught them. They are learning about the world in ways many history books would never describe.

Here are some ideas to co-design authentic learning with your students:

Interdisciplinary projects

Solve a problem

Passion or Inquiry projects

Investigate and impact the world around them

Moving Forward

As we emerge on the other side of this crisis, although there may be gaps in content knowledge and skills, I hope we have taught, modeled, and guided learners to be more resilient. I hope they not only understand that life is unpredictable but have skills and ability to navigate and cope when things don't turn out as expected. I want them to know how to learn when no one is telling them what to do, how to fight for something that matters to them, and how to communicate ideas, feelings, and dreams and inspire others to do the same.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
From Emergency Remote Learning to Effective Learning Any Time, Anywhere

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There has been a push for years to prepare learners to thrive in an unpredictable world. I shared this in my book Learner-Centered Innovation that resonates now more than ever. Our world needs people who can think differently, solve problems, and thrive in a constantly changing and unpredictable society.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I have been asked a few times to elaborate on how my reflection looks at the end of an IB PYP unit of inquiry. I'd like to also underline that reflection is an ongoing process and occurs a lot more than simply at the end of a unit.

I hope this post can give some insight to those new to the PYP and additional ideas for those who are experienced. As always, feel free to add your input at the end of the post. I LOVE new ideas to try myself. So, here goes.

Using the Central Idea as Reflection

When unpacking the new unit, one idea is to take the central idea; literally the main idea of the whole unit, and dissect it. This can be done together as a whole class or in smaller groups.

Idea 1 - whole class: write the central idea on the board and ask the kids to find the most important phrase , then the most important single word. This follows with a lot of discussion as to their perspectives of what the unit is going to be about and provokes many questions, which we write on sticky notes and add to our inquiry bank. You can grab this thought catcher below, along with a few others for free. 🙂
Free reflections sheets! Click here.
Idea 2 - small groups: Type the central idea in large font and make copies on strips of paper. Cut it up into words and phrases and then have groups collaborate to put it together to make sense. Note, don't use punctuation, in order to make it more challenging. We then reflect upon our ideas, I copy each group's ideas onto the board and we chat about what we think this means for us with our upcoming unit of inquiry. Naturally, connections are made and questions arise.

Idea 3- Find pictures that relate to the new unit and display those alongside either the central idea itself or key words from the central idea. The kids try to make connections between words and pictures, reflecting upon their ideas of what the central idea will mean to our unit. It too provokes many inquiries and can be done as a whole class or in smaller groups. We call it the Explanation Game.

These ideas can of course be used throughout the unit as our knowledge increases and we reflect upon how far we have come. They always provide lots of thinking opportunities and communication skills are practised.

Idea 4- Secret Central Idea

Another idea that I've also tried, is to keep the Central Idea a secret until either half way through the unit or til the very end. By doing this, our focus is mainly on the key concepts within our unit of inquiry. I then ask the children to reflect upon what they are knowledgeable about so far and to create a suitable Central Idea.

Idea- Small groups: Each child will independently write a sentence of their idea for the Central Idea. They then take their ideas to a group, each group member reads their idea to the group. They then compare ideas and, using bits and pieces from each child's sentence, create 1 group idea.

Each group will then share their ideas to the class and using the same technique, we collaborate ideas to create one class central idea. Finally the " real" central idea is unveiled and we compare this with what we created. Fun! And enlightening!

Three Dimensional Living Reflections!

These are actually when the children work cooperatively to create a drama of what they have learned. The catch is that it is completely SILENT! And, to add to the rigour, I provide a few random vocabulary words from our unit together with one of the key concepts that we have been focusing on. So much fun! I give the kids about 15 minutes to communicate and decide upon their roles, how they will portray the concept and their knowledge. Once they have performed, we them discuss as a class if we could decipher the message of their drama and we share and reflect upon our growing knowledge.

End of Unit Reflections

At the end of the unit, I ask the children to select a couple of artefacts of their choice from their working binders, notebooks or pieces on display. Kids love sharing their work, so this is never a struggle.

Portfolio Reflection Sheets

Our end of unit reflections always include our portfolios....of course. I have created a packet that is easy to print and go, with a whole bounty of reflection sheets suitable for all abilities and levels. Pick and choose. Even let the kiddos pick and choose! 🙂 You can view it here. It also comes in an editable version if you prefer t

o t

weak things a bit.
Watch this space!
I am working on making those digital for online portfolios. So make sure that you are following me on TpT to get the notice when it comes out. Just click here.

Hope that you found a few new ideas to work with. And please feel free to share your own ideas too! Would absolutely love to add them for others as well as my own classes.

Enjoy!

FOLLOW ME HERE, FOLLOW ME THERE.....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I have been asked a few times to elaborate on how my reflection looks at the end of an IB PYP unit of inquiry. I'd like to also underline that reflection is an ongoing process and occurs a lot more than simply at the end of a unit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you're looking for ways to continue engaging your emerging bilingual students in the face of prolonged school closures, the TpT community is here to help. We spoke to a few emerging bilingual experts, and they shared their ideas - whether you're looking for creative ways to help students practice their language skills or to ensure that families have the tools they need to support at-home learning.

Ideas for helping students speak and listen in their second language

As Dyana of Biliteracy Now notes, distance learning has made it extremely difficult to come up with authentic and interactive activities to help emerging bilingual students practice their second language. "Students not having access to their peers makes it almost impossible to practice or reinforce a lesson," she says. "Because our students are in the process of developing a second language, we have to plan out our lessons more strategically. I find that asking myself questions really helps me figure out what I'm going to do next. What lessons am I recording in English? What lessons am I recording in Spanish? Do I have matching printable resources for students who do not have internet at home? How can I ensure my lessons are interactive? What visuals do I need to include in my lessons? Answering these questions has helped me tackle these challenges."

In addition to these foundational questions, TpT Teacher-Authors had several ideas for how teachers could support students as they practice their speaking and listening skills in their second language:

For teachers who are able to make videos for their students, Susan of The ESL Nexus recommends speaking more slowly and more clearly than you would normally do. "This is particularly important for ELLs because they need more time to process what they hear," she says. "If they have to pause the video when they watch it, that interrupts the flow of the content and makes it harder to comprehend the material. It's also important to speak more slowly and clearly if you are delivering content live over the Internet because ELLs cannot pause to process the information they are hearing."

Dyana of Biliteracy Now recommends using podcasts, songs, and TV shows as a way to continue developing speaking and listening skills - especially since they are pretty easy to access from a home setting. "After watching or listening, students can record themselves talking about what they learned from listening to the podcast, or what they liked about the song or TV show," she says "It's a fun and easy way to tackle listening and speaking skills." Similarly, curriculum specialist Sara-Elizabeth of Calico World says that having students watch programs intended for young, native-speaking children like Pocoyó and Peppa Pig can help in this area. "The language is repetitive," she says, "but in the context of a fun, short storyline - which makes it the perfect recipe for language acquisition! And these programs are widely available on YouTube."

Josie from Mrs Cabello Spanish Class advises teachers to include audio, where possible, in the resources and assignments so students can practice their listening skills. "Google Slides allow you to add audio. Boom cards as well," she says. "You can easily create vocabulary videos and add the audio files to your resources." In addition, she notes, students love to talk about themselves and their interests. To have them practice speaking, she recommends picking a theme from your current unit and asking them questions about it. "For example if the unit is about 'rooms in the house,' ask them describe their favorite room in the house. Always give them options. Also, you can send them a specific question so they can answer it during your Zoom meetings."

Tips for communicating with students' families

Educators should also keep in mind that the amount of support that a student's parent or caregiver might be able to provide will likely vary across families. "One of the biggest challenges I've experienced with my emerging bilingual students is definitely the language barrier," says Valeria of Bilingual Diaries. "Parents around the nation are currently having to take on a more proactive role in their children's education. Many of our parents want to do the same, but most of them only speak their native language. Their children, however, continue to receive instruction and assignments in both languages. This can be extremely frustrating for everyone - especially those receiving additional work from special needs, dyslexia, or speech teachers who only speak English." To help, TpT Teacher-Authors recommend some steps to take and some resources to turn to in order to help parents better support their child's learning:

Dyana of Biliteracy Now recommends trying to assign work that students are able to complete with minimal support. "However, if we know the work might require the help of their parents, we need to provide them with instructions in both languages. We can also provide parents with examples or visuals to ensure understanding. More importantly, we need to monitor our own expectations based on what we know regarding their home life. Communicating with parents that we don't expect perfection will go a long way."

"One thing that's helped my parents tremendously," says Valeria of Bilingual Diaries, "is creating a Google Site that serves as a one-stop shop to house various video and screenshot tutorials. You would be surprised at how much parents appreciate even the simplest screen recording in their native language of how to use a program or turn or turn something in. They want to be involved and this is a quick and easy way to ensure they feel confident during this time."

Annie of Globally Taught recommends using the website Colorín Colorado to aid families who might not know how to support their child at home. "It's one of my favorite resources for parents," she says. "Through their website, you can find resources for parents translated into many languages, and you can send home information on where they can access books online and questions to ask their child while they read."

Maria from Everyone Deserves to Learn recommends using an app called Talking Points, which automatically translates text messages. "This is particularly helpful for educators who may have to communicate with parents who don't speak English, and/or communicate in an uncommon language like Kinyarwanda and Tigrinyan," she says.

Resources to get you started

Here are a few PreK-5 resources that TpT Teacher-Authors developed to support some of the strategies discussed in the article:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Distance Learning: Tips for Supporting Emerging Bilingual Students | The TpT Blog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you're looking for ways to continue engaging your emerging bilingual students in the face of prolonged school closures, the TpT community is here to help. We spoke to a few emerging bilingual experts, and they shared their ideas - whether you're looking for creative ways to help students practice their language skills or to ensure that families have the tools they need to support at-home learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The "At Home with PZ" toolbox was developed to help you answer that question. The activities you'll find here provide ways to adapt Project Zero strategies and frameworks for use in different settings: for virtual classrooms and for home learning; guided by a teacher working remotely or by a parent or caregiver in person.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Someone described it to me as the 'moment when the clouds parted and the sun shone through'. That is what it felt like way back in June (remember June?) when, for a few precious weeks, I was able to go into schools and work with kids and teachers face to face. It was definitely NOT the same experience as the 'old normal' ... but for a little time there was a sense we were on the way out of this. It was short lived.

We are now not only remote learning again...we are in stage 4 lockdown here in Melbourne. Remote learning is with us at least until the end of term. As I scroll through twitter, I see more and more of my colleagues overseas returning to school in an unprecedented way - online. And I feel for those in countries where schools are expected to open despite the virus being uncontrolled. Strange and challenging times indeed.

This is a time that really does test our capacity to manage our thinking and emotions. We didn't choose the virus that lead to this lockdown but we CAN choose the way we personally respond to it. For educators, our choice of response carries extra weight. Our learners are watching us. They are listening to what we say and how we say it. I am reminded of the quote I often use from Guy Claxton's work where he reminds us:
"HOW we teach slowly shapes the way children respond to the unknown - to change, challenge complexity and uncertainty. The culture that a teacher creates acts like a magnetic field that attracts stimulates and rewards certain habits of mind and not others." Claxton 2019:17
We don't stop creating culture - for better or worse - when we teach remotely. The HOW of teaching seems to me to be more important than ever before as we now go deeper into the question of what remote learning can look like. While there is definitely a sense of weariness and heavy heartedness for many of us about returning to remote learning, I am trying hard to approach it with as much curiosity , interest and open-mindedness as I can. And there are some interesting things emerging.

Many teachers are much less challenged by the technology this time (myself included) so we can focus much more on the pedagogy - on our actual teaching. Teachers are telling me over and over again that their young learners are craving the social connection with their peers. This has meant for many, rethinking the balance between synchronous and asynchronous tasks. In the schools with which I am working, we are ramping up the live teaching opportunities both to meet the social and emotional needs of our learners, to reduce the strain on parents (it's OK - we've got this, you can go make yourself a cup of tea now!) AND most importantly, to continue to play the critical role that we have in an inquiry classroom. To question, to cultivate curiosity, to notice and respond, to collaborate with our learners, to grow their learning assets....to teach. Just yesterday, a teacher friend told me that the increase in her "live" teaching time this time around had been invaluable for her own wellbeing. "I think last time, we did a great job of designing learning tasks for the kids to do in their own time - and giving them feedback and support but adding a lot more small group live sessions has actually made me feel like I am teaching again..."

Of course, when my inquiry-based colleagues are talking about 'teaching' ... they are referring to the role of the teacher as skilled facilitator, learning designer, coach and co-learner. In the remote learning context, there is perhaps even more danger of too much TELLING and endless, tedious, slide show presentations. That is a waste of precious synchronous time, inevitably putting learners into what my facilitator colleagues Johnnie Moore and Viv McWaters call 'a teacher trance' (a 'zoom trance' being a similar state!).

With weeks and weeks ahead of remote learning, how can we continue to work in the dynamic, interactive ways of the inquiry teacher? I invited some feedback on this question on twitter recently and had some fabulous responses. I have attempted to weave them into the suggestions below but do check out the thread @kjinquiry for more ideas. How can we take the 'Art of Inquiry' online? And before you read any further, of course I acknowledge that there remain many learners for whom working online is a real challenge either because of poor internet access, unsupportive conditions at home, or lack of access to a device. I know schools working really hard to find ways to support those disadvantaged students but it remains a big challenge. I also want to say that having some asynchronous learning is still important. When designed well, it allows families to manage their time and resources and offers exciting scope for learner choice and the building of independent, self-management skills.

So my wondering of late has been about how I can take 'The Art of Inquiry teaching' into the remote context? I am going to respond to this question in two parts, referring to each of the ten inquiry teaching practices I have shared previously . For Part one, we will look at the following 5 practices: Cultivate Curiosity, Release, Notice, Question and Get Personal and how they can translate to remote teaching. In part #2 I will look at 'Keep it real, Think Big, Collaborate, Grow Learning Assets and Play

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The art of inquiry teaching...from a distance: Part #1 - KATH MURDOCH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Someone described it to me as the 'moment when the clouds parted and the sun shone through'. That is what it felt like way back in June (remember June?) when, for a few precious weeks, I was able to go into schools and work with kids and teachers face to face.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As we envision back to school, one thing is certain: this year will be different. Even if schools have in-classroom learning, social distancing will be important. So what do we do about physical education? Kids need to stay active, and while you might not be able to teach skill development, sports, or fitness, where students are sharing the same equipment, it is possible to continue PE classes in this environment. Not sure where to start? We've come up with this list of social distancing PE activities and games to help you out!

Ready. Set. Race!

One good thing about racing is that it tends to be a solo sport! Stagger students six feet apart and they're ready to race. Make it a challenge by introducing hurdles or sprints between cones. You could even work on hand-eye coordination by having students race with an egg balanced on a spoon.

Prep for a Cat Cow Yoga Pose

Give each child their own yoga mat for the semester or year, and you're ready to introduce a set of poses. And let's face it, keeping students mindful and calm will be key this year. Not sure where to start? Use yoga cards to walk students through the poses.

Play a Round of Frisbee Golf

Frisbee golf is great for pairing students up on teams. Give each student their own frisbee and set up a course. The first one to get their frisbee to the target wins!

Get Warmed Up

You don't always have to use equipment to break a sweat! Use these exercises to get students warmed up.

Dance to the Beat

Nearly all kids love to dance! Turn on some music and teach a variety of dance steps or let them freestyle. For the hesitant students, give them a task like coming up with a greeting using only their feet. If you're looking to implement a complete dance unit, try SPARKdance.

Play an Activity Game

There are so many great activity games you can play as a class. Try Simon Says, Red Light/Green Light, or even do a round of charades! Another one of our favorite social distancing PE activities is doing Mirror Movements. Pair up students and have them face each other, six feet apart. One student does a movement and the other tries to mirror it!

Practice Sports Drills

While students may not be able to play a team sport, it doesn't mean they can't practice the drills behind that sport. Ideas include throwing a football through a hula hoop, kicking a soccer ball into a goal, throwing a basketball into a hoop (these ones even show hand placement for proper shooting!), or using a field hockey stick to hit pucks into a net. As long as students have their own clearly-marked ball and maintain distance, they can easily continue to practice skills.

Create a High Wire Act

Mark off a length of the floor with tape and allow students to walk across it like a balance beam! If they fall off, have them do jumping jacks and go to the back of the line to start again. Want to make it more of a challenge? Have them do different moves along the tape (somersaults or cartwheels for a gymnastics element) or create zig/zags or an obstacle course with the tape.

Get Moving

Scatter students around the room or field and have them work on their movement skills. Give them their own balls to juggle, have them jump rope, or even offer them a hula hoop to get those hips moving. See who can do it the longest or have them compete against themselves to increase the number each round.

Use Exercise Cards

Still at a loss? Need ideas for warm-up activities? Take out a pack of exercise cards and get students moving through a series of exercises. Make it even more fun and roll a large dice to see how many reps they should do of each exercise!
Looking for exercise equipment for all your active students this year? Make sure to check out Gopher , the leader in quality physical education, athletics, and fitness equipment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Social Distancing PE Activities & Games - WeAreTeachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As we envision back to school, one thing is certain: this year will be different. Even if schools have in-classroom learning, social distancing will be important. So what do we do about physical education?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
contributed by Ryan Schaaf, Assistant Professor of Technology, Notre Dame of Maryland University

This is sponsored content. You can read more about our sponsored content policy here.

Do they get it?

After an instructional lesson is over, educators are left with a classroom full of students looking at them. Did my students get the lesson? Are there any ideas, concepts or skills they are still unsure of? Do my students have any misconceptions about the lesson and its content? Do I have to review anything tomorrow?

These are just a few of the questions reflective educators are left to contemplate after the bell has rung. In truth, many of these reflective questions educators are left asking themselves can be addressed if they use an exit ticket. Exit tickets are a simple, quick, and oftentimes insightful formative assessment method employed close to the end of a lesson. It is a simple task that requires learners to answer a few questions or perform certain tasks explored during the learning process.

The format of an exit ticket varies. Educators can use a variety of question/activity types. There are multiple-choice, true or false, short written response, matching, cloze (fill in the blank), and surveys or polls to name but a few. In terms of classroom implementation, exit tickets should be short, concise, and engage learners in a review of the skills, concepts, and experiences explored during the lesson. They are also ideal for continuing the learning into the next class - many educators begin with the exit tickets from the previous lesson to activate students' previous knowledge.

In the age of digital learning, exit tickets are no longer confined to small slips of paper collected by educators as students leave their classrooms (although this method is still fine). There are numerous digital tools at the disposal of educators to collect this valuable performance data from their students.

Here are 18 of the best formative assessment tools for teachers-to glean data, take snapshots of understanding, create digital exit slips, and more.

Digital Exit Slips? 18 Of The Best Formative Assessment Tools For Teachers

Using digital exit ticket tools like Loop can be an easy means of checking whether students have understood lesson content, while also prompting (and promoting) student reflection.

Educators can set up exit tickets with varying question types and submit requests to participate via email or sharable link. Recent upgrades now allow questions to include images and YouTube links. All participants will have their responses populate a single spreadsheet. Educators will be able to review every single exit ticket on the same document.

Socrative lets educators assess their students with educational activities on tablets, laptops, or smartphones (ideal for BYOD environments). Through the use of real-time questioning, educators and students alike can visualize the data to make decisions about upcoming learning.

4. Hand signals

Okay, this one isn't a digital tool but using hand signals to quickly 'take the temperature' of the class is likely already in the toolkit of most teachers. Even a basic 'thumbs up if you get it, thumbs sideways if you halfway there, and thumbs down if you're lost' provides instant 'formative assessment data' for teachers. Of course, this is self-assessment, which means you're depending on their ability to self-evaluate but that's a skill that can be developed over time as well.

While using Plicker cards, students are able to provide answers to their teacher's questions. The educator can use a smartphone or tablet to capture student responses and the app collects and reports the data.

If you want to assess students through video prompts-by asking them to create short summaries, 3-2-1 (3 things I remember, 2 questions I have, and 1 thing I found interesting, etc.), Flipgrid is an easy way to create and share videos while also controlling visibility and privacy.

Here are some more ideas for using Flipgrid in the classroom.

You can read more about how to use IXL here but in short, it's an adaptive learning platform that's content-based-meaning the content and lessons are there and as a teacher, you'd simply assign (or have students self-select) content to assess their understanding of said content.

Game-based formative assessment for the win?

While it may not be the quickest way to get data in real-time (depending on the teaching and learning model being used), Google Classroom is certainly popular and if you use it, having the questions and data and class rosters all right there in one place definitely makes life simpler for you as a teacher.

VoiceThread allows educators and students to discuss documents, presentations, images, audio files, and videos using numerous methods. Students are able to add audio, text, or video responses for a media-centric assessment experience.

Similar to lino, Padlet is an online shared space students can post notes, multimedia files, hyperlinks, and documents on. Educators are also able to adjust privacy settings to ensure student safety.

Of course, there are hundreds of additional digital tools or strategies connected educators could use for administering an exit ticket to students that are not listed here. Please add a comment with some of the digital tools you use for your classroom exit tickets.

Mentimeter allows for the use of interactive presentations with real-time polling of students as you teach. Though they have a free account tier, it's limited to only two questions per presentation. However, their 'Education Basic' plan is only $6.99/month and Education Pro is $14.99. You can find more details at the links above.

According to the developers, Dotstorming is a "space for real-time group brainstorming and decision-making."

Developer Description: "Choose a video, give it your magic touch, and track your students' comprehension."

Ideal for older students, educators can ask students to post a 280 character summary of today's lesson and allow the discussion to transpire after the class has officially ended. You can anchor the response using your own personalized hashtag so it's searchable later. Obviously, the downside here is student privacy concerns-not to mention that they're on twitter (with all of the inherent distractions). To use twitter for formative assessment would require a fairly niche circumstance.

If you don't have your own content, simply grab a formative from our public library of 1000s of pre-made formatives. Feel free to edit any question details to make it right for your students. Once you have something you'd like to assign to your students, it only takes a click. Then, share login info, a link, or guest code for your students to join in and let the fun begin.

Among the other benefits of this popular teaching tool are the integrations with other tools, including Google or Microsoft-based digital teaching tools.
Digital Exit Slips? 18 Of The Best Formative Assessment Tools For Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
18 Of The Best Formative Assessment Tools For Teachers [Updated]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
contributed by Ryan Schaaf, Assistant Professor of Technology, Notre Dame of Maryland University This is sponsored content. You can read more about our sponsored content policy here. Do they get it? After an instructional lesson is over, educators are left with a classroom full of students looking at them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by TeachThought Staff

In 9 Principles Of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom, one of the strategies we offered was to "experiment with learning models that require active learning and participation from every student, every day."

While the following example isn't necessarily a 'learning model,' it does directly address student participation and even could be considered a kind of formative assessment strategy.

Zachary Ramsey, a doctoral student at the University of New Mexico and a former high school English teacher, recently shared a way to encourage student participation in a virtual classroom: signs."If you're going to do virtual synchronous instruction, consider having students make signs so they can spontaneously participate in discussions without always having to speak."

Obviously these could be index cards or even hand signals but the signs look simple enough to make. Who knows how long they'd last but if they were effective enough, having a small run printed for your virtual classroom may be worth the small investment of money and possibly even something your school might fund.

More importantly is the function of the signs in your virtual classroom. At the most basic level, these could be thumbs up/thumbs sideways/thumbs down. They could also be question marks and exclamation points.

They could also be content-based as well. If you're studying metaphors versus symbolism, you could have each student make a sign for each and during a read-aloud, have students hold up the sign for metaphor when they hear one and the sign for symbolism when they hear that. The same goes for listening for cause and effect, logical fallacies, evidence (or even rating the quality of the evidence they hear) and so on.

Zachary isn't the first educator to have this idea but we loved the use of visuals combined with the simple design that uses a pencil and simple drawing. Give him a follow, won't you?

A Wonderful Way To Encourage Student Participation In A Virtual Classroom

If you're going to do virtual synchronous instruction, consider having students make signs so they can spontaneously participate in discussions without always having to speak. pic.twitter.com/NcvkcBBily
- Zachary Ramsey (@EducatorRamsey) August 16, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Small Signs To Encourage Student Participation In A Virtual Classroom -

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by TeachThought Staff In 9 Principles Of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom , one of the strategies we offered was to "experiment with learning models that require active learning and participation from every student, every day." While the following example isn't necessarily a 'learning model,' it does directly address student participation and even could be considered a kind of formative assessment strategy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
9 Principles Of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom

by Terry Heick

For educators around the world, remote learning went from a boutique instructional option to a global necessity in a manner of months. And, while the majority of teachers and students will return to an in-person classroom at some point in the future, eLearning is here to stay.

Whether it's to prepare for fall classes or simply to get ready for the future of learning, here are six principles of student engagement for effective remote teaching and learning-important ways to help yourself and your students thrive in a remote learning environment.

Lesson Design & Context
Strategy: Experiment with learning models that require active learning and participation from every student, every day.
Possibly the single most fundamental part of teaching is to understand what is to be taught (lesson objective) and how to teach it (of which lesson design plays a part). Student engagement in a virtual classroom during remote teaching and learning depends heavily upon the design of the learning activities themselves.

The design of the activities depends, of course, on the learning spaces (e.g., Zoom room, Microsoft Team group, etc.). The idea is simply that the lesson design should meet the relative constraints and opportunities given by the learning circumstance. If you're out in the hot sun with young children and wanted to help them understand cause-effect, you'd design a lesson that would 'fit' this context. If you're teaching a small group of highly-motivated college students in an elective course that meets in a lab, you'd adjust to that context as well.

Clear learning objectives, smart learning models, simple assessment practices, and opportunities for reteaching and extending learning are all hallmarks of good teaching and learning and the same applies to a virtual classroom during remote teaching.

Motivation & Psychology
Strategy: Honor that different people do the same thing for different reasons-and students are no different.
Not every student will be motivated by the same thing. Student 'engagement' is generally thought of in terms of cognitive engagement but cognitive engagement proceeds motivation. Some students will be motivated by a parent in the room with them at home, while others may want to 'please the teachers' and still others may be motivated by a letter grade.

Even negative behaviors have motivations-something the student does or does not want. Past success-or lack of success-in physical classrooms will also play a role in how the student views themselves as a student-their 'mindset' as a learner.

Motivation is among the most powerful factors of student engagement in a virtual classroom.

Roles & Perspectives
Strategy: Use 'roles' as a design element in lesson and unit design
The idea of 'roles' in a classroom is usually thought of in terms of 'teacher role' and 'student roles,' and that's a good place to start. But helping students assume 'roles' can also improve class climate and group work. Not only can students be given certain 'class jobs' or leadership roles, but academically, students can assume the roles of 'things' using RAFT assignments.

For example, a student can assume the role of historian or artist or farmer or scientist in attempting to solve a problem in problem-based learning. They can also assume the 'role' of an atom in describing what happens during fission or describe the American Revolutionary War from the perspective of George III.

Spaces & Climate
Strategy: Help Students Prepare Their Remote Space
We discussed space and context above, but to that we'll add the factor of preparation in and for those spaces.

In traditional in-person classrooms, teachers have the presence and authority to tailor the environment to be as conducive to learning as possible. Shutting the classroom door to remove outside noise ends that disturbance for all students in a single action. In distance learning, however, each student's space will vary.

Instruct your pupils to set up their study space in an area with as few distractions as possible. Distractions come in a variety of forms, including noise, foot traffic, siblings, smells from cooking food, and visual attention-grabbers, such as construction work seen from the window. If they have their own room, ask them to shut their door and perhaps draw the shades. For tips to deal with digital distractions.

On top of that, encourage students to separate their school time and their personal time, just as teachers and other professionals should have a work-life balance. To that end, recommend your pupils to find a dedicated study space, one which will only be used for school work. For the best results, be proactive by sending an email with general suggestions and best practices for your students to follow just before or at the very beginning of the term.

Structures & Flexibility
Strategy: Provide Structure Without Being Inflexible
Course structure, LMS structure, lesson and activity structure, assessment structures-organization requires structure and more than ever, learning benefits from organization. Even abstract 'structures' like the idea of consistency is important for student engagement.

More than other aspects, the structure of your remote classes will dictate the success of the overall learning experience for both your students and yourself as a teacher. Factors, such as communication, time management, and planning lessons, must be adjusted to match the unique needs of a remote classroom and students.

If you're just starting out, it may be a lot of trial and error. However, TeachThought has many helpful articles for those new to distance learning, including virtual teaching tips for beginners, modern eLearning trends, and how to promote higher-level thinking in online courses. On top of these guides, simply pay close attention to your students during your first few remote sessions.

If you feel it's appropriate, send a questionnaire to understand their desires and expectations. You'll not only gain valuable feedback and insight, but you'll also promote responsibility and show you're open to being flexible to their needs.

Collaboration & Interdependence
Strategy: Encourage Collaboration
As humans, we have an innate desire and tendency to socialize. However, with remote learning, students don't get the social stimulation they would have gotten from an in-person learning environment.

To help your students overcome any negative effects of remote learning, such as restlessness, lack of motivation or interest, and cabin fever, encourage them to collaborate with each other, both during and between classes. Team-building games such as a trivia session, provide an excellent opportunity for students to partner with each other and get some social interaction, while group projects provide a more intimate partnership between pairs of students outside of school hours.

Inclusion & Equity
Strategy: Involve Every Student At Least Once Every Day
If you have a video chat going with more than a dozen students all while using a grid view, it can be hard to notice every student. Depending on the amount of students and the platform you're using, some students may be completely forgotten or looked over, which isn't ideal, as you might imagine.

With distance learning, especially when handling larger groups of students, it's important to informally keep track of their participation to make sure they're each tuned in and understanding the material. Whereas in classrooms you will get visual and auditory feedback as clues for when a student might be distracted, in remote learning, you'll have to be proactive rather than reactive.

Also a crucial factor is another kind of 'inclusion'-equitable access for every student, every day. From hardware and bandwidth to ECE accommodations, language barries, and socioeconomic factors, this is a major challenge today; start small and do your very best while using the resources around you to support this Herculean but absolutely necessary effort.

Interfaces & Interactions
Strategy: Leverage Powerful Technology
Gone are the days when distance learning technology involved few options and prohibitively high costs. And, with the worldwide study-from-home emergency the coronavirus pandemic created, companies all around the world are doubling down on remote study offerings, from learning management systems (LMS) to classroom-specific artificial intelligence.

To give yourself and your students the best possible learning experience, make sure you're taking advantage of what's available. Modern classroom management tools such as Top Hat and Google Classroom help students maximize their learning and boost collaboration while not offending the digital UX desires of today's young people. For communication, platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have the highest popularity, and with good reason.

Note, not all interfaces are literal. Student 'interactions' aren't just with technology tools. Students also interface and interact with one another, with information, and with the people around them at home while trying to participate in the virtual classroom.

Communication & Access
Strategy: Be Available-Through Virtual Office Hours, For Example
Finally, make sure you're available for your students, as remote learning is more challenging on the communication front.

As student Morgan Sharp commented to The New York Times, "It was hard whenever I didn't understand something and instead of being able to ask my teachers and get an immediate response, I had to email them and wait for them to email me back." Student Tommy J. had similar issues, stating, "A lot of the time, I get confused. I don't have the luxury of being able to ask my teacher [what] I need to do [differently] when I don't understand something or don't know what to do and a lot of the time, an email doesn't get back to me in the time I am completing my work."

Be aware of how frustrating the remote learning experience might be for your students, and adjust your availability accordingly. If you can, set up an after-hours 'hotline' on Microsoft Teams or another platform where students can write in without appointments for quick, easily answered questions. For those who might need extra time with you, set aside several 10- or 15-minute blocks in your afternoon or early evening for your students to reserve.

Remote teaching will have a different learning curve for every educator. But, as long as you keep students and their needs first, you'll most certainly find that it'll be easier on yourself, as well.

Other Principles Of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom

Other principles of student engagement in a virtual classroom include feedback loops, gamification, curriculum design, instructional design, data quality and forms, and more.
Principles of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
9 Principles Of Student Engagement In A Virtual Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Terry Heick For educators around the world, remote learning went from a boutique instructional option to a global necessity in a manner of months. And, while the majority of teachers and students will return to an in-person classroom at some point in the future, eLearning is here to stay.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I talk about the wonders of Google Slides CONSTANTLY and frequently refer to it as the Swiss Army Knife of G Suite. It can do all kinds of things! In this post, I will show you 25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do.

Since originally sharing this post in 2018, it has become the #1 post on Shake Up Learning, so I decided to add a podcast version!

The podcast is broken into two episodes (Part 1 and Part 2) and embedded below.

The more I learn about Google Slides, the more versatile it becomes.

Your eyes will be opened when you see what's possible, and you will see that this list can go far, far beyond just 25.

This post comes from one of my presentations. I'm also embedding and linking to the slides for you!

In this blog post, you will learn some fun little tricks that help you create interactive learning experiences, create images and eBooks, insert audio, charts, and diagrams, as well as, easy stop motion animation.

Please refer to the slides for details and additional resources. This would end up being a 20-page blog post if I typed it out.
What are your favorite ways to use Google Slides in the classroom? CLICK HERE to open the Google Slide deck in a new window. Listen to Part 1 of this article. Listen to Part 2 of this article. Update! 30 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do

I could keep going, but I'm out of breath! 25 for now, and more later, y'all!

I hope this gives you some new ideas for using Google Slides in your classroom.
What are your favorite ways to use Google Slides in the classroom? (Leave a comment below.)
I frequently refer to Google Slides as the Swiss Army Knife of the G Suite tools because it is capable of being so much more than a presentation tool. In this course, you will learn how to use Slides in new and unexpected ways in your classroom that will engage your students and make learning more dynamic!
K-12 teachers are going to LOVE THIS COURSE!

This class is perfect for beginner to intermediate users to take their skills to the next level and become a Google Slides Master!

(Prerequisite: basic knowledge of slides, how to access and create new slides.)

Learn All About the Course
ENROLL TODAY for only $29.50!
What's Included?

Self-paced

Video-based lessons

3 BONUS Lessons!!!

Bonus 1: Stop-Motion Animation

Bonus 2: How to Create Magnetic Poetry with Slides and Drawings

Bonus 3: 50 Google Slides Lesson and Project Ideas

Supporting Resources

Best Practices and Tips

6 hours of professional learning credit

Purchase orders are accepted (Just email Kasey[at]ShakeUpLearning.com (replace [at] with @.)

Bulk license discounts

Get your whole team, campus, or district on board

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.
Click here to learn more and to ENROLL TODAY!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I talk about the wonders of Google Slides CONSTANTLY and frequently refer to it as the Swiss Army Knife of G Suite. It can do all kinds of things! In this post and podcast series, I will show you 25 Things You Didn't Know Google Slides Could Do.

# data[].attributes.body
Stepahanie DeMichele made a template for teachers to use to make video calls better. Please steal!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If there's one thing everyone can agree on from this past spring, it's that distance learning is challenging. Undoubtedly, much of this was due to the fact that teachers had limited time to move their entire curriculum online, and few were trained to carry out what was essentially emergency remote instruction.

But this wasn't the only reason.

Distance teaching also shone a light on problematic practices that were never effective in person, either. And trying to re-create them in a virtual environment didn't make them any better. As many schools resume remote instruction this fall, watch out for these three mistakes you may be making. More importantly, give yourself the liberty to try out some of the alternative approaches that can help make distance teaching more sustainable and effective.

Mistake 1: Too Much Passive Screen Time

If your first step in technology integration is making a list of apps to download, you may want to reconsider your approach to technology. Using technology effectively in any environment-education or otherwise-necessitates a human-centered and needs-based approach. We must first ask ourselves, What am I trying to accomplish? before turning to Which technology tools will help me accomplish my goals?

Distance learning isn't simply about keeping kids busy or filling their minds with academic content. Instead, our goal should always be to encourage productive discourse, critical thinking and problem-solving (which all applies to in-person learning, too). But sometimes, distance learning can take an "app-centric" approach, where students spend more time watching instructional videos and answering multiple-choice questions than talking about concepts with their peers and teachers. They end up consuming content and regurgitating it, as opposed to leveraging technology to build and preserve a sense of community and connectedness of which we are all currently deprived.

When students are engaged in active screen time, they are not simply watching videos and answering questions mindlessly; instead, they are using virtual conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet to collaborate on projects and presentations. Or perhaps they're even using an interactive app like Google Earth to take a virtual field trip. This approach centers both collaboration and students' humanity, providing them with the socialization they so desperately need.

Mistake 2: Too Little Time for Dialogue and Discourse

Learning is a social process, and as a result, we need to offer ample opportunities for students to be collaborating with their peers and speaking with their teachers about what they're learning.

Back when we were in classrooms, The Workshop Model was a critical component of my pedagogy. In the Workshop Model, classes begin with brief mini-lessons, where the teacher models a strategy or introduces a problem- or inquiry-based task. After the lesson, students work in small groups or individually with the teacher in an effort to independently practice the skill or work through the assigned task. Meanwhile, teachers deliver individualized feedback and support to students. The workshop concludes with a whole-class debrief about what worked, what didn't, and what students learned.

The power of the workshop model lies in the opportunities it provides students for dialogue, discourse and convergence with their peers, regardless of ability level. For instance, in a math class, they can spend time conquering an open-ended, problem-based task, sharing with peers different strategies that each arrive at a plausible answer. In a reading workshop, students can read either independently or with buddies, applying the strategy or skill from the mini-lesson, while the teacher circulates and conducts anecdotal formative assessments on their progress. For writing, students apply what they learned to interest-driven writing projects, meanwhile sharing their work with their peers and getting meaningful feedback in the process.

This can all take place during distance learning, too. By clearly identifying expectations for a synchronous learning block, and using Hangout, Zoom or another video app to break the class into small groups, teachers can provide students the same mix of independent work and small-group time, albeit virtually. This preserves a sense of community and a sense of purpose.

Mistake 3: Conflating Work Completion With Learning

Completing worksheets and answering questions isn't learning. Having spoken with countless parents after remote learning wrapped up in the spring, I heard over and over again how remote learning too frequently entailed completing stacks of worksheets or swaths of pages in a workbook.

Some students completed these tasks quickly, leaving them with nothing to do for days on end. For others, the work was too challenging, requiring them to lean on their parents for help. This posed challenges for working families who were unsure how to diagnose misconceptions or scaffold learning appropriately for their child.

We have a tendency to equate work completion with learning. We take a "more-is-more" approach to assignments, because we fear what might happen if students aren't constantly producing something. In reality, the most meaningful learning experiences come from conversations between peers and internal self-reflections that resolves cognitive dissonance. While these moments don't entail a child producing "work," these moments are indicative of fruitful learning.

All of the "work" that students complete during the workshops I mentioned previously took place in journals. Each of my students have a writer's journal for writing projects, a thinking journal for openly reflecting on reading and social studies, and a math journal for solving open-ended math tasks. To scaffold learning, all three of these journals have clear structures, leveraging thinking routines from Project Zero or other structures that help students communicate the complexities of their thinking-ultimately limiting busywork and reproducibles like worksheets and workbooks.

This is a sample of a thinking journal. Students use a Project Zero Thinking Routine (i.e., "See Think Wonder") to make inferences and ask questions about income inequality in Chicago. Image Source: Voorhees Center, University of Illinois at Chicago via WBEZ.org.

A Chance to Innovate

We must use this crisis as an opportunity to innovate. Let's be honest with ourselves: passive learning, fueled by a lack of dialogue and discourse and an overemphasis on work completion, isn't new. Teachers were making these mistakes long before distance learning. Distance learning is only amplifying these problematic practices and making them more visible.

The sad fact of the matter is that in order to keep teachers and students safe right now, we have to keep them home. We have to engage in distance learning for the foreseeable future. But that doesn't mean that we have to continue to make the same pedagogical mistakes that haven't been working for years now. We have a chance to take stock of our priorities, remedy our past errors and rethink how we teach students in a way that recognizes the humanity inherent in education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch Out For These 3 Mistakes You're Making During Distance Teaching - EdSurge News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If there's one thing everyone can agree on from this past spring, it's that distance learning is challenging. Undoubtedly, much of this was due to the fact that teachers had limited time to move their entire curriculum online, and few were trained to carry out what was essentially emergency remote instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Differentiation is a big buzzword in teaching, but it is often easier said than done.

Let's discover ways to use our favorite Google tools to level the playing field and make differentiation a reality in your classroom.

This student-centered teaching strategy helps us reach all learners.

G Suite tools help teachers and students communicate and manage multiple assignments with ease.

Listen closely for step-by-step instructions, implementation ideas, and some Google tips that will save you time and reap many benefits for you and your students.

I hope this episode inspires you to dig deeper into differentiated instruction, and how to use the tools you have available to support all of the learners in your classroom.

. ..
In This Episode:
[00:28] - Kasey welcomes listeners to the show and reveals today's topic: Digital Differentiation - with G Suite Tools.

[01:17] - This week's shoutout goes to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in Mandeville, LA. They made it through the Dynamic Learning Workshop just before school let out! Learn more about The Dynamic Learning Workshop here and the online course .

[03:07] - Let's discuss digital differentiation using G Suite and why this is such a hot topic.

[04:56] - Learn what differentiation is and is not.

Differentiation Is

Differentiation Is Not

[08:11] - Kasey mentions three key areas that can be differentiated:

[08:47] - Why differentiate digitally?

1. Provide Flexible Learning Paths

2. Develop Future-Ready Skills

3. Provide an Effective Way to Use Digital Tools FOR Learning (not just an end product)

[09:31] - Kasey breaks down the different Google Tools that teachers can use to support differentiation, including Google Classroom, Google Forms, and Google Slides.

Differentiating Assignments in Google Classroom
Tips for Naming Differentiated Assignments in Google Classroom

Always number and use consistent naming conventions

For differentiated assignments, consider a group or individual identifier in the assignment title. (Ex: Group 4, Special Assignment, Extra Credit, EC Sarah Jones, or come up with your own consistent naming convention.)

Remember the name of the assignment names Drive files.

Tips for Differentiated Assignment Directions in Google Classroom

Get specific with your directions!

The more information that is available in Google Classroom, the fewer excuses students have for not completing the assignment and the fewer interruptions you are likely to have.

Attach a rubric if you have one!

Resource: How to Package Your Digital Assignments

Tips for Group Differentiated Assignments in Google Classroom

Designate a group leader in the assignment.

The group leader is responsible for creating any new files and "turning in."

Consider asking students to submit a reflection at the end of group work to help you get the whole picture of the learning process.

Student Choice Assignment Tips

Number the assignment and detail the choices in the directions and/or in an attached (view only) document. (Note: This is also great way to use digital learning menus and choice boards.)

Attach links to digital tools that may be offered as a choice for completing the assignment. (Example: Using one of the digital tools below, create a digital story retelling, "The Tell-Tale Heart," in your own words.)

Long Term Projects, Modifications, or Enrichment

For long-term projects, special projects like Genius Hour, or for students with special modifications, you may consider creating a separate "Class."

(Note: This is really only worth the time if these groups are long-term, or reused.)

Using G Suite to Create Interactive Choice Boards

[15:43] - G Suite is the perfect companion to create digital choice boards. Learn more in Episode 8, and get the FREE eBook!

Choice Board Templates and Resources

How to Differentiate Questions in Google Forms

[21:16] - Kasey provides an of how to use Google Forms to create a branching assessment or review.

[25:00] - Google Forms can be very complicated. Kasey offers great tips to make your forms successful and effective teaching tools.
Google Forms Branching Tips

Start small, just a few questions.

Map out your branches before you begin.

Utilize the page titles and descriptions to help you organize.

Test it! Then, test it again!

Remember, this type of assessment will not be graded-Assessment FOR Learning!

Your spreadsheet will not be pretty! But that's okay!

Kids are smart! You must facilitate this type of assessment.

Other Ways to Use Branching in Google Forms

When a student answers correctly, they could be taken to a harder question.

When a student answers incorrectly, you could show more specifically where they went wrong with each answer choice (not just review a concept)-like solving a math problem incorrectly.

Student choice: Use this feature to allow students to select from a menu of choices to demonstrate their learning, then upload the file to the form to submit. The spreadsheet would allow you to see what they select and should be working on during class.

Gamify! What if every correct answer revealed a clue or a puzzle piece? Students could collect and work individually or collaboratively to put together.

Put this feature in students' hands and let them create something for their class, or another class to teach a skill, or play a game.

[20:16] - A friend of Kasey's, Sylvia Duckworth , created a Choose Your Own Adventure form for her French class that allowed students to create their own ending to a story!

Differentiate with Google Slides

[30:08] - We can't leave out Google Slides, the Swiss army knife of G Suite! Kasey gives tips on how to use slides to create interactive assignments.

Podcast Question of the Week

[34:35] - Thank you for tuning in! Please subscribe to the podcast, and leave a review on iTunes. (Bonus points if you use the word "y'all" in your review!)

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Questions & Comments

Do you have a question you would like me to answer on the show? I'd love to hear from you!

I also love to hear from students!

Leave me a voicemail and your message could be played on the podcast!

Do You Want to Be on the Podcast?

To learn more about our process for selecting guests, please visit our show page here.

Sponsorship and Other Inquiries

If you have other questions or inquiries about the podcast, please use this contact form.

© Shake Up Learning 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Digital Differentiation with G Suite Tools - SULS016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today, we are chatting about one of my favorite topics: Digital Differentiation with G Suite! Differentiation is a big buzzword in teaching, but it is often easier said than done. Let's discover ways to use our favorite Google tools to level the playing field and make differentiation a reality in your classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A common question I receive from folks is how can younger students use Google tools? I am always happy to email them my collection of resources, but figured it might be easier if I pulled everything together in a single blog post.

Over the years I have come across and/or created a wide range of fun and creative ways to use Google tools with primary aged students, typically considered to be pre-K through grade 2 or so. In this blog post I will share descriptions of and links to these activities. As I make new ones over time, I will try to come back and add them to this post so this stays up to date with all my resources.

In addition to the things I have created, I would certainly encourage you to also take advantage of some other fantastic educators who focus on the primary grades:

See below for the resources and have fun learning!

#1 - Build a Snowman with Google Slides
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/12/build-snowman.html

This is a fun activity where students make a snowman using pieces and parts provided, and then write a story about them. This is a great way to develop tech skills such as copy and paste, drag and drop, and basic of Google Slides. It also encourages creativity and writing skills.

#2 - Build a Jack-O-Lantern with Google Slides
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/09/build-jackolantern.html

Very similar to the snowman activity, this one has students making a jack-o-lantern and writing about it. In addition to all of the skills addressed with the snowman activity, this one also encourages use of the shapes and polyline tools in Google Slides.

#3 - Turkey Templates for Thanksgiving Creativity and Writing
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/11/turkey-templates.html

I did not create these specific activities, but they were inspired by my snowman and jack-o-lantern templates. Beth Kingsley and Kelley Costa made these and were kind enough to share them. Similar to my templates, students use these to make a turkey in Google slides and then write about it.

#4 - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Sorting
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/02/one-fish-two-fish-sort.html

This activity is a great tie-in for "Read Across America" (and the birthday of Dr. Seuss) but can really be used anytime. It helps teach students about sorting items into categories, but also reinforces tech skills such as drag and drop.

#5 - Creating Storybooks with Google Slides
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/03/google-slides-storybooks.html

Another non-traditional use for Google Slides is creating eBooks. Students can do this from scratch or with the simple templates provided in this post. When done, the storybooks can be printed out, turned into PDFs, or simply shared online.

#6 - Pixel Art Activities for any Subject with Google Sheets
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/02/sheets-pixelart.html

Google Sheets is not just for crunching numbers! It can also be used for creating pixel art images. This template makes it easy for little ones to make pixel art just by typing in letters and having the colors automatically fill in. This is great for creativity, keyboarding, and improving letter recognition.

#7 - Emoji Learning Activities with Google Docs
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/01/docs-emoji-activities.html

When we think of Google Docs, we usually think of text, but it also supports the use of emojis. In this blog post we look at several ways that emojis can be used with students including pictographs, stories, and more.

#8 - Google Docs "Wintertime Rebus Story" template
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/12/winter-activities.html

A specific example of using emojis in Docs is using them to create rebus stories. This can help students write stories even if they do not know how to spell all the words they wish to use. This post provides a winter-themed template to get them started.

#9 - Google Docs "Valentine Rebus Story" template
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/02/valentine-activities.html

Just like the winter-themed template, this post has a Valentine-themed template to use for writing a rebus story in Docs.

#10 - Google Docs "Halloween Rebus Story" template
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/10/halloween-rebus.html

And to round out the rebus writing, this post has a template for a Halloween story with emojis.

#11 - 11 Ways to Teach Math with Google Drawings
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/06/math-google-drawings.html

Google Drawings lends itself to many math topics with the ability to make and manipulate shapes. In this post we cover several ways you can teach math with Drawings. Although some of the examples would be for older students, there are still many that apply to primary students including partitioning shapes, identifying different shapes, sorting objects be different attributes, and more.

#12 - Pattern Block Templates and Activities
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/04/pattern-blocks.html

Another good math application for Google Drawing is virtual pattern blocks. Students can use these digital manipulatives to learn about shapes, patterns, symmetry, and be creative in general.

#13 - Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/12/wintertime-magnetic-poetry.html

Google Drawings also works well for drag and drop activities like "Magnetic Poetry". With this template students are provided with 100 common words from the Dolch list, as well as many winter-themed words. They can them drag and drop these words onto the canvas to write a poem, sentence, or story.

#14 - Valentine's Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
http://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/01/valentine-magnetic-poetry.html

Just like the winter option, this Google Drawing template lets students create a Valentine-themed poem from draggable words.

#15 - Springtime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/04/spring-poetry.html

For one more "Magnetic Poetry" example, this template is spring-themed.

#16 - Learning with Chrome Music Lab
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/12/chrome-music-lab.html

Music is a wonderful way for students to be creative, express themselves, and even learn about connected topics such as math. With Chrome Music Lab students get 13 interactive music tools to play with to make music, explore rhythms, and more.

#17 - Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/10/special-needs-extensions.html

Although this post was originally developed to showcase assistive technology and accomodation tools, many of these resources can be helpful for young learners. The extensions covered in this post include text-to-speech tools to read content aloud to students, tools to clean up webpages to make them less distracting and and more easy to read, and much more.

#18 - Play "Mystery Animal" with Google
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2017/11/mystery-animal.html

Mystery Animal is an interactive game from Google that lets students play "20 Questions" to try to guess an animal. This can be a great way for students to develop good questions, work as a team, and learn about animals in the process.

#19 - YouTube "Read Aloud" Book Videos for Kids
https://www.controlaltachieve.com/2016/12/youtube-read-aloud.html

Once you get past the cat videos, YouTube has so much wonderful educational content for students (although the cats are cool too). One useful resource on YouTube are videos of story books being read aloud. In this post I have pull together a list of many channels that feature read aloud book videos.

Conclusion

Technology is a powerful tool for teaching and learning regardless of age. There are many ways that primary students can create, collaborate, explore, and learn with Google tools. Over time as I add new posts to the blog that are applicable to younger students, I will update this post as well to include them here. If you have resources and activities for primary students please feel free to share them in the comments below!

Post by Eric Curts. Bring me to your school, organization, or conference with over 50 PD sessions to choose from. Connect with me on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Googley Activities and Tools for Primary Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A common question I receive from folks is how can younger students use Google tools? I am always happy to email them my collection of resources, but figured it might be easier if I pulled everything together in a single blog post.

# data[].attributes.headline
8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom 

# data[].attributes.subject
8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In every classroom, there are students who always have their hand raised to participate, and those who are hesitant to engage. Whether they're introverted, tend to think awhile before they contribute, or are just having a bad day, it can be hard to bring kids into discussions who are reluctant to add their voices.

The challenges of getting students to participate have intensified during remote learning, we've heard from many teachers. Digital platforms can create added communication barriers by making it hard to know when to talk, for example, or how to read subtle but important elements of discourse like a person's body language and facial expressions. Additionally, online discussions are often hindered by variability in students' access to technology and by privacy concerns, and consequently many teachers have had to rely on students' submitting work over isolated channels like email, which can leave back-and-forth between peers (and between students and the teacher) by the wayside.

Getting kids to contribute in virtual classrooms takes some work, it turns out. "We keep calling this generation digital natives as if they are simply whizzes at everything computerized. They aren't," wrote Tim O'Brien on Facebook. "They need personal support, scaffolding, and reassurance that technology does not provide. It is simply a tool, not a teacher."

To find out how to improve student discussions and participation in online learning, we culled through hundreds of comments on social media and followed up with more than 20 educators to see how they tackled the challenge last spring. Teachers offered a range of smart strategies, both synchronous and asynchronous, to integrate the values and the voices of all kids-even the quietest or those with disrupted schedules-into their classes this fall.

Synchronous Strategies

For synchronous learning, some teachers said they translated traditional discussion strategies from the classroom to live video chats, while others found that digital tools helped boost classroom participation.

1. Spider web discussion: During remote learning this spring, students in Shai Klima's high school class led their own discussions over Google Meet. Before the live class, students answered questions independently, and then shared their responses at the start of the meeting as a jumping-off point for a broader class discussion.

While students conversed on video, Klima listened and drew lines on a sheet of paper tracking the flow of the conversation, resulting in a spider web. At the end of the discussion, Klima shared the drawing over video, and then asked students to reflect on the experience and what they learned about who talked, who listened, and who built on the ideas of others.

"It has been successful as a means to get kids to credit their peers with helping them come up with new ideas, which helps build rapport," said Klima, who let students struggling with bandwidth call in to the meetings.

2. Using chat to check for understanding: After giving lessons last spring, Paul France had his third-grade students use the Google Chat feature to ask and answer questions or type in emojis, like a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, to show whether they understood a concept. To create structure around the responses, he guided his students in creating norms around using the chat feature-they decided as a group to use only one emoji at a time, for example. France said the practice helped him check for student understanding and pushed students to engage more with the content.

Kindergarten teacher Ruth Calkins, meanwhile, used Zoom chat when holding live lessons with her kindergarten students. She said they enjoyed typing "T" or "F" for true and false questions while answering math problems in the chat box, and some even attempted to write sentences in response to her questions. Typing responses also provided a lot of keyboard practice for her young students.

3. Flip your classroom to stimulate deeper discussion: Forrest Hinton, a high school math teacher, says he found that a blend of asynchronous and synchronous instruction worked well to stimulate student discussion during remote learning.

First, he taught new content asynchronously through recorded videos and online activities. At the start of his live class, students briefly summarized the concepts they had learned together and then divided into breakout rooms to solve related problems in small groups. Flipping his classroom allowed Hinton to spend less class time in direct instruction-and listening to students at the start of class and in small groups helped him identify, and then address, where his students were struggling. "This has allowed me to clarify concepts in a more targeted way and better assist students," said Hinton.

4. Adapting think-pair-share to Zoom: Ryan Tahmaseb, director of library services, says he found that giving more project-based learning activities to his elementary and middle school students-and allowing them more autonomy over assignments-naturally encouraged richer discussions in virtual learning. "If we give students as much freedom as possible to experiment, research, and pursue interests within our content area, then they inevitably have a lot more to say," said Tahmaseb.

When it came to class discussions, Tahmaseb adapted think-pair-share to Zoom. Students were given a prompt, broken into groups, and then placed into breakout rooms to discuss and record their answers on a shared Google doc, which allowed students to share their thinking in writing or read aloud. Since Tahmaseb wasn't in each breakout room to listen to the conversations, the Google doc kept students accountable. Once they returned to the whole class, volunteers from each group shared their answers with everyone.

5. A new twist on show-and-tell: To get students comfortable with online participation, Brittany Collins, the teaching and learning coordinator at Write the World, a global online writing community for middle and high school students, converted the familiar show-and-tell activity into "think, write, share."

In one activity, Collins asked middle and high school students to find a photo, painting, or drawing that represented intergenerational connection and independently respond by writing to the following questions from the Making Thinking Visible Framework before discussing them over video as a class: What are we looking at? What makes you say that? What do you notice (see, feel, know)? What more can we uncover? What do you wonder? "It helps to break the ice in a virtual learning setting where unplanned participation can prove challenging for some students," said Collins.

Asynchronous Strategies

Although some teachers-and students-said that synchronous discussions were more engaging because they resembled a traditional classroom, many educators found that asynchronous discussions were more equitable because they opened up participation to students with low bandwidth, who had schedule limitations, or who were uncomfortable engaging with the full class.

6. Online forums create back-and-forth dialogue: Angelina Murphy, a high school English teacher, said she used Google Classroom's question feature to get her class to respond to readings and discussion prompts during remote learning this past spring. When each student commented, Murphy replied with clarifying questions to create a back-and-forth dialogue and also asked every student to respond to at least two of their peers' comments to create a broader base of discussion.

Fifth-grade teacher Raquel Linares said she used Nearpod Collaborate (Apple, Android), a virtual collaboration board, to get students to share images or write a response to show what they had learned about an article they read. To inspire connection and reflection among classmates, Linares also used Flipgrid (Apple, Android), so that students could hear their peers' voices even though they were remote.

7. Seeing and critiquing peer work through virtual gallery walks: Virtual "gallery walks" give students an opportunity to view their classmates' projects while learning from each other, according to Joe Marangell, a high school social studies teacher. After his students presented their own projects through five-minute screencasts, they were then required to give feedback to at least two other students on theirs.

Using Google Sheets, students provided feedback to their peers by answering the following prompts: What's something new I learned about this topic?; What's something that surprised me about this topic?; What's something I liked about this presentation? The online format gave every student the opportunity to see their peers' work and their assessment on theirs for deeper reflection, Marangell said.

8. Moving station brainstorming online: When carousel or station brainstorming activities are conducted in traditional classroom environments, small groups of students rotate around the room to different stations to answer prompts-and view and add to each groups' responses.

To translate this online, Marangell divided his students into groups online and created shared Google docs-or a series of Google slides-for the prompts/questions. Each group left their thoughts under the questions by the assigned date and then followed up by commenting on the other groups' responses the next day. "The strategy still allows them to maintain a sense of classroom community [in a virtual setting]," said Marangell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators share their best synchronous and asynchronous strategies to boost student participation during online learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
IB Learner Profile: Knowledgeable - Knowledge is only given to those that choose to seek it! by Natasha Marciano | This newsletter was created with Smore, an online tool for creating beautiful newsletters for individual educators, schools and districts

# data[].attributes.body
Even though this padlet with a little bit of something for everyone is meant for Secondary teachers,  there are resources / tools that can be adpated to any grade level. I strongly recommned the Digital Calming Rooms section.

# data[].attributes.body
About provocations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In an old blog post I wrote about inquiry provocations and listed 12 possible ways of engaging students in exploring different topics or concepts. I encourage you to read it to get a better idea of how they can be used.

I am updating this list with examples from M (Mathematics), L (Literacy) and S (Social Studies). Before sharing the list I have a few notes to make:

1. You need effective alignment between the provocation you select and the you intend your students understand and develop. Do not use a provocation just for the sake of "engagement and fun" - ensure that it actually enables students to think deeper, to make broader connections, to see patterns, and to express viewpoints that are more sophisticated than before. *If you want a longer explanation of this, please see my post on Surface vs. Deep Inquiry.

2. You need to adapt each provocation according to the age group you teach. For instance, under Mathematics - MUSIC provocation - young students can be prompted to notice patterns and symmetry, older ones can notice fractions, and upper elementary students can already manipulate transpositions and algebraic functions (both of which are used in music).

3. Some provocations are naturally more effective in certain subjects, when exploring certain concepts or in developing certain skills. Make sure that you anticipate this and plan them accordingly. For instance, in Mathematics I prefer to use probing questions, challenges, and manipulatives. I also plan whether I want to focus more on the concept itself (say, negative numbers) or on the relationships between a concept and other math strands (say, geometry and measurement).

4. Provocations are given not only at the beginning of a concept exploration - they need to be spread out across the entire series of lessons. Students need to engage deeper with the content, see further links between similar ideas, and investigate the concept in different ways.

5. Provocations should be done in tandem with other strategies and routines - in and by themselves they are *not* conducive to thinking. For instance, under Social Studies - ARTIFACTS provocation - you need to have another routine ready to be applied (it can be I See - I Think- I Wonder, or Expert Groups or Question Stems ready on the tables where the artifacts are placed, e.g. What do you think this is used for? How can you connect with your prior learning? etc.). Visible Thinking Routines (from Harvard) is the best start if you don't know other strategies.

6. Provocations can be extremely simple (see my example below for Number). You need not come up with complex ideas or hard to find materials - just put some thought into your content. You can simply turn some of your content ideas into questions or debates like I did. What is essential is the depth of thinking involved, the exchange of ideas, the clarification of misconceptions through dialogue etc. Avoid at all costs provocations that apparently "engage" students but have no connection to the skill you want them to develop.

7. Lastly, the best way to create good provocations is...collaborative. Sit down with the teachers in your department/subject and work out ideas together - you will be amazed how refreshing it is to view the content of your subject through different perspectives and how productive it can be. Add your ideas in a Google Document and keep adding and refining. *I created the list below by myself so it is not the best it could be but it is a springboard for your better ideas.

*CLICK on each picture to enlarge and see the text better.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In an old blog post I wrote about inquiry provocations and listed 12 possible ways of engaging students in exploring different topics or concepts. I encourage you to read it to get a better idea of how they can be used. I am updating this list with examples from M (Mathematics), L (Literacy) and S...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thinking: Shaken Not Stirred by Cristina Milos

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
prov·o·ca·tion (prv-kshn) n. 1. The act of provoking or inciting. 2. Something that provokes. Our brain needs it. To engage. To learn. To remember. In an inquiry-centered environment learning prov…

# data[].attributes.headline
Keeping KIndergartners Engaged in Distance Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Keeping KIndergartners Engaged in Distance Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Equity Sticks

When we began meeting virtually, my students were excited. Everyone wanted to participate, raising their hands enthusiastically. A couple of weeks in, that changed. Some kids were still participating wholly, but others were not.

In my classroom, I use equity sticks. I could pull out a stick to randomly choose the name of a student to call on. It occurred to me that I could use these sticks in Zoom, too. I purchased sticks from Amazon and created a stick for each student in about 10 minutes.
Pros

I could get kids who weren't raising their hands involved; they responded beautifully.

It helped me try to make sure that every student got a chance to speak during every lesson.

It was easy to incorporate into my lessons.

Cons

Some lessons simply didn't have enough discussion points to pull each student's stick.

Personalized or Themed Lessons

As a team, we decided to present our lessons using Google Slides. Early on, we personalized these by using student names wherever we could (e.g., in a math story problem). Halfway through our time of virtual teaching, we began adding themes to our presentations (e.g., superheroes or summer food).
Pros

The kids loved seeing their names in the presentations.

The themes kept the majority of the kids interested.

Cons

Personalizing and incorporating themes was quite time-consuming.

Mindfulness Brain Breaks

No matter what we did to liven up our presentations, which usually lasted about 20 minutes, some of the kids still got squirmy. From almost the beginning, we included some mindful breathing GIFs and video brain breaks. Typically, these videos ran three to five minutes and encouraged the students to move.
Pros

Most of the kids bought in to the breathing, which we dropped in right before the real meat of the lesson.

Most of the kids loved the videos we chose as our brain breaks (and I don't have words to describe how cute they were, moving and grooving to the music).

Cons

Finding appropriate breathing moments and break videos was time-consuming.

Finding new moments and videos to use was challenging as time went on.

Some students were not engaging in these breaks, so that was time they were just staring at the screen. Some of these students tended to be shy about moving on camera, and the others weren't interested in the activity.

Zoom Tools

At the start, we had the kids raise their hands or use their thumbs to respond to questions. As we became more comfortable with Zoom, we were able to use some of the tools that the program has to offer-in particular, the "raise hand" and "chat" tools.

In addition to using the raise hand tool when they knew an answer, I had them use the chat box. They could type T or F for true/false questions, or they could type the answer to a math problem-I made sure they were typing only to me, not to each other.
Pros

The tools were easy to teach, and the kids caught on very quickly.

The kids loved using the tools, particularly the chat feature.

The tools provided lots of practice using the computer keyboard.

Cons

I learned that the tools needed to be used sparingly, as the students' interest in using them lessened over time.

Sometimes they just wanted to type random things to me in the box, ignoring whatever lesson I was giving.

Emailed To-Do Lists

It was vital for parents to be a part of the virtual learning experience. Their children needed the help, and I needed a partner in getting the kids to do their assigned work. Early on, I sent the parents a blank weekly checklist they could print out and fill in. I also emailed parents and the kids daily. I shared a list of my expectations for the next day, along with links to assignments and our Zoom classes.
Pros

The parents loved the checklist as an organizational tool.

The daily emails allowed the parents to keep track of what I expected and offered a quick and easy way to reply to me to ask questions.

Cons

This task could be time-consuming.

It was difficult to tell who was actually reading the emails.

It was recently announced that we will begin our upcoming school year online. I plan to use all of these strategies with minor adjustments. I have learned that I need to use the Zoom tools and video breaks sparingly. I know I'll need to allow time for finding useful GIFs and videos.

These strategies were invaluable and helped keep my students engaged. I plan to brainstorm new strategies with my team this fall. If we all keep sharing our discoveries, we can keep these kids engaged in learning no matter where the learning takes place.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Keeping Kindergartners Engaged in Distance Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When we began meeting virtually, my students were excited. Everyone wanted to participate, raising their hands enthusiastically. A couple of weeks in, that changed. Some kids were still participating wholly, but others were not. In my classroom, I use equity sticks. I could pull out a stick to randomly choose the name of a student to call on.

# data[].attributes.headline
Making Thinking Visible - A goal and set of practices-

# data[].attributes.subject
Making Thinking Visible - A goal and set of practices-

# data[].attributes.body
To use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.text
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation

# data[].attributes.wish_content.attachment_props.original_text
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation https://t.co/ytl3rUWoJd

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices: listening, questioning, and documentation pic.twitter.com/ytl3rUWoJd
— Ron Ritchhart (@RonRitchhart) July 14, 2020

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props_source.data.text
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation https://t.co/ytl3rUWoJd

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation https://t.co/ytl3rUWoJd

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
to use thinking routines powerfully, we must situate in the center of 3 other powerful practices:  listening, questioning, and documentation

# data[].attributes.headline
Making Learning at Home Work for Preschool Students

# data[].attributes.subject
Making Learning at Home Work for Preschool Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's not easy to teach young children remotely. These strategies can help make instruction accessible and engaging-for students and their families.

When I walked out of my early childhood special education classroom on Friday, March 13, I didn't bring anything home with me. I was expecting to go back to work on Monday. I had all of my students' craft materials ready, and our classroom library was stocked with books for the following week's theme.

That weekend, everyone's world was turned upside down with the announcement that schools would be closing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The next week felt like a blur as I rushed to put together a distance learning plan that would be meaningful and appropriate for my students and their families. The remainder of the year went as smoothly as could be expected, and I feel confident that, if we do distance learning again this upcoming year, I'll be prepared to provide a high-quality experience.

8 Tips for Home Learning in Preschool

1. Use digital platforms for engagement: Tools like Google Meet and Zoom are useful for facilitating a daily circle time, story time, and a time for students just to talk and engage with one another.

My students got so excited to see each other, and were excitedly telling their parents who their friends were. Many of my circle time activities are done on our interactive whiteboard, so I connected my laptop to my TV and projected our calendar, counting and number activities, sorting activities, and thematic songs for the students to see.

2. Include familiar items: Use classroom items like curricular materials, the calendar, favorite books, puppets, and songs in your lessons.

This will help students adapt to the new virtual learning environment and keep things consistent for when you do go back to the classroom. Many of my students were shy during our first virtual circle times, but as soon as I started singing our hello song, I saw many smiles on my screen. For our whole group math lessons, I brought home all of the curricular materials and led the lesson as I do in the classroom.

3. Provide a daily family activity: This can target language skills, fine and gross motor skills, play, or cognitive skills.

Each day, I posted an activity on Seesaw for all of the students. The activity was related to our weekly theme, letter, number, shape, and color.

Additionally, I created customized activities to address individual students' IEP goals. Using Seesaw, families can post a photo or video of the activity, or they can send it via email. If families prefer paper copies of the activities, you might drop off a packet with the same activities at students' homes.

4. Include prompts for family interactions: This is useful for all children, but especially those with disabilities.

For each activity, I provided examples of how to meaningfully engage the child in the activity and expand on their language skills. For example, in a sort-by-color activity, I included prompts for children who are speaking (e.g., "What color is this?") and for children who are not yet speaking (e.g., "Show me a yellow one").

5. Invite related service providers to join virtual lessons and activities: Among the people you might want to include are speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc., as well as classroom assistants.

The goal of distance learning is to provide students with meaningful learning experiences that are as similar as possible to learning in the classroom. My students enjoyed seeing familiar faces during circle time, and the adults added to the experience by singing the songs, talking with the students, and showing off their pets.

6. Host individual meetings for new students: For students whose first exposure to your program-and to school-will be virtual, an initial meeting (using Google Meet or Zoom) to introduce yourself to the student and their family can settle fears and anxieties.

Since the child has never met you before, they may be hesitant to participate in virtual activities. However, this initial meeting can make them feel more comfortable. Additionally, the parents will appreciate getting to know you and being able to ask questions.

7. Have a plan in the event that your program goes to distance learning after opening: I have a tool called a social story ready to go. According to the creator of social stories, Carol Gray, the goal of a social story is to "share accurate information using a content, format, and voice that is descriptive, meaningful, and physically, socially, and emotionally safe."

Parents can read this to their child to help them process this transition. For preschool-age children, pictures can make the story more comprehensible. Social stories were developed for higher functioning students with autism; however, they can be helpful for students with other disabilities.

8. Relax and try to enjoy this new challenge: If you're teaching and interacting with your students as you normally do in the classroom, then they will feel more comfortable with distance learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Making Learning at Home Work for Preschool Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's not easy to teach young children remotely. These strategies can help make instruction accessible and engaging-for students and their families. When I walked out of my early childhood special education classroom on Friday, March 13, I didn't bring anything home with me. I was expecting to go back to work on Monday.

# data[].attributes.headline
What does pink sound like? A collaboration between visual art and music. 

# data[].attributes.subject
What does pink sound like? A collaboration between visual art and music. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This article is about a collaboration between music and visual art at IS Ruhr. The aim was to increase students' conceptual understanding of the arts by exploring and connecting elements used in visual art, music, and dance. In this process students' ATL skills and the IB learner profile were deepened.
After many conversations about the arts and our approaches to teaching, we, the music and art teacher at IS Ruhr, discovered a lot of overlaps in our fields and decided to collaborate.

The idea was to deepen a conceptual understanding of elements used in both art forms and their connection with each other, and in this transdisciplinary process achieve a new perception of the arts in general. These thoughts lead to the following central idea and lines of inquiry:
Central Idea
Connecting key elements in visual art and music transforms the way we perceive the arts.
Lines of Inquiry

Exploring the reciprocal influence of music and visual art

Using Elements of Art (EoA) and Principles of Design (PoD) in visual art analysis and Elements of Music (EoM) in music analysis

Connecting EoA/PoD with EoM

Creating and refining art based on new perspective

Key Concept
Perspective, connection, form, reflection
Related Concept
Self-expression (dance, play/improvise, draw/compose), exploration
A.T.L. skills
Thinking, communication, social
Learner Profile
Open-minded, communicator, balanced, thinker, knowledgeable, risk-taker, reflective
What and how students learned
Our main focus was to explore the way pieces of art are put together in our subject areas and to what extent components can be connected with each other. We followed the circle of inquiry collaboratively developed by the IS Ruhr PYP staff to structure students' learning:
Invite
Students observed pieces of music and paintings, and expressed their thoughts/ideas/feelings about them.
Explore
Students explored EoA, PoD, EoM, learned to use them in describing visual art/music, and made connections between them.
Create
Students created drawings and improvisations in the process of acquiring a deeper understanding of the way visual art/music is built.
Review
Students discussed and refined their drawings/improvisations.
Share
Students have started compiling evidence of their learning on a website.
Learning steps
Step 1 (invitation): Focus on Wassily Kandinsky's artwork
Questions (Provocations):
What do you see?

What do you hear?

What do you feel?
Selected student answers:
"I see moving lines.", "The red circle is humming.", "It feels like the shapes and lines are growing.", "It's like a foggy landscape. Blue is cold.", "It's a song!"

Students express their thoughts/ideas/feelings referring to the guiding questions, making connections to music (without prompting by the teacher).

straight lines = musical notation, strings from instruments, keys, tabs

curved lines = movements from conductor, of sound in space

interacting values = beats, expanding/fading sounds

repeating shapes and lines etc. = rhythm, dance
Step 2 (invitation):
Students listened to Arnold Schönberg's atonal Three Piano Pieces Op.11 and expressed their feelings and observations. They learned about the friendship between W. Kandinsky and A. Schönberg and how they influenced each other's art.
Step 3 (exploration/creation):
Kandinsky studied photographs of dancing poses, and invented new compositions, a line management capturing motion and expression of the dance.
Dynamic Pose (in Pairs)
Take pictures of each other dancing to your favourite music.

Transfer the digital image into an abstract drawing according to the examples below.
Step 4 (exploration/creation):Visualize a piece of music
Take your favourite tune (pop song, classical piece etc.) and create abstract lines and shapes to represent it. Think of rhythm and melody, instruments that appear, the way it makes you move etc. Use Kandinsky's paintings [01) & 02)] for inspiration. Combine this with the drawing of Step 3.

These abstract drawings were brought to the music room where students transformed them into sound.
Step 5 (exploration/creation): Read drawings like a score
Transform your own or your classmate's drawing into music by reading it like a score. Use an instrument of your choice and play together in a group. Describe the music you imagine before you play.

Questions: What kind of sounds do you imagine when looking at various EoA or PoD in the drawing? In what way would these elements/principles affect EoM used in your playing?

Selected Answers: Students made the following connections:

long lines = long, steady sounds (duration)

dots = short sounds (duration)

bright colours = high sounds (pitch)

dark colours = low sounds (pitch)

faded colours = quiet sounds (volume)

repetition of shapes = repetition of sounds (form)

a lot of squiggles = "chaotic" sounds (texture)

First students described the sounds in words and then improvised as a group.
Problem:
Even though students enjoyed playing together they were unhappy about the music not matching their imagination; probably due to a lack of communication in terms of when to play which element of the drawing.
Solution:
Play solos or duos: This alteration of the original task resulted in a musical outcome that was closer to their expectations.
Step 6 (creation/review)Improvise, influenced by the drawing
Work alone or with a partner. Choose a drawing. Look at the drawing for a minimum of 30 seconds silently. Then close your eyes for 10 seconds. After that play and listen attentively to the sounds you are making.

Focusing on a more sensual approach students were encouraged to absorb the drawing by looking at it without analysing it in a specific way and then listen to their own playing attentively. Students should move away from the idea of reading the drawing like a score and rather let the art itself do the work.
Students' response:
Students responded to this approach with enthusiasm and wanted to repeat the activity many times.
Step 7 (sharing):
Collaboratively create a website (with the help of the music teacher and art teacher) with recordings, images, photos of your drawings, comments and verbal explanations.

At this point our collaboration is not completed, but we are excited to see where it will take us.
Possible next steps:

Share the website with a selected community (e.g. parents, other classes) and receive feedback.

Perform improvisations and exhibit drawings as a school event.

Explore the topic further with visits to museums, installations or concerts.

Reflections and Outlook
We enjoyed the transdisciplinary aspect of our collaboration and believe that our enthusiasm as teachers and artists had a positive impact. We accompanied our students' learning with our own desire to acquire more knowledge about our colleague's art form. We are still in the process of this inquiry and have a lot of ideas where it could lead. But we wouldn't be part of the PYP if we weren't prepared for the unexpected.

References and sources:

1. line, color, shape/form, space, value, texture: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-the-elements-of-art-182704

2. movement, rhythm, variety, composition, balance, unity, pattern, emphasis, proportion, contrast: https://artclasscurator.com/principles-of-design-examples/

3. pitch, timbre, texture, volume, duration, form, spacial location: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_music

4. https://interlude.hk/music-art-schoenberg-kandinsky/

5. To the right: drawing by Noyan (ISRuhr, Grade 4)

6. Image 3 - Wassily Kandinsky, "Dance Curves: On the Dances of Palucca" (1926) Dancer and choreographer Gret Palucca (1902-1993)

Karin Schistek studied the piano and pedagogy at the University "Mozarteum" in Salzburg and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She has been an active pianist and teaching music for over 20 years in Austria, Scotland, and Germany. Since 2017 she is the music teacher at IS Ruhr in Essen.
Daniel Niemann teaches visual art and is CAS coordinator at IS Ruhr. He studied visual art education and art therapy at Dortmund University. Apart from artistic activity he worked at different art museums, for arts festivals and has been teaching art for 20 years.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What does pink sound like? A collaboration between visual art and music

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article is about a collaboration between music and visual art at IS Ruhr. The aim was to increase students' conceptual understanding of the arts by exploring and connecting elements used in visual art, music, and dance. In this process students' ATL skills and the IB learner profile were deepened.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Son muchos los avances realizados en el campo de la neurociencia que nos aportan una valiosa información sobre cómo funciona el cerebro y cómo podemos mejorar y potenciar el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en nuestra práctica profesional.

No olvidamos que las relaciones interpersonales y las emociones son aspectos clave en este proceso, pero mientras no volvamos a las aulas, ¿por qué no incorporar nuevos elementos, ahora que inevitablemente hemos de adaptarnos a otro tipo de enseñanza?

Cuatro claves

Con este objetivo en mente, cito a continuación cuatro aspectos que, desde mi experiencia como profesora online, puede ser interesante incorporar en las nuevas adaptaciones de nuestra programación.

1. Acercarnos a la realidad y a los intereses del alumnado

Se trata de aprovechar aquello que interese al alumnado e incluirlo en el proceso de aprendizaje, persiguiendo que se identifique y se emocione con ello. Ya conocemos el papel que juega la emoción en el proceso de aprendizaje, tengámoslo en cuenta ahora también.

Además, es necesario que el alumnado sea consciente de la aplicabilidad de lo aprendido; para ello, podemos añadir toques de realidad a las actividades planteadas, conectándolas a la situación actual.

A modo de ejemplo, los alumnos del Ciclo Formativo de Grado Superior en Educación Infantil del grupo donde imparto clases, están ahora elaborando campañas de salud 'caseras' (aprovechando las aplicaciones gratuitas de diseño y edición de vídeos) que van dirigidas a niños. En ellas comparten consejos sobre cómo reducir al máximo el riesgo de contagio ahora que ya pueden salir a la calle. En este caso, sus productos se emitirán en Navarra TV, lo que ha aportado un extra de motivación al grupo.

2. Visión lúdica de la enseñanza

Las metodologías de aprendizaje mediante el juego tienen efectos muy positivos, puesto que el juego despierta la curiosidad y permite descubrir y practicar nuevas habilidades útiles, además de aumentar la autoestima, la motivación para aprender y las relaciones interpersonales. Pero, ¿puede ser lúdico el aprendizaje online?

Hay muchas y variadas formas de incluir el juego en la enseñanza. Desde pequeñas píldoras como serían concursos online (tipo Kahoot o Quizziz) hasta juegos adaptados (un Trivial con preguntas sobre la materia), retos o misiones en los que se trabajen las competencias de la etapa educativa o, incluso, juegos reales sin modificación alguna. Hay muchísimos ejemplos que seguro pueden adaptarse a la realidad de cada grupo.

3. El error como parte del aprendizaje

Quizá no ha habido un mejor momento que ahora para convencernos de que el error es parte del proceso de aprendizaje. El error no penaliza, no separa; al contrario, es parte inherente al propio proceso, una herramienta que abre puertas a nuevos aprendizajes.

¿Cómo evaluamos entonces? La evaluación formativa es aquí nuestro mayor aliado. Podemos centrarnos en qué aspectos se pueden mejorar y no en calificar o en resaltar aquello que está 'mal'. Algunas de las herramientas que se pueden utilizar son: diarios de aprendizaje, rúbricas de auto y coevaluación, pequeñas preguntas al finalizar actividades, sesiones o bloques de contenidos (¿qué he aprendido?, ¿en qué aspecto necesito ayuda?, ¿qué cuestión no me ha quedado clara?, ¿qué me ha sorprendido?, etc.) y muchísimos recursos más.

4. Creatividad.

Hablamos de una de las competencias más útiles para el desarrollo profesional y personal a lo largo de la vida. Casi cualquier actividad puede desarrollarse de un modo creativo. Desde mi experiencia, puede ser útil presentar las tareas a modo de retos para el alumnado: tenemos este problema, ¿cómo lo resolvemos? No se aportan soluciones a 'copiar' o instrucciones a seguir, sino que la solución se debe crear y es, inevitablemente, única.

Por otro lado, se pueden plantear pequeñas actividades que trabajen la creatividad para despertar la curiosidad del alumnado. Un buen ejemplo sería sorprender a los estudiantes con acertijos relacionados con el pensamiento divergente o sobre los propios conocimientos de cada materia.

Estos cuatro ejemplos me están ayudando a mantener la motivación de los alumnos en esta última etapa del curso, en la que probablemente más necesitamos sentirnos parte de ese grupo de clase que el coronavirus nos ha robado.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Neuroeducación para motivar al alumnado en las clases a distancia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Son muchos los avances realizados en el campo de la neurociencia que nos aportan una valiosa información sobre cómo funciona el cerebro y cómo podemos mejorar y potenciar el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en nuestra práctica profesional.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With Google Docs more popular than ever in education, I thought I should share some of my favorite tips.

I have 10 Google Docs Tips Every Teacher Should Know

Over the years, I have shared a lot of Google tips.

In this post, I'm pulling together ten posts with Google skills that every teacher should know.

From learning the basics, how to make a copy of files that have been shared online, creating template links, using voice typing, citing sources, inserting GIFs, editing images, using Docs offlines, and much more!
Listen to this article:
. ..

1. File>Make a Copy

How to Make a Copy of Google Files IS A MUST-HAVE GOOGLE SKILL!

How to Make a Copy of Google Files

STEP 1: Open the file (Google Doc, Slide, Drawing, or Sheet) in your browser (Chrome is recommended).

STEP 2: Go to the FILE menu and select MAKE A COPY.

STEP 3: A small pop up will prompt you to name your new copy and give you the option to organize it in one of your Google Drive folders. Click on the folder to select a different folder or create a new folder.

Note: If you are copying your own document, you will also see two checkboxes. (1) Share it with the same people, which will automatically share the new copy with the same people, and (2) Copy comments, which will automatically copy all of the comments from the original document to the new file.

2. Force a Copy

Here's an easy way to force users to make a copy of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides or Drawings!

By hacking the URL you can prompt users to make a copy!

Have you ever shared a file with a student or colleague and instructed them to go to file>make a copy, and instead, they start typing on the document like it's their own?

There are lots of ways to make a copy and distribute to students, like using Google Classroom or Doctopus, but this little trick is super simple!

Since Google Classroom solves this issue with students, this is mostly a trick that comes in handy when sharing with adults or on your website or blog.

How to Force a Copy of a Google Doc, Slide, Sheet, or Drawing

Here's how it works!

STEP 1

Be sure you have shared your document either as "anyone with the link," or "public." This has to be enabled before you can use the force a copy trick.

You could share it individually with the person, but that usually prompts a notification and they will see it in Drive and could still ignore your instructions.

(Do you need help with learning about sharing? Get my FREE Guide to Google Drive Sharing!)

STEP 2

STEP 3

Open the doc, slide deck, sheet, or drawing you want to use.

Click in the search box and look at the end of the link.

Replace the word EDIT with the word COPY in the link.

Click return/enter.

Copy and paste this new copy link wherever you need-in an email, on your website, presentation, newsletter, etc.

Don't forget STEP 1! If you haven't made it shareable the link will not work!

When the user clicks on the copy link, they will be prompted to make a copy of the file.

Once they click the "Make a Copy," button, it will make a copy of the file and add it to their Google Drive. AWESOME!

See this blog post for more tips on Forcing a Copy of Google files.

3. Template Links

Yes! This G Suite trick will let you change some words in the URL of your file and magically create a template link!

This is a game-changer, y'all! Templates make life easier, especially as a teacher. I make copies of interesting G Suite files and templates all the time. Sharing is caring!

To change a Doc, Sheet, Slide, or Drawing to a template link, replace the word, "edit," with the words, "template/preview." Hit enter/return, and you will see a preview window with the magical, "Use Template," button.

**Keep in mind that sharing rules still apply, so it still has to be at least viewable to whoever is "using the template." To learn more about all the sharing options in G Suite, check out my Guide to Google Drive Sharing.

How to Create a Template Link

The Magical "Use Template" Button

Once you click the "Use Template," button, the file is added to your drive and named exactly as the template. Oh, and it doesn't have that annoying, "Copy of ..." wording!

*NOTE: This option doesn't work well on mobile devices. I would only recommend this for desktop/laptop.

4. Voice Typing

One tiny little feature that packs an amazing punch is Voice Typing in Google Docs. This is a speech-to-text feature that is built-in to the most popular word processor in the world, and it is available to you and your students if you have a microphone in your devices.

You can dictate all kinds of words, lists, and writing into Google Docs. You can also dictate formatting, punctuation, and editing. But wait...there's more! YOU CAN DICTATE IN OTHER LANGUAGES!!!!! WHOA!!!!
See this blog post for more template link ideas!
How to Enable Voice Typing in Google Docs (desktop version)

To use voice typing or voice commands, your computer microphone needs to be on and working.
Step 1: Turn on Your Microphone Step 2: Start voice typing in a document
See this blog post for 7 Reasons You Need to Try Voice Typing in Google Docs.

1. Check that your microphone works.

2. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.

3. Click Tools Voice typing. A microphone box appears.

4. When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.

5. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).

6. When you're done, click the microphone again.

Did you know you can EASILY cite sources without ever leaving Google Docs? Yep! It's so easy!

Insert Footnote Citation in Google Docs

You can easily add footnote citations by using the Explore tool in Google Docs. Even those footnote citations do not meet every need; it is so nice to have this built-in to Google Docs. This is light years above what I could get my sixth graders to do when it came to citing sources.

1. Go to Tools>Explore (or click on the explore icon 0n the bottom-right)

2. Type in your search query to find the source

3. Hover over the result, then click on the quotations in the top right of the result

4. A footnote citation will be added to the bottom of your doc

But Wait...There's More! Change the Citation Format:

Yes! You can cite the source in MLA, APA or Chicago!!!!!

Go to the three dots (snowman) to change from MLA, APA, or Chicago.

Yep! It's THAT EASY! Students today will never have to do citation the hard way some of us did. They won't count spaces; they won't have to suffer with citations the way some of us did.

I have a Google Doc with these directions that you can copy and share. CLICK HERE to make a copy of the directions.

See the full blog post for more citation tips.

In case you haven't noticed, animated GIFs, those moving pictures that are almost like videos, are ruling the world. It's not enough anymore to just have a cool image in your presentation; you need to engage them with a little animation. Better yet, GIFs offer an excellent way to show step sets to help teachers and students learn new skills!

Find a GIF

You can use the advanced search filter in Google images to find GIFs. Watch the animation below for an example.

Copy the Image Address of the GIF

Locate the URL (or Image Address as it's called in Chrome) of the GIF you wish to use. Simply right-click to copy the image address as shown in the animation below. (Note: this will vary in other browsers, but you should be using Chrome anyway!)

Insert By URL in Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drawings, etc.

The only way to get the animation to work is to insert by URL.

1. Go to images.google.com and enter your search terms

2. Click on the "search tools" button

3. Under type, select "animated"

So take the time to spice up your presentations, documents and more with animated GIFs. It's a great way to engage students (and adults). Your animations can be for humor and other emotional responses, or they can be to show how-to complete tasks as I did above.

Learn more about how to insert gifs in Google Docs and Slides here.

Did you know you can edit images inside Google Docs and Slides?

In just a few clicks, you and your students can add some pizazz to your images in Google Docs and Google Slides!

Resizing Images

1. Do

1. Inside your document/slide, go to the Insert menu.

2. Select Image

3. Select By URL

4. Copy and paste the image address you copied above.

5. Click Select to insert the image.

6. Voila!

(Image with 4pt orange border)

You can reshape your images in Google Slides for

added effect.

1. Select the image

Image Options (Google Docs)

When you click on an image in Google Docs, you will see "image options," in the toolbar. Clicking on "image options," will open a sidebar menu where you can recolor your image (think Andy Warhol), and also adjust the transparency, brightness, and contrast of your image inside Google Docs, giving you some finer controls over the image.

Format Options (Google Slides)

When you click on an image in Google Slides, you will see "format options," in the toolbar. Clicking on "format options" will open a sidebar menu where you can fine tune many different things on your image.

The Google Docs Explore tool brings you quick access to your Drive files, web search, images, recommendations and more.

Explore is available in Docs, Sheets, and Slides and it uses machine learning to try to predict the things you need as you compose and create.

Please note, while this post is focused on the desktop/web version of Google Docs, the Explore tool is also available on mobile. ( Android directions| iOS directions)

What is the Google Docs Explore Tool?

The Google Docs Explore tool uses machine learning to suggest topics, images, and files from your Google Drive to help you create and compose.

You can also search the web, your Drive files, Google Images, and even cite sources using this fantastic tool.

There are two ways to access the Explore tool, (1) Go to Tools>Explore, or (2) Click on the Explore icon on the bottom right of your page.

A new sidebar panel will open giving you access to many different features as shown in the animation below.

Click here to learn 5 Ways to Use the Google Docs Explore Tool.

This is the best of both worlds!
Learn even more image editing options in this post.
If you are using Google Drive to store your files, you may find yourself with some Microsoft files that you would like to edit without having to download and open in their native applications.

How to Edit Microsoft Office Files in Google Drive

To be clear, this post is about editing native Office files in Google apps without converting. Please remember that formatting will get wonky! But it is nice to have this ability when you need it.

Files Supported

I wish I could say that all Microsoft files could be edited from Google Drive, but there are only three, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The following Office file types are supported:

Note: If you edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents older than Office 2007, files will be saved to a newer format when editing using Office editing.

Learn more about using this feature on this page.

Sometimes we need to work on our Google Drive files when we don't have an Internet connection. So I'm going to show you how to access files in Google Drive using the Google Docs offline extension.

This comes in handy when you are traveling.

It is also a great tool for students and teachers with limited or no Internet access at home.

This process varies by device.

This is NOT the same as backup and sync, which stores ALL your files on your local hard drive. This method shows you how to select individual files that you would like to make available for offline access.

If you aren't connected to the Internet, you can still view and edit files, including:

Save and open Google Docs, Sheets & Slides offline

Open Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline

Save Google Docs, Sheets & Slides for offline use

Word files: .doc, .docx, .dot

Excel files: .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm (macro enabled Excel files), .xlt

Powerpoint files: .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .pot

To save multiple files offline, press Shift or Command (Mac)/ Ctrl (Windows) while you click other files.

Preview offline files

© Shake Up Learning 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

1. Open Chrome. Make sure you're signed in to Chrome.

2. Go to drive.google.com/drive/settings.

3. Check the box next to "Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline."

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.

2. Right-click the Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file you want to save offline.

3. Turn on "Available offline."

1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
Make sure you turn on offline access first.

2. At the top right, click Ready for offline .

3. Click Offline preview.

Learn more about offline access, and how it works on mobile devices in this post.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Google Docs Tips Every Teacher Should Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Over the years, I have cultivated a laundry list of tips and ideas for using Google Docs in the classroom. In this episode, I will share with you 10 Google Docs Tips Every Teacher Should Know. We will cover basic skills, as well as, some tips to help you become a power user.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
critique and feedback - the story of austin's butterfly - Ron Berger

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I recently attended an IB ARMS ( Rocky Mountain Association of IB World Schools) symposium in Denver and found myself in an interesting conversation regarding student agency. I think that the current buzz word student agency must be recognised for its role of bringing greater awareness to our role of giving the children more pertinent opportunities to use their agency. In other words, providing the children with more authentic chances to use their voice, make choices for themselves, both collectively and as individuals, and to encourage ownership for their own learning. So, let's look at the area of assessment and how we, as the facilitators, can increase the children's' involvement with this part of their learning cycle.

Since this is a lengthy subject, I'm going to break it down into 2 parts. I will also be including free samples of assessment tools. If you'd like to follow along, please add your e mail into the box on the right and you'll receive the posts directly into your mailbox as they are released.

The Three Roles of Assessment in the IB PYP Classroom

When we consider teaching and learning as a cycle, then assessment is a critical part of that cycle, which if removed, would render the cycle incomplete. There's the traditional teaching-learning-assessment cycle, which we are all familiar with and take responsibility for, as teachers. Then there's, what I like to call, the Inclusive Assessment Cycle, where the children take certain responsibilities for their assessment. The methods & expectations from the cycle would obviously look different according to their age level but the cycle would remain the same.

Overall, it enables a greater degree of collaboration with your students in, what is ultimately, their learning experience. It is no surprise that is shares commonalities with the reflection cycle. You can read more about developing reflective thinkers here.

Looking at the functions of the two TRADITIONAL forms of assessment, we are able to identify ways to make it more inclusive. And if we begin to make it all more inclusive, ultimately it becomes its own title of Assessment AS Learning.

Assessment FOR Learning:

Commonly known as formative assessment, think along the lines of

the portfolio over time and so on.

Traditionally: Teachers use evidence from these assessments to look at the children's' content knowledge, understanding and skills. We use the information from these assessments to inform our planning and the direction of our teaching as the learning progresses.

Inclusively: Give the children the opportunity to predict their own outcomes prior to the assessment and then to reflect upon their results afterwards. This can include free choice of working on differentiated materials, keeping track of scores on simple charts or graphs, looking back upon previous assessments and sharing feedback. Keeping those records in their working binders or portfolios allows them free access to look back, review and reflect. If we need to redirect our plans at this stage, then the children are aware of this need.

2. Assessment OF Learning: You probably know this form of assessment as the summative assessment. It is used at the end of a unit of learning, whether it is for a transdisciplinary unit or a single subject unit.

Traditionally: Its job is to create evidence of the students' cumulative learning and compare their achievement against specific standards. I find that this type of assessment can be subjective and therefore less valid if the activities are not planned effectively. The validity of the activities and the quality of the feedback determine the effectiveness of the assessment, thus thoughtful consideration of the expectations of the assessed activity is crucial.

Inclusively: Encourage the children to use the initial lines of inquiry, key concepts and skills as a starting point for creating a checklist or rubric to show expectations. Discuss what content ( standards) and strategies were included in their learning of the unit and have them come up with their own ideas to show what they know.

3. Assessment AS Learning: And so, we can see that this is where much of the student agency can be seen and encouraged. It is an inclusive assessment method. Think along the lines of~

teacher assessment & feedback

goal setting.
The student will their progress, their understanding and upon their next steps and goals for themselves. They rely on quality feedback from a variety of sources to add to the effectiveness of this assessment and use the assessment process as a learning experience. It requires responsibility and encourages accountability, enabling them to feel that they are an important part of their own development. And, it takes time to develop their reflective thinking skills. Guide them through it.

Inclusive assessment is a path that I believe increases agency. The implementation of the assessment can be differentiated according to the students' needs, interests and learning profile. It naturally develops the ATL skills and leads to the student's voice being a loud and clear part of their PYP learning experience. The evidence gathered can be used to inform parents of their child's progress from their child's own perspective and in alignment with the teacher's perspective. This is, in itself, valuable information and lends itself naturally to student led conferences.

There are many tools and strateigies for assessment out there and I'd like to look more closely at those tools that will encourage inclusive assessment - assessment AS learning.

In part 2, I will be sharing ways to include the children in their assessment, record evidence and gather assessment data for both teachers and students, covering everything from anecdotal records to creating student-led assessment activities. Meanwhile, you can read more about ways to implement greater student agency in your classroom here as well as co-planning your unit of inquiry with your kiddos here.

Looking forward to continuing the chat, ( *update: link to part 2 here*)
P.S. Be sure to add your e mail to the box so that you don't miss out. You'll receive a FREE guide with 10 Ways to Bring Inquiry into Your Classroom Today! 🙂
FOLLOW ME HERE, FOLLOW ME THERE.....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assessment and Student Agency in the IB PYP

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I recently attended an IB ARMS ( Rocky Mountain Association of IB World Schools) symposium in Denver and found myself in an interesting conversation regarding student agency. I think that the current buzz word student agency must be recognised for its role of bringing greater awareness to our...

# data[].attributes.headline
Free Digital Activities Getting to Kwon Your Students

# data[].attributes.subject
Free Digital Activities Getting to Kwon Your Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
| | Filed Under: Back to School, Digital Resources

As teachers, we know the importance of getting to know our students, their interests, learning styles, preferences, and families. Getting to know your students is important for building relationships, which leads to stronger classroom management and higher levels of engagement. Knowing your students also helps you create learning opportunities that even your most reluctant students will enjoy. However, starting a new school year with digital remote teaching makes this difficult. This post will share some digital activities to help you get to know your students.

Note: I created these with the intention of using them to get to know students from a teacher's perspective. However, you will find that some of these activities are great to collaborate and allow for peer-to-peer interaction if you wish.

Getting to Know Your Students - First to Last Digital Activities

The first set of activities is called "First to Last". These activities present the students with a few choices, four to six, in a specific category.

The students are asked to rank the choices from least favorite to most favorite. The categories include types of food, activities/hobbies, school subjects, types of drinks, sports, and more.

You can use what you learn about your students to create learning opportunities that bring in common interests. For example, if you find that you have a group of students who chooses soccer as their most favorite sport, you can design a learning opportunity where they read about soccer and answer comprehension questions about soccer.

If you find that the majority of your class enjoys working with partners, this might be something that you try to include in your digital instruction.

If you find your students really enjoy art, you can try to incorporate some self-directed drawing.

Analyzing the results and looking for common trends will really allow you to create learning experiences to engage your students and also show them that you are interested in them, which will help build stronger relationships.

You can also use what you learn about your students to serve as incentives or motivation.

For example, you may have a student who really loves math, but they put reading as their least favorite (and as a result, they struggle with accountability in reading). You can use math to engage them in reading. You can have them read situations about math or read about mathematicians. You can even have a bonus activity that they can complete that has to do with math after they complete their reading activities.

Getting to Know Your Students - Agree or Disagree Digital Sorts

The next activity are "Agree or Disagree" sorts. These activities present the students with statements that they sort depending on whether they agree with them or whether they disagree with them.

This is another opportunity for you to get to know your students and their interests in a different format.

There are two sorts included. Use them both or pick the one that works best for grade level and students.

Some of the statements included are:

I enjoy being in busy crowded places.

I enjoy being in nature.

I like playing sports.

I have read a book for fun on more than one occasion.

I like it when my teacher calls on me during class.

I consider myself to be an organized person.

Music is very important to me.

I sometimes get my feelings hurt easily.

By sneaking in some of those really important questions such as, "I sometimes get my feelings hurt easily," with other questions like, "Music is important to me," you're making them feel safe to be honest. This will allow them to feel comfortable telling you more about their personality and interests. This will help you learn how to relate and connect to them in a digital environment.

Getting to Know Your Students - Discussion Questions

The next activity is pretty simple but another great way to get to know your students. This activity includes back to school reflection questions in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

One format is a Google Slides version where the students type their answers on the slide with the question. This version is ideal if you want to send just a couple of questions out a day to your students. Or you could use the questions in a way to foster student interaction by posting a question on a discussion board (such as a Question type in Google Classroom). You could even use a video tool such as Flipgrid and have the students video their responses to you.

Another option for this activity is Google Forms. Google Forms will allow you to send the questions out to your students to complete in a way that will generate a spreadsheet. This will allow you to see their responses, sort them, and look for commonalities or trends among the students.

There are some limitations with using Google Forms. You won't be able to just send one question a day, but you also don't want to send them out all at once. To help, I have broken the questions into three sets, so you can send out just a few a day. The sets are labeled Set A, B, and C.

The format that you choose really depends on your students and their stamina, and what you feel they are able to do independently in one setting.

Some of the questions included in this activity are

What kind of activities would you do on your perfect day?

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the future?

Tell me about your favorite teacher. Why was he or she your favorite?

What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?

What is one challenge you faced in your life so far?"

Click here or on the image below to download the PDF to access these activities. You will find the links to COPY these activities to your drive on page 2.
Download the Free Digital Activities Here
Click here to see how to assign Google Slides to our students via Google Classroom. Click here to see how to assign Google Forms through any platform.
Need Tech Help?
Free Math Interest Inventory Digital Activities Free Reading Interest Inventory Digital Activities Free Back to School Math Digital Activities
Need More Digital Back to School Activities?

Need More Digital Activities for Grades 4-5?
4th Grade Math Sorts 5th Grade Math Sorts 4th Grade Digital Math Activities for Whole Number Place Value 5th Grade Digital Math Activities for Decimal Place Value 5th Grade Back to School Math Activities 4th and 5th Grade True or False Math Tasks Math Choice Boards (Grades 3-5 Available) 5th Grade Math Skill Posters 5th Grade Math Journal Prompts Find the Error Math Tasks (Grades 3-5 Available) 5th Grade Roll and Answer Math Centers - Independent or Partner - Digital and Printable 4th Grade Roll and Answer Math Centers - Independent or Partner - Digital and Printable
Google Slides - Math Activities
Reading Review Activities - These include 13 forms and each form focuses on one specific skill.
Google Forms - Self-Grading Reading Activities
4th & 5th Grade Reading Review Color by Reading Activities Color Coding Text Evidence Printables Reading Intervention Passages with Read Aloud Audio 4th & 5th Grade Reading Flipbooks Theme Activities - Printable and Digital Versions Inference Activities - Printable and Digital Versions Point of View Activities - Printable and Digital Versions Story Elements Activities - Printable and Digital Versions
Google Slides - Literacy Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free Digital Activities for Getting to Know Your Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Filed Under: Back to School, Digital Resources As teachers, we know the importance of getting to know our students, their interests, learning styles, preferences, and families. Getting to know your students is important for building relationships, which leads to stronger classroom management and higher levels of engagement.

# data[].attributes.headline
10 Google Classroom Tips for Remote Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
10 Google Classroom Tips for Remote Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Many teachers are jumping on board with Google Classroom right now, sink or swim! So in this post, I am going to give you 10 Google Classroom tips for remote learning.

During this unprecedented time of school closures, Google Classroom has become a go-to platform to communicate and distribute remote learning assignments.

This post will give you specific tips to help maximize your effectiveness in using Google Classroom during remote learning.

What is Google Classroom?

Not everyone has had training, or been given a complete explanation of what Google Classroom actually is-and this is apparent by the questions I receive every day.

Google Classroom is part of a suite of applications from G Suite for Education. Google Classroom is an app, both web, and mobile. Google Classroom is NOT a term for using various Google tools IN the classroom.

The Google Classroom application is designed to help teachers and students communicate and collaborate, manage assignments paperlessly, and stay organized.

Get the Google Classroom Cheat Sheets for Teachers and Students.

Just getting started? Check these 6 Tips for Getting Started with Google Classroom. If you want more hands-on instruction, check out The Google Classroom Master Class.

Google Classroom is a great platform to support remote learning.

Many of these tips are just best practices with Google Classroom, no matter when or how you are using it. But others are much more specifically designed to help teachers use this tool during this time of remote learning.

1. Collaborate with Other Teachers for a Consistent Workflow

One of the best things you can do to help your students (and parents) is to collaborate with the other teachers in your grade level and on your campus to be consistent for all students.

If every teacher is doing something different, this only complicates things further.

This definitely streamlines things for students who have multiple teachers. But even students who only have one teacher may have siblings in other grades.

If all the children in the home receive a consistent message, workflow, and checklist, it will be that much easier on students and parents, and YOU, the teacher.

For instance, organize Google Classroom with a similar topic strategy, as the one suggested in #3. Use similar weekly checklists and communications methods to eliminate confusion and excuses.

Avoid sending students to different websites and locations to get assignments and communication. If you are all using Google Classroom, use it consistently. Make Google Classroom your one-stop-shop for assignments, announcements, and communication.

2. Use a Daily/Weekly Checklist

One of the first tips I learned from Jennifer Pearson in this podcast interview, was to use a checklist for students.

Depending on the requirements of your school, this could be a daily checklist or a weekly checklist. The latter seems to be more prevalent and succinct.

For elementary, this may be an all-subject checklist. In secondary, this is most likely by subject.

How you create your checklist is up to you. This could be a simple Google Doc list, a Google Sheet, added to a Google Slide, or just listed in the assignment. Some schools and teachers are getting really detailed, but keeping things simple will be easier for you, your students, and your parents.

Here's an example of one from Katie Wells shared in the Shake Up Learning Facebook group, modified from this Google doc Rebekah Madrid shared on Twitter.

Here's another checklist template using Google Slides from Shawna Mcdermott, also shared in the Shake Up Learning Facebook group.

CLICK HERE to use Shawna's template | CLICK HERE to Make a Copy

With either of these types of checklists, you need to assign this through Google Classroom and "make a copy" for each student.

If you need to make a copy of the checklist for each student (recommended), you must add this option before you assign it to students. If you don't, you will have to delete the assignment and start over. You cannot choose the make a copy option after you have already assigned.

3. Use a Weekly Topic to Organize Your Assignments

Under normal circumstances, I would usually recommend a variety of topics to address the needs of individual teachers and students, but right now, we need simplicity. (See also How to Organize Assignments in Google Classroom.)

From the Classwork page, you can create topics to organize assignments and materials. Since many schools are embracing a weekly assignment strategy, creating a topic for the week is very logical. (If your school is still distributing many assignments per day, try using a "TODAY" topic.)

1. Click on the "Create" button, then select "Topic."

2. Create a topic for the week, like "Weekly Assignments Due April 3," to also make it clear when these assignments are due.

(Detailed directions on page 22 of The Google Classroom Cheat Sheet for Teachers.)

4. Create a "Resources and Tutorials Topic" and Keep it at the Top of the Classwork Page

As you try to assist students and parents at home, you may find yourself sharing and creating tutorials, cheat sheets, and other resources. Make these easy to find by creating a special topic and keeping that topic at the top of the page.

Tip: Click-and-drag to move topics around and organize the Classwork page. I would suggest keeping the resource topic at the top, and the weekly assignments topic for the current week in the number two spot.

5. Differentiate Assignments

When you create an assignment in Google Classroom, you have the option to select "All Students," or you can just click the drop-down and select one student or a group of students.

This comes in handy for modifications as we are trying to meet the needs of all learners.

Google Classroom gives teachers the ability to differentiate assignments. Every student doesn't have to receive the exact same assignment at the exact same time.

When creating a new assignment, click on the drop-down arrow of students and uncheck "all students," then only check the students or group of students who need that particular assignment.

This is great for group differentiation, as well as modifications, PBL, and even enrichment.

Learn more about Digital Differentiation with Google Classroom here.

This is also one of my MUST-HAVE Google Classroom skills listed here.

6. Bookmark the Classwork Page

This Google Classroom tip can save you time! Sometimes, navigation in Google Classroom can be frustrating and take a few too many clicks to get where you want to go. Since the majority of your time will be spent on the Classwork page, I recommend bookmarking it.

In Google Chrome, you can add it to your bookmarks bar for quick access.

To enable the bookmarks bar, click the 3 dots near the top-right in Chrome, then select bookmarks, and make sure the bookmarks bar is enabled.

Go to the Classwork page for the class you wish to bookmark.

Then you can simply click-and-drag the lock next to the URL in the Omnibox to add the bookmark to your bar.

Right-click on the bookmark to edit the name or shorten it.

I like to bookmark the Classwork page for each of my classes in Google Classroom. It saves me tons of time!

7. Use Keyboard Shortcut: Cntrl + F to Find Numbers and Words in Classroom

Even the most organized Classwork page can become quite long after a few weeks of assignments. Use the keyboard shortcut, Control + F (Command + F on a mac), to search for keywords or assignment numbers on the page. Teach students this trick, too!

8. Adjust Student Permissions

The default for Google Classroom allows students to post in the Stream, and comment on posts. During remote learning, you may find this feature helpful, or it may be causing issues. You decide what's best for your students.

Posts are ideas, questions, or information that students share. Students can add files such as images, links, or YouTube videos to their posts.

Comments are text-only responses to posts.

Students can't edit their posts or comments, but they can delete them. Teachers can delete any post or comment, and see deleted posts and comments.

In the Class settings, under General, next to Stream, click "Students can post and comment" and then choose a permission:

Students can post and comment:
This option is the default. Students
can post to the Stream page and
comment on any item.

Students can only comment:
Students can comment on an
existing post, but can't create a post.

Only teachers can post or comment:
Students can't post or comment on the Stream page. This option mutes all students.

TIP: When discussing the use of student posts and comments, use this as a teachable moment to discuss online etiquette and digital citizenship skills.

(See also page 9 in The Google Classroom Cheat Sheet for Teachers.)

9. Customize the Stream

Many teachers are annoyed with the Stream, where you can post announcements and see notifications of new items that have been added to the Classwork page.

Teachers can customize what appears on this page for each class. Inside your class, go the settings icon near the top-right and scroll down to the "General" Sections.

The Stream is your Google Classroom communication hub. This is where you post announcements and keep students informed.

By default, the Stream will also show notifications of new items posted on the classwork page. For some, this feels like a duplication and can muddy up the stream. (Ha! See what I did there.)

If you're using the Classwork page, you can choose a collapsed or expanded view for Classwork notifications on the Stream page. You can also hide them entirely from the Stream page.

1. Go to classroom.google.com.

2. Click the class.

3. On the Stream page, click Settings.

4. Under General, next to Classwork on the stream, select an option:

You can learn more about all of the Class settings here.

10. Customize Notifications to Preserve Your Sanity!

Most teachers have a love/hate relationship with Google Classroom notifications. You can customize these in your settings.

Go to the main menu (3 lines in the top left corner).

Select Settings at the bottom of the menu.

Scroll down to the bottom and click the drop-down arrow to see all of your notification options for each class. Toggle them on and off to fit your needs.

As you learn and adapt during this remote learning time, please remember this is new to everyone. Take a deep breath, accept that this is not going to be perfect. Google Classroom will not do everything on your wishlist. Pat yourself on the back for doing a job that no one trained you to do, and send virtual hugs to your students who miss you!

What would you add to this list? Leave a comment to share more tips!

Ready to Learn More About Google Classroom?

Learn all about the new updates to Google Classroom and take your skills to the next level. This course will give you everything you need to get started using Google Classroom and best practices to help you make the most of this tool.

Perfect for beginner to intermediate skill levels! Consider this your video guide to Google Classroom!

More Google Classroom Resources

Looking for other Google Classroom tips, ideas, and resources? Be sure to check out the Google Classroom Resource page for all the latest posts, podcasts, and resources.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.
Click here to learn more and to ENROLL TODAY!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Google Classroom Tips for Remote Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
During this unprecedented time of school closures, Google Classroom has become a go-to platform to communicate and distribute remote learning assignments. This post will give you specific tips to help maximize your effectiveness in using Google Classroom during remote learning. 10 Google Classroom Tips for Remote Learning!

# data[].attributes.headline
How to Add Narration to Google Slides Presnetation

# data[].attributes.subject
How to Add Narration to Google Slides Presnetation

# data[].attributes.body
An entry blog.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When you give a presentation, you might want to be able to have people talk through it, explaining each slide. In some cases, you won't be able to do this in-person. If this is the circumstance, you should consider adding narration to Google Slides. Let's look at how to add narration to Google Slides.

Guide on how to add narration to Google Slides

How to record audio on Google Slides. Google Slides has no embedded tool to record a voice, but you may use any other program or online services such as Rev, 123Apps or Vocaroo. You will find links to these services below. You may also use the application "Voice recorder" on your smartphone.

Advice: open your presentation when you voice-record. It will help you remember everything and expound your thoughts more precisely. After completing the recording, make sure to save the file on your computer.

2. Upload to Google Drive. As soon as you have created an audio file, you will have to upload it to Google. To make searching for required files easy, the files should be given names reflecting their meaning. If there are many audio files, create a separate folder in Google Drive and upload all files to it.

To upload files to Google Drive, drag the files with the mouse from on your computer ("Drag & Drop" function) or use the menu New > File Upload.

3. Customize the level of access to the file. If you plan to share your presentation, you have to adjust the accessibility of audio files. For this, choose an audio file in Google Drive and press the "Get Link" button in the upper menu. In the opened window, adjust the accessibility of the file for all or selected users. Set the access level "Viewer" then press "Done."

4. How to add a voice-over to Google Slides. Now you are ready to insert the audio file into the presentation. To do this, move to the slide where you want the narration to be. Then, click on the Insert tab, which should cause a drop-down menu to appear. One of the menu options should be Audio. Click on this.

5. Once you've add audio to Google Slides, you will need to locate the correct audio file in your Google Drive. You might find it easier to locate by going to the "Recent" section. Once you find the file, click on it, then click the "Select" button at the bottom of the page.

6. When you have done this, you will notice a speaker audio icon appear on your slide, which is the audio file. You can click it to select and reposition the icon if you want.

7. Customize Your Audio Format Options. If you're going to do more with your audio, you will have to click on the speaker icon, and this will bring up the "Format Audio" tab at the top of your screen. Once you select this, you will be able to change the way the audio is played. For example, you might want to make it quieter. You can do this by adjusting the volume when presenting. You can also stipulate when it will start to play and how long the narration lasts.

8. Ways of playing audio narratives in a presentation. In Google Slides, there are two ways to play back audio files: by clicking the playback icon or with automatic start. An audio file can also either stop being played upon transfer to another slide or not stop. You may combine these functions depending on the task set before you. For instance, you can record separate files for each slide and set automatic playback when viewing a slide and completing playback upon transfer to the next slide.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to insert audio into Google Slides. Knowing these options will allow you to add a new dimension to your presentation. So, try out these techniques for yourself today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to add narration to Google Slides presentation? - Full Guide >

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How do I add narratives to Google Slides? What services would be useful? Have questions -> Free Help 24/7 >

# data[].attributes.body
How to add speech to text.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Google Jamboard - Speech-to-Text in Post-It Notes

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to School

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For some teachers, emergency remote instruction birthed new instructional practices that they plan to continue after distance learning ends.

Remote teaching has brought profound changes. I went through a grieving process for what my classroom once had been and for what it felt like to be in a room with students and interact with them so easily. But as I made my way through that grief, after a month or two I began to find some hope. I realized that there are lots of lessons to be learned from this time of distance learning. When we can be in person again, there are some practices that will carry with me because I discovered they actually work better:

Guest Speakers, Panelists, Supporters

As a teacher who uses principles related to design thinking and leads students in project-based learning, I believe it's essential to begin with the end user in mind and provide projects that connect to the real world. I am always inviting in panelists and experts to provide feedback for students.

I close my English 9 spring semester with the dream job unit. Students pick a dream future career or job and build a portfolio that contains a cover letter, a résumé of soft skills learned from my class and others, project examples, and visuals. During remote learning, I shifted this to a Google Slides portfolio that I created with a template for each student.

After students completed their slides, I worked to find volunteers who matched their specific fields of interest, and students prepared for a group interview. I had double the volunteer interviewers that I have had for the last 10 years, but I was able to have people from all over the world participate and help. One student wanted to be a special-effects makeup artist. I posted a message on my Facebook page and was connected with a Hollywood director who put me in contact with a professional makeup artist who worked on the Saw movie franchise. In person or not, we will be creating digital slide portfolios, and I will have panelists connect online with the students they're interviewing.

Small Group Work With Google Docs, Slides, and Jamboards

During my in-person classes, I often have students work in groups. Students have shared contracts to help keep them accountable as they work together on a common goal. Through distance learning, I discovered that I didn't have a way for students to use their collaborative time effectively. How would I know what they actually worked on and discussed? I had them record their discussions, but that meant I needed to listen to them later. I also had them produce or create something, but then it was hard to know who was doing the work.

Being remote, I used Google Meet for breakout sessions to allow students to be in mini-groups for discussion and work. When working this way, the noise of one group did not affect any other teams, and I could pop into different rooms and monitor students' activity. In addition, every time they were in a group, they worked on a shared Google slide, doc, or jamboard that I owned as the teacher. This way, even if I wasn't in their discussion, I could visually see their progress. I could even leave comments as they were working to provide feedback without listening to the conversation.

Class Discussions

The beauty of the Google Meet or Zoom space was that it allowed students to speak and write in real time. I found myself being able to see students who may have felt or been unseen in my classroom because of where they sat or because someone else often spoke on behalf of that table. I had the ability to see all faces at once on the screen and could better control the conversation through muting microphones, something I wouldn't be able to do in person. I also developed a protocol for these online discussions that was shared worldwide through district professional development presentations, in Twitter chats, and at global Google Educator Group events.

What really changed things for my class was giving students the following jobs that aided in the discussion.

Welcomer: If a student arrived late, this student would type a welcoming message in the chat and give a one- or two-sentence overview of what had happened so far. Once we're back in the classroom, I plan to have one student greet guests at the door and another one or two check in with anyone who is late to get them caught up.

Linker: If I shared a link during remote instruction, this student would save it because someone would inevitably ask for it. In person, the linker would still make note of where important links are posted on our learning management system or daily agenda to help students who don't know where to look.

Questioner: If a question popped up in the chat while I was sharing my screen so I couldn't see it, the questioner was allowed to unmute him- or herself and let me know. This prevented several students from unmuting themselves and talking at once. During face-to-face instruction, this student would become a speaker for the table. A group can discuss their ideas first and try to problem-solve. Later, one person per group can share out questions.

Timekeeper: This student provided a time warning to help us all stay on track. I always need someone to keep up with the time even in my classroom.

Notetakers: While all students took the notes they needed for themselves, I would add these students' notes to my daily agenda for anyone who was absent. I sent their notes along with the daily recording to make sure that all students could keep up with the work. This will be essential as we return to a new view of school. Not all students will be able to attend, and I must be prepared for this. It will also help students process what they're learning.

It might not be the classroom I had before, but there are some practices that I will take with me into my classroom next year whether we're remote or in person. This time has pushed me to look at my practices in a new way and forced me to make improvements in areas I had told myself were just fine. While I never wanted Covid-19, I am forever grateful for the changes that being forced to work remotely has inspired me to make, both for me and for my students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to the Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For some teachers, emergency remote instruction birthed new instructional practices that they plan to continue after distance learning ends. Remote teaching has brought profound changes. I went through a grieving process for what my classroom once had been and for what it felt like to be in a room with students and interact with them so easily.

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Critical Startegies For The First Hour Of The First Day Of School

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Critical Startegies For The First Hour Of The First Day Of School

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hit the ground running.

Send a message to your new class about what's expected right from the get-go.

It doesn't matter whether your first meeting is in person or via Zoom. The quicker you set a culture of kindness, respect, and high-bar work expectations, the easier it will be to maintain.

So during that first hour of the first day of school focus on the following three classroom management strategies.
1. Give
From the moment you first greet your students, give of yourself-your smile, your openness, and your genuine happiness that each of them is a member of your class.

Your kind, welcoming spirit provides warmth, safety, and relief to first-day jitters. It jump starts the leverage-inducing power of your likability. It's the first salvo in the Law of Reciprocity.

It also makes the next strategy go down a lot smoother.
2. Show
Immediately after taking attendance, jump right into your classroom management plan-whether in-person or online version. You'll only be giving an overview. However, that doesn't mean that you're just going to read it aloud.

No, you must show it's importance through your emphatic tone and body language and enthusiasm for its purpose. Even though you'll model your plan in detail throughout the week, you still must be demonstrative.

Show your devotion for THE most important thing. It is, after all, what protects your right to teach and your students' right to learn and love being part of your class.
3. Teach
It's okay to take a short break to stretch, share something about yourself, or play a getting-to-know-you game. But then, in order to set your standards for listening, learning, and independence, you must teach an academic lesson.

But it can't be any old lesson. You're not going to ease your way into it or make it light and fluffy as so many teachers are wont to do.

You must teach the heck out of it. The lesson must be clear and detailed and focused on a single objective, on one thing you want your students to be able to do or to know.

This is your chosen profession, the grade level and subject matter you want to teach. So let it out. Be bold. Show your passion. Check thoroughly and spectacularly for understanding, and then turn responsibility for doing the work over to them.
The Foundation
These three, like legs on a stool, provide the foundation upon which you can create the best learning experience your students have ever experienced.

They establish your trust and likability, set non-negotiable boundaries, and happily shock them into what is required for success in school.

They shake the rust off months of being cooped up or stuck on the couch without purpose. They give them meaning and responsibility and something to look forward to.

But it starts with you during that first hour of the first day of school.

It's in your hands. So be ready, and enjoy every second.

If you haven't done so already, please join us. It's free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 Critical Classroom Management Strategies For The First Hour Of The First Day Of School - Smart Classroom Management

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hit the ground running. Send a message to your new class about what's expected right from the get-go. It doesn't matter whether your first meeting is in person or via Zoom. The quicker you set a culture of kindness, respect, and high-bar work expectations, the easier it will be to maintain.

# data[].attributes.headline
How Can We Make the Most of Synchronous and Asynchronous Time in Distance Learning?

# data[].attributes.subject
How Can We Make the Most of Synchronous and Asynchronous Time in Distance Learning?

# data[].attributes.body
Find out pwerful tips for both synchronous and asynchronous tips for planning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Katie Martin | Informed by Research, Inspired by Practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Can We Make the Most of Synchronous and Asynchronous Time in Distance Learning?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As we look forward to the fall in which many schools will continue in a distance learning model to begin the year, we know that the Herculean effort that has be

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Days (Steps) to Remote Teaching Awesomeness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
My 7th Gr. H istory Virtual Class Daily Schedule : 1) Watch brief video I record to orientate their day (I use ) DoInk Green Screen + Post to Google Classroom Read & annotate PDF ( ) + Take R 2) eading quiz ( in Google Classroom ) OR watch the 2nd video (lesson video) on Quiz Forms Live class 9:00 on Google Classroom or watch the archive rec for today ( EdPuzzle (that lets me embed questions in Youtube or personal videos and track which students haven't watched ).

# data[].attributes.headline
Setting the Sage for a School Year Online

# data[].attributes.subject
Setting the Sage for a School Year Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The pandemic has forced many schools to shift solely to remote online instruction, but the transition doesn't mean teachers should try to precisely mirror the in-person classroom experience digitally, says Melanie Kitchen, an instructional technology and staff development coordinator in New York state. In Jennifer Gonzalez's " 9 Ways Online Teaching Should Be Different From Face-to-Face" for Cult of Pedagogy, Kitchen recommends ways educators can reframe and rethink online instruction so it differs from the traditional schooling experience while still meeting student learning goals.

Get Off to a Good Start

Though there may be a desire to jump into content at the start of the new school year, teachers should spend time laying the groundwork for class norms and expectations for the online setting instead-just like they would in their regular classroom.

First, Kitchen advises teachers to ensure all students are comfortable with the digital tools they will be using in remote learning, which may require some practice as a class. Take some time to incorporate social and emotional activities, Kitchen says, because camaraderie will develop a strong classroom community that will keep students more engaged in their learning.

When it comes to parents, she recommends picking a main digital platform for communication (email, text, or LMS) at the start of the year and sending weekly updates through it. Communication tools may need to be tweaked, however, depending on families' resources at home. "When parents know where and when to look for information from you, they'll do a better job of keeping up with it and following through on their end," Kitchen advises.

To avoid feeling overloaded by parent messages, set boundaries early in the school year about when and how parents should communicate with you. Providing tutorials on technology or troubleshooting strategies if you aren't available can also help ensure parents adhere to these boundaries, Kitchen says.

Working with Colleagues

When it comes to interacting with colleagues remotely, Kitchen recommends continuing to schedule regular staff meetings, but making sure to incorporate emotional health and well-being check-ins during the gathering so everyone feels supported and heard.

Outside of formal meetings, it can be valuable to establish small teacher groups to share experiences, challenges, and strategies for remote learning-this is a new reality for everyone so collaboration is key. Regular communication and planning during meetings with other teachers can also help reduce redundancy and maximize teachers' time, Kitchen says.

Rethink Your Curriculum

Many staple classroom lessons and activities will not easily adapt to remote learning, so it will be necessary to spend time thinking about ways to reformat your curriculum to fit new needs, according to Kitchen.

Given the time constraints of online teaching, think about what material is absolutely critical for students to know by asking yourself questions like, "What knowledge and skills do students need to have before they move to the next grade level or the next class?" Additionally, teachers should determine what material is better suited to synchronous, or face-to-face, instruction online, and what can be done asynchronously that "students can access at any time."

Kitchen suggests small, breakout group work allows students to collaborate and build relationships with peers. Activities in these clusters she calls "campfire groups" should be active and engaging, so she recommends the jigsaw method or discussion groups. Keep asynchronous instruction focused on video lectures and readings, she says.

Clear and Consistent Directions

Assignment instructions are always valuable, but in the online context, they become even more crucial, Kitchen says. "Because you are not in the same room with students, your instructions have to work a lot harder than they do in a brick-and-mortar setting," she says.

Like communication with parents, instructions for students need to be located in a central place and posted in a consistent way. Kitchen suggests "dogfooding" lessons, or trying out the assignment yourself first to identify shortcomings or omissions before giving it to students. She also advises presenting directions in different forms- video and written-so students can choose what works best for them.

Evaluating Student Learning

Assessment should shift during distance learning, says Kitchen, who encourages placing an emphasis on frequent, formative feedback rather than grades.

When a more formal assessment is necessary, consider asking students to create something like a podcast, video, or artwork instead of taking an online test or quiz, which may lead to cheating. Summative assessments not only are hard to cheat on, but they require students to integrate and reflect on the knowledge they've gained from multiple lessons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Setting the Stage for a School Year Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The pandemic has forced many schools to shift solely to remote online instruction, but the transition doesn't mean teachers should try to precisely mirror the in-person classroom experience digitally, says Melanie Kitchen, an instructional technology and staff development coordinator in New York state.

# data[].attributes.headline
Back to school with G suite: 6 Activities 

# data[].attributes.subject
Back to school with G suite: 6 Activities 

# data[].attributes.body
Sample activities for the beginning of the school year during distance learning. Great ideas which you may adapt according to your grede level.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Around the U.S., teachers are gearing up for back to school-gathering ideas, planning lessons, and getting their classrooms (and virtual classrooms) ready for learning.

Google tools can help you kick off the school year, get organized, and have some fun.

So I thought now was a great time to share a few "back to school" online activities with my favorite Google tools.

No matter what grade level or subject area you teach, there are always a few ways that Google tools can help you and your students save time and get creative-even during remote learning!

This episode kicks off our 3-part Back to School series! Don't miss part 2 and part 3!

Below are a variety of ideas to help get to know your students, build relationships, do some goal setting, create, and play some games.

Be sure to share your favorite ways to use G Suite for back to school in the comments!

Here are six ideas for going Back to School with G Suite.
Listen to this article.
. ..

Shoutout

I'd like to send a huge shoutout to @edtechcoachchristy (Christy Haskins) on Instagram for sharing the G Suite for School Leaders webinar. Thanks, Christy!

Follow @ShakeUpLearning on Instagram.

Quick Tip of the Week (How to Create a Template Link)

I love little URL hacks that make Google even better! This is a quick way to create a template link to share online and with other teachers. (Note: you don't need this link for students if you use Google Classroom.)

I've written about this tip in-depth here, but here's the quick tip version.

CLICK HERE to watch a 2-minute video.

1. Student Survey with Google Forms

One of the most important things teachers can do during the first few weeks of school is to build relationships with their students. We want to know what they like, what they don't like, where they struggle, and their learning style.

There are lots of ways to get to know your students, but Google Forms is a great way to gather some basic information and keep it organized in a spreadsheet.

The answers to some of these types of questions may not be something students are comfortable sharing with the entire class, so a Google Form is a great way to give students a safe space to share.

Depending on what age you teach, these questions will vary. Below are some ideas to get you started.

What do you want me to call you in class? (preferred first name)

What is your favorite color?

What is your favorite food?

What are you passionate about?

If you could learn anything at school, what would you choose to learn?

Do you like to be recognized for your accomplishments in front of the class?

What characteristics do you like in a teacher?

Is there anything that you struggle with in class?

What do you do if you don't know how to answer a question or problem?

What do you do if you don't know how to complete your online assignment?

How do you learn best?

What do you want me to know or understand about you?

Do you prefer to work in groups or on your own?

Do you like to read aloud?

What are your favorite books?

Do you enjoy reading?

Do you like online learning? Why or why not?

2. Google Slides Weekly Planners and Checklists

Have you seen Slides Mania? This site is quickly becoming one of my favorite resources for Google Slides templates. They have released many fun templates to help teachers create and organize lessons.

I love this Weekly Planner for Online Lessons! This planner gives you an interactive way to share the week's lessons with your students, and it's super cute!

This isn't one specific activity for students, but a way to organize and distribute all the activities.

Click on a number to go directly to that lesson. The template even gives you space to add an instructional video, directions, and images.
CLICK HERE to get the Slides Mania template.
Google Classroom tip! Grab the link to the assignment in Google Classroom and add it to your planner or checklist, so students aren't searching for it. Here's a quick video tutorial!

The beginning of the school year or semester is the perfect time to build a growth mindset and set some goals with students.

Visualization is one of the most powerful exercises for the mind and for reaching your goals.

A vision board is a collection of images and words that represent the things you want in life-the things you want to do, the things you want to learn, the things you want to be.

Vision boards also support Dynamic Learning and the ISTE Standards for Students! This is just one small way we can empower learners in our classrooms this year.

Through my book, Shake Up Learning, and the Dynamic Learning Model and Framework, I shared some ways to go BEYOND, including a mindset to take learning BEYOND the BELL. One strategy to go BEYOND the BELL is to have students set their own learning goals.

As the teacher, you can help students write their own learning goals, both goals aligned to what they are learning in class, and also BEYOND. What problems would they like to solve? What's something they've always wanted to learn?

Remember to revisit the vision boards on a regular basis so students can see how far they've come and where they still want to go.

Google Slides is the perfect medium for creating digital vision boards, and you can get all the details in this previous blog post. (P.S. Vision boards are also great for teachers and professional learning goals!)

See also: Student-Created Vision Boards with Google Slides

One topic we always seem to discuss the first couple weeks of school revolves around what students did over the summer break. I've got a fun way to get kids creating and sharing their summer through the Summer Magnetic Poetry activity.

Summer was a bit different for all of us this year, but it's fun to share and get to know your students.

You know...those fun little magnets that challenge you to create a poem with just a small word bank (usually on the refrigerator)?

You can use magnetic poetry with a theme, like, "What did you do over the summer?" Or try the Halloween or Winter versions later in the year.

Even if you don't teach poetry, this template can be used as a quick game or challenge.

In addition to giving you this FREE template, I'm also giving you a FREE mini-course tutorial to show you exactly how I created this activity using Google Slides and Google Drawings.

Now, you can create whatever kind of magnetic poetry you want and use whatever vocabulary works with your curriculum.

This template is easy to use and revise to make it your own. It contains a lot of essential words and some fun, summer words. The word bank is on the second slide so students can easily copy and paste from the word bank onto the background slide. (Great for practicing copy and paste skills!)

Click here to view the template. | Click here to make a copy.

5. Fake Instagram with Google Slides

In January, Carly Black shared a guest post and Fake Instagram template in Slides inspired by Lisa Johnson.

This template is great for creating profiles and telling stories. Consider using this as a "get to know you" activity with your students, or let them tell the story of their summer.

If you have never used templates in Google Classroom, here's a tutorial to help you understand how it works.

Get the Fake Instagram Template for Google Slides
CLICK HERE to learn how Carly used this activity with her students.
6. Building a Community with Hyperdocs!

I love the Hyperdocs gals, The Hyperdoc Handbook, and they have some great hyperdocs for back to school!

I also love the Building a Community Hyperdoc as a beginning of the year activity.

New to Hyperdocs? Here's what you need to know: "HyperDocs, a transformative, interactive Google Doc replacing the worksheet method of delivering instruction, is the ultimate change agent in the blended learning classroom. With strong educational philosophies built into each one, HyperDocs have the potential to shift the way you instruct with technology. They are created by teachers and given to students to engage, educate, and inspire learning. It's not about teaching technology, it's about using technology to TEACH."
Make a Copy
(Note: There are several links files in this Hyperdoc. You will need to make a copy of each one that you would like to use.)

Check out this curated Wakelet from Lisa Highfill.

Check out last year's Back to School with G Suite podcast:

Podcast Question of the Week

What are your favorite Back to School activities? Please share in the comments below.

Learn all about the new updates to Google Classroom and take your skills to the next level. This course will give you everything you need to get started using Google Classroom and best practices to help you make the most of this tool.

Perfect for the beginner to intermediate skill levels! Consider this your video guide to Google Classroom!

NEW Bonuses just added on Google Meet integration and Remote Learning tips!
Click here to learn more and to ENROLL TODAY!
Learn All About the Course

Who Should Join the Google Classroom Master Class?

Beginners can learn everything they need to get started.

Intermediate level users can focus on learning more advanced features, tips and tricks, and best practices.

Go at your own pace.

Let's dig in! This class is for all skill levels!

What's Included in the Google Classroom Master Class?

Self-paced

Video-based lessons

6 BONUS Lessons

PDF Downloads

Supporting Resources

Best Practices and Tips

6 hours of professional learning credit

Purchase orders are accepted

Bulk license discounts

Get your whole team, campus, or district on board

Click here to learn more and to ENROLL TODAY!
© Shake Up Learning 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Back to School with G Suite: 6 Online Activities (Part 1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Around the U.S., teachers are gearing up for back to school-gathering ideas, planning lessons, and getting their classrooms (and virtual classrooms) ready for learning. Google tools can help you kick off the school year, get organized, and have some fun.

# data[].attributes.body
Sample of a weekly schedule of messages themes: Math Monday, Tell me abot it Tuesday, Would you rather Wednesday,  Think outside of the box Thursday, Figure it out Fridays.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The beginning of the school day is an important time for students as they transition from home to school. Helping students make this transition is even more important when they're doing their school work at home. One strategy I use to set the tone for a day of learning is an interactive morning message. The morning message is a daily message from the teacher that is posted for students when they enter the classroom. It can be written on chart paper or projected on the whiteboard. It can also be shared via Google Slides to reach students who are distance learning.

The morning message welcomes students to school and helps reinforce academic skills. Adding an interactive component helps increase student motivation and engagement and builds classroom community. Students anticipate the message and know that their first task each day is to read and respond to it.

Creating an interactive morning message each day may seem like a lot of work, but it's not too difficult. I use a weekly schedule of message themes and repeat the same types of messages each week to streamline the process. This makes planning easy and offers the students predictability. I use alliteration in the theme names to establish a fun, simple routine that is easy to remember.

Math Monday

On Mondays, the morning message includes a math puzzle or problem for students to solve. It can relate to the current lesson or review a prior concept. It can be as simple as a math problem for each student to solve, like adding or dividing or simplifying fractions. Or it can be a complex, multistep word problem that students work together to solve.

Incorporating math into morning messages provides extra time for math. It also allows me to introduce or review topics in a fun and low-stakes manner. Even students who say they aren't good at math often enjoy participating in the morning message and will try problems they might otherwise be reluctant to do.

Tell Me About It Tuesday

On Tuesdays, I pose a question to the class and ask each student to respond. Students can respond directly on the message or, when we're in the classroom, on a sticky note that they stick on or near the message. I like to mix up the format. During distance learning, you can post these questions online and allow students to respond either during a class discussion or in a private message.

I use these questions for a variety of purposes, including getting to know the students, building classroom community, reinforcing academic concepts, and teaching social and emotional learning skills.

Examples include:

What is something a good friend always does?

What is your favorite book that we have read this year?

Which climate would you prefer to live in?

Tell me about a time you learned how to do something hard.

Would You Rather Wednesday

"Would you rather..." is a favorite activity of many children. It provides a quick and easy way for them to voice their opinions. Questions can be outlandish, tied to academic content, based on the season, or even completely random.

Examples include:

Would you rather have a pet unicorn or a pet dinosaur?

Would you rather battle a polar bear or a lion?

I use "Would you rather..." questions to discuss and review tally marks. For older students, they can also initiate a conversation about fractions or probability. Sometimes I ask the students to defend their choice or persuade someone else why their choice is better.

Think Outside the Box Thursday

On Thursdays, students flex their creative thinking muscles and think outside the box. I draw part of an object on the message and provide a photocopy for each student to complete. During distance learning, you can send your simple drawing online and have a parent or guardian either print it out or replicate it on a sheet of paper, and send you a photo of the completed drawing. I impose a time limit for the drawings, and students have the opportunity to share their creations with the class.

I often tie the drawing to the current season or holidays, and I restrain students' thinking by telling them what the object is not-they can turn it into anything else. For instance, if the message contains a drawing of a V, I might add, "It is NOT an ice-cream cone. What could it be?" The students complete their drawing based on the V making it anything but an ice-cream cone.

Thursdays are always my students' favorite morning message. I'm amazed by how creative and artistic they are. This activity also allows students who often struggle with academics to shine.

Figure It Out Fridays

On Fridays, the message contains a riddle or puzzle. Sometimes I use a simple brain teaser, "This is the longest word in the English language." (Answer: "smiles," because it has a mile between the first and last letter). I also introduce analogies, logic puzzles, and word play. These messages help develop critical thinking skills.

Sometimes the puzzle is simple, and students can guess the answer on their own. Other times it's more challenging, and students must work together.

The best morning messages are both fun and instructional. As you experiment with them, you'll figure out what works best for your students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Morning Messages to Start the Day in Distance Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The beginning of the school day is an important time for students as they transition from home to school. Helping students make this transition is even more important when they're doing their school work at home. One strategy I use to set the tone for a day of learning is an interactive morning message.

# data[].attributes.headline
Fostering a Strong Community in a Virtual environment

# data[].attributes.subject
Fostering a Strong Community in a Virtual environment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fostering a Strong Community in a Virtual Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The shift to working online requires teachers to think a little differently about how to build the culture they want with their students.

# data[].attributes.body
An introduction to what is play and what it looks like on the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to get into Play-Based Learning: Part 1 - What is Play?

# data[].attributes.body
A basic introduction of the reasons to differentiate and types of differentiation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Differentiation is not confined to any particular culture, ethnicity, nor to geographical boundary, rather it is global at its core. Everywhere people are distinctively unique and different from each other, irrespective of their genders. No two women, nor two men could be similar in every respect anywhere in the whole world, they are meant to be extremely different from each other, and its a living reality.

Undoubtedly, designing a teaching plan that could facilitate and address each student's diversity is close to impossible. However, differentiated model of teaching and learning has been designed and created to fulfill this teaching/learning challenge. Unfortunately, teachers believe in teaching students the way they were taught, feel reluctant to apply new teaching strategies in their classrooms. Therefore, there is a need to change the mindsets of teachers particularly and educational administrators generally to cater the need of differentiated instruction in their teaching and learning programs.

Certainly, there are various useful differentiated teaching models, unique line of activities inside & outside classrooms that could prove extremely beneficial for diverse learners. Fundamentally speaking, the diversity and uniqueness of learners must be kept in mind in each industry, whether corporate, education, construction, aviation or any other. Differentiated teaching and learning methods would profoundly perform as catalyst for change at global level, and social media is one of the most vital ingredient in this journey towards accepting our diversity and uniqueness.

Published By

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Differentiation is not confined to any particular culture, ethnicity, nor to geographical boundary, rather it is global at its core. Everywhere people are distinctively unique and different from each other, irrespective of their genders.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Glazed eyes. Doodled-over papers. Half-hearted math assignments on rumpled worksheets.

It's pretty easy to spot when student engagement is low in your classroom. So how do you build a classroom filled with positivity, encouragement and excitement for learning?

Good news! There are lots of amazing student engagement strategies you can use to inspire a love of learning in your classroom and build a positive school culture overall.

When students are engaged, research shows they're more likely to follow behavioral expectations, be kind to their peers and succeed academically.
What student engagement strategies will you use once students are back in the classroom? Read on to find new ways to get students excited about learning. For more resources, check out six remote learning strategies to help students stay engaged while they learn from home.
In this blog, we'll talk about:

Tap any of the links above and jump straight to that section.

What is student engagement?

Student engagement is when students show up to class excited to learn, participate in learning and demonstrate a positive attitude.

There are three types of student engagement:

Behavioral - Students behave and don't act out. They bring everything they need during class, follow instructions, work carefully and participate in class discussion.

Emotional - Students feel like they're a part of the school community and are happy to be there! They greet you with a smile, interact positively with their classmates and look alert during your lessons.

Cognitive - Also known as intellectual engagement, students are eager to learn and think deeply about the subject matter. They ask challenging questions, and often go above and beyond when completing assignments.

Big-picture engagement is so much more than students who don't fall asleep during geography class. Douglas Willms, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy at the University of New Brunswick and a member of the US National Academy of Education, defines student engagement as:

" A long-term disposition towards learning - viewing learning as fun, seeing it as important, seeing the value of working with and functioning as part of a team, being part of a social institution. To me, those are critically important lifelong skills."

The conclusion? Engaged students = lifelong learning students.

Why is student engagement important?

Student engagement is important because it's linked to increased student achievement. Since the 1980s, hundreds of studies have found that when teachers use strategies designed to capture students' attention and actively involve them in the learning process, student achievement soars.

When students aren't engaged, they're more likely not to graduate, have lower test scores and deal with more behavioral issues. Engagement can predict student achievement and behavior regardless of socioeconomic status.

According to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures academic achievement and engagement from students around the world:

" Students who are highly engaged and are effective learners are most likely to be proficient in mathematics and students who hold positive dispositions towards schools and learning, who attend school regularly and who have positive self-beliefs about mathematics."

You can lead students to the textbook, but you can't make them read it. Engagement - behavioral, cognitive and emotional - is essential for deep, meaningful learning. Willms notes that:

"There is a back and forth process as children are going through school in which they develop social skills and motivation; that begets academic achievement and academic achievement begets more motivation and social skills. Engagement and learning go hand-in-hand."

Want to see these results in your classroom? Keep reading to find research-backed strategies for increasing student engagement.

17 Student engagement strategies to use today

Is engagement a "nice-to-have" or a "must have" in your classroom? Let's look at 17 strategies for increasing student engagement.

1. Educational technology

Today's students are surrounded by online distractions. But what if technology could help - instead of hinder - learning?

Educational technology helps students develop necessary 21st century skills while also keeping them engaged and learning.

Here at Prodigy, helping students love learning is our number one priority. Our no-cost, adaptive math platform turns learning into an adventure, complete with epic quests and amazing rewards.

While students explore Prodigy, they answer curriculum-aligned math questions to complete challenges and earn prizes.

"My students are very engaged and beg me to play Prodigy!I have seen one of my lowest students at the beginning of the year start to shine in math because he was doing Prodigy for at least 20 minutes every day."
Kelli Gardner, 1st Grade teacher, Minnesota

As a teacher, your free Prodigy account lets you easily differentiate content for every student and gives you real-time data about where students are excelling and where they need more practice. Already a Prodigy user?

2. Classroom management strategies

Click to download!

In a busy classroom, distractions draw your students' attention away from your lesson and impact their learning.

Classroom management strategies help you build a structured environment where students are encouraged to bring their best selves to the classroom. It might seem counterintuitive, but rules and routines can actually minimize distractions and enhance the learning experience.

While each teacher has their own unique set of strategies, here are a few to get you started:

Create classroom rules that set expectations. Increase student buy-in and let students help you shape the rules! Decide on shared classroom values and create guidelines that reflect them.

Build routines that get students' attention. Give students signals that it's time to face the front, listen to instructions and start learning. When students are focused on you, they're engaged and ready to dive deep into the lesson.

Establish standards for your classroom community. Students are more likely to stay engaged and share their opinions when they know how their classmates will respond. Shut down dismissive or demeaning language, respond to answers neutrally and create a safe environment for questions.

3. Active learning

Sitting still for a whole lesson can be a bit much for some of your students. Active learning strategies get students engaging with the lesson in different ways.

As a bonus, many active learning techniques encourage students to work with their classmates to discuss a problem, solve an issue or drill down on a new concept. This provides multiple entry points into the lesson and engages student learning.

Some popular active learning activities include:

Three-step interview - Make groups of three after a lesson. During a 5 to 10-minute interview, the interviewee will quiz their classmate on the lesson they just learned, while the notetaker records the conversation.

Play devil's advocate - Challenge students to debate and think critically about an issue. When students understand there's more than one side to the story, they're more likely to develop intellectual curiosity and engage with the lesson.

The pause procedure - While you're teaching, pause every 10 to 15 minutes to give students a chance to discuss their notes with a partner, write questions or compose a quick paragraph about the lesson.

4. Blended learning

Blended learning combines online learning tools with traditional classroom methods in several different ways.

In a blended learning classroom, students work to master concepts before they move on, closing learning gaps and building a solid foundation for more advanced work.

A popular blended learning technique is the station rotation method, where students rotate through group activities or learning, individual work and online learning. (Learn more about how you can use Prodigy as part of your station rotation setup!)

5. Quick writes

Journaling isn't just for language arts anymore. Having students write down their thoughts and questions is an engaging and insightful practice in the science lab, geography class and beyond.

Before, during or after lessons, challenge students to complete quick writes, where they compose a short paragraph about their thoughts on the lesson or any questions they might have. Writing down their thoughts is a great way to encourage them to think more deeply about the material.

Plus, you'll get to know your students better, understand where they are in their learning journey and build connections with them. Don't have time to mark every entry? Each week, have students pick out their best for you to look at.

Here are some prompts to help you get started:

Describe the setting/characters/theme of the story.

Which of the characters in this story would you most like to meet?

How does this story make you feel?

What do you think happens after the story ends?

What do you still not understand after this lesson?

Tell me everything you know about [Topic].

Explain, in words, how to solve this problem.

Find two different ways to solve this problem.

After this lesson, what questions do you still have?

The most important thing I learned today was...

How does [Topic A] connect to [Topic B]?

Tell me everything you know already about [Topic].

6. Reciprocal teaching

Not every student loves reading. But reciprocal teaching techniques can increase reading comprehension and get students excited to participate in your language arts lesson!

Using reciprocal teaching strategies to predict, question, clarify and summarize small chunks of text. Our ELLs are engaged in close reading, sharing thoughts and helping each other understand a Newsela article on the pressures of social media. #ell #closereading #newsela pic.twitter.com/dJiIxy9avJ
- Kirsten Gatti (@ESLGatti) October 22, 2019

Reciprocal teaching involves four key parts:

Predicting what is going to happen in the text

Questioning the text and asking questions like who, what, when, where, why and how

Clarifying the text and identifying confusing concepts or unknown words

Summarizing the text and condensing the reading to its most important parts

Reciprocal teaching strategies center around the concept of "I do, we do, you do." First, model how the strategy works in front of the whole class. Then, students practice together in groups. Finally, they practice the technique on their own.

7. Class participation strategies

If just three or four of your students are answering most of the questions you pose in class, the rest of your students probably aren't staying engaged with the lesson.

Lucky for you, there's lots of simple techniques you can start using today to encourage every student to get involved in your lessons!

Popsicle stick names - Write every student's name down on a popsicle stick and pop it in a spare mug. When you need answers from the class, just pull out a popsicle stick and ask the relevant student to share.

Think-pair-share - A classic for a reason, the think-pair-share technique challenges students to think about the answer to a question on their own, pair up with a classmate to discuss, then share their conclusions with the class.

Wait time - There's nothing worse than asking a question and being met with a room of blank stares. Instead of going to fill the silence with your own answer, just wait. Giving students the space they need to develop an answer will pay off in the long run!

Whip around: Pose a question, then go around the room and ask every student to contribute. If they have the same answer as another student, that's fine! Encourage them to rephrase it in a different way to boost comprehension for the entire class.

8. Flexible seating

Desks aren't always the most comfortable option, especially for students stuck in them all day.

Flexible seating gives students the opportunity to learn in a comfortable, adaptive environment that suits their needs. Reading is always more of a treat when it's on a comfy couch, and students can (quietly) bounce away extra energy on an exercise ball during a social studies class.

Flexible seating options can make the classroom feel more welcoming for even the most reluctant learners.

Flexible seating options can work for any classroom and budget. Try:

Or whatever else your imagination can think of!

9. Culturally responsive teaching

When students see themselves reflected in lessons and teaching materials, they're more likely to be engaged and empowered to share their perspective.

Bring in guest speakers from the local community - According to a 2015 study by the Economics of Education Review, students often work harder when they share a background with an educator. Diverse guest speakers can bring context and engagement for students they share a cultural background with!

Pose relevant word problems - Students get a kick out of seeing their names in a word problem on a test or worksheet. Try linking your questions to student interests or referencing diverse cultures.

Differentiate learning - Use a learning station strategy to easily differentiate for every student. Students can rotate through stations that include small group instruction, completing a worksheet, group work, creating artwork or whatever else fits the lesson.

Diversify your learning materials - What voices are speaking in your classroom? Work to find teaching materials about and by under-represented groups to show your whole class the value of diversity.

When students understand the classroom is a place for everyone, they're more likely to speak up, get involved and participate in the learning process.

10. Personalized learning

Some students race through math worksheets, others need a little more time. Excelling students might have already grasped the latest concept, while some or even the majority of students will need more instruction and perhaps remediation.

In the face of all this, how do you make sure all levels of learners are staying engaged in your classroom?

According to a study from the Gates Foundation, supplementing math instruction with personalized learning techniques substantially improved students' test scores:

"Students attending [school using personalized learning] made gains in math and reading over the last two years that are significantly greater than a virtual control group made up of similar students selected from comparable schools."

Personalized learning techniques help students stay motivated and engaged in learning and encourage them to practice self-advocacy. Some common personalized learning strategies for student engagement include:

Involving students in academic goal-setting for themselves

Giving students multiple opportunities to show their knowledge, from assessments to journal entries

Using flipped instruction strategies to help students learn at their own pace

11. Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning involves delivering instruction through small groups and encouraging students to work together as they explore new topics and concepts.

The best part of cooperative learning is that it can be as formal or informal as you need and it works across different subjects and grade levels!

Cooperative learning prioritizes:

Positive interdependence - Students learn that each group member's efforts are important for success

Promotive Interaction - Students offer encouragement and feedback to other group members

Accountability - Every student accepts responsibility for fulfilling their role

Soft Skills Instruction - Students develop interpersonal skills that help them work together effectively

Group Processing - Students work together to determine how they'll meet their goals

What does this look like in your classroom? Create formal or informal learning groups and ask them to explore problems. Cooperative base groups stay together for most or all of the year and can work together to meet bigger academic goals.

12. Service learning

According to the National Youth Leadership Council, service learning is "a philosophy, pedagogy, and model for community development that is used as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards."

Service learning promotes student engagement through hands-on experience and a student-centered approach to community service.

Plus, one study found service learning increased students' grade-point averages 76% of the time and kept students more engaged with course content.

Not sure where to start with service learning? Try:

Supporting a local animal shelter with a fundraiser

Collecting books for a local library and tracking the results

Running a food drive in the school community and creating relevant marketing materials

13. Inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning allows students to focus on an open question or problem, using evidence-based reasoning and creative problem-solving to come to a solution.

As a teacher, inquiry-based learning helps students move beyond an initial "Why?" and into the realm of critical thinking and understanding.

There are a few different ways to structure an inquiry-based learning project, including:

Confirmation inquiry - Students get the question, answer and method, and build an investigation into how the method works

Structured inquiry - Students get an open question and investigation method and use the method to craft an evidence-based conclusion

Guided inquiry - Students design their own method - usually in groups - to reach the conclusion of an open-ended question.

Open inquiry - Students pose original questions and investigate them. Once they develop their own methods and reach a conclusion, they present their findings for discussion.

To successfully bring inquiry-based learning into your classroom, it has to be intentional and research-backed.

14. Project-based learning

Researchers who analyzed 82 studies found that project-based learning helps create a classroom environment where the majority of students are engaged and excited about learning.

Similar to inquiry-based learning, project-based learning challenges students to work individually or in groups to address an engaging, intricate question related to the curriculum.
The question always:

Stays open-ended, so students can explore where they want

Encourages students to apply skills they've already learned in the classroom

Allows students to develop their own approaches to problem solving and product innovation.

Instead of following teacher-directed instruction, students develop critical thinking and interdisciplinary skills to keep them intellectually engaged in their learning.

Critics of project-based learning point out that it can be difficult to objectively grade assignments and really tie in student learnings to specific curriculum skills. But you know your classroom best, and you know what your students can achieve when presented with a challenge!

15. Brain breaks

Bring brain breaks into your classroom to get students up and moving!

Brain breaks are quick exercises or activities that give students a way to channel some of the extra energy they've stored up. In the middle of your class, pause for a few moments to do something fun and unexpected!

There's no limit to what you can do during a brain break, but here are a few of our favorite ideas:

Sing a quick song

Play a round of silent ball

Do a one-minute drawing about the lesson

Have students line up using specific criteria, like tallest to shortest or by birthdate

Do a quick sun salutation or downward dog to engage students' minds and bodies

Bring an inflatable beach ball to bounce around the room, but don't let it touch the ground

Start a freeze dance party - play some music and bust a move, but challenge students to freeze in place when you pause the tunes

With so many different ideas, you're sure to find one or two that work for your students.

16. Gamification

What if you could challenge your students to be more engaged? According to a 2011 study, gamification in the classroom is correlated with increased student motivation and engagement.

Gamification involves setting learning and behavior goals, then creating a points system where students can work their way towards the goal and earn a reward.

There are lots of different ways to structure your system, but it doesn't have to be complicated. We recommend using a points system where students earn rewards for:

Attendance

Good behavior

Exceptional kindness

Academic achievement

Every student enjoys rewards and recognition for what they're doing well. In addition to boosting student engagement, gamification can also improve:

Time on task

Classroom behavior

Content delivery and processing

17. Interdisciplinary teaching

Interdisciplinary teaching challenges students to make connections between different subjects. Work across different subjects and with colleagues to create assignments that foster creativity and experimentation, while also expanding your students' worldview.

Some common interdisciplinary teaching activities include:

Present students with a news story, then give students a related question to solve on their own or in a group.

Challenge students to plan an exciting vacation! They can develop a budget, research their destination and develop an itinerary.

Go on a field study to a local park or nature reserve and explore poetry, ideas, literature and scientific concepts related to the scenery around them.

For more interdisciplinary teaching ideas, check out ten interdisciplinary teaching activities and get design steps!
Final thoughts about student engagement strategies

Where can student engagement be improved in your classroom? Are there places in your teaching practice where small changes would have a big impact?

Douglas Willms got to the heart of the matter when he noted:

"Engagement requires that students know they've been heard, that their voice matters."

Use techniques that make students active partners in the learning process. When students feel supported and encouraged, there's no telling what they'll be able to accomplish!

Prodigy is a no-cost, game-based learning platform for students in grades 1-8. Loved by more than 50 million teachers, parents and students, Prodigy transforms math learning into an epic adventure.

Ready to find out how Prodigy can level up math learning in your classroom? Sign up for your free teacher account today!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
17 Best Student Engagement Strategies [Teachers Swear By!]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Glazed eyes. Doodled-over papers. Half-hearted math assignments on rumpled worksheets. It's pretty easy to spot when student engagement is low in your classroom. So how do you build a classroom filled with positivity, encouragement and excitement for learning? Good news!

# data[].attributes.body
"With Edpuzzle, video content can be used from multiple sites (including YouTube, ) and teachers can modify them to create video lessons. For example, teachers can crop the video, record voiceover and add pauses to the video for additional information and/or questions. Teachers can check the student engagement and their answers to the questions by going to the Gradebook."

# data[].attributes.body
" Con Edpuzzle, el contenido de video se puede usar desde múltiples sitios (incluido YouTube) y los maestros pueden modificarlos para crear lecciones de video. Por ejemplo, los maestros pueden recortar el video, grabar voz encima (por ejemplo para traducir) y agregar pausas al video para obtener información adicional y / o preguntas. Los maestros pueden verificar la participación de los estudiantes y sus respuestas a las preguntas yendo al Libro de calificaciones ".

# data[].attributes.headline
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom
by TeachThought Staff

What are the kinds of things you should look for in today's classroom?

The common response often begins and ends with technology, but as we've discussed often, it's not about the technology. To a point, illustration-guru Sylvia Duckworth repackaged ed leader George Couros' take here by visualizing on the kinds of things you might notice in a modern classroom.

We've added some related tools or opportunities for further reading to each item. Let us know in the comments which you think is the most important, or which you'd like to focus on in your classroom during the second half of the school year.
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom 1. Voice
Students should learn from others and then share their learning.

See also: 13 Different Tools To Help Students Find Their Voice
2. Choice
Strength-based learning. Give students a choice.
3. Time For Reflection
Everyone (teachers, administrators, students) should write about and reflect on what is being learned.

See also: Helping Students Reflect On Their Learning
4. Opportunities For Innovation
Example: Build a hovercraft from a YouTube video.
5. Critical Thinkers
Ask questions and challenge what you see.

See also: 25 Resources For Critical Thinking
6. Problem-Solvers/Finders
Give students tough challenges and let them find innovative solutions.

See also: A Diagram Of 21st Century Pedagogy
7. Self-Assessment
Important that students know how to do this. Use portfolios.
8. Connected Learning
Bring experts into your class via social media and video-conferencing.

See also: The Power Of Social Learning Models
*previously published at TeachThought.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom | TeachThought PD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
8 Things To Look For In Today's Classroom by TeachThought Staff What are the kinds of things you should look for in today's classroom? The common response often begins and ends with technology, but as we've discussed often, it's not about the technology.

# data[].attributes.body
A tool to foster Student Agency

# data[].attributes.body
This blog gives varied examples of poweful UOI provocations by transdisciplinary theme.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PYP Transdisciplinary Themes Provocations - HonorsGradU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
But similar to how my view of the PYP key concepts has broadened over time, so too is my view of this theme. I have come to better understand that expressing ourselves is a basic human need that is woven into all we do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Differentiate with Learning Menus and Choice Boards

"...at its core, differentiated instruction means addressing ways in which students vary as learners." - Carol Ann Tomlinson

[Tweet "Interactive Learning Menus with @GoogleforEdu #edtech#gsuiteedu"]

What Are Learning Menus?

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHOICE! Learning menus (aka choice boards) are a form of differentiated learning that gives students a menu or choice of learning activities. Learning menus and choice boards can be created in a variety of styles and mediums. They've been around for a long time and originated in a static, paper format. But with digital tools, we can bring the menus to life with interactivity and creation. Menus can be a simple list, a tic-tac-toe or bingo-style game, or get as creative and intricate as you like. Check out my Pinterest board for ideas.

Learning Menus Can Be Used with Any Age Group

I have found that menus and choice boards tend to be more popular among elementary teachers, but I used them in my middle school classroom, and now I use them in professional learning workshops with adults. Any grade level can use learning menus!

Learning Menus Can Be Used in Any Subject Area

Since learning menus are so flexible, they can easily be created and adapted for just about any subject area. So no excuses! Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy.

[Tweet "Any teacher who is willing to try can make use of this student-centered strategy. #edtech"]

Are Learning Menus Hyperdocs the Same Thing?

No, but they could be part of a Hyperdoc assignment. I love Hyperdocs! But these two are not one in the same. Keep in mind the definition of learning menus stated above. It is simply a menu of choices from which students can choose. Student choice is the big idea behind learning menus and choice boards.

A Hyperdoc is a complete packaged assignment that also meets some additional criteria. A Hyperdoc doesn't have to include choice, but it could. To learn more about Hyperdocs, visit their site or read the AMAZING book by Lisa Highfill, Sarah Landis, and Kelly Hilton.

Creating a Tic-Tac-Toe Learning Menu in Google Docs

One easy way to dip your toes into the learning menu water is a Tic-Tac-Toe menu. A Tic-Tac-Toe can be used for anything from short activities to more long-term projects, both assessment FOR learning (formative) and assessment OF learning (summative).

Below is an example of a Novel Unit Tic-Tac-Toe menu that I created as a summative project. It was created in Google Docs, nothing fancy, just a table and some color. Depending on how you want to use, you can add links, rubrics, images, video and more. (Click here to use my blank tic-tac-toe template.)
CLICK HERE to use the Novel Study Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy.
Learning Menu Design

Remember when you are creating a learning menu to align it with your learning goals! First, I use the middle square as my non-negotiable, the one activity that I want every student to complete. This could be reading an article, watching a video, or in this case; every student will write a summary and add it to a collaborative Google Slide deck where they will also add links to their other projects. Everything in one place!

Some teachers also make the middle square a free space where students can propose their own ideas to demonstrate their learning. LOVE THIS IDEA!

I had some students who would try to find the easiest or fastest way to complete the tasks. But if you pay attention to the learning design, you can design it so that it gives choice and flexible learning paths, not just an easy completion grade.

I use the color to guide the learning design. Because I use the middle square as a non-negotiable, I control how they make the tic-tac-toe just a little bit more. Every student will do the middle square and one from the blue and one from the yellow. In this summative example, students are mostly creating, but in the example below, you will see how it can also work for activities that guide the learning.

Below is a professional learning example that I designed for teaching Google Chrome. As a trainer, I typically have very mixed groups in my training sessions (multiple grade levels, subject areas, and tech savviness). I usually address general skills, and apps and extensions that are applicable across all grade levels and subject areas as a whole group.

Then I move into an activity like the Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe learning menu to allow teachers to dig deeper into their own subject areas and grade levels AND move at a pace that is comfortable for their level and learning style.
CLICK HERE to use my Chrome PD Tic-Tac-Toe template. On mobile? CLICK HERE to make a copy of the template.
Other Types of Learning Menus

As I said, a tic-tac-toe is just one type of menu. It happens to be a favorite of mine because they are easy to design and are not too overwhelming. But I have used many other types of menus, and I have been curating ideas on this Learning Menu Pinterest Board.

Digital Menu for Student Creation with Google Slides by Tommy Spall

Below is a Google Slide example of a learning menu that takes on the look of a restaurant menu from my friend, Tommy Spall. Follow him @TommySpall. (You can thank me later!) Click here to make a copy of Tommy's template that includes linked slides to lots of Googley projects and room for you to make it your own. (If you are on mobile and having trouble with the template link, try this make a copy link.)

Professional Development BINGO Board by Amber Teamann and Melinda Miller

Another option is to make it a full out BINGO board, like in this example from my friend Amber Teamann and her collaborator Melinda Miller. (Follow them at @8Amber8 and @MMiller7571, and yes, you will thank me for this one, too!)

Amber and Melinda are both elementary school principals. They issued this BINGO PD Challenge to her teachers over the summer, and I thought it might inspire you with some other options for choice and challenges in your classroom or professional learning. You can learn more details about PD Bingo in Amber's blog post.

Using G Suite to Create Learning Menus

The possibilities are truly endless! Consider all the ways you could use G Suite to create learning menus and the extended activities and links. Try thinking of the ways you could create menus using these G Suite tools:

Google Docs

Google Slides

Google Drawings

Google Sheets

Google My Maps

Google Sites

How to Use Google Templates and Assign in Google Classroom

If you enjoyed this post, you will love the more in-depth look at the power of choice boards and more examples in this post and podcast episode.

© Shake Up Learning 2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kasey Bell and Shake Up Learning with appropriate and specific direction to the original content on ShakeUpLearning.com. See: Copyright Policy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Interactive Learning Menus (Choice Boards) Using Google Docs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I love learning menus, and it is one of my favorite ways to incorporate student choice and to differentiate learning. And with digital tools like G Suite for Education, it's super easy to make menus interactive, digital, and more dynamic! Digital Differentiation offers teachers and students many ways to reach all learners.