Nearpod is an instructional delivery platform that helps educators deliver engaging teaching and learning experiences that drive results. It aligns seamlessly with the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework by offering diverse tools and resources that cater to the varying needs of students across all tiers of instruction. 

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

What is the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework?

MTSS in education stands for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. It is an evidence-based model of schooling that uses data-driven problem-solving to integrate academic and behavioral instruction and intervention. The integrated instruction and intervention are delivered to students in multiple tiers based on student needs. “Need-driven” decision-making seeks to ensure that district resources reach the appropriate students at the appropriate levels to accelerate ALL students in achievement and social, emotional, and behavioral needs.

What are the four components of MTSS?

The four critical components of an MTSS framework include screening, progress monitoring, multi-level prevention system, and data-based decision-making. Together, these elements form a comprehensive approach to educational practice that aims to ensure academic and behavioral success for all students.

• Screening: This involves assessments that are given to all students to identify those who may need additional support.
• Progress Monitoring: This involves regular monitoring to assess students’ academic and behavioral performance and their response to interventions and instructions.
• Multi-Level Prevention System: This involves providing evidence-based intervention plans of varying intensity based on student needs.
• Data-Based Decision Making: This involves using data to drive decisions about instruction, movements within the multi-level prevention system, and disability identification (in accordance with state law).

What are the three tiers of instruction in MTSS?

The three tiers of instruction in an MTSS framework are designed to provide escalating levels of support tailored to meet the diverse needs of students. 

• Tier 1: High-quality classroom instruction, screening, and group interventions
• Tier 2: Targeted small group interventions for students who need more support
• Tier 3: Intensive individual interventions for students who require more targeted support

Additionally, Tier 1 is always in place for every student, and Tier 2 and Tier 3 are layered on as needed.

How Nearpod supports the implementation of the three tiers of instruction in MTSS

Nearpod is a valuable tool in supporting MTSS best practices. It offers real-time insights into student understanding through formative assessments and dynamic media, which are pivotal in executing the MTSS framework. With the help of  Nearpod, educators can tailor their instruction to meet the needs of all students at each tier of the MTSS. With its interactive lessons, real-time assessments, and customizable content, Nearpod supports educators in delivering high-quality, universal instruction (Tier 1), targeted group interventions (Tier 2), and intensive, individualized support (Tier 3).

Tier 1 support: Universal instruction and engagement

Interactive Lessons: Nearpod’s interactive lessons can help keep students engaged with their learning. For instance, educators can use Nearpod to facilitate active learning experiences that include quizzes, polls, interactive videos, and gamification activities. This can help maintain student attention, drive participation, and cater to different learning styles.

Additionally, Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program lessons are designed with 21st-century skills in mind, incorporating elements such as digital citizenship and social-emotional learning which are essential for supporting the behavioral components of MTSS. By promoting collaboration, communication, and critical thinking, Nearpod helps to establish a positive learning environment that can improve behavioral outcomes and foster a supportive classroom culture.

Real-Time Assessment: Teachers can use Nearpod to conduct live formative assessments to gauge student understanding. This can help ensure that all students are grasping core content, which is crucial at the Tier 1 level, where the goal is to provide high-quality instruction to all students.

Tier 2 support: Targeted group interventions

Small Group Instruction: Educators can create specific lessons for small groups of students who need additional support in certain areas, providing targeted intervention without stigmatizing or isolating these students.

Data-Driven Instruction: Nearpod’s ability to provide real-time insights into student progress on specific skills can be used to monitor the effectiveness of Tier 2 interventions. Teachers can use this data to adjust instruction as needed and provide additional support where necessary.

Tier 3 support: Intensive, individualized interventions

Customized Learning Opportunities: Nearpod can be used to create individualized learning opportunities with content tailored to the specific needs of students requiring Tier 3 support. Teachers can design and create Nearpod lessons to meet the individualized intervention needs of students. For students who need more intensive support, Nearpod’s interactive capabilities—such as Draw It and Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips—can be especially beneficial. These features enable students to show their learning in a way that’s best for them and that meets their individual learning needs and preferences.

Best practices to support MTSS instruction in education

1. Differentiated instruction

Differentiated instruction tailors teaching to meet the individual needs of students. In the classroom, and for supporting MTSS in education, this might entail offering varied assignments, adapting lessons according to learning styles, and enabling students to demonstrate their understanding in various ways. Nearpod can facilitate this by providing a range of interactive activities and content that cater to diverse learning preferences.

2. Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning involves grouping students to work together toward common goals. This approach encourages the development of critical thinking and social skills. With Nearpod, educators can create collaborative spaces where students can engage with each other and the material in a controlled, digital environment. Nearpod’s Collaborate Board enhances this cooperative approach by providing a shared, interactive space that not only deepens understanding through peer-to-peer interaction but also fosters a sense of community and collective learning in the classroom.

3. Data-informed instruction

Data-informed instruction uses student data to guide teaching and learning strategies to support implementing MTSS in schools. It involves analyzing formative assessment results to identify areas where students need more support. By utilizing Nearpod’s instant feedback and reporting capabilities, educators can assess and respond to students’ needs promptly during lessons. Nearpod provides teachers access to real-time insights and enables them to make data-driven decisions that can dynamically address the needs of each student, ensuring that instruction is not only responsive but also personalized and effective.

4. Behavioral interventions

MTSS behavioral interventions are strategies used to support students who may have behavioral challenges that affect their learning. These strategies can include clear expectations, positive reinforcement, and structured routines. Incorporating a Nearpod interactive activity at the start of every lesson to encourage students to check in with their emotional needs and feelings can help establish a routine and build a positive learning environment. Consider using Nearpod tools such as Time to Climb and Collaborate Boards to motivate and engage students in positive ways.

5. Family engagement

Engaging families in the MTSS process is critical. It ensures that interventions are supported at home and that there is a consistent approach to student learning. We encourage teachers to provide families with information explaining the power of Nearpod and how they will use Nearpod’s tools and resources in their classroom instruction.

Start using Nearpod to support MTSS instruction

Implementing these Multi-Tiered Systems of Support examples effectively in education requires a commitment to structured support, data-driven instruction, and a willingness to adapt and respond to the individual needs of students. Additionally, it is important that educators undergo professional development to meet the unique requirements of each learner, as this inclusive system can extend support for a student to receive special education services. Nearpod strives to see and support every student, offering tools and features that align with MTSS best practices. By leveraging these resources, educators can ensure a more inclusive and effective educational environment for all students.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Bridget McKnight

Bridget McKnight is a Product Marketing Manager at Nearpod.

The post Best practices to support MTSS instruction in education appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Effective instructional strategies go beyond those daily teacher-centric tips and tricks. They are those tried-and-true methodologies that help you, as an educator, reach your teaching and learning goals throughout the school year. When it comes to instructional design, teachers infuse their lesson plans with effective instructional strategies. Many such learning strategies are steeped in research from educational psychologists, philosophers, and researchers such as Piaget, Freire, Dewey, and Papert (just to name a few!).

What are the characteristics of effective and efficient instructional tools?

Meaningful learning experiences motivate students to dive deeper, explore further, and make personal connections. When it comes to personalized or individualized learning, technologies such as Nearpod support teachers in tailoring and targeting learning activities for each and every student. Such experiences put the students in the driver’s seat and give them a sense of agency to become lifelong learners.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

7 Essential strategies for designing effective instruction

1. Student engagement

Student engagement is one of those ubiquitous phrases that educators use to speak about their goals for teaching and learning. What is student engagement? It’s that rapt attention that teachers strive for—students leaning forward in their seats, participating with thoughtful questions and meaningful dialogue, eyes bright with those epitomized lightbulb moments, jumping over one another with their curiosity piqued.

Children are naturally curious; just think of a toddler’s persistent question, “Why?” Educators try to nurture this sense of curiosity into a pursuit of lifelong learning by designing effective exploratory or experiential instruction. Often teachers strive to provide hands-on activities to literally let kids get their hands dirty in the process of learning. Such kinesthetic and tactile tasks improve muscle memory, increase energy, and nurture cognitive and emotional development.

Another way to support student engagement is ensuring lessons have clear and authentic real-world connections. By showcasing how skills apply to everyday life or with career goals in mind, students are more likely to embrace instances of practice. Constructivist Bruner lauded the process of student-centered discovery, and Papert celebrated constructionism to provide children with meaningful challenges they’d be excited to tackle.

Nearpod offers a treasure chest of interactive activities specifically designed to champion to engage students. From engaging educational games like Time to Climb to Interactive Videos and immersive Draw It activities, Nearpod transforms learning into an exciting journey, challenging and motivating students along the way. Nearpod effectively brings abstract concepts to life, fostering students’ active participation and turning the traditional classroom into a dynamic, student-centered discovery hub.

2. Active learning

Active learning involves all facilities. It underscores that learners aren’t just consuming but creating, making connections, and building upon prior knowledge. It asks that students do the heavy lifting and thinking in a lesson. Piaget claimed students aren’t just “empty vessels” waiting to be filled. Freire warned against the banking method of education in which students are treated as passive receptors, thus limiting their creative and critical thinking.

Active learning transforms students’ educational experiences and improves academic outcomes. For students of all ages, active learning practices lean quite a bit on activities that pull in kinesthetic movements to encourage students to hone multiple learning styles as they digest and retain new information. Such participatory roles promote active learning across the curriculum.

Nearpod creates active learning environments where every student participates, increasing engagement and challenging students through interactive features that puts them at the center of learning. Interactive features, such as Polls, Open-Ended Questions, and Collaborate Boards, can be one of the most effective instructional practices to spark students’ prior knowledge at the beginning of a lesson or for metacognitive reflections to assess what students learned by the end.

3. Collaborative learning

Collaborative learning brings students together in a joint venture to search for understanding or meaning. This framework of effective instruction is a great way to promote a community of learners as well. Students take a more active and participatory role when they’re engaging in peer-to-peer learning. And today’s technologies allow students to “discuss” while leaning in on their preferred learning styles.

VAK (Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic) is a common way educators begin to address where a child’s strengths lie when it comes to processing and retaining new knowledge. With collaborative learning, students develop and lean on one another’s strengths, benefit from their varied perspectives, and challenge each other for problem solving and deconstructing a problem differently.

Collaborative learning and building connections are of paramount importance in creating active learning experiences. Nearpod provides multiple opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate and build connections. Collaborate Board enables students to work together in a shared digital space and share their thoughts via text, images, audio, video, and ever-so-popular GIFs. Teachers can hear from every student by having them use multiple formats to develop their ideas further. This fosters teamwork and cooperation and builds communication skills among students and teachers, creating a collaborative learning environment.

Our digital world (inside and outside of the classroom) challenges how we need to learn and refine our social and interpersonal skills when communicating and collaborating with one another. Nearpod’s interactive lessons and activities prepare students to use technology effectively, safely, and appropriately, all while building positive and empowering school climates. Nearpod’s social and emotional learning (SEL) activities and lessons highlight these core life skills.

4. School culture

A positive classroom and school culture are crucial to creating a welcoming and supportive environment inclusive for all students and their families. It’s helpful to set and share expectations at the beginning of the school year to emphasize what your goals are for your students. Level setting with such shared routines and procedures can help create a cohesive climate.

Invite all stakeholders to have an active role in your classroom. Encourage all stakeholders to model leadership with positive behavior and a can-do attitude or growth mindset. By focusing on forming authentic and caring relationships, you can motivate students on their learning journeys. And don’t forget to celebrate the daily small and big wins! With such dedication, schools can actualize a student-centered vision for all and implement effective instructional strategies.

Nearpod plays a significant role in connecting and building school and classroom culture through its various features and functionalities. Nearpod allows educators to see every student and create active learning experiences where every student participates through:

• Interactive lessons, videos, activities, and formative assessments 
• Dynamic media and gamification activities like Time to Climb
• Collaborate Boards that build connections through class discussions

5. Formative assessment

Formative assessment can help guide an educator on how best to keep each student on a personalized learning path. Such techniques—whether it is a simple thumbs up/thumbs down, a poll, an exit ticket, or a quiz—provide teachers with a plethora of data, allowing them to take a data-driven approach to designing meaningful learning experiences. Teachers can use this intel to monitor students and modify the next steps in instruction.

Does a lesson need to be revisited? Does the content need to be modeled in a different manner? How can you take students from comprehension to mastery? Data can range from active participation to a test score. Educators can look for patterns to best understand how individuals and small groups are progressing against learning objectives and goals. Formative assessment is a continuous process and bolsters designing elements of effective instruction.

With nine types of formative assessment tools within Nearpod, teachers can design interactive lessons that promote engagement and progress.

6. Real-time insights

Today’s technologies allow us to economize gathering student data across the curriculum so we can analyze and glean insights in real-time. Data can be visualized in many ways, making it easier for teachers to digest and act upon the insights effectively.

Teachers can monitor student progress more readily and provide immediate feedback when the child has a question or meets an obstacle. The value of immediate feedback is immense—students feel more self-aware, motivated, and confident. Such constructive feedback can thwart bad habits or misinformation from being further cemented. This feedback cycle encourages students to reflect more on their learning journey and rely on internal and external feedback.

Nearpod empowers teachers to effectively measure student understanding in real-time, enabling them to make instructional decisions at the moment. Having access to real-time insights, teachers can make more informed instructional decisions and visualize learning in various ways to drive instruction.

Nearpod keeps students and the learning process at the forefront of every class through:

• Formative assessments that provide real-time insights to guide instruction
• Post-session reports informing your next lesson
• Tool and content to scaffold instruction and meet students where they are

7. Differentiation

Meeting a child where they often mean a teacher has to be ready to differentiate instruction for lessons, whether that be to modify a particular activity to support a student better or add a layer of complexity to challenge another further. By understanding your students’ diverse learning needs, you can individualize your lesson plans to ensure immediate feedback, varied instances of practice, and increased engagement.

Similarly, schools often face a challenge of amassing and providing a rich diversity of resources for an equally diverse set of students. Educators seek to deliver high-interest resources so kids can go beyond the old adage of amassing knowledge that is a mile wide and an inch deep. Instead, they grow their depth of knowledge and expand their interests. Such resources encourage teachers to design effective instructional strategies and differentiate learning experiences so students have options and various ways to meet learning objectives through different paths and channels.

Nearpod’s quality content library plays a crucial role in supporting differentiation in the classroom. With over 22,000+ standards-based interactive lessons, activities, and videos, Nearpod gives educators the flexibility to meet students where they are in their learning journey. Teachers can easily tailor their instruction by selecting materials catering to different learning styles, abilities, and interests. Whether it’s providing additional challenges for advanced learners or offering extra support for struggling students, this content library lets teachers create personalized and engaging learning experiences that cater to the unique needs of each student.

Design effective instruction with Nearpod

Having these seven essential strategies as habits of mind when engaging in effective instructional planning will result in more dynamic classroom interactions. When it comes to personalized or individualized learning, technologies such as Nearpod support teachers in tailoring and targeting learning activities for each and every student. Nearpod’s all-in-one platform aids and supports teachers and students alike. From interactive lessons and videos to real-time student data, such experiences put the students in the driver’s seat and give them a sense of agency to become lifelong learners.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post 7 Essential strategies for designing effective instruction appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

How to use Student-Paced mode on Nearpod

1. Choose an interactive lesson from the Nearpod lesson library or create your own. They’ll all be saved under “My Lessons.”
2. Hover your mouse over the lesson cover. Click on “Student-Paced.” This will launch the lesson and create a code. (TIP: Once you create a code, you can no longer edit the lesson, so make sure your lesson is ready. If edits need to be made afterward, you will lose the first code and must create a new one.)
3. Add an expiration date for the new code generated if needed.
4. Click on the new code and select “Share” to view sharing options.
5. If you don’t want students to skip ahead through the lesson without completing the activities, toggle on “Require student responses and prevent skipping.”
6. Share the code with students, and have them type it on Nearpod. You can also share the link, embed the lesson, or use your learning management system (LMS) to give them access.
7. Follow students along in real-time by clicking on “View Progress.”

6 Genius ways to use Student-Paced Nearpod lessons

1. Duplicate to differentiate

Differentiation can be intimidating, but the hard part shouldn’t be delivering differentiated content to your students. To easily administer differentiated instruction or practice, you can leverage Nearpod’s Student-Paced mode to enhance your classroom differentiation.

Offering several adaptions of a lesson is #TeacherGoals, for example, baseline, remediation, and enrichment lessons. Nearpod has 22,000+ pre-made standards-aligned customizable lessons. Use the filter in the lesson library to search lessons by subject, resource, grade, and standards. The best part is: once you download your Nearpod lesson, you can edit it!

Nearpod offers the option to ‘Duplicate’ each lesson. Consider duplicating and adapting your lessons to meet the remediation and enrichment needs of your students.

Launch multiple versions of your lesson with different Student-Paced codes to host student conferences or work in small groups. To explain directions or provide more context about the content, watch a video using Front of Class mode and then have students split into groups.

2. Reports to identify prior knowledge

A difficult concept of differentiation is identifying the variety of student levels based on prior knowledge. An added layer of difficulty is completing this on time. Consider giving a Student-Paced pre-assessment lesson at the start of your lesson, then access reports immediately to identify areas where students need remediation or enriched content.

Nearpod’s Post-Session Reports allow you to access student data from the lesson. You can also use the Teacher Dashboard during the lesson to see responses in real time. Now, you’ve eliminated the need to take papers home to grade that night and assign differentiated lessons the next day. With Nearpod’s easy-to-read reports, you can immediately group students into the appropriate Student-Paced lesson & centers.

3. Skill and Drill Centers

Create a Nearpod Student-Paced lesson built off Skill and Drill practices. Skill and Drill is very similar to memorization, but it involves repetition of specific skills, such as addition and subtraction or spelling. To be meaningful to learners, the skills should become the building blocks for more meaningful learning.

Set up Student-Paced Nearpod centers. Create a competition with your students, engage them, and reward them. If your student can learn, master skills, and have fun. You’re off to a great start!

Consider kicking this off with a Nearpod Time to Climb Student-Paced activity. Nearpod has premade interactive activities for Matching Pairs, Draw It, Drag and Drop, and more! Reduce lesson planning time and use these activities in your centers.

4. Student choice boards

Choice boards have become extremely popular with students because students choose how they will learn a concept. Teachers love this technique because choice boards keep students more engaged.

Inside each choice on the choice board, provide a Student-Paced code for a unique lesson.

How to set up a student choice board:

1. Select a topic to focus on and decide what element of choice you want to provide (Rigor? Depth of knowledge? Type of practice?).
2. Create multiple lessons, tasks, or activities aligned with these choices.
3. Arrange the activities on the board (You can write or link the Nearpod code directly on your choice board!).
4. Have students choose tasks to complete (I like to have them choose either adjacent or diagonal tasks, like a tic-tac-toe board).

5. Classroom or school newsletter

Communicate with your parents by leveraging a Nearpod Student-Paced newsletter. Fill your newsletter with information and a variety of activities. Gather data from your audience along the way.

Here are some ways to use Nearpod for your Parent Newsletter:

• Poll: Identify parent volunteers for special events
• Open-Ended Question: Ask for feedback for improvement
• Collaborate Board: Open the door for parents to collaborate with one another and share ideas

By utilizing a Nearpod Newsletter, parents also have the opportunity to see what their child’s classroom experience is like. This is a very powerful and transparent approach. You can also empower your students to help their parents use Nearpod, too!

6. Flipped Classroom / Flipped Faculty Meeting

Share codes with your students to complete the lesson either in or outside of the classroom. Students can access these lessons at any time for content review or find resources. As an administrator, coach, or in a leadership role, consider using this approach when presenting content to your teachers. Provide a Student-Paced code to view before a faculty meeting. Now, you can spend more time collaboratively working together and having rich discussions instead of spending the majority of the time teaching content.

Start using Nearpod for free!

Nearpod’s Student-Paced feature opens up so many possibilities for using Nearpod in your classroom. Utilizing both Student-Paced and live participation lessons, your students’ engagement and achievement will soar. So, are you looking to give Student-Paced lessons a try yet? Test drive one of these suggestions and see the benefits for yourself!

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Katie Micallef

Katie is a Personalized Learning Leader in Volusia County Schools. She helps teachers incorporate educational technology into their curriculum. She believes that students deserve an instructional practice that resonates with their daily lives, and that includes the utilization of technology. She is on a mission to promote the endless benefits that edtech can have on 21st century instructional practices.

The post 6 Genius ways to use Student-Paced Nearpod lessons appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

When I started using Nearpod, I realized that differentiating my classroom didn’t have to be this complicated or this messy! In my kindergarten classroom, I’ve created digital differentiated literacy centers with Nearpod that are super engaging and easy to use, resulting in an engaging learning experience. Plus, every student can be working on a task at their own level with minimal prep on my part.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Differentiating instruction in kindergarten with Nearpod

Here’s how it works

In Nearpod, I found a few different lessons in the lesson library and also created a few of my own. Each one addressed a different word or work skill that my differentiated kindergarten classroom needed to practice. For example, this week, I prepped a lesson on sight words for my on-level students, a review lesson on letter sounds for my strugglers, and a lesson on digraphs for those who were ready for a challenge. You’ll see the different lessons at the top of my Nearpod library, which is pictured below.

Every lesson from Nearpod’s lesson library is editable. If you find a lesson that is not quite what you need, you can edit it! Then, once I have all my lessons ready in my library, I launch each of them as “Student-Paced” so that they can access it during centers for the entire week and work on it independently. I typically do this on Sunday nights or Monday mornings before the students arrive.

How I differentiate for my students

When doing differentiated kindergarten centers, I first create small group of students by ability and assign an index card for each group for their specific lesson. Then, I write the lesson code for their version of word work on that card as well. That way, during center time, students can quickly find and enter the lesson code that is right for them, and I don’t need to be there to help them. (If you’ve ever taught kindergarten, you know that anything your students can do without you is a dream come true!)

From this point on, everything is smooth sailing! During center time, my Word Work center students grab their iPads, type their own code into Nearpod and are instantly able to work on activities on their own level. You’ll see below that two students are sitting in the same group at that same table, but are doing two totally different activities, each at their own level and pace. I’ve even noticed a huge decrease in off-task behavior since starting these centers because Nearpod lessons are so engaging and fun!

Once students finish the lesson, all their work is saved for me in my Nearpod reports (Goodbye piles of worksheets!) That way, I can use it as accountability for center time AND as a formative assessment for those specific literacy skills. I don’t know about you, but anything that accomplishes multiple tasks at once is a winner in my classroom! I love having those reports available to quickly and easily assess student learning. Whether you’re planning centers for differentiated reading instruction or other core subjects, Nearpod will you accommodate the diverse range of learning styles in every classroom.

Benefits of differentiating instruction for kindergarten using Nearpod

It’s easy to see why Nearpod Centers have quickly become a favorite for both me and my students. But in case you’re still not convinced, here are my top 4 reasons you should give differentiated centers a try!

• Allows for fast, low-prep differentiation – No more waiting in line at the copier!!!
• Nearpod Library has thousands of existing lessons ready to be assigned to your students
• Students are more engaged because they’re working on exciting digital tasks that are just right for them
• Reports are saved in real-time and can be used as formative assessment (and it’s saved in Nearpod for you, so you can’t misplace it!)

In today’s dynamic kindergarten learning environment, educators are constantly seeking innovative tools to engage young learners. Nearpod emerges as a game-changer, seamlessly integrating student interest into lessons aligned with the Common Core standards. Through its interactive platform, the learning process becomes a captivating journey tailored to individual needs, catering even to struggling learners.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Kali Guinn

Kali is a tech-savvy elementary teacher whose passion for all things STEM fuels her innovation in the classroom and inspires other teachers to begin their own #edtech adventures.

elementarygeek.com

The post Differentiating instruction in kindergarten with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Regardless of grade level, every classroom has students with different needs and ability levels. Differentiated instruction is important for students because it recognizes and supports their diverse learning needs and abilities, which can enhance their engagement, motivation, achievement, and overall well-being. Differentiated instruction examples can include using formative assessment to understand students’ needs, provide multiple learning options, and deliver personalized feedback.

Teaching to the “average” works for some students sometimes, but it is rarely enough to support every learner. Although differentiation has become an educational buzzword in the past few years, the idea behind the term is essential in today’s classrooms, especially post-pandemic.

The 2010 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) describes differentiation as follows:

“Instruction that is tailored to the learning preferences of different learners. Learning goals are the same for all students, but the method or approach of instruction varies according to the preferences of each student or what research has found works best for students like them.”

In other words, instruction is based on the needs and preferences of each individual student within their learning environment. While that can certainly be difficult to achieve, it is important to note that differentiated instruction can help increase both student engagement and achievement.

How to use tech to differentiate instruction for students

Using tech to differentiate instruction in the classroom is a practical resource to broaden inclusivity for all learners. One size does not fit all in education. Sometimes curriculums don’t differentiate their instructional materials, catering to the average student while providing leaflets for students needing differentiated tools the most: high achievers, English language learners, Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) students, and those with speech-language concerns. This is where tech tools, like Nearpod, can support.

Nearpod can help teachers differentiate instruction to meet the diverse needs of all learners within their classroom.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Differentiated instruction examples to maximize student learning

1. Use formative assessment to understand student needs

Nearpod’s formative assessment activities are effective for differentiating instruction. Teachers can send out formative assessment activities such as polls and quizzes, ask open-ended questions, have students submit drawing assessments through Draw It, and even write short notes on the Collaborate Board.

All of these features allow teachers to get instant insight into how their students are doing and address any questions or misconceptions.

For example, Ann Feldmann at Edutopia describes how first-grade teacher Megan Cinfel uses the Draw It to collect formative feedback, which she later uses to differentiate her instruction:

“[She] gathers her students on the rug in a circle, sits with them, and presents new math concepts to all of their iPads simultaneously. She uses the draw feature daily to collect formative data. Students use the pen tool to draw responses and send them back. Teachers immediately see the data and can share student work back to their screens in just a click. This is a powerful way for students to see peer responses and explain their reasoning.”

The daily formative assessment data collected and compared to summative data can give teachers a better view of student mastery. Then, once teachers know where their students are, they can adjust to instruction moving forward and consider micro-intervention. This type of instant formative feedback can be beneficial for quickly understanding each student’s specific and varied needs.

Integrating interactive activities into your lessons can cast a wider net for all the unique gems in class. When lesson planning, here are some differentiated instruction technology examples to consider when using Nearpod:

• Slides and videos for visual learners
• Open-Ended Questions for deep thinkers
• Draw It for artistic students
• Time to Climb for competitive types 
• Drag and Drop for hands-on learners
• Collaborate Board for social collaborators
• Polls for opinionated learners
• Matching Pairs for the ones who see patterns
• Fill-in-the Blanks for those who need context
• VR Field Trips for imaginative minds

2. Provide accessibility options for inclusivity

Differentiation allows for greater inclusivity in the classroom. Technology-based lessons give students better access to concepts than various traditional methods. Nearpod’s inclusivity features support multiple needs, such as:

• Immersive Reader: Enable Microsoft Immersive Reader to include accessibility functions such as text-to-speech, translation, contrast, voice speed, and font size, to name a few examples.
• Closed Caption: Always enable captions for videos. Videos in Nearpod provide closed captions for students to follow along with videos through subtitles if needed.
• Audio Functions: Enable audio responses as an assessment option to help students who prefer this method.

3. Gain insight from student assessments

With every lesson, you get instantaneous assessment feedback to guide and differentiate instruction. Using assessment data, teachers can also plan data-driven instruction for the whole class or small group to differentiate. After students complete Nearpod lessons, teachers can look into Post-session reports and use individual student data to guide the next lessons around student needs. Post-session reports can be organized by correct answers, student names, question types, percentages, and more.

During a Nearpod lesson, you can also toggle between the student and teacher views. The Teacher Dashboard shows you student responses in real-time so you can address misconceptions in the moment. You can even use the Whiteboard feature to model for students!

Nearpod takes differentiated instruction examples for assessments one step further, allowing students to access and see their own reports. Conferencing with and guiding students in creating personal learning goals adds another layer to differentiation in teaching by making students accountable for their own individual learning. You and your students can work collaboratively to make a learning path specifically designed for their learning styles. This creates a norm within the classroom for every student to realize that learning is personal and subjective. Comparing yourself to other students should become a thing of the past.

4. Implement differentiated lessons in your instruction

Once teachers are aware of students’ individual needs based on the formative feedback they receive, they can begin differentiating instruction based on those needs.

Differentiating to individual needs can look incredibly different depending on the grade level, subject area, and student’s needs. But as Ben Johnson of Edutopia describes, “The ideal is to provide equivalent learning activities that cater to the students’ strengths but bring all of the students to the same learning objective.” In other words, teachers should support students on their journey toward the main learning objective of the lesson, but that support might look very different for each student or each group of students. Consider including Nearpod’s lesson library in your differentiated instruction tools.

Lesson Library

Preparing this type of support on the fly can be difficult. That’s why it can be beneficial for teachers to prepare different lesson possibilities for students beforehand.

These lessons can be based on the different learning paths teachers expect their students to need, based on previous experience and their own expertise.

Nearpod’s quality lesson library has thousands of premade standards-aligned lessons, videos, and activities made by content experts and trusted educational publishers.

Lessons you download, create, or edit from Nearpod are immediately saved to your account for future use for years to come. You can organize folders of lessons based on small groups, skills, subjects, etc.

Here are three simple steps to keep your lessons organized by folder:

• Go to “My Lessons” and click on “+Folder”
• Type a name for the folder and click “Create”
• Drag any lesson you want into the folder!

5. Duplicate and edit lessons to address different needs

By preparing a variety of learning paths and differentiated instruction examples, teachers can ensure that whatever needs arise during the course of a lesson, they’ll be ready to meet them. If students need extra practice or remediation, have a Nearpod lesson prepared to share about the topic. If there are students who are ready to move on with additional real-world examples, teachers can have an assignment ready for them too.

By enabling Student-Paced mode, students can work through these lessons on their own or in small groups while the teacher provides individual support and guidance where needed. Easy to use, you can build regular lessons in Nearpod without worrying about pushing struggling learners too hard, while students who are ready to move quicker can continue unhindered. Students log in with a 5-digit code and work through a lesson at their own speed. They have time to work through problems and process answers truly while not feeling rushed or “left behind” for not moving quickly.

In addition to allowing for differentiation, preparing multiple lesson possibilities also means that students can have a choice in the direction their learning takes. Provide students with a choice board that includes various Nearpod lesson codes, or other assignment options, with a description of the objective. This combination of student voice, choice, and differentiation opens up powerful possibilities In addition to allowing for differentiation, preparing multiple lesson possibilities also means that students can have a choice in the direction their learning takes. Provide students with a choice board that includes various Nearpod lesson codes, or other assignment options, with a description of the objective. This combination of student voice, choice, and differentiation opens up powerful possibilities at all grade levels during the learning process at all grade levels.

Start differentiating instruction in your classroom

We’re so excited to see you use these differentiated learning examples! Differentiation becomes second nature in a classroom with the right resources at your disposal. Everyone learns differently, which means teachers need the necessary resources to reach and make an impact on every student inside the classroom. Nearpod’s interactive formative assessments and lessons make learning accessible to all learners in the classroom.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Angelia Simpson

Angelia Simpson has been a first grade teacher for nine years. With a classroom full of minions, she balances the wonderful line of chaos and learning. Passions include writing, technology, reading, and Corgis.

The post Differentiated instruction examples to maximize student learning appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

How to help students take ownership of their learning

1. Provide meaningful choices

It’s unlikely that, given the option, most students would ever choose to learn trigonometry or take a test on animal classifications. All teachers have standards and skills they need to teach, but that doesn’t mean you can’t provide truly meaningful choices to your students along the way! Here are some ideas for choices students can make during your units:

• Create open-ended assignments and projects. Offer suggestions of a fictional character students will write about, or objects on which they can practice calculating volume, or insects they’ll make a diorama for – but ultimately allow them to decide what they want to concentrate on. They’ll develop the same skills regardless of their specific topic, and they’ll be more motivated by focusing on something they already care about.

• Solicit ideas for homework assignments and in-class activities. Students know what they like to do – so listen to them! There are plenty of ways to spice up vocabulary practice or a history presentation, and according to the American Psychological Association, “When students feel a sense of ownership, they want to engage in academic tasks and persist in learning.” Nearpod’s Collaborate Board makes it simple to collect and discuss ideas during class.

• Allow students to set their own pace with Student-Paced mode. Nearpod lessons allow teachers to easily keep all of their students’ devices in sync, but sometimes it’s even more effective to let kids determine their own individual pace. If they want to spend an extra couple of minutes exploring a map or a diagram of the human body, all the better!

2. Establish clear learning objectives

When students begin a new unit, it’s critical that they know what to expect. In some cases, it may even be possible to allow students to design their own individualized learning objectives. The better students know what is expected of them and can track their own growth on tangible skills throughout a unit, the more motivated they will be to achieve success. When lesson planning, ensure your establish clear learning objectives for students.

As an example, imagine a middle school unit on writing short poetry. All students will naturally build basic reading and writing skills, but there are targeted areas students can elect to focus on in their own poems: rhyme, figurative language, visual imagery, reading their work aloud, etc. Have students determine one or two specific skills they’d like to target, and create a journal or visual tracking system they can own throughout the unit to keep track of their personal progress.

3. Give and leverage instant feedback

One of Nearpod’s coolest features is its integrated formative assessments. It’s remarkably easy to include quizzes, polls, and more formative assessment activities as quick knowledge checks directly within your lessons. Students appreciate being able to demonstrate new knowledge immediately, and they can quickly correct mistakes within their learning before those mistakes become internalized.

As a teacher, you can leverage the data collected from these assessments as well. Imagine introducing a class to long division, and just minutes later you have real-time data showing you which students have it mastered and which students will need further practice. Not only that, you can see precisely where students are struggling and adjust the rest of your lesson accordingly. By differentiating your approach with specific students using the data they just provided, you’ll ensure all students are building and practicing the right skills at the right time.

4. Connect new skills and ideas to the real world

There are some students who appreciate learning for the sake of learning, but for many, it’s all about “How will I use this later in life?”. Many adults likely remember asking that very question when first learning algebraic equations or the rise and fall of the Shang dynasty. It’s critical to draw connections between skills students are learning and how those skills are used in the real world.

Pay attention to what your students are excited about and shape your lessons accordingly. I still remember a set of sixth graders who refused to care about speed and motion graphs until a lesson that analyzed a LeBron James dunk from the 2015 NBA Finals. Each day for a week after that lesson, those kids came in eager to practice graphing on new plays and in new sports.

Nearpod’s Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips makes it easy to transport your students beyond your classroom walls. Show them first-hand what Mayan ruins look like, how whales travel together in pods undersea, or how the Vietnam Veterans Memorial honors those who served in the war. Students can explore these scenes at their own pace and focus on the details they like most.

Start helping students take ownership of their learning today

When students feel ownership over their learning, they simply care more. Engaging your students leads to a more collaborative and focused classroom, which will lead to better mastery of your learning objectives. Fostering a sense of curiosity and motivation in your students will lead to empowered citizens ready to change the world!

Interested in reading more about this topic? Check out this blog post: 5 Student voice tips for teachers to encourage passive learners

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Four ways to help kids take ownership of their learning appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Student-Paced Mode

Nearpod’s Student-Paced Mode feature was designed with differentiating instruction in mind. Easy to use, you can build regular lessons in Nearpod without having to worry about pushing struggling learners too hard while students ready to move at a quicker pace can continue unhindered. Students still login with a 5-digit code, but can work through a lesson at their own speed.  Slower students get time to truly work through problems and process answers, but don’t feel rushed or “left behind” for not moving quickly. Interested in giving Student-Paced Mode a try, the Nearpod has wonderful articles to get you started:

• 6 Genius Ways to Use Student-Paced Nearpod Lessons
• Using Student-Paced Lessons as a Pre-Test
• Student-Paced Guide: Monitoring progress, change expiration dates, and more

Different lessons for different Levels

Remember those huge binders I made to help differentiate for my students? Well, I’m happy to report my lessons are housed in my Nearpod library and no longer a threat to anyone’s health and safety. Now, I can quickly make differentiated lessons for learners for all subject areas – spelling, reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. Pulling in clipart, videos, and content to fit my groups and what levels and skills they need to work on. If I’m short on time, Nearpod has pre-made lessons at all levels that I can edit to fit my needs. If I need rigorous content for my high achievers, the filter tool in the Nearpod library lets me select grade-levels, subjects, and even whether I want videos, lessons, or activities. You can even filter based on what specific standard you want your students working on. It doesn’t get more differentiated than that!

Lessons you create or edit/ use from the Nearpod library are immediately saved to your account for future use for many years to come. I like to make folders to organize my lessons based on small groups, skills, subjects, etc. 

Keep your differentiated lessons organized by

• Clicking the “Folder” icon in your Nearpod library
• Create a name for the folder and click “Create”
• Drag any lesson you want into the folder 
• Access lessons that are organized and ready to use!

Assessment to guide instruction

With every lesson, you get instantaneous assessment feedback to guide and differentiate instruction. After students complete Nearpod lessons, I can look into my reports and use individual student data to guide my next lessons around student needs. Reports break down by correct answers, student names, question type, responses, and percentages. If a student needs more help, I can create my own lesson or pull from the library to fit the skills I want students to practice. During a Nearpod lesson, you can also toggle between student and teacher view. The Teacher Dashboard shows you student responses in real-time so you can address misconceptions in the moment. You can even use the Whiteboard feature to model for students!

Nearpod takes assessment for differentiation one step further in that students can access and see their own reports. Conferencing with and guiding students in creating personal learning goals adds another layer to differentiation in teaching by making students accountable for their own individual learning as well. You and your students can work collaboratively to make a learning path specifically designed for that child’s learning needs. This creates a norm within the classroom for every student to realize that learning is personal and subjective. Comparing yourself to other students should become a thing of the past.

Inclusivity features for every lesson

Differentiation allows for greater inclusivity in the classroom. Technology-based lessons give students better access to concepts than various traditional methods. Nearpod’s inclusivity features support multiple needs. 

Some features include:

• Immersive Reader – Nearpod merges with Microsoft Immersive Reader with functions such as text-to-speech, translation, contrast, voice speed, and font size to name a few examples.
• Closed Caption – Videos in Nearpod lessons provide closed captions for students to follow along with videos through subtitles if needed.
• English Language Learners – Flocabulary videos help support vocabulary, English Language Learner resources in the Nearpod library to add more layers to instruction.
• Audio Functions – Audio directions and responses to help low readers and even students who are on language IEPs (Individual Education Plans).

Multiple responses for all Learners

Everyone learns differently, which means teachers need more resources at our disposal to reach and make an impact on every student inside the classroom. Inclusive classrooms that offer differentiated instruction are ones that offer flexibility along with variety in the lessons presented to students. One note worksheets make an impact on a small percentage of students in the classroom, not to mention they don’t gain much positive attention. 

Integrating different Nearpod activities, such as these, into your lessons can cast a wider net for all the unique gems in class:

• Slides and videos for visual learners
• Open-Ended Questions for deep thinkers
• Draw-it for artistic students
• Time to Climb for competitive types 
• Drag and Drop for hands-on learners
• Collaboration Board for social collaborators
• Polls for opinionated learners
• Matching Pairs for the ones who see patterns
• Fill in the Blanks for those who need context
• VR Field Trips for imaginative mind

Differentiation becomes second nature in a classroom with the right resources at your disposal. Nearpod’s many features and activities make learning accessible to all learners in the classroom. Isn’t that what all teachers want?

Angelia Simpson

Angelia Simpson has been a first grade teacher for nine years. With a classroom full of minions, she balances the wonderful line of chaos and learning. Passions include writing, technology, reading, and Corgis.

The post How to use tech to differentiate for students appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

We recently wrapped up another engaging #NearpodChat on Best Practices to Teach Students at all Levels. Co-hosting was Nearpod Certified Educator Michelle Singh. Follow her on Twitter @SinghNBCT!

Click here to see the whole discussion from November’s #NearpodChat.

Below are some of our favorite tweets from the recent chat.

Q1: How can you identify the different levels and abilities of your students?

A1: Formative assessments (draw-it, etc.) help me identify where Ss are. Do they need extra practice or real world examples? #NearpodChat

— Ms. Singh, NBCT (@SinghNBCT) November 2, 2017

#NearpodChat A1: data always helps but observation and relationship makes everything more clear

— Melody (@mjmcalli) November 2, 2017

Q2: How can you differentiate your lessons so that all levels of students can be engaged in your class at the same time?

A2: Just getting into blending Nearpod with Hyperdocs. Allows for easy differentiation. #Nearpodchat

— Angela Greene (@AngelaGreene12) November 2, 2017

A2: The student paced option is great for Ss not with me, I personalize each one bssed on S need #nearpodchat

— Mrs. Dixon (@Mz_Teacha) November 2, 2017

Q3: What strategies do you use to help both gifted + talented and special ed students showcase their critical thinking?

A3:I love the share feature of open ended questions. I often share multiple student responses to showcase the different levels#nearpodchat

— EspañolJoyce (@HjoyceLNCS) November 2, 2017

Q4: What is your favorite way to provide ongoing and purposeful formative assessment tasks for all types of students?

A4: I love all the features of Nearpod to fomatively assess my students as I progress through a lesson #Nearpodchat

— EspañolJoyce (@HjoyceLNCS) November 2, 2017

#NearpodChat A4: really love post-it quickwrites that Ss post in the parking lot, fast way to assess & reflect & share w/ entire class

— Melody (@mjmcalli) November 2, 2017

Q5: What is a unique way you can use edtech to get all students collaborating in the classroom?

A5: I love to use edtech after open ended questions to encourage students discourse and interaction. It enhances learning #NearpodChat

— Mr. Jose Sanabria (@MrJoseSanabria1) November 2, 2017

A5: Ss can collaborate with editable web-links to Google files (docs, slides); Office files & apps (Word, PPT, Forms OneNote). #NearpodChat

— Ms. Singh, NBCT (@SinghNBCT) November 2, 2017

Q6: What is your favorite strategy for planning and organizing lessons so that you can be sure to reach all types of students?

Q6 sometimes its as simple as asking the students what they want…then actually listening to them. #nearpodchat

— Mrs. Dixon (@Mz_Teacha) November 2, 2017

A6: I love to have a pool of activities and ideas related to a common topic that I need to teach and choose based on students #NearpodChat

— Mr. Jose Sanabria (@MrJoseSanabria1) November 2, 2017

Join us for our next #NearpodChat on December 6th, 2017!

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post #NearpodChat: Best Practices to Teach Students at all Levels appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Project Tomorrow’s 2014 Speak Up Report expands on this idea:

“Today’s students are incredibly interested in learning. While they may not always be interested in typical classroom instruction, they are very engaged when learning mirrors the holy trinity of the student vision for a 21st century educational experience: (1) learning that is socially-based and collaborative, (2) learning that is untethered from the traditional constraints or limitations of education institutions, and (3) learning that is digitally rich in context and relevancy.”

In other words, we as teachers need to meet students where they are.  Rather than forcing students to sit through lecture after lecture as many of us did while we were students, it’s time to transform the classroom into something new.

The Potential Classroom: Interactive and Personalized

Today’s classrooms have the potential to be something new and transformative.  As technology becomes more affordable and accessible, teachers have the ability to design learning environments that are more interactive and personalized.

Despite this potential for new forms of learning, many classrooms are still stuck using traditional lecture methods.

Esther Wojcicki, educator and vice chair of the Creative Commons board of directors, explains:

“Before we had technology and everybody had a phone in their pocket, there were only a couple of ways to learn something. One was to go to school, and sit there, and kind of suffer through that, and listen and memorize, and then try to make that relevant. The second way was to go to a library and to get a book…But then along came the digital revolution, and we all have access to computers, tablets, and phones. So if you want to learn something today, you can get it on your phone. You don’t have to go to a library, and you don’t have to sit in a lecture. But, the whole model in education is still based on sitting in a lecture, whether you are in second grade or whether you are in university.”

Fortunately, tools like Nearpod can be an excellent bridge for helping teachers shift towards more interactive and personalized learning environments.

While PowerPoint presentations can be effective in engaging students some of the time, teachers can use applications like Nearpod to expand on traditional presentations and include interactive activities like polls, quizzes, open-ended questions, collaboration boards, and more.  These types of activities can help teachers begin to explore what more interactive learning environments can look like.

From there, teachers can move on to even more personalized approaches. For example, teachers can use Nearpod to create multiple future lessons, centered around the individual needs of their students.

Elementary school teacher Heather Austin explains:

“I plan Nearpod lessons based on the needs of individual students. If one student needs to work on adjectives and adverbs and another student needs to work on writing complete sentences, their assignments reflect this differentiation. I simply launch the Nearpod lesson and place the pin code on my choice board for students to complete based on their learning needs.”

Using strategies like these, teachers can begin to move away from traditional, lecture-style lessons to more personalized, interactive approaches.

The Future Classroom: Using Technology to Bring Lessons to Life

Once teachers become more comfortable creating interactive, personalized lessons, there are even more ways technology can be used to bring their lessons to life.

For example, augmented reality and virtual reality technologies are just now beginning to make their way into classroom environments, and they offer enormous potential for how students in the future will interact with content.

Imagine being able to instantly explore the inside of a cell, visit the Serengeti, or take a trip around the world. These types of learning activities are quickly becoming a reality in K-12 classrooms.

Options like Nearpod’s Virtual Reality mean that students can use whatever device they have to explore the Great Wall of China, visit the Taj Mahal, or even take a trip through the solar system.

Elementary school teacher Kate Chirhart discusses how these types of activities help increase engagement and student understanding in her classroom:

“The VR [Virtual Reality] experiences made my young students feel as if they were immersed in each location, resulting in a much firmer grasp of concepts and ideas. This is an enormously powerful tool that allows students to dig deep into concepts, root around, and pull out the knowledge they might have missed without this extraordinary experience. The power to engage students resulting in excitement about learning is a rare gem in the educational field.”

As technology continues to become more affordable and accessible, these types of learning activities will become more commonplace, and for good reason.  Being able to more easily engage students with the content means that teachers can spend less time trying to get students interested, and more time doing what they love… teaching!

Conclusion

Today’s students have different expectations for their teachers than students from previous generations. These shifting expectations mean that if teachers want to connect with and engage their students in the learning process, they need to consider shifting their teaching approaches as well.

Tools like Nearpod can be excellent for helping teachers begin this shift.  While still rooted in the traditional presentation format, Nearpod can be used to add interactive activities and help teachers increase personalization.  This means that teachers can still stick with what they are comfortable with, while also beginning to shift towards a more modern learning environment.

Ready to start creating your own interactive, personalized lessons?  Create a lesson now!

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Interactive Learning: Shifting Expectations in Today’s Classrooms appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

In a classroom of 18 elementary students, it can be difficult to address the needs and interests of everyone. Lucky for me, my whole school has a Nearpod subscription, which enables me to personalize learning for my students with ease. I have 8 iPads and 6 desktop computers for my students, and I use Nearpod during rotations in reading and math throughout the year.

In my classroom, I set up a weekly series of rotations that students spend their time completing. The assignments are broken up between “must do’s” and “can do’s”, and the “can do’s” allow students to have voice and choice in what they are creating. The students complete one rotation each day, which consists of one must do and one can do activity of their choosing.

For my “must do’s”, I use student-paced Nearpod lessons to assign students activities at their instructional level on topics they need to practice. With Nearpod’s student-paced mode, my students complete their activities at their own pace, and I still receive data via Nearpod reports to evaluate whether students are on track, exceeding expectations, or if they need additional assistance on a specific learning objective.

I plan Nearpod lessons based on the needs of individual students. If one student needs to work on adjectives and adverbs and another student needs to work on writing complete sentences, their assignments reflect this differentiation.  I simply launch the Nearpod lesson and place the pin code on my choice board for students to complete based on their learning needs. Nearpod has many lessons available on their platform to help me with my personalized learning plans.

After completing their Nearpod rotation, students login to Seesaw to reflect on their learning.  They write about what they learned and how they feel about their progress, and respond to others students’ comments to provide feedback or suggestions on how they can improve.  This is a great peer learning opportunity that originates with the Nearpod lessons they completed during class, and ends with reflection and peer feedback on Seesaw. Together, my students work to improve as learners and to strengthen their conceptual understanding.

Now, you might be thinking “how challenging was it to set up a classroom like this?”  At the beginning of the year, challenges included limited devices, facilitating independent work, and teaching students the different apps I wanted to use on a daily basis. Now, rotations run very smoothly with few challenges.  The initial investment up front saved me time and increased student engagement throughout the year.

My students love the interactive activities on Nearpod, and they engage my entire class in both student-paced and teacher-paced lessons. Nearpod is easy to use, and it makes my life easier as a teacher. Many lessons are already made and ready to teach, and if I can’t find what I am looking for, I can easily create one my own from my teaching resources or edit a Nearpod lesson to fit my students’ needs!

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Personalized Learning with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.