As the years in teaching go by, we become familiar with new pedagogical techniques, but sometimes we also rely on what has always worked. In fact, many of our classes from year to year follow the same or very similar structure with the same tasks. This includes how we teach the content, how we engage our students with the content, and how we assess their learning – think Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The only difference in our teaching may be that the students are different.
The point is, as students change from year to year, so do their lived experiences and access to technology. Even as veteran teachers, there are times when we should apply new tools to our existing curriculum.
In the spirit of UDL, good and effective teaching relies on multiple ways of representing content, multiple forms of participation, and multiple forms of action and expression. To that end, and with the proliferation of educational technology tools emerging daily in our field that can support transformational learning, here are some ways veteran teachers can leverage learning technologies and change teaching and learning. .
1. New Instructional Hack: TikTok Influencer?
Gone are the days of spending 30 minutes standing in front of the class explaining concepts to students. Students enjoy social networking sites and often receive and retain information better in smaller chunks.
To do this, try creating short how-to videos through the social media platform. Tik Tok instead of a traditional lecture as part of your instruction. Students will be very excited that their teacher not only knows what TikTok is and how to navigate it, but will be more likely to watch the video more than once, increasing their understanding.
You can use multiple videos for the lesson, as students are used to watching shorter videos and moving on to the next. You can also embed the TikTok videos into a longer lesson, adding questions through an edtech tool like Solid to ensure that students stay up to date with the content as you move to the next topic.
<h2 id="2-new-engagement-trick-embrace-ai-xa0″>2. New Engagement Trick: Embrace ai
ai is in fashion. And while there are inherent flaws that need to be addressed, there are opportunities to use ai to spark student interest.
Now, we know that when we ran our teacher training programs, ai in education wasn't talked about, if at all, so we may not know where to start. Approach ai similarly to how you approached mobile devices in the classroom, which went from being banned in many schools to a requirement for BYOD classrooms. Students will be excited to have the opportunity to use ai in the classroom instead of being told how they shouldn't use it.
Using ai as an engagement tool can also provide a way to introduce students to responsible and ethical practices. look at this sample ChatGPT Lesson Plan as you develop ai pedagogical practices try it in your class.
3. New evaluation trick: try podcasting
What if students shared their learning through podcasting? Many of the athletes and movie stars that students follow on social media have podcasts. An advantage of podcasts is that information is provided on a topic and, in many cases, in detail.
Instead of traditional assessment for learning, such as a paper or exam, have students develop a podcast where they can demonstrate their learning in a creative format. You, as a teacher, could be the host and have students as guests, or students can develop their own podcast and have each other as guests. voice thread It can be a good tool to try recording the podcast to get started.
Having a routine is great and consistency is key to an organized classroom. At the same time, sometimes it's good to change things up and introduce students to new ways of learning. As veteran teachers, we are often also committed to lifelong learning for ourselves, so as we improve our own teaching, we can also learn with students using educational technology tools to support the process.
