PGP PD Takeways by

kflorek3 — 2026-04-08 12:21:47 UTC

I learned to be a lot more intentional not only about collecting date formally and informally, but also spending more time interpreting data on a regular basis in PLC.

2026-04-08 12:21:59 UTC

Bellringers to get the kids to come into the room, settle down and answer a question related to our current/past lesson. I have been doing this since August 2025. (engagement strategies)

2026-04-08 12:22:02 UTC

I always have a very lively and fast pace classroom, but being able to slow down the pace, the students started to get more intrigued with the content. Also, adding in some friendly controversy in my classroom has gottent he students more involved in the games and activities everyday as well

tbetz — 2026-04-08 12:22:08 UTC

For the questioning strategies-- I appreciated having take-aways we could use right away!

2026-04-08 12:22:09 UTC

Utilizing exit tickets to gain individual understanding of student's learning. I used this to be able to pull the students who didn't quite reach the correct answer into my advisory to take about 10 minutes to work on it with them and then help them get started on homework. I would love to learn more about the "high five" exit ticket.

2026-04-08 12:22:11 UTC

I thought it was really helpful to get in groups and share what works for different teachers and try them in my classroom. Engagement startegies, how to collect data, and how to use the data.

2026-04-08 12:22:19 UTC

I created daily notes that included a graphic organizer to help students transition through the lesson seamlessly.

2026-04-08 12:22:22 UTC

Engagement - This year, I tried using more academic games, physical movement, and varied student response strategies. I also used a lot of elbow-partner and think-pair-share techniques for students to engage more with one another.

2026-04-08 12:22:23 UTC

I used pair checking several times this year to make a connection between peer mentors and working with my applied skills students.

2026-04-08 12:22:27 UTC

I use alot of think, pair and share. I like to actively hear the students talk to one another where they are vocalizing different strategies on how they solved/analyzed a problem.

2026-04-08 12:22:33 UTC

I like the raffle tickets we went over during questioning. It keeps kids engaged longer than simply giving them a jolly rancher immediately.

amendez259 — 2026-04-08 12:22:35 UTC

I have learned to use diverse platforms for academic games to engage students. One of my favorite ones that I haven't used before this year is Gimkit. I really appreciated this platform because it has an AI component so I can give it a prompt and it will create the number of questions I request on the topic I give. I make some edits but it usually gives me high quality questions correlated to my lessons. It's a game changer.

2026-04-08 12:22:43 UTC

The one thing I took away, was using different types of bell ringers. I used not only class related ringers, but "fun" puzzles to get them in their seats and to get them thinking.

bkeeler9 — 2026-04-08 12:22:59 UTC

I tried to create a lot more informal ways to collect data. Some of these strategies were using rating scales on google forms or different types of exit tickets. This allowed me to assess where my students were at as we progressed through each unit.

2026-04-08 12:23:00 UTC

Engagement strategies tend to work if you can find a way to keep students on their toes. Doing the same thing all the time is great for routines, but adding some fun, interactive engagement strategies tends to win.

2026-04-08 12:23:05 UTC

I used graphic organizers to organize concepts for students so they could quickly reference the key concepts that we were discussing within modules. Also used comparing strategies, showing students different ways to get to the same solution.

2026-04-08 12:23:11 UTC

Our conversations got me thinking about objective data BEFORE the assessment. Creating and giving students a "Wrap Up" (mixed practice) allowed me to see the gaps the class had as a whole or common misconceptions that I could clear up and also identified who still needed some strong intervention. This guided my instruction allowing me to focus on the deficits one more time before the assessment.

2026-04-08 12:23:18 UTC

In my class, I tried the "Who Likes McDonald's" questioning strategy. The kids really respond when it's a topic that they are invested in, rather than classroom work. I found that they were able to take the strategies and apply them to the actual classwork once they got the hang of it.

akinzie3 — 2026-04-08 12:23:40 UTC

One thing that I used was the raffle ticket questioning strategy. It was really a hit! The students did not know why they were getting the tickets, and it increased participation. The students loved it!

2026-04-08 12:23:57 UTC

GIMKIT helped as a new approach for goal assessing and skill checks.

2026-04-08 12:24:18 UTC

Since the PDs on questioning, I've allowed the kids more time to sit with a question, talk about it with their neighbors, and point out how their thoughts are similar and different. I haven't used the raffle tickets, but I'd like to in the future.

Boz

2026-04-08 12:24:33 UTC

Using exit tickets to see exactly who will need help in advisory. Making them show me their answers before starting their homework. This way I can remind them if they didn't get it to come see me for help. Also, it gives me an idea of who I should show more support to during individual work time.

jcamery — 2026-04-08 12:24:39 UTC

With all of the strategies that we learned for questioning, I find myself teaching sometimes or not stopping while taking notes or asking students questions. I want to move quickly because I feel like I need to keep the lesson moving or students get bored. Using strategies like the "Pause, Pause, Share" or the "PPPB" would sort of force me to make sure that a student answered, but then I could find another student in the room that may not have been as focused and had them either work with students who know or can at least help them elaborate.

2026-04-08 12:25:08 UTC

I have used the raffle tickets to help with questioning engagement as well as the McDonalds strategy to help my students with analyzing.

evara5 — 2026-04-08 12:25:29 UTC

Using raffle tickets seems like a great idea to use for the classrooms and even for the office aides that I have in the media center. There are so many great ideas to implement in the classroom.

2026-04-08 12:26:48 UTC

Physical movement... using stations around the room to brainstorm, answer questions, build vocab, etc. It has helped as a break for the kids and to get them up and moving instead of sitting in their seats every class.

2026-04-08 12:27:35 UTC

Regarding questioning strategies, I have implemented the following strategies during my co-taught ELA classes and advisory enrichment: Raffle Tickets, Who Likes McDonald's, & Pause, Pause, Share. The students really enjoyed the Raffle Ticket and Who Likes McDonald's strategies and they have been very successful!

jhensley37 — 2026-04-08 12:27:46 UTC

This year we used some educational Games through a software program called Theta Music. This gamified Music Theory, which can be very boring. Students were able to show mastery and engage in the content.

2026-04-08 12:29:03 UTC

Using bell ringers to get the students engaged prior to starting the lesson and a routine when entering the classroom. This also links to the learning goals for the current lesson or spiral back to a previous lesson.

rmetzcus — 2026-04-08 12:29:40 UTC

I was reminded of the importance of asking a question in different ways. How you ask a question can affect the level of engagement in the classroom or even the type of data you get.

2026-04-08 12:32:30 UTC

I chose engagement. I learned that movement and excitement in basic lessons can make a difference. It is how I react to the lessons.

lbain2 — 2026-04-08 12:36:57 UTC

The use of exit tickets has helped me to decide whether a lesson or topic was understood. I find it more useful in SS than ELA because I think ELA has more concrete data checks following lessons. Exit tickets are quick checks. SS has more long term topics, so I need more quick checks for understanding.

2026-04-08 12:46:14 UTC

With my students I focused more on engagement. Asking students to explain what they understand in their own words about a skill/concept allows me to figure out where the disconnect is.

2026-04-08 12:53:01 UTC

I intentionally implemented the learning cycle to ensure my data was collected with fidelity

2026-04-08 12:58:22 UTC

While I don't always have a classroom, I love to use movement when I do large group activities. It keeps middle schoolers engaged and may even generate a laugh.

2026-04-08 13:05:51 UTC

I have incorporated engagement strategies with the use of questions. In social studies, we use a lot of Socratic Seminar questions where we debate an issue. From one teacher's question, the students can respond and give their own opinions on an issue or topic. They can also come up with their own questions that will elicit responses from their classmates. This was evident in our mock trial project as well as in our U.S. Constitutional debates. As a teacher, I just stood back and listened to the questions & responses of the class. As teachers, we tend to want to ask too many questions instead of letting the students ask the questions to each other.

2026-04-08 13:15:07 UTC

Questioning Strategies - It was a nice refresh on different questioning strategies I can use in the classroom with my students. I also started implementing the raffle ticket idea that was shared. It has been really great to see participation jump up a little bit and by all appearances, using different question strategies has increased student understanding as well.

2026-04-08 13:17:45 UTC

In FACS class this year, utilizing bell ringers and exit tickets has helped monitor student progress and data. This helps me track where students are and better understand what areas they can improve in. Students turn these in at the end of a unit; however, these questions are discussed at the beginning and end of class every day to help guide them through the process. It also helps guide the flow of class for easy transitions.

2026-04-08 14:08:38 UTC

In Computing Foundations class, I currently use bellringers. I have recently introduced exit tickets to help me determine is students are understanding our daily lessons. I'm finding exit tickets to be a quick and easy way to check comprehension of my students on a daily basis.

2026-04-08 16:03:23 UTC

I really enjoyed listening to other teachers' engagement strategies in our sessions. It gave me the opportunity to compare my own strategies to ones that are successful with others, be reminded of strategies that have been successful for me in the past, and adjust things I already do to better include everyone in my classes.

2026-04-08 18:11:18 UTC

When I call on a student and they get the "doe in the headlights look" I then ask them a question about the problem that I know they can answer. Something obvious, getting that right gives them the confidence to forge ahead and solve the bigger problem.

2026-04-08 19:23:04 UTC

I have implemented lessons that incorporate increased movement to support student engagement. I found it insightful that students are more likely to participate when they feel comfortable with their peers. I have been working on this intentionally with my first-period class, where students have previously been hesitant to engage.

2026-04-09 02:12:54 UTC

I have many tickets in my room that I have never used and the ticket idea is great to incorporate and I already have the resources!

2026-04-09 03:33:08 UTC

Questioning strategies has helped me liven up the discussions in my classroom and increase student involvement in lessons. Being able to see how other teachers function in their rooms in subjects different from my own has been a big help in implementing new strategies to increase engagement in the classroom as well.