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.

Positive school culture is inclusive, student-focused, and open to learning. Both students and teachers like to go beyond themselves, enabling high student engagement.

Imagine walking into a school where you’re greeted by the smiling faces of students and teachers. Teachers are excited to begin their day, and students look forward to learning and developing themselves. Every lecture is engaging and brings a little more joy to everyone participating. Such is a positive school culture.

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 identify your school culture

By observing how students, teachers, and staff members interact, administrators can gain insights into the prevailing culture. Administrators and teachers can analyze the values and attitudes of the school community through surveys or interviews to provide further understanding. Examining physical spaces and symbols within the school and reviewing policies and activities also contribute to identifying the school’s culture. These methods collectively enable administrators to make informed decisions for fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. You can implement a school climate survey to gauge the current temperature of the school community.

While a positive school culture builds growth, a toxic school culture can be draining and devoid of motivation. A toxic school culture lacks honest dialogue, accountability, and collaboration and views students as the problem rather than the purpose.

5 essential steps to building a positive school culture

With an investment of time and intentional effort, any culture can be nurtured into a positive school culture. Here are 5 meaningful steps!

1. Build Relationships

I once had an exuberant and positive Area Superintendent whose best advice towards improvement was: “Relationships, relationships, relationships.” With a whole lot more experience now, it’s clear that relationships are indeed the foundation of a school culture that breeds caring. When staff and students feel gratified and valued, they are likely to work harder and enjoy their work.

2. Model positive behavior

Positivity is contagious! Every action creates a ripple effect replicating the nature of the action for all the people observing it– colleagues, leaders, or students. With that level of influence, it is a responsibility to model positive and motivating behavior and thoughts. Disengage with negative mindsets and seek to find the good in people and situations. You’ll notice an almost immediate improvement in your environment!

3. Set goals that elevate school expectations

Collectively, if everyone believes they can achieve more, they will do just that. Setting meaningful goals that elevate expectations for everyone–staff, students, and parents–is a great way to do that. It aligns everyone’s mindsets, increases accountability, and has them working as a team towards the same goals. For instance, working together to create a data-driven school culture, where real-time data informs decisions, can significantly boost performance and foster continuous improvement.

4. Share your school’s vision

Bring everyone together to create a vision. Involve everyone in the decision-making process of the vision to carry the vision through. Therefore, it’s important to invest in both the shared vision and an individual’s personal vision. This way, you ensure you make your staff and students feel like they are treated in the same manner as everyone else.

5. Appreciate people

Because recognition is powerful, it can dramatically impact both teacher and student behavior. Small tokens of appreciation go a long way. Hand-written notes, certificates, a bulletin board, a phone call at home, or a school or class newsletter are all avenues that can recognize students and/or staff and make them feel appreciated.

Positive school culture in action through curriculum

A positive school culture impacts the entire learning experience for everyone involved, especially new teachers and students. But one doesn’t build this culture overnight. With the right intentions and actions every day, however, you get a whole lot closer to it than you were before. So next time you find yourself thinking about how you can increase your happiness at your school, you’ll know what to do.

Nearpod’s Supplemental Curriculum

Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program for students includes a social-emotional learning curriculum that provides instruction, reflection, and practice opportunities around CASEL-aligned social and emotional learning competencies: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.

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 5 Essential steps to building a positive school culture appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

What is the role of data in schools?

When we speak of data, we refer to both quantitative and qualitative data, and in education, there is a happy medium in relying on both. Teachers gather qualitative data throughout any given school day—for example, how is a child acting and what are their responses (verbal and nonverbal)? As an administrator, you may look for such open-ended feedback about school culture and climate from all of your constituents: staff, students, and families. Then, both administrators and classroom teachers lean on quantitative methods such as attendance, test scores, or survey results, which are measurable, to identify patterns and trends to better inform overall operations, daily instruction, and student outcomes.

What are the benefits of having a data-driven culture in schools?

There are many! When data-driven instruction becomes the “norm” or routine, timely reflection by all will promote equity and student performance. With such school data analysis, teachers can change their strategies accordingly and employ targeted interventions as needed to be more effective. When your students witness their own progress toward goals, they become more engaged and motivated. Such evidence-based instruction then leads to better student outcomes.

Plus, as a data-driven school leaning on both qualitative and quantitative data, you will have more input and intel to support your decision-making processes. Additionally, you will have more evidence to support your recommendations and choices, leading to more buy-in and ownership from others. Data-driven decisions aren’t driven by one opinion or one point of view, so you can bolster more consensus and collaboration across your stakeholders in moving forward with next steps within an action plan. Such responsive measures will help you create a positive school climate where all are on board with the school’s mission and your leadership style.

Why is data-driven decision making in schools important?

As a school leader, you may gather quantitative and qualitative data from additional stakeholders such as parents and family members, as well as certified and classified staff members. There are many stakeholders involved in developing a positive school culture. As we know, a school’s culture is just as important as its test scores or ranking. While you may have personal beliefs, intuitions, and assumptions, make it a habit to check those against what the data is telling you, so that you refine, redesign, and react in the most supportive manner. With data-driven decisions, you will have a better understanding of your audiences, a better grasp of the quality of the learning experiences your school offers, and a better sense of control when it comes to the direction of your school. So, in addition to efficiency, you can better promote efficacy. You can model how to implement data-driven practices and decision making for students, teachers, staff, and families, instead of just relying on “how it’s always been done.” In doing so, you will model how active participation can lead to continuous school improvement.

The power of Nearpod for data-driven schools

Nearpod is a popular platform for schools to use with students when it comes to instruction and assessment. The flexibility and interactivity make it an engaging learning tool for students, and educators receive real-time data and robust analytics at the individual and group level with each interaction. 86% of customers say Nearpod helps evaluate student performance. Nearpod transforms passive lessons into active and participatory learning experiences, and educators collect valuable learning data that helps them make more informed instructional decisions when it comes to differentiation and individualization.

As an administrator, you can review students’ post-session reports from Live or Student-Paced sessions and even download them in PDF or CSV format. Together, you and your educators can look at specific lessons for data patterns and trends not only for individuals but across groups over time, which may help with horizontal as well as vertical planning. Additionally, you can use Nearpod to create surveys to gather feedback. Consider how you might use Nearpod’s multimedia presentations to share results and insights in a visually rich and digestive manner. Simply upload existing PowerPoint presentations, Google Slides, PDFs, images, videos, or other resources to a new lesson. You could share it with individual stakeholders or use it in Group Presentation mode with a larger group.

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.

A guide to creating data-driven schools

1. Be flexible

There is the old adage that teachers write their planbooks in pencil—and whether they use an eraser or a delete button, all educators must remain nimble and ready to iterate, as the formative data they receive throughout a day might change the instruction for the next day or even the next block! Such is the catch-22 of data-driven instruction. While data is truly helpful for planning, those plans most likely will remain in flux if one is constantly referring to that data.

As the administrator, you, too, need a similar flexible mindset, as school data can lead you down surprising or uncharted paths. Be sure to share your strategy for building a data-driven school with staff and families. Then, you all will have trust in any deviations from the “norm,” knowing that such changes or shifts are warranted to best serve students. A focus on analyzing school data will lead to more personalized learning. Students will benefit from real-time, immediate feedback, teachers can clear up misconceptions or plan to reteach concepts in the moment, and whole classrooms can progress toward meeting standards without any “surprises” at end-of-unit or end-of-semester testing.

“Nearpod is one of the best tools to measure student progress and attainment in each lesson. It’s truly a data-driven classroom when you have Nearpod enhanced student engagement.”

Teacher, Alabama

2. Ask “good” questions

It sounds elementary enough, but be thoughtful in how you frame questions to your stakeholders, so that you can get targeted responses while ensuring that they remain as unbiased as possible. What makes a good question? While it will depend on your intended audience, strategic questions should be clear and focused, authentic and relevant, and applicable and attainable (aka, able to be answered). Whether it is a student, a staff member, or a family member, we want to invite them in to share what they know and believe. The wording of questions and even the order of questions can affect input, especially when you are trying to determine change or progress over time.

When gathering feedback through surveys, such as when evaluating school climate, consider survey biases as well. Try to wear a designer’s hat at times, and try A/B testing or split testing—where you separate your audience into two random groups and share two different versions of content (e.g., copy, quiz, lesson) at the same time to figure out which performs better. As American author Ursula K. Le Guin said, “There are no right answers to wrong questions.”

With Nearpod, you and your teachers can create surveys and assessments using the Quizzes and Open-Ended Questions. You can even ask for feedback in graphic form via the Draw It tool (especially helpful for ELLs). You can create one-slide presentations or multi-slide presentations, which will allow you to consider how to design for the reading levels of your audience. Last but not least, Nearpod’s Immersive Reader will enable those with special needs or language support needs to partake and participate.

3. Look for patterns

Let’s start with the quantitative data—the raw numbers that schools compile in spades. This data can be demographic breakdowns, survey data, LMS activity, and test scores, just to name a few. It is often helpful to start with summaries of such data in a visual format to begin looking for patterns and trends. What is important is not to jump to conclusions but to gather all stakeholders’ questions about what they are seeing, so you can then dive deeper. Adopt a researcher’s mindset and cross-reference your data sets. Filter and segment your data to better understand how different populations are affected. Finally, determine how best to extrapolate and summarize key findings to share with your main audiences.

Within Nearpod, your teachers can use activities like multiple-choice Quiz questions, Drag & Drop, Fill in The Blanks, Matching Pairs, or Time to Climb to gather data that provides indicators about a student’s comprehension and proficiency when it comes to a particular topic or skill. These activities can be used prior to teaching, providing a baseline of diagnostic data. They can be used during a lesson to provide practice and illustrate progress. Or they could be used for summative assessment to gauge mastery. These results can be seen in real time via the students’ post-session reports. The flexibility that Nearpod provides through its lesson design tools means that teachers can take a customized approach to what their students need most.

4. Actively listen to the data

Listen might sound like a funny word choice when we’re talking about data, but in analyzing qualitative data, we often need to employ our Spidey senses to actively “listen” to nonverbal cues. Listen to the data—follow those breadcrumbs. For instance, within a classroom setting, how are kids acting, where is their attention focused, and what does their body language say about their readiness to learn or level of engagement? When it comes to surveys or assessments, what do the open-ended questions and responses hint at? Take a close look and pay attention to word choice and tone. Consider how you can take a design thinking approach, and follow up the first round of feedback by asking five “WHY?” questions to drill down a bit more on specific needs. Questions with little feedback warrant as much scrutiny as those with a lot of feedback.

Remember that Nearpod has many activities that allow for student expression that falls more in the qualitative realm. There are several interactive activities such as Open-Ended Questions, Draw It, Audio Recordings, and the ever-popular Collaborate Board, where you can gather more candid and authentic responses. And don’t forget just how easy it is to add reference media—such as an image, photograph, video, website, or audio recording—to a lesson as you create your questions and prompts. These features could benefit other stakeholders as well, such as colleagues and families, if you were to use them in surveys to elicit more comprehensive feedback.

5. Tailor your feedback

An important part of integrating data-driven instruction in schools is providing targeted and immediate feedback. After asking questions (assessment), gathering intel (analysis), and leaning into findings (actions), you should tailor your feedback to the individual. This tip applies regardless of the audience, young or old. One way to make feedback valuable and helpful is to remember the acronym SUGAR, which stands for:

• SMALL: Feedback is small so that it can be addressed and acted upon quickly. 
• URGENT: Urgent feedback prioritizes and addresses the most pressing concerns first.
• GENERALIZE: Generalized feedback focuses on a pattern of errors versus just one.
• ACTIONABLE: This feedback has actionable, clear, and observable next steps.
• RETURN: Remember to return or follow up with the individual to keep the conversation going.

As Mary Poppins sang, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down …” so keep those points in mind when personalizing and delivering feedback as part of your data-driven decision making in education.

For teachers, Nearpod’s Live Teacher Feedback can help provide a continuous feedback cycle for students in the classes. They can add stickers or annotations to students’ work. Screenshots of their feedback will appear in each student’s report, giving students a real-time response and providing them with a running record of exchanges. Your educators can share these reports containing the feedback with their students’ homes, too, so that families can continue to support their kids continuously alongside the school.

6. Empower others

Ultimately, student data can help empower the end users—the students! Data can paint powerful pictures for students so they can see how they are moving toward their goals. Students can monitor their own progress and identify where they might need more support. By sharing such data with students, you’ll help them become more independent, confident, and responsible. They may feel more motivated to engage in self-exploration and self-expression, all of which can lead to better student outcomes.

In taking a whole-child approach to education, consider how the 21st Century Readiness Program can be woven throughout the grades. CASEL’s social and emotional learning (SEL) wheel highlights five competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Research indicates that SEL leads to improvements in classroom management, academic achievement, healthy relationships, career preparedness, and mental health. Equip your students with essential life and social emotional learning skills that will help them inside and outside of your school’s four walls.

Today we used @nearpod for a digital citizenship conversation about selfies and our digital footprint! #AllenOlympics @allenelem @MrMcDaniel13 @ms_broker @McGee_IC pic.twitter.com/7FIdeGJsHN

— Kelsey Storm (@MrsStormsSquad) March 20, 2024

Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to explore Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program and unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

7. And remember, data isn’t absolute

Educators know this better than most, but nothing happens in a vacuum. So, while data is super valuable and helpful, educators still need to stitch together the various types of data, informal and formal, when forming opinions and making decisions. Remember to think outside of the box and put your ear to the ground when gathering insights and drawing conclusions. Question! If you haven’t yet read Glenn Doyle’s essay, Share This With All the Schools Please, do so to illustrate how one teacher gathered data but used the results in an unexpected way.

“The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.”

Thomas Berger, American novelist

Take the next steps for a data-driven school

Data-driven schools have the potential to leverage strategic decision making to ensure a more collaborative and community-based approach to school improvement. Data can take the “I” out of top-down edicts and help rally the troops when it comes to bolstering school morale and energizing all stakeholders. You can be a model of data-driven leadership in schools by remembering that when it comes to data and tech in general, we need to acknowledge that while numbers are directives, we as humans hold the power of empathy. We need to take an active approach to seeing the whole picture in education. By doing so, we will ensure that we keep using such a lens when we assess, evaluate, and look forward, all while humanizing education.

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 A guide to creating data-driven schools appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

As a school leader, providing feedback for teachers that is effective and supportive is crucial for maximizing their impact on student learning. As a teacher, it can be intimidating to have your administrator walk into your classroom, especially if it is not a common practice. Anxiety can be driven even higher when they begin to write notes. Thoughts can go racing through a teacher’s mind which can cause them to lose focus on the most important task in front of you, teaching your students. As a veteran teacher and now school administrator, my message is clear: Teachers should not have to fear you coming into their room.

Being watched or evaluated is certainly something that can drive nerves, especially for teachers who have had negative experiences, are new to the profession, or experience anxiety or stress. But as school leaders, it is our responsibility to create an atmosphere that supports growth and learning from one another, no matter who is in the room. This often comes in the form of coaching but is rooted in a culture of trust and credibility. By offering good feedback, school leaders can empower their team members to refine their teaching methods and support student success.

5 Strategies to provide effective feedback for teachers from an administrator

I have worked hard across the schools I have been a leader in to build this trust and credibility with my teachers so that my presence in the classroom is not seen as punitive or a distraction but rather an opportunity to receive feedback and ideas for their classroom. The following are suggestions for school leaders and aspiring school leaders to build into their teacher-coaching models.

New to Nearpod? Administrators can schedule a call to learn about the full instructional power of Nearpod for your schools and districts. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons.

1. Be visible to teachers and students daily

It can be downright hard sometimes to get out of your office as an administrator. Phone calls, emails, meetings, and paperwork fill your agenda; before you know it, it’s almost time for dismissal. Visibility matters. Being present inside classrooms and in the hallways helps inform you about what is happening across the school. To combat the difficulty of breaking free of the office, I used to block off 30-90 minutes each day in my calendar solely dedicated to classrooms. That does not mean I could not spend more time with them, but I knew that if it was scheduled into my calendar, nothing else would get put on my schedule at that time.

The key was doing this daily. It was not a once-a-month or quarter surprise. Students and teachers became accustomed to seeing me, and I made it clear that if I’m in the room, feel free to use me to help with whatever is going on. Constructive feedback, incorporated into regular performance reviews and visits, fosters a culture of continuous improvement within the school community.

When I went into classrooms, I didn’t necessarily have an agenda. I sought ways to help a struggling student, or sometimes I would just enjoy the lesson and participate. The kids especially loved it when I would join them in a round of Time to Climb or an interactive trivia slide. As a new administrator in a building, it’s a great way to get to know the students and teachers.

2. Model teaching in the classroom

Credibility matters. People want to know that you’re not asking them to do something you’re unwilling to do yourself. One of the most important tenets of my leadership philosophy is never forgetting where the magic happens – in the classroom. The best way I can support that is to model how the magic should be created. As a principal, I taught at least one lesson weekly in a classroom. Sometimes it was a full lesson. Other times it was just a quick read-aloud. But the idea was that I wanted to model the engagement, rigor, questioning, and instructional strategies that I was asking my teachers to perform. 

I am not an expert in every grade level across every subject. This is where having a technology tool like Nearpod can be helpful. Suppose the classroom teacher creates a Nearpod lesson, and it’s not an area I am comfortable with. In that case, I can facilitate the learning through Nearpod and model classroom management and strategies versus trying to master the content.

When discussing modeling lessons, I often get asked, “How did you get your teachers to let you teach?” I started by offering it to anyone interested. I had a few takers. From there, word got around that it was a fun experience and a chance to watch someone else teach. After a while, I had more requests roll in, and then there were some classrooms where I called them to have a model lesson in their room so a specific strategy could be demonstrated. Eventually, it simply became part of the school’s culture.

3. How to use F.A.C.T.S. for coaching teachers

Building credibility and visibility across the building gave me a leg up on eventually offering feedback to teachers on the instruction I observed. When coaching is specific, actionable, fair, consistent, and timely (or rearranged as Fair, Actionable, Consistent, Timely, Specific = F.A.C.T.S), teachers see this feedback as opportunities for growth. Teachers were accustomed to having me in the classroom, and many had seen me teach at this point. As a school leader, I needed to make sure that I was providing feedback for teachers now to improve the instruction across the building.

When coaching is specific, actionable, fair, consistent, and timely, teachers see this feedback as opportunities for growth, not “gotcha” moments. Building a culture encompassing these principles allows for transparency and open discourse around best practices, which can yield improved achievement and outcomes. This can also be helpful tips for student feedback.

Here are five pillars for providing your coaching feedback using F.A.C.T.S.:

Fair

Of course, the actionable items and feedback need to be fair. Unreasonable goals or timelines set people up for failure and frustration and push culture back steps. Again, using the previous example, if a statement like “You need to get rid of your desk and chair by lunchtime” was stated in response to better engagement, there would likely be resentment in that type of demand.

Actionable

Effective feedback for teachers should be actionable. Putting timelines or expectations behind those comments will lead to quicker action. For example, “Please see me before school tomorrow so we can come up with the plan for sharpening pencils so you can introduce it at the start of the day” gives specific times and expectations for making the change. Some things will require longer, but actionable feedback and steps help people make the task attainable.

Consistent

Returning to the previous commentary on credibility, feedback should be consistent. Popping in once a quarter or twice a school year for mandatory classroom observations does not provide an adequate look into what is truly happening in the building. If you are going to give principal feedback to teachers about instruction, you need several data points to make an objective evaluation. Consistency in your feedback will show trends and opportunities for improvement over time. Additionally, providing positive feedback for teachers consistently is important. Using the aforementioned calendar approach is a helpful way to do that.

Timely

Timely feedback is essential. If you went up to a student and told them that you were disappointed in their behavior from last week, they might act confused or disconnected from the comments since they happened days ago. The same goes for our coaching. Feedback for teachers should be offered ideally within 24 hours so it is still fresh in the minds of the teacher and administrator. This helps teachers improve their instructional practices and directly influences how students achieve academically.

Specific

When providing feedback, it needs to be specific. Vague comments like “More engagement is needed” or “Stronger classroom management” are unproductive toward improvement. Adjusting those comments to “Moving out from behind your desk will help allow you to move about the classroom” or “Let’s work together with coming up with a pencil sharpening routine, so everyone is not standing in line” are more specific attempts at improvement.

4. Deliver the feedback seamlessly

Providing coaching feedback can come in several forms. I prefer less paper, so I have created walk-through forms using Google Forms, which automatically and immediately send my comments to the teacher upon pressing submit.

Within the form, I always leave a space for open responses so I can narrate my thoughts and observations beyond just a checkbox or radial button. I was always frustrated when I got teacher observation feedback that was marked simply as “Exceeds,” “Meets,” or “Does not meet” on a question. It doesn’t give context around what you actually witnessed, so I aim to be descriptive and qualitative in my feedback in order to provide concrete commentary back to the teacher.

Occasionally, there are moments when a face-to-face meeting is necessary to go more in-depth with coaching. In those situations, I utilize a few strategies to make the meetings productive and positive for both parties. Sorry, no acronym for this one!

How to properly address feedback to coach teachers in person

When the situation calls for a face-to-face meeting, I typically hold it in their classroom. This allows the teacher to feel more comfortable since it is “their turf.” It also allows me to do the next thing: model and recreate situations. If I am referencing a specific moment in the class from my observation, it is easier to point to a desk or stand in the spot where it actually happened. Materials are also more readily available inside the teacher’s classroom, which will help when planning for a future lesson or reviewing what was done that day. This can also be helpful for teacher to teacher feedback.

When approaching conversations where feedback is given, my goal is to ask more questions than give answers. This reflective practice is what leads to self-discovery, which is far more powerful than simply telling a teacher what needs to be fixed. For example, if during a remediation lesson, I saw a teacher give every student in the class the same worksheet to practice, I would be concerned because there’s a chance that there were students in the class who were already proficient on the content based on the assessment results.

Instead of simply explaining this, I may ask questions like “What trends did you notice based on the summative assessment?” or “Based on your data, what led you to use this worksheet for a review for all students?” Perhaps there was a good reason. Maybe the teacher did think this through and questioning instead of telling opens the door for the teacher to explain their thinking. From there, we can have a conversation stemming from the teacher’s response.

3. Before finishing any coaching meeting, I have two important practices that I employ:

• In the first practice, I work with the teacher on a realistic plan of action. Going back to the F.A.C.T.S. model, actionable items help facilitate progress. Establishing an agreed-upon action and timeline provides accountability and focus moving forward. From the example above, if the teacher reflected and believed that their worksheet was not differentiated based on the data, we might come up with an action item that said that tomorrow’s remediation materials would be differentiated based on the specific needs of the student. It gives a specific action (i.e. differentiated materials) and a timeline (i.e. tomorrow’s lesson).

• The second practice I end any coaching meeting with is with one simple phrase: What can I do to help you? This phrase is impactful because it shows that we are in this together. If we want our students to be successful, we need to make sure teachers feel and are fully supported. In asking this question over the years, I have had answers ranging from “I’m good” to supply requests to follow-up meetings to help from specialists in the building. Who knows what you need better than you? Now, am I one hundred percent of the time able to fulfill the requests? No. But if I am not, I will work with my teacher on finding alternative ways to get what they need to be successful.

5. Follow up and check-in

Just because a meeting is complete, it does not mean sudden change. Just because you devise a plan of action, it does not mean it will be implemented. That is why following up and checking in with the teacher is so important. The coaching shouldn’t end. This can be part of the actionable steps before a meeting is complete. Establishing a follow-up meeting date, a scheduled observation, peer observation, or a model lesson are good ways to put accountability on all parties to do the things they said they would do.

Start sharing effective feedback using Nearpod

As an administrator, my goal is to build relationships and trust with my staff so that even if my teacher does get a faster heartbeat when I walk in, it is not a fear of consequence or punishment that overcomes them. I hope that coaching, in my teachers’ eyes, is seen as an opportunity for reflection, conversation, and growth.

New to Nearpod? Administrators can schedule a call to learn about the full instructional power of Nearpod for your schools and districts. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons.

Adam Dovico

Adam Dovico has served as a teacher, curriculum facilitator, principal, and college professor. He has traveled around the world conducting professional development for tens of thousands of educators. He is the author of three books: Inside the Trenches, The Limitless School, and When Kids Lead.

The post 5 Strategies to provide effective feedback for teachers appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

What is school climate?

School climate refers to how the school’s stakeholders are feeling about the school. It represents the current temperature—quite literally, whether the staff, students, and families are feeling hot or cold about their personal experience. School climate surveys can take into consideration the campus and facilities, the curriculum and services, as well as the leadership, staff, and overall community of students and their families. There is always a myriad of factors and variables that can affect school climate—the school’s atmosphere or mood—each and every year, so it is important to get a regular pulse on such feedback to better understand the patterns or deviations.

What is the difference between school climate and culture?

Sometimes, we hear “school climate” and “school culture” being used interchangeably, or they are lumped together in one utterance. However, culture vs. climate in schools is quite different. School climate is the current temperature of a school, as rated by its primary stakeholders. The school climate can fluctuate yearly due to internal and external factors. The goal is to maintain a positive school climate.

School culture, on the other hand, is more aspirational. A school’s mission statement or philosophy usually sets the tone, and as the school administrator, you can create short- and long-term goals that ladder up to what you want your school’s culture to be. Sometimes, school culture is referred to as the personality of the school—what beliefs, values, and practices the community tries to uphold. And again, a school is inclusive of the campus, the curriculum, the certified and classified staff, the student body, and the families. It includes the tangibles like structures, resources, and services, as well as the intangibles like spirit, attitude, and behavior. The goal is to outline and develop a positive school culture for student achievement, school safety, and staff and families.

How to create a school climate survey

Each spring for elementary, middle, and high school, consider how to design a comprehensive survey that takes into account various stakeholders’ perspectives and opinions, including school personnel, parents, and students. As part of the design, you will want to plan on when and how to disseminate the survey and how best to crunch the data. You’ll want to land on a design that you can use year over year, to best compare apples to apples—otherwise, it can be difficult to ascertain true progress. Consider creating a task committee once you have the data so that you can begin to make data-informed decisions and create a plan of action that will increase buy-in.

How Nearpod can help improve school climate

Once you have administered the school climate survey by following the steps below and analyzing the data, Nearpod can help you take the next steps. First, use Nearpod to communicate the results with your stakeholders via a shared presentation. You may want to embed a video thanking participants for their feedback. You can add rich multimedia graphs and visuals to highlight areas where your school is doing well and those that need improvement. You can share your presentation via a code or QR code so that everyone can visit and revisit the information. Second, you may want to ask a few follow-up questions to gain even more clarity. Use a Poll to get a quick pulse on a new idea or to take a vote. You could also use Open-Ended Questions and Draw It to amass more qualitative responses.

You can also be responsive to teachers’ school climate needs by using Nearpod for interactive professional development to host in-person workshops or offer asynchronous learning or enrichment experiences. Similarly, you can address students’ identified needs by suggesting interactive Nearpod lessons or modifying existing activities. With spring marking the onset of state testing, you can create original content for test prep needs to fill learning gaps or address concerns shared in the school climate survey feedback.

New to Nearpod?Administrators can schedule a call to learn about the full instructional power of Nearpod for your schools and districts. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons.

8 Steps to implement school climate surveys effectively

1. Determine your demographic data set

In order to slice and dice survey results, you will want to ask a concrete set of demographic questions of your survey takers each year. You will want survey takers to choose their primary role: administration, certified staff, classified staff, student (you could bifurcate by grade), and parent/guardian. With such a designation, you can filter the data results by role to determine how a survey taker’s role affects their input.

You may want to ask how long they have held such a role and how long they have been at your campus. Often, newcomers have a steeper learning curve, which can affect their opinions and perspectives. Likewise, a long-time participant can have more fidelity or, conversely, be more complacent. 

Asking demographic questions upfront will help you design the survey with logical rules, meaning you can serve specific questions based on their identifying factors. For instance, you may want to know a bit about a new staff member’s prior recent teaching experience, which may help contextualize their feedback. Look at examples of other surveys online that are valid and reliable—they don’t have to be school-specific—to see what types of analogous demographic questions are required.

2. Add a personal note as a survey description

At the top of most surveys, you can add a description. Use this space to add a personalized note from you, the school leader, thanking your partakers for spending the time on the survey. Reiterate that you are looking for honest and candid feedback so that the school can take constructive steps to improve itself. Underscore that your school is built to serve and support all, so every opinion is valid and valued. 

You may even want to word it as a letter to better position the survey takers’ mindset before they begin. Make sure to give an estimate of time required to take the survey, so that they are prepared beforehand to finish the survey—incomplete survey results should not be counted. Be profuse in your gratitude and share how you plan to digest the feedback into an actionable climate improvement plan.

3. Make it optional to share personal identifying information

While you should make most of the school climate survey questions “required” in order to move on to the next question and complete the survey, make the sharing of a name, personal email, and phone number optional. Most will opt into sharing, and knowing where feedback came from can help you follow up and dig for more details. You also can address the most problematic feedback head-on if you know from whom it came. Don’t require names and emails, as it can color the feedback early on and make survey takers hesitant to be candid. You may be surprised at how many willingly share their contact information.

4. Ask for quantitative feedback followed up by qualitative

You will want a mix of question types in your school climate survey. Quantifiable questions are closed and have definitive answers—yes/no, true/false, rank: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. In most cases, you can tally the results and get quantifiable data in terms of percentages or numbers. Qualitative questions are open-ended, so their responses must be read and deciphered individually. 

A good rule of thumb is to ask a quantifiable question and give definitive answer choices. Then, use a logic rule to follow up on the good and the bad. For instance, if someone ranks a service the best at a 5, follow up by asking, “Why were you so pleased with this service?” If someone ranks a service the worst at a 1, follow up by asking, “Why did you feel that we failed you with this service?” Often, a ranking has clear causation, and you can pinpoint reasons for such good/bad feedback. Extreme respondents, those with opinions on opposite sides of a spectrum, often offer the most actionable feedback, and by addressing their needs, you can meet the needs of all those who fall in between.

5. Make an action plan

Before you send out a survey, you need to determine an action plan for what will happen after you get the school climate assessment results. Often, those who administer the survey end up drowning in survey data. They ask the questions, gather the data, and then sit on it. Don’t fall into the trap of data paralysis. Proactively form a task committee to review and try to make sense of the data. Form a cross-functional committee of volunteers, with all stakeholders represented. Their deliverable can be to create a list of recommendations to address the school climate feedback. Make sure to share their recommendations far and wide so that survey takers will know that their input has been heard and that the school is committed to improvements year over year.

6. Set a firm deadline

Now, with a survey designed and an action plan set, begin your communication plan about the annual school climate survey. Be very clear in your communications about when the survey will close. You can share such information in typical ways, such as newsletters and emails. You may also want to be innovative and post QR codes around the school hallways. 

Just as you would share a Nearpod lesson, you can share a Nearpod survey. Consider sharing the URL, the participation code, or the QR code. Send it in an email as a newsletter, or share it on the school website.

Set an internal goal of how many stakeholders you would like to have participate (X% of the staff, X% of the student body, X% of families) and tailor the messaging accordingly. You may even want to post and share about the level of participation. If needed, you can always extend the deadline at the last minute. Still, ideally, your communications should be straightforward and convincing enough that everyone will take the time to participate and engage.

7. Look for trends and patterns

Once the data has been gathered, look for patterns and outliers. The trends, patterns, and one-off perspectives may be new or tried and true, for better or worse. As you crunch the data, use visuals such as bar or pie charts to help you internalize the good, the bad, and the ugly. Don’t shy away from asking the hard questions or facing the candid facts. As you probably have heard from your mother’s advice, frame the feedback in a way that shares the most critical and constructive first, then ends with a high of all the positive and glowing comments. Definitely highlight examples of positive school climate as identified by your survey takers.

8. Act

Plain and simple: Make sure to act on the feedback. Once the data has been summarized, it is your job as a leader to incorporate it into an overall school improvement plan. Awareness needs to be followed by a commitment to action. And it helps to compartmentalize the steps—for example:

• What can you do before school ends? 
• What can you do before the next school year starts? 
• What can you do in a year’s time? 

Clearly communicate the reason behind any extended timeline (budget, training, board approvals, etc.) so that a delay doesn’t become misconstrued. But be clear in your communication of what you plan to address, how, and when. The worst sign of lack of progress is repeated poor survey remarks on the same issue year after year.

Explore the best practices for how to provide teachers with effective feedback in this blog post!

Improve school climate with Nearpod’s support

School climate is critical to a school’s success, whether you’re looking through a leadership lens or that of a student. A positive school climate can lead to increased student attendance and engagement, increased teacher retention, and improved community involvement. Your goal is to make sure everyone has a voice to provide feedback at the end of the year and that they feel they have been heard. Your first year or two using school climate surveys may feel like a trial, but the feedback (or holes in the feedback) will help you strengthen your survey design for the coming year, and if needed, you can always send out a short-format follow-up survey. Such dedicated annual efforts will help your whole school community learn how to create a positive school climate and teaching and learning environments. Good luck!

New to Nearpod?Administrators can schedule a call to learn about the full instructional power of Nearpod for your schools and districts. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons.

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 8 Steps to Implement School Climate Surveys Effectively appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Why is it important to have an equitable classroom?

Prioritizing equity in the classroom enables educators to create an inclusive environment, celebrating each student’s uniqueness and removing barriers to their academic success. This commitment actively addresses and eliminates systemic inequalities, fostering a sense of belonging in students, which enhances their overall learning experience. Embracing diversity and achieving equity cultivates a positive atmosphere where all students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. An equitable classroom is the foundation for a just and compassionate society, empowering students to navigate challenges, discover their potential, and contribute meaningfully in and outside the classroom. It’s also important for school leaders to focus on inclusion and equity to improve school climate and boost a positive culture.

Use Nearpod to create equitable learning opportunities for all students

At Nearpod, we understand the importance of fostering an equitable classroom environment where every student can succeed and be celebrated for their uniqueness. We also recognize that teachers may find this task daunting, given the numerous requirements they already face. Nearpod helps facilitate inclusive classrooms, allowing teachers to hear from every student. Leveraging technology tools like Nearpod, educators can create an equitable learning environment that amplifies student voice, narrows the opportunity gap, and ensures universal access to opportunities.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access the resources in this post and create their own interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

7 Steps to promote equity in the classroom

1. Lay the foundation

The first step towards equity is creating the environment in which it lives, and in this case, it’s your classroom. Establish a foundation of inclusion and respect for diversity that shapes your interactions with others. Educators can start by fostering open communication by teaching equity, why it’s important, and acknowledging individual differences. Implementing inclusive teaching practices, such as culturally responsive teaching, sets the tone for an environment that values every student. It also entails creating a safe space where students feel comfortable expressing their unique identities.

Building meaningful relationships with students is crucial, creating a safe space where they feel seen, heard, and understood. This involves taking the time to know each student on a personal level and understanding their backgrounds, interests, and challenges. It’s important to continue to nurture these relationships throughout the school year. Using Nearpod’s formative assessment tools, you can ask students various thoughtful questions about themselves. Teachers get insight into their responses in real-time, allowing you to interact with them in the moment while still hearing from everyone. Consider using Polls, Open-Ended Questions, Draw It, or a community-building favorite, Collaborate Board.

2. Empower critical thinking

As their teacher, we have limited control over the content they are exposed to through their classroom textbook or state-provided resources; however, we do possess the ability to help our students analyze biases and gaps. With critical thinking, we are allowing our students to actively participate in their learning process rather than be passive, which supports a culturally equitable classroom environment. Students share their deep reasonings and understandings with classmates to bridge cultural horizons and ensure all perspectives are heeded.

3. Culturally responsive pedagogy

Responsiveness and relevance tie to the emotional part of learning. Consider the following questions during instruction:

• How much do they care about what they’re learning?
• How invested are they?

We all work harder and learn deeper when we have a passion and relevance for what we’re learning. Allow students to see themselves in history through trials, tribulations, and, most importantly, triumphs. Each stage is bridging the gap and creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all students to learn.

You can practice culturally responsive pedagogy and equity in learning with Nearpod’s lessons and interactive features. Nearpod’s lesson library includes free quality lessons you can use to create an inclusive and engaging learning experience. Use the search bar and filters to find resources that fit your classroom needs, or start off by exploring the Promoting Inclusion and Perspective Analysis lesson folders!

4. Provide community involvement

Incorporating family and community knowledge enhances the student’s learning experience. With basic knowledge of career paths and clusters, students can start to piece together the purpose behind their learning. Unfortunately, identifying career paths early on is either inaccessible or not a priority for some. Many students only have exposure to careers that exist in their immediate community; this way, increasing inequity. The more we can incorporate the community and family into our classrooms through guest speakers, career days, field trips, etc., the more we can provide equal access for all our students.

Consider using Nearpod’s Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trips to take students anywhere in the world. Explore colleges and universities using lessons from The College Tour or various career pathways through virtual career tours.

5. Plan with purpose

Planning your lessons to promote an equitable classroom can seem like an intimidating task. But with the help of social and emotional learning activities, it doesn’t have to be. Students respond differently to different types of content, whether due to culture, socialization, or learning preference. With intentional planning, we can ensure that every student’s needs are valued and objectively met.

Think about delivering different forms of content through learning stations. At each station, provide students with a range of materials for their learning styles. For example, students can rotate between stations that involve:

• Playing an educational game, like Time to Climb or Matching Pairs with timers
• Reading an article, which can be embedded into your Nearpod lesson by adding web content
• Taking a VR Field Trip and answering an Open-Ended Question about what they saw and felt
• Express themselves through creating art using a Draw It activity

6. Empower through student voice

We often have constraints on what we teach, but the how is an area where we have more flexibility. Empowering students with a voice and choice in their learning process is crucial. Recognizing that a student’s sense of belonging is key to promoting deeper learning and creating equity in the classroom. Listening to them and making decisions based on their feedback becomes a pivotal lever.

Conduct a Poll for your students to understand how they want to learn and prove their understanding of the content. By doing this, we are allowing our students to have a voice, highlighting their individualities, and showing them that their thoughts and preferences are important. They are gaining confidence and conviction in their wants. They’re empowered to take ownership of their learning.

7. Use positive and inclusive language

Incorporating positive and inclusive language is a powerful way to enhance the learning experience for all students. Recognize that children process content more effectively when their cultures and languages are integrated into the curriculum. Traditional instruction may not resonate with every student, so it becomes our responsibility to cater to diverse learning needs. Encourage social conversations among students and foster collaborative work to cultivate a strong sense of community in the classroom. Examples of inclusive language include using gender-neutral terms, acknowledging diverse cultural backgrounds, and affirming the unique strengths of each student. It’s important to make this a shared language to encourage students to do the same, which builds a sense of mutual respect, empathy, and understanding.

Start using Nearpod for teaching and creating equity in the classroom

As educators, we can influence personal growth and positively value differences in our classroom through equity in the classroom strategies. We can create a space where our students come to every day feeling valued and having access to the same learning resources and support despite their differences. These differences are actually something that should be celebrated. We also have the power to surrender our power and allow our students to have ownership of their learning. Together, we can move further into creating equitable classrooms.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access the resources in this post and create their own 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 7 Steps to promote equity in the classroom appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Adopting supplemental math curriculum materials is one of the most impactful decisions administrators, and curriculum coordinators make. Instructional materials influence student engagement, assessment practices, lesson delivery methods, and teachers’ underlying pedagogical practices and efficacy.

Using the five steps and evaluation rubric below, administrators can thoughtfully evaluate supplemental curriculum programs and ultimately invest in the resource that best supports both teaching and learning.

5 Steps to Evaluating Supplemental Math Curriculum Programs

Step 1: Rank evaluation criteria

Amongst a landscape of hundreds of supplemental math teaching resources, the only way to carve the path forward is to get clear on what is important to your teachers and best for your students from the start. Create a team of decision-makers representing diverse and well-balanced perspectives, including administrators, teachers, and instructional coaches. The evaluation team should rank the following categories from most to least important: program organization, content/pedagogy, reporting, lesson delivery, and training/support. 

If it is tough, and it may be, ask tough questions:  

• Is it more important that teachers can navigate through the program’s organizational structure with ease or that there are professional development and teacher support resources? 
• Are the standards alignment and mathematics pedagogy more critical than the program’s assessment capacity? 
• Do teachers most value a program that assists with engaging lesson delivery and differentiation? 

Not all categories of evaluation criteria will hold equal weight for your district, so it is important that team members discuss and establish shared priorities from the onset of curriculum evaluation. 

Step 2: Define what teachers and students need

To get a clear picture of the “best fit” supplemental math curriculum resource, the evaluation team should identify specific “look-fors” to define observable targets and indicators that embody and align with district priorities. The more specific the “look-fors”, the easier it will be to gauge how potential supplemental math programs measure up. We advise developing 3-6 “look-fors” for each evaluation criteria category outlined in step one. No “look for” is more or less correct or incorrect. They depend on the many different factors that comprise your district.

Program’s organization in terms of a supplemental curriculum program’s organization, what are the “look-fors” that best capture your teachers’ priorities?

• Is the content logically organized so they can easily search and access supplemental resources? 
• Do teachers give precedence to programs that incorporate accessibility for English Language Learners and students with disabilities? 

Even if this category ranks low on your list of priorities from step one, it is still important to collaboratively develop these indicators as it may be the differentiating factor between two contending supplemental programs.

Program’s organization

Regarding a supplemental math curriculum program’s organization, what are the “look-fors” that best capture your teachers’ priorities?

• Is the content logically organized so they can easily search and access supplemental resources?
• Do teachers give precedence to programs that incorporate accessibility for English Language Learners and students with disabilities?

Even if this category ranks low on your list of priorities from step one, it is still important to collaboratively develop these indicators as it may be the differentiating factor between two contending supplemental programs.

Content and Pedagogical Offerings

What priorities concern a potential supplemental curriculum resource’s content and pedagogical offerings? This category is often a critical component of math educators. They want to ensure that supplemental resources align with their standards, personal mathematical teaching philosophies, and district initiatives around mathematics education. What “look fors” best describes teachers’ pedagogical priorities in a supplemental resource?

• Does the resource build conceptual understanding and procedural fluency, emphasizing strengthening students’ mathematical habits of mind?
• Are there real-world connections and explicit problem-solving instruction?
• To address the unfinished learning caused by the pandemic, does the resource provide plentiful lessons and activities designed for differentiation at all student readiness levels?

Reporting

With data-driven instruction continuing to inform many districts’ strategic plans, it is critical to examine how potential supplemental curriculum resources can assist teachers and administrators with reporting. The “look fors” in this category can depend on the core curriculum that has already been adopted, the age range of students, district grading initiatives, and many more variables. 

• Does the resource include adequate opportunities to assess and report student progress in real-time and after a lesson?
• Are there built-in opportunities for teachers to gather information to support meaningful differentiation?
• Can administrators view and actively use data?

The team should define indicators that paint the “ideal” picture, being cautious not to undermine their vision during this evaluation phase.

Lesson Delivery

A potentially differentiating factor for supplemental math curriculum adoption centers around a program’s lesson delivery methodology. This component will arguably most directly impact teachers on a day-to-day basis. It is important to make teachers’ voices predominate in these “look fors.” 

• Is it critical that your supplemental resource has the ability to deliver synchronous and asynchronous lessons seamlessly? 
• Is it a priority that the program offer resources suited for various instructional formats, including whole and small group instruction, independent practice, and collaborative group work? 
• Do teachers value multimedia, including videos, games, songs, math manipulatives, etc.?

Hone in on what most closely addresses both teacher and student needs in your district.

To develop “look fors” in step two, use our evaluation checklist and rubric. This resource was specifically made for supplemental math curriculum adoption but can be used as a starting point or template for other subject areas. The evaluation checklist and rubric can be used throughout evaluating supplemental curriculum programs by providing the clarity needed to support meaningful evaluation, dialogue, and analysis.

Step 3: Implement a strategic evaluation

The real test of the quality of instructional materials is the learning they support in the classroom. Thus, it is recommended that curricular resources be evaluated by teachers when possible. Evaluation processes should be clearly outlined for all stakeholders.  It is recommended that the process, on the whole, be developed and shared with participating teachers and staff in detail. Developing a folder on Google Drive or a HyperDoc to house information on the evaluation process will help teachers feel more comfortable and prepared.

To get started, decide how the curricular resource will be introduced; ideally, targeted training sessions will be held before and during the evaluation. Next, you will need to set the evaluation duration and expectations for how often teachers should use the tool during the evaluation. If your district has support staff such as instructional coaches, it is a good idea that they hold at least one observation of the teacher implementing the curricular program.

We recommend evaluating teachers to complete our evaluation checklist and rubric to reflect uniformly on the program’s strengths and weaknesses.  By ranking each criterion using numerical indicators and measuring the resource’s performance across many categories, decision-makers can have meaningful dialogue. The final aspect to consider is how to solicit student input. We find student input is invaluable in evaluating curriculum programs. In addition to the teacher evaluation tool,  you should also develop a way by which students can share their thoughts. 

Step 4: Analyze evaluation results

During the analysis phase, the decision-making team and evaluating teachers should discuss the supplemental curriculum resource’s affordances and limitations. The strength of using a checklist and rubric is that it provides qualitative analysis of different criteria and promotes guided discussion around critical evaluation categories. Ultimately, the decision-makers and administrators can gather each teacher’s rubric, compile the data in a central location, and, using student input and instructional coach observations, make a collective decision on whether to adopt the supplemental curriculum resource. 

Step 5: Refine implementation

If the evaluation went well and your team decided to adopt the curriculum, your job is not quite over! Teachers implementing the supplemental math curriculum program will need additional training and opportunities to check in with their peers. We recommend scheduling at least one additional training and/or Q&A session and meetings where teachers can share their tips/tricks with one another and reflect on implementation. If your district has instructional coaches, we recommend that these staff members receive additional professional learning to provide the expertise and support needed to teachers who may benefit from more personalized assistance with implementation.

It is a good practice to re-evaluate supplemental curriculum programs regularly. Has the supplemental program led to improved student engagement? Has adoption helped teachers with instructional planning? Have student mathematics scores changed since implementation? What is the district implementation rate, and how can administrators work with coaches to ensure more fidelity? Re-evaluating the curriculum is not just about determining whether this curriculum continues to align with district needs. It is also about discovering if you can provide additional support to teachers to ensure the curriculum is implemented with fidelity. 

The importance of implementation

What if your team did not implement the supplemental program after the evaluation? This is possible if the feedback from the evaluation was predominantly negative and/or it was discovered that the supplemental math program had unworkable deviations from district expectations. Suppose teacher evaluation in step four was done with consistency. In that case, the next steps will involve getting clear on the pain points students and teachers experienced with the supplemental curriculum program and identifying additional supplemental programs to evaluate that address these pain points.

Suppose your team of decision-makers believes that the negative feedback is not substantial enough to move to another potential program. In that case, the next steps might include more professional development around the resource and subsequent rounds of evaluation. Either way, it is important not to get down if the feedback is less than ideal. Rather, it is a unique opportunity to continue to find ways to support your teachers best.

Find a math curriculum that’s right for your school

Adopting supplemental math curriculum resources is an impactful decision for administrators, teachers, and students. The process should be carefully planned from start to finish. You can make an informed, measured decision by giving teachers and students a voice and ensuring diversity of perspective on your decision-making team. Using our evaluation checklist and rubric is a great way to get a “head start” and ensure curriculum evaluation and adoption are data-driven and consistent. Charter your path forward with a simple goal: to help your teachers take on the most important job in the world.

Interested in reading more about this topic? Learn about Nearpod Math, a supplemental K-8 math program that provides the content, tools, and organization teachers need to create daily, engaging math learning experiences that maximize outcomes for all learners. Featuring:

• 5,000+ new standards-aligned lessons, videos, and practice activities
• Exclusive virtual manipulatives
• Enhanced course navigation and reporting

References:

[1] https://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Diane-Briars/Curriculum-Materials-Matter_-Evaluating-the-Evaluation-Process/

[2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260392089_How_to_evaluate_the_quality_of_digital_learning_resources

[3]  https://storage.googleapis.com/edreports-206618.appspot.com/resources/8270005/files/k-8-math-rubric-082019-v1.pdf

[4] https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/sst/evaluationmatters.pdf]

Brittany Granquist

Brittany is a former math educator who brings her love of mathematics education and passion for instructional technology to her role as a Nearpod Math product specialist.

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