Engaging All Learners

Instructional Design by Meredith Barker

      I have the opportunity to engage pre-preschoolers through fifth graders in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (S.T.E.A.M.) daily. Every day is full of adventure, problem-solving, and learning. Students are collaborating, researching, designing, and constructing. As I am teaching this range of students, I must consider how to reach each grade level in ways that are appropriate for them. As Brown and Green (2024) state, "understanding the target audience of learners and determining in advance what they can and will do is an essential element of any instructional plan" (p. 84). What are ways I can engage the age range of my students? Read below to find out! 

Engaging Young Learners

    Although I teach an extensive age range of students, one instructional design strategy engages all of my learners: pictures, videos, and infographics. Researchers Sering and Khan (2022) "found that the use of pictures in the primary classroom in language teaching increases learners' motivation and the classrooms become active and vibrant" (para. Conclusion 1). Videos, pictures, and infographics help our younger learners better understand complicated concepts and keep their attention on the content being taught. "Communicating effectively is an important part of instructional design, and visual display plays a critical part in most instructional media" (Brown & Green, 2024, p. 249). Keeping videos concise allows students of all ages to stay engaged with the presented material. 

When creating visuals, it is essential to ask yourself the following questions from Brown and Green (2024):

• "Is the information presented in a way that is easy to read?" (p. 249)
• "Is the information presented in a way that is easy to understand?" (p. 249)
• "Do the instructional materials look professional?" (p. 249)
• "Is the visual display attractive?" (p. 249)
• "Does the visual display help the learner comprehend the instructional content?" (p. 249)

Check out the video below to learn how to make short, instructional videos on Canva!

Engaging Adult Learners

    Researchers Sering and Khan (2022) explain that "audio-visual aids have been one of the most influential sources, especially in teaching" (para. 1). Visual aids benefit not only young students but also adult learners. When engaging adults, the essential questions for using visuals throughout the instructional design from Brown and Green (as shown above) remain the same.

    Recently, I had the opportunity to create a professional development presentation for adult learners. I designed the presentation to teach educators about a new teaching style: the Modern Classroom Project. The Modern Classroom Project is a teaching style that guides teachers to create units of instruction that include instructional videos, practice, and mastery checks. The students can move throughout the unit at their own pace, allowing teachers to meet all learners' needs. I have been able to implement the Modern Classroom Project into my classroom for the past few years, and it has been amazing to watch students take ownership of their learning as they progress throughout the unit. Check out the presentation I plan on presenting to educators at my school below! If you have any questions or want to know more about implementing Modern Classroom into your classroom, please reach out! 

Modern Classroom Project PD by Meredith Barker

References: 

Brown, A. & Green, T. (2024). The essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (5th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003404835

Sering, Sajjad & Khan, Haji Karim. (2022). The Role of Images in the Teaching and Learning of English: Practices, Issues, and Possibilities. PAKISTAN LANGUAGES AND HUMANITIES REVIEW. 6. 338–348. 10.47205/plhr.2022(6-IV)31. 

The Immersive Classroom

 

Using Immersive Technology in the Classroom by Meredith Barker

    Teachers are tasked with integrating technology in insightful, engaging, and effective ways. With so many technology platforms and resources, finding the right tool to use with your students can be challenging. Recently, I had the opportunity to learn about virtual reality and augmented reality which are two types of immersive technologies. Through reading The Immersive Classroom: Create Customized Learning Experiences with AR/VR by Jaime Donally, I learned these tools can open a whole world of possibilities for engaging your students. When using augmented reality in the classroom, students perform at higher levels (AlNaidi, 2022, para. 1). If you are looking for a technology tool to try this year, these are two excellent tools that can bring your classroom to life in new and exciting ways!

AR vs. VR: What's the Difference? 

    Virtual reality completely transforms the area around you through 360-degree video and sounds using a device or VR headset (Donally, 2021, p. 6). Using VR you can "travel" across the world to Paris to watch the Olympics while sitting in the comfort of your classroom.

    reality explores "the real world while adding a digital later on top that gives the illusion that they have a 3D object" (Donally, 2021, p. 6). Using AR, you can bring your class read aloud to life by "adding" the book characters into your classroom-- your students can "sit" next to who they are reading about! 

Want to see the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality? Watch below! 

AR and VR in the Classroom

    I have the opportunity to teach at a highly diverse school. In any given class we have students from around the world. This is one of my favorite things about my school. We learn from one another, experience different cultures, and share our own. Although this makes for an incredible learning environment, it can make finding commonalities between students when picking read-aloud books or project topics difficult. I want all students to have the same starting place with the assignments. For example, I will not assign a writing assignment about a day at the beach because all of my students have not been to the beach, making that an unfair assignment. After learning about virtual reality I cannot wait to bring it into my classroom to allow all my students to experience traveling around the world.

Below are a few ideas of how you can use virtual reality in your classroom:

VR in the Classroom by Meredith Barker       

    Augmented reality can bring your classroom to life in many ways. AR can "connect knowledge with actual exercises"(AlNaidi, 2022, para. Conclusion 1). Students can use AR to create characters to insert into their classroom! You can also insert the solar system into your classroom and walk around it to learn about the different planets! AR is another vital tool for student learning and engagement. 

Check out more ways to use AR in your classroom below:

AR in the Classroom by Meredith Barker   

Click here for a list of grants to help you purchase your own virtual reality headsets for your classroom! 

References: 

AlNajdi SM. The effectiveness of using augmented reality (AR) to enhance student performance: using quick response (QR) codes in student textbooks in the Saudi education system. Educ Technol Res Dev. 2022;70(3):1105-1124. doi: 10.1007/s11423-022-10100-4. Epub 2022 Apr 4. PMID: 35400977; PMCID: PMC8978775.

Donally, J. (2021). The immersive classroom: Create customized learning experiences with AR/VR. International Society for Technology in Education. 

Social Media in Education

 

Social Media in Education by Meredith Barker

    The use of social media continues to grow yearly. Children and adults of all ages frequently scroll on their phones to check the latest posts on their preferred social media site(s). After surveying teens ages thirteen to seventeen, Pew Research Center concluded that 95% of teens had used social media (Pew Research Center, 2023, para. 1). With social media's popularity, should educators use it with their students in the classroom? How do educators set up students for success when using social media? 

    We need to understand the effects social media has on children. A recent study found that "although social media use demonstrated to be of utility, an excessive or non-correct use may be a risk factor for mental health, including depression, anxiety, and addiction" (Bozzola et al., 2022, para. 1). The study continues to conclude that the incorrect use of social media can also cause unhealthy eating and behavior problems (Bozzola et al., 2022, para. Conclusion 2 and 3). With the consequences of misusing social media so severe, educators need to teach students how to use it in safe and effective ways. How do we teach students correct and secure ways to use social media? I believe the first step is for teachers to model safe and useful engagement with social media to their students. 

Modeling the Use of Social Media

     As an educator, I use social media to exchange ideas, get inspired, and share the unique projects my students are doing. One example of the benefits of using social media can be seen in the image below. This image is a screenshot from a Facebook group created for educators using a teaching model called "Modern Classroom Project". This group consists of new teachers starting to try Modern Classroom Project and teachers who have been using it for years. As you will see below, new teachers are getting support from veterans on ways to improve their teaching. The author of the post and the commenter providing suggestions live hours away from each other, but with social media, they can chat within seconds to get helpful tips.

    

     Showing students examples like this will teach them that social media can be beneficial. It should also be noted that the commenter has given suggestions while also providing her credentials (degrees held), reasoning, and philosophies. Explaining to students the importance of knowing an author's reasoning and credentials will emphasize the importance of vetting the authors of posts they consume and take advice from.

The Art of Persuasion

    Another key idea in using social media safely and helpfully is to recognize what it is designed to do. Social media uses visual rhetoric (the art of using visuals) to persuade (Lawrence, 2022, p. 105). One example of persuasion is when Facebook changed its design to allow users to continuously scroll because they noticed users stopped using the app if they had to wait or click to load more posts- this persuaded their audience to extend their time spent on Facebook (Lawrence, 2022, p. 100). In order to use social media safely, students must be taught to identify tactics companies use to persuade their audience to take specific actions, buy an item, or change their thinking. Check out the infographic below on ways to teach your students to identify persuasion techniques companies use in media posts to persuade their audience.

 

Recognizing Persuasion by Meredith Barker  

References

Beshay. (2024, April 14). Teens and social media: Key findings from Pew Research Center surveys. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/24/teens-and-social-media-key-findings-from-pew-research-center-surveys/#:~:text=Majorities%20of%20teens%20report%20ever,asked%20about%2010%20online%20platforms.

Bozzola E, Spina G, Agostiniani R, Barni S, Russo R, Scarpato E, Di Mauro A, Di Stefano AV, Caruso C, Corsello G, Staiano A. The Use of Social Media in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review on the Potential Risks. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Aug 12;19(16):9960. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19169960. PMID: 36011593; PMCID: PMC9407706.

Kumar, Y., Jha, R., Gupta, A., Aggarwal, M., Garg, A., Malyan, T., Bhardwaj, A., Ratn Shah, R., Krishnamurthy, B., & Chen, C. (2023). Persuasion Strategies in Advertisements. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 37(1), 57-66. https://doi.org/10.1609/aaai.v37i1.25076

Lawrence, Dan. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.

Engaging Your Audience

 

     As an educator, I am constantly brainstorming new and fun ways to engage my students in learning so they will continue paying attention to the presented content. Keeping students interested in the information can be challenging as students can grow bored with the most fun games as they get accustomed to them, and it becomes a routine instead of a new practice. Brown & Green (2024) elaborate on the difficulties of instructional design in the classroom by stating, "creating learning environments and producing activities that carry out instructional goals and objectives are two of the most exciting and challenging aspects of instructional design" (p. 137). 

Think-Pair-Share

    I have noticed students ages four to eleven all enjoy talking with their peers. Instead of attempting to get students to sit quietly throughout lessons, allowing students to talk about the subject matter helps keep them engaged. The strategy used for this is referred to as "think-pair-share". Using this strategy, the teacher will present a question for the students. After a minute of thinking, students will turn to a peer to discuss their thoughts (sometimes, I allow students to choose their talking partner, and other times, they are assigned talking partners). After allowing student discussion and collaboration, it is time for students to share. Sometimes, I ask students to raise their hands if they would like to share their ideas. Other times, I ask students to raise their hands if they would like to share their partner's ideas- this encourages students to listen intently to their partner during the discussion. As a class, we can now have a whole group discussion about our thoughts on the question-- are our thoughts the same, different, or similar in some way? 

        I have used the think-pair-share strategy in the classroom as an educator and also participated in the strategy as a trainee. During trainings that incorporate think-pair-share, I feel more confident sharing my answers with a whole group after talking with a peer. This leads me to the research Mundelsee & Jurowski (2021) conducted on the impact of think-pair-share on students. They concluded when educators use think-pair-share in their classrooms, it:

• Increases students' willingness to share their ideas (para. 1)
• Lowers anxieties about classroom participation (para. 1)
• Provides timid learners with a chance to collaborate and share with one peer instead of forcing them to share with the whole class (para. 1)

Scenario-Based Learning

    Another strategy used to engage learners is "scenario-based learning". This strategy is similar to simulations, which "allow participants to examine issues and problems that arise in a specific situation (Gregler, 2004, as cited by Brown & Green, 2024). Simply put, scenario-based learning employs interactive scenarios, allowing learners to acquire skills in a realistic and safe setting. To provide an example, I will share the scenario-based learning I plan to incorporate into a training where my audience will be other educators. My training will be on a new teaching method called Modern Classroom. For teachers to understand the teaching method and the impact it has on students, I plan to create a "classroom" in which the educators are the students learning through Modern Classroom. This scenario will allow teachers to put themselves in the shoes of their students to discover their likes and dislikes of learning through the Modern Classroom method. 

    Scenario-based learning can benefit people of all ages, from young children to adults. Mamakli et al. (2022) concluded through research that in comparison to other learning methods, scenario-based learning "may even produce better outcomes regarding academic achievement and student satisfaction" (para. Conclusion 1). Check out more benefits of scenario-based learning below!

    Still wanting more tips and tricks for keeping your audience engaged? Watch this!

 

References

Brown, A., & Green T. (20204). The essentials of  instructional design: Connecting fundamentals  principles with process and practice. Routledge. 

Mamakli, S., Alimoğlu, M. K., & Daloğlu, M. (2023). Scenario-based learning: preliminary evaluation of the method in terms of students’ academic achievement, in-class engagement, and learner/teacher satisfaction. Advances in Physiology Education, 47(1), 144–157. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00122.2022

Mundelsee, L., & Jurkowski, S. (2021). Think and pair before share: Effects of collaboration on students’ in-class participation. Learning and Individual Differences, 88, 102015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.102015

Learning Through Video

Learning Through Video by Meredith Barker

       Technology is all around us and constantly at our fingertips. Children love screens and engaging with technology from a young age- so much so that medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic release yearly screen time limit recommendations and provide screen safety tips. When children engage in media, it is strongly encouraged that programs are high-quality (Mayo Clinic, 2023). As an educator, I am constantly striving to engage my students in the best ways. Engagement through technology is my most successful tool in the classroom. From pre-schoolers to 5th graders, students get excited when we use technology (robotics, Chromebooks, videos, etc.) in school. The encouragement from Mayo Clinic has pushed me to reflect on my technology use to determine if it is high quality for my students. 

High Quality Media in the Classroom

    There are constantly more expectations placed on educators for teaching with technology. Whether it is the educator teaching using technology or having students use technology, the expectation is for students to learn using technology. How do educators teach using high quality technology? Perhaps one way is through video! Ads on Facebook which contain a video are typically more engaging than other ads (Lawrence, 2022, p. 108). Our students will naturally be more engaged through video, as adults are more engaged through videos on social media. What are some ways to use high quality videos in the classroom? 

• Find a fascinating video on endangered species to spark student interest in a research project (Strassman and O'Connell, 2007). 
• Create short educational videos for students to refer to when going through a math unit. 
• Have students create videos to express learning (this can be used for any content area!). 
• Have kindergarten students narrate an already-made video to encourage storytelling and creativity.  

    The ideas above are not an exhaustive list but will hopefully inspire ideas for any classroom as educators integrate quality video into teaching. When educators use emerging technology tools, it "seems to affect creativity positively, and each kind has its way of promoting creativity" (Li et al., 2022, para. 5 conclusion). Whether an educator has always used videos to increase student learning or has yet to attempt to use a video, anyone can use easy-to-use tools like Canva! Researcher Li et al. (2022) states, "with the growth in digital tools, educators have been paying attention to the need for using emerging technologies to appropriately support creativity improvement". Educators, look no further! Using Canva will support student creativity and your own!

Want to know the Canva video basics? Watch the video below!

    Canva has been an instrumental tool in my classroom this year. From making flyers for Fall STEAM Night, designing t-shirt logos, and creating a presentation for our school stakeholders, it has a template for everything! Canva helped me transform an introduction video I recently made. Before using Canva to enhance my video, it needed to be more varied and engaging to everyone. Now, the introduction video is engaging because of the presentation template I was able to use. Pictures can be inserted for engagement, music to enhance the sound aesthetic, and more! Watch my new and improved video below! 

References

Lawrence, Dan. (2022). Digital writing: A guide to writing for social media and the web. Broadview Press.

Li, Y., Kim, M., & Palkar, J. (2022). Using emerging technologies to promote creativity in education: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 3, 100177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2022.100177

Screen time and children: How to guide your child. (2024, June 19). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952

Teaching Tips: Authoring with Video | Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reading Rockets.                         https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/curriculum-and-instruction/articles/teaching-tips-authoring-video