As you think about the elementary lessons and units in your classroom, grade level, or building, what ideas does this redesign example give you?

Example Response:

Shannon Quandahl

The Deeper Thinking and Learning Shift has helped me view some of my lessons through a different lens. I appreciate that I don't have to scrap my lessons but instead look for a shift that can make the lesson different for students (deeper cognitive load, higher levels of engagement, greater joy in learning).

The Deeper Thinking & Learning shift helped me realize I can take something I'm already doing and help students engage more fully and deeply with the content. This writing lesson is already one students enjoy, but they really liked the added storytelling as a whole group as well as with a partner. They asked to do it again next week! It was a really great way to get them on board right away, engaging with the subject matter in a meaningful way, and set the stage for the rest of the lesson content.

I think this shift has specifically reminded me to look at all my lessons through a lense of reflection and what I can build on/change for the next time I may teach on similar skills. The lesson I chose focuses on the skills of finding the main idea and giving supportive details to support reasoning. I am excited for my students to do the first lesson and then build off of those same concepts on a deeper level for the redesign lesson after getting feedback from my PLC.

This shift was a good reminder that my students are capable of so much. It has reminded me that I can use my current lessons, but to push my students to do more. Despite my students being young, they can think at high levels and make big decisions in how they learn.

The shift made me think about how I can use technology to make my lessons more engaging and meaningful. Most students were able to show show their learning at a deeper level, while practicing different technology skills. Students that don't normally enjoy responding to a story with paper and pencil were motivated to responding using the app.

This lesson encouraged me to find ways to incorporate technology into my lessons and see how that technology can support deeper thinking.  I used Book Creator to enhance a literacy lesson. Students were able to show their learning and understanding at a deeper level.

The Deeper Thinking and Learning Shift allowed students to use technology rather than paper and pencil to complete their lesson in a new way. We use Seesaw for mostly math exit tickets, so students needed lots of reminders of how to accomplish the aspects and may need more practice recording themselves.

When given opportunities they are very creative, which often helps with their engagement in assignments or tasks.

This autonomy allows the student to find their own value in the work they are doing and get more from the given tasks.

The redesign process gave me valuable insight into how I can take a lesson I've taught before and transform it into something more meaningful and engaging for students. Our team focused on a "Balloons Over Broadway" lesson we have taught in the past. By shifting from paper-and-pencil float designs to Google Slides, students had the opportunity to problem-solve and explore technology in fresh ways.

What excited me most was seeing how this change opened new possibilities for peer interaction. Students could now engage with each other's projects in ways that simply weren't possible with static paper creations.