Classroom Resources Archives | Page 6 of 9

Learning Acceleration through Summer and After-school Programs

Posted on July 13, 2021November 2, 2022 by user

Making up for Learning Loss During the Pandemic

With classroom seats to be filled with students once again this fall, there is a sense we’re turning a corner. Although schools aren’t “normal,” reopening is upon us. And the opportunities to recover from learning loss due to the pandemic are now possible.

Learning acceleration is vital in recovering what learning that was lost during the pandemic. A task that will require schools to innovate in their approach to students. According to research by McKinsey & Company, students “lost the equivalent of three months of learning in mathematics and reading,” according to research by McKinsey & Company. Brittany Jenkins, the founder of We Are Tech, argues the impact of learning loss is more profound for communities of color. See this post where she outlines three ways to address the growing divide.

On average, students “lost the equivalent of three months of learning in mathematics and one-and-a-half months of learning in reading.”
McKinsey & Company

Simply put, students are behind, and now comes the time to help them recover. So how do we create environments for successful learning acceleration?

The After-school Solution to Learning Loss

This year, schools have limited resources to address learning loss, especially when summer and after-school programs significantly impact learning. Currently, K-12 students spend more than 80 percent of their waking hours learning outside of school. In contrast, according to the Afterschool Alliance, more than 10 million students nationwide rely on after-school programs.

The number of students and hours spent in after-school programs presents an opportunity, with research highlighting their effectiveness. This research reveals how critical they can be in accelerating learning for students. According to the Expanded Learning and Afterschool Project, regular after-school program attendance can  lower dropout rates and increase attendance, close achievement gaps for low-income students, improve performance in the classroom, and increase social, emotional well-being.

Build Meaningful Programs through Tech Education

While the general value of after-school programs is hard to argue, the quality of such programs is critical. Schools that integrate coding and digital skills learning can ensure learning loss is effectively addressed.

Digital skills are part of the solution. Digital skills like web, game, and app development are fun and engaging ways to reinforce core subjects through real-world application.

Another benefit of digital skills is enhancing skills like computational thinking, which can lift students’ abilities across subjects. This is an important benefit after an unconventional school year.

Addressing Learning Loss through Future-Proof Skills

Enhancing learning acceleration in core subjects allows schools to emphasize STEM careers and TechEd through OST programming. However, according to a recent iD Tech survey, 65% of parents with children in online or hybrid schools don’t believe the STEM offerings their child received during the pandemic meet their standards of quality, engaging activities.

65% of parents with children in online or hybrid school don’t believe the STEM offerings their child received during the pandemic meet their standards of quality, engaging activities.
iD Tech

Recognizing the need to future-proof their students, the Elementary Institute of Science (EIS) partnered with BSD Education. This partnership aims to integrate digital skills in their Steps-2-STEM after-school program.

One aspect will be expanding access to high-quality tech education, which will be made available through the partnership with BSD. Additionally, EIS provides STEM experiences that foster critical thinking and technical skills that encourage students to pursue STEM careers.

“This partnership with BSD will help level the playing field for many students who haven’t accessed these increasingly more important digital skills,” said Jim Stone, Executive Director at EIS. “Closing the digital divide is about more than hardware; it’s about creating digital literacy for everyone, and this partnership will help make this happen.”

A Partner for Learning Acceleration

Addressing learning loss due to the pandemic will take time and can’t be addressed through a single action or solution. However, quality summer and after-school programs will significantly reduce the impact of learning loss and helping students move forward. In addition, with the integration of tech education and digital skills, students can accelerate their progress.

Coding and other digital skills seem daunting, but teachers don’t need any tech experience to get started with BSD’s curriculum. Instead, we allow educators with expertise to increase their capacity and continue to innovate. Contact us today to develop a partnership that will help your students reach further and be future-ready.

How To Design a Culturally Relevant Curriculum

Posted on May 10, 2021November 2, 2022 by Beth

From my experience in teaching and from designing curriculum that is used all over the world, I have found that students appreciate and enjoy lessons that are tailored to their own cultures and backgrounds. This isn’t just my opinion, it’s also backed by peer-reviewed research. Renee Smith-Maddox, a researcher in the USA, has found that culturally relevant teaching practices were shown to have a positive impact on student achievement. (Smith-Maddox, 1998) Though, in a globally connected world, what does it mean to be culturally relevant?

There tends to be two major schools of thought about culturally relevant teaching practices. The first is to tailor instructional materials so that they fit into the culture of the child. The second is to expose children to a wide range of cultures through varied instructional materials. In my opinion, a well rounded culturally relevant curriculum would seamlessly integrate both of these ideas so that the culture of origin for the child is respected before introducing other cultures and values. Western education systems are often at fault for approaching culture in education as a form of colonization, requiring students to conform to the ideal culture of the school system rather than honoring native cultures and cultures of origin. Many educators and school systems have identified this problem and have adopted methods, practices and training to improve the curriculum in a way that respects all cultures.

At BSD Education we design curriculum that is used in classrooms all over the world. This presents a unique opportunity to infuse a multicultural approach to our lessons. We intentionally use examples and images from a wide range of cultures in our instructional materials. We also encourage teachers in our professional development sessions to modify and tailor the lessons to fit the needs of their own students. For example, in our “Learn How to Make Blog” lesson, the example blog is written from the perspective of a young Indian girl named Adsila who blogs about her favorite destinations and food in Southern India. Students will learn how to design and build the blog using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but teachers can modify the content of the blog by providing new context and images if they wanted to show a different cultural example. This type of flexibility isn’t found in traditional textbooks that can never be edited or modified.

Christopher Edmin, in his book For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood asks educators if students can see themselves in the lesson? If not, what can you do to bring more awareness to the student’s own cultures through the lesson? Oftentimes, it’s as easy as adding a few examples or allowing students to share their own perspectives. In a world where cultures merge across physical borders and into schools, it is also important to realize the wide variety of cultures sitting in your classroom; how can you as a teacher respect and support them all while also allowing for those unique cultural differences to be seen and even celebrated?

We would love to hear your ideas about culturally relevant practices or see examples from you classrooms, feel free to share on Twitter by tagging @BarkMarnett and @EducationBSD

6 Tech Practices to Improve Student Experience

Posted on February 19, 2021November 2, 2022 by user

We’ve had no end to the fantastic technology helping us along as the education landscape changes. However, as engagement and learning experiences have shifted, so have the ways we interact. Here are six tech practices in my classrooms that have improved the student experience this past year.

1. Be available outside of class (reasonably, of course)

If one of my students is showing interest outside of class, I want to meet them with the same level of zeal. So I check our online class chat as prep, which shows the students that go the extra mile that I’m there to work with them even when I don’t see them. And for the students that need a boost, I can review their work and get back to them before the next class, setting them up for better success for when we meet next.

2. Make specific tech practices meaningful through comments on work

Excellent job, and Keep it up are nice and all, but bookend the critical stuff when it comes to the student experience. When I call out specific aspects of a student’s project, I demonstrate that I can tell their work apart from their peers. When I make suggestions that inspire and guide, students are given a greater sense of direction. Commenting on a live document, referencing that individual line of code, or linking to additional resources, helps me integrate this practice with technology and goes beyond the traditional red marker on paper.

3. Email reminders

The occasional email to students can go a long way in improving the student experience and helping them succeed in class. For example, I have an in-person class that will occasionally meet online during snow days. After some absences and class link confusion, I decided a quick email might do the trick, and like magic, they now all show up.

4. Encourage, but don’t enforce, varying types of virtual participation

I’ve had virtual classrooms with students ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and the variety in types and amount of interaction has been just as wide. Your school requirements notwithstanding, I aim to be approachable regarding things like “cameras on” and verbal participation. Virtual hand-raise or Zoom chat might not just be easier for you to manage, but the preferred way to speak up from the student. But if an AFK turns into an MIA, I’ll call them out on it. There’s a balance of comfort and accountability that’s important to maintain.

This year, some of my most successful periods have been when students share their screen, which I suppose is the new “standing in front of the class.” The level of individual engagement and class collaboration exceeds expectations when my students share what they’ve been working on. It’s even better when we do a bit of “bug hunting” and solve the coding mistake in a student’s project. I’ve had the same results when projecting student work for all to see in an in-person or hybrid class.

6. Virtual backgrounds and other goofiness

Sometimes the right background, emoji, or filter sets the mood just right, especially on a Friday. Your mileage may vary, but you know your kids best, so consider bringing some fun to a virtual class when needed. Just ensure them that you’re here live and not a cat.

Since online space has become an educational platform, we must utilize its strengths to work for both teachers and students for continued success. So, if you have class tips and tech practices that improve the student experience, let’s keep the conversation going! Contact BSD here. We would love to hear from you.

6 Ways Machine Learning Will Evolve Classrooms

Posted on January 12, 2021August 21, 2024 by user

As a technologist, I spend a lot of time with my ear on the ground for the latest happenings around the EdTech Industry.

One of the trends I’ve seen in 2021, is the use of Machine Learning being implemented in EdTech tools and teaching practices.

This is an interesting development because, by definition, machine learning uses artificial intelligence to improve upon itself. When utilized by educators in the classroom, it opens up a number of opportunities for schools to optimize their curriculum and teaching strategy with detailed insights.

In this article, I’ve identified six interesting developments and challenges from my research that may help to guide educators through 2021.

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1. Predict when students will struggle with a type of concept

Are you about to start teaching a topic focused on critical thinking?

Will a particular student struggle based on previous critical thinking based topics? – These are the type of answers Machine Learning can provide to teachers.

Using historical assessment data, many EdTech companies are able to predict when a student may need more help.

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2. Which technique works best for a student

The term personalized learning has been around now for over 10 years but we are finally going to see this implemented this year.

To help us get there, Machine Learning is using various information points to identify a student’s learning style, as you can see in the diagram below.

A large task for educators will be to consider tagging individual learning modules. This will allow algorithms to better understand what modules worked better for which student using relationships between the tags.

It should be noted that GDPR’s maturity and accessibility have played a big part in allowing access to relevant student data and will continue to do so.

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3. Teachers building their own learning models

Machine Learning relies on its training data to learn how to navigate data.

To date, EdTech companies are training their own Machine Learning systems. This year we will start to see learning models provided by teachers.

Instead of using preset and student data, teachers will start providing their own data to Machine Learning. This will allow these tools to become effective teaching assistants in a sense.

[/kc_column_text][crum_single_image image_size=”full” align=”aligncenter” _id=”253930″ image_source=”media_library” image=”13579″ caption=”Teachable Machine is a great project that can be the start of how each of us will train our own Machines”][kc_column_text _id=”402340″]

4. Automated testing of curriculum

Curriculum designers are often looking to run test groups to improve their curriculum designs. With the aid of Machine Learning, data can be used to enhance areas such as curriculum flow. Does your lesson have the right amount of reinforcement? The system can even recommend quizzes where student engagement could increase.

A method commonly used by many EdTech organizations is the A/B test, which samples the curriculum with two groups and measures the effectiveness.

With Machine Learning and the added benefit of digital learning, we will also be able to measure student impact on assessment, engagement rates, the effectiveness of reinforcement techniques, and more.

In addition, the speed at which Machine Learning can analyze data is far greater than what we can achieve without its help. This will be a great step in the direction of truly personalized learning.

[/kc_column_text][crum_single_image image_size=”full” align=”aligncenter” _id=”361520″ image_source=”media_library” image=”13620″ caption=”Machine Learning can easily conduct A/B testing used to determine a winning solution”][kc_column_text _id=”92973″]

“We help thousands of teachers at BSD Education with our ready-made digital curriculum and projects” – Nickey Khemchandani

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5. Body language detection and Audio analysis on video calls for behavioural health

Remote learning is now common practice. Teachers are facing the difficult task of identifying engagement or interest via the student body language on a video call.

It was not uncommon to hear the sound of disengagement or stress in student voices when teaching online. One of the areas Machine Learning was able to step in and help was to highlight “stress” indicators in students’ voices in a lesson.

Years ago, I read an amazing research paper by Ishan Behoora and Conrad Tucker from Carnegie Mellon University [https://bit.ly/3npEB1S] explaining how Machine Learning can classify the emotional state of designers in real-time. This got me keeping tabs on this space for how it can be utilized in Education.

As video calls become a norm in education, expect to see real-time detection of student engagement and attention tracking coming soon.

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The following is from a sample class we conducted with a technology partner. The voice of a pre-teen [below 13] was analyzed to identify stress levels. (Voices of pre-teens are easier to analyze since often their voice patterns sound similar and there are fewer similarities to an adult voice).

[/kc_column_text][crum_single_image image_size=”full” align=”aligncenter” _id=”618870″ image_source=”media_library” image=”13621″ caption=”Zoom already allows hosts to identify participants that are not actively on the zoom tab or session “][kc_column_text _id=”812158”]

6. Assisted grading of non-binary assessments

We have all seen multiple-choice questions being graded using machines. They work great and have been an incredible help for teachers.

With Machine Learning tools used in popular plugins such as Grammarly or the Hemingway Editor, it was only a matter of time before essay writing was also supported.

Research papers are already sharing promising developments and improvements in this space with the inclusion of Machine Learning.

[/kc_column_text][crum_single_image image_size=”full” align=”aligncenter” _id=”152890″ image_source=”media_library” image=”13587″ caption=”The Hemingway Editor is one of my favourite tools when creating a curriculum. http://www.hemingwayapp.com/”][kc_column_text _id=”417369″]

“Machine Learning tools need to be accessible by students as well. These tools can help students solve problems while they are encountering them. This is one of the goals technology aims to serve in Education.”
– Nickey Khemchandani

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At BSD Education, supporting educators/teachers is at the core of who and what we stand for.

With so much to look forward to as technology develops in education, it will be critical for the education community to support teachers throughout these transitions.

We are excited to hear how more schools incorporate machine learning in 2021.

Three Key Elements To Facilitate Successful Maker Learning (or Any Educational Intervention)

Posted on June 16, 2020November 2, 2022 by user

We have written about maker spaces and maker learning in past issues and why we feel it can be an important part of the curriculum. After helping many schools worldwide develop and facilitate maker spaces, our Vice President of Education and maker space expert, Mark Barnett, shares his 3 key elements for successful maker learning.

After starting my own maker space in 2013, a mobile maker space in 2015, and helping dozens of schools worldwide design, use and teach in maker spaces, I have learned quite a bit about what works, what doesn’t, and why. Schools have made great strides in adding maker spaces to their curricula with a growing interest in maker learning. Some of these schools have done a remarkable job, and others have been left wondering what the hype is all about.

I see that maker learning is just one of many education interventions that a school can facilitate. Other education interventions include social-emotional learning, project-based learning, or even curricular products for math and literature.

To implement any of these strategies or interventions successfully, there are usually 3 main factors contributing to the success or failure of implementation. Each of these factors requires thorough commitment, and even if only one area lacks commitment, the whole intervention is likely to fail.

Here are the 3 key elements of commitment required for maker learning (or any educational intervention):

Commitment to the tool or technology
Commitment to the pedagogy that supports the use of the tool or technology
Institutional commitment to the success of the tools, technology and pedagogy

Commitment to the tool or technology

For the case of maker learning, this means that the school must commit to tools, technologies, and materials that support maker learning. Commitment in this element looks like this:

Acquiring the tools and technologies needed in a makerspace
Providing the proper use and training of the tools and technologies
Ongoing support and maintenance of the tools and technologies
Continued training and development of staff using the tools and technologies

Commitment to the pedagogy

Most educational interventions have an accompanying pedagogy that is best suited to support the intervention. For example, maker learning has its own pedagogy that includes tinkering, play, design thinking, and constructionism. Commitment to the pedagogy looks like this:

Providing training, support and professional development to teachers
Creating work-groups or cohorts of teachers who can spread the pedagogy and help pass along knowledge and training to other staff
Sending staff to conferences to attend and present shared knowledge on best practices and strategies
Provide access to educational research in the field of the pedagogy to stay current with the evolving understandings and to learn from others

Institutional Commitment

This final element is the most important one and, from my experience, the one element that makes or breaks the success of a maker learning program (or any intervention)

Creating a core team of champions who are charged with the success of implementation and are accountable for success
A strong team of leadership who truly believes that the intervention has merit and is dedicated to the hard work required to see the success
Financial commitment to all of the above mentioned points

It really is a simple formula to follow, and it is easy to implement once you have thought through each key element. Typically when I work with new schools, we discuss all 3 key elements before deciding to do any work together to ensure that the school is prepared to commit to all 3 areas before any work is done.

Use these 3 keys to help guide you on the successful implementation of any educational intervention. If you want more information or have specific questions about maker learning and maker spaces, please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or by email.

Digital Skills Students Will Need for The Future of Work

Posted on March 24, 2020November 2, 2022 by user

With the arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, there have been significant changes and disruptions to various industries. Additionally, technological advances in the past decade have transformed how we live, work and prioritize digital skills.

While some jobs will disappear as they become automated, such as factory and administrative roles, new jobs will surface to meet the disruptions brought about by Industry 4.0. Moreover, by re-aligning our priorities to equip our children with the necessary digital skills, we can help them be future-ready.

Educators globally have been identifying essential digital skills for their curriculum to help make their students future-ready.

After seven years of working with schools worldwide to integrate technology education across all subjects, I’ve identified a list of three critical digital skills I believe will play a crucial role in student’s development and success as they enter the future of work.

Complex Problem Solving Skills

Usually, problem-solving involves applying a standard set of steps and processes, including defining the problem, setting a goal, deciding on the best solution, and applying it.

However, it’s important to note that these steps are largely insufficient for the complex issues ahead.

An exemplary process for developing complex problem-solving digital skills is the RATIO (Reflect, Analyze, Target, Implement, Observe) Problem Solving steps, which the CoThink Academy introduced.

The RATIO process improves how we tackle complex issues and problems. Also, this process introduces a more profound critical thinking skill set into the process. This is accomplished by focusing on objectives and possible methods and tools to solve them.

This helps students learn how to reflect and observe – allowing solutions to be iterated upon to match the ever-changing demands of the future workforce.

A great example of this process in the workforce is how the manufacturing industry used RATIO to tackle its bottling line. During the Observe phase, they identified issues that they had to cycle back and reflect upon.

Another example of a future complex problem will be maintaining privacy as our lives become increasingly digital. We know that the advancements of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) collect and compile our data. The question is, how can we use this data to help reduce global waste?

Creative Thinking Skills

For more than half of the jobs we see today, 30% of tasks are automatable. As technology rapidly evolves, this is projected to increase. As a result, we will quickly forget the previously revered technological breakthroughs, and specialized skill sets become obsolete. Creative thinking allows us to be agnostic to technologies and think outside the box to tackle future challenges we will face.

An essential skill for the future workforce facing technologies like automation is creative thinking. Technologies like automation are simply tools that can be seen to augment us instead of replacing us. These tools heavily rely on our creative thinking to identify novel ways to use them to solve problems.

For example, the retail sector is currently using automation to handle transactions now. Their goal is to provide the sales teams information on their customers to lead to a more personalized customer experience.

To ensure a future workforce, we must be able to do what machines are unable to.

It is essential to invest in the growth of people who are creative and versatile. And who are eager to learn and will be flexible through each technological advance.

Outside of the usual digital skills, it‘s essential to look at transferrable or soft skills that allow us to collaborate and communicate more effectively.

Social and emotional skills, like self-awareness, empathy, respect for other individuals, and the ability to communicate will be essential as classrooms and workplaces become more ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse.

Interaction in the workplace means collaborating as teams, people playing off each other’s strengths and adapting to changing circumstances. Such non-repetitive interaction is at the core of the human advantage over machines.

There are specific social-emotional skills, like visual processing, that schools can look to promote with their students. These skills allow students to practice solving logical problems visually to comprehend the information better.

Education fosters the types of attitudes and values, such as openness and respect for others as individuals. However, moving forwards, students need to be more inclusive and reflective of more diverse societies that they will find when they enter the future workforce.

To back this up, research held by some leading industry experts identifies the importance of these digital skills. For example, the study maintained by Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends Survey showcases an increase in demand for digital skills.

If you want to chat more about future-ready skills, feel free to email me at nk@bsd.education!

EdTech Tools Educators Should Try This School Year

Posted on February 11, 2020October 4, 2023 by user

Undoubtedly, the learning and development of digital skills is a big focus in Education this next decade. At BSD Education, we’re working to prepare students for a technology-driven future as an EdTech tool.

We aim to help them be consumers of technology and media and have the tools and skills to become innovators or creators.

One of the best ways to slowly start bringing Technology into your classrooms is using fun EdTech tools that will help you or your students boost learning or teaching experiences. Check out the top 10 we thought you should try this year!

1. Formative

Formative is a great web-based app that allows you to give assignments to students and provide personalized and real-time feedback. You can use ready-made “formatives” or create your own to share with your students. You can then view student progress and answers in real-time and assess their learning and progress as they go.

To sum it up: an easy-to-use tool that simplifies assessment in your classroom.

2. Equity Maps

Equity Maps is a great iPad EdTech tool that enhances collaboration, helps you keep track of which of your students participate in class discussion and how much they are experiencing.

All you have to do is tap your students’ icons as they engage in the discussion. In the end, you’ll get summary analytics of how often each class member participated and how many were active participants. The instant feedback helps participants reflect and enables you to ensure that your classroom discussions are equitable and inclusive.

To sum it up: a tool to encourage honest dialogue and broader collaboration in your classroom.

3. Geoguessr

Geoguessr is a fun game that develops students’ global awareness, problem-solving, and research skills. The game starts by dropping the player into a random location on Google Street view. The player then has to figure out where they have been lowered to the closest possible point. Finally, students have to think about different types of information within the map that they can use to solve a problem, use initiative, and demonstrate perseverance.

To sum it up: an excellent EdTech tool that can be used as a class filler to develop a range of skills.

4. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid does what it says on the tin – it’s a tool that helps your students improve their writing assignments, but not just with spelling and grammar. This tool looks at everything from sentence variety to the use of cliché!

All you need to do is write directly on ProWritingAid or upload a document, and you’ll get a summary report giving the strengths and weaknesses of the piece. You can then discuss this with your students.

To sum it up: a handy tool to help you give in-depth and personalized feedback on your students’ writing.

5. Creaza

Creaza is a tool that can be used to create presentations, mind maps, cartoons, and videos. Students can collaborate on their projects in real-time.

6. Thunkable

Mobile Apps have been a rage for over a decade now, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Thunkable is a free and easy-to-use online tool for building mobile apps using a simple drag and drop code builder. As you create, you can test the app in real-time on an iOS or Android device and tweak it as you go. In addition, less experienced students can choose to “remix” an existing app instead of starting from scratch.

6. Roblox

Creating games is a great way to learn a wide range of real-world digital skills, like storytelling, art, design, programming, maths, etc. Roblox is an online platform for creating and playing multiplayer online games. As a teacher, you can take your students on a journey of creating their favorite online games. They can learn to develop games using Roblox Studio, test them with their peers, and publish them online for users to play on a computer, mobile device, or even Xbox. They can also choose to publish the game for free on the Roblox platform or charge them “Robux ”, the digital currency of Roblox. To support teachers, Roblox publishes resources like how to start guides and lessons.

7. Thinglink

Boost your classroom engagement by creating visual and interactive resources for your students. Thinglink makes it very easy for you to augment images, videos, and online tours with extra information using simple-to-use hyperlinks. Create an educational treasure hunt for students or mix it up and let them create visual learning journeys for their peers.

8. MindMeister

Mind maps are a tried and tested method for people to take notes or brainstorm ideas effectively. MindMeister is an excellent EdTech tool that takes this further by making mind mapping a collaborative exercise. Students can collaborate with peers in real-time in the classroom while a teacher explains concepts or works virtually from home when creating a group project.

9. Smiling Mind

Students (and all of us) can face a series of social and emotional challenges. To help them cope with these, they must be aware of their mental well-being and learn practical ways to be mindful. Smiling Mind is a free, not-for-profit app that encourages mindfulness and better mental being in schools. It is specifically built for students and teachers and breaks down activities for 7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-18, and adults. In addition, it comes with Professional Development training for teachers, classroom resources, and student workshops.

10. Bonus – BSD Online

Of course, we would love it if you tried our online learning platform, BSD Online. Through scaffolded guided exercises, BSD Online makes the teaching and learning of digital skills and coding easy, fun, and engaging. We suggest our Hour of Code Project – Life Under Water if you’re wondering where to start.

We’d love to learn what other apps or EdTech tools you’d like to try this year!! Feel free to share by tweeting us at @Educationbsd or tagging us on Instagram at @BSDEducation. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Inside The Professional Development Journey

Posted on September 23, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

Professional Development (PD) training has played a key role in the rollout of Technology Education into schools across the world.

Since 2018, BSD Education has helped over 1000 teachers at 160 schools in 11 countries with our professional development.

When it comes to effectively integrating technology education into all classrooms, we have identified three hurdles that teachers normally face:

Confidence: Most teachers don’t usually have a background in technology, so can see it as risky and unfamiliar.

Content: Technology is constantly changing. which means that your curriculum can quickly become outdated and will require more time to redevelop.

The objective of our PD training is to help teachers overcome these hurdles. Our trainings give teachers the skills and confidence they need to implement the TechEd curriculum seamlessly in their classrooms.

Our Foundation Professional Development training is six hours, delivered in person or virtually, and emphasizes the method of “learn by doing”. We apply this by having the training split across the school year to create a learn-apply-reflect-learn model.

After the first training, the teachers teach their first lesson and give their feedback and reflections to the instructor.

Not only does this guide the next PD lessons as we learn more about them and their methods, it also helps teachers identify the gaps in their knowledge and skills to specifically work on them.

After a few lessons, teachers can then focus on deepening the integration within their classroom without added stress.

Our journey with the teachers doesn’t end after PD lessons. We also communicate with our teachers throughout the year through offline events, online webinars, and regular coaching support.

After the PD training is done, our team works with the teachers one on one or in groups to learn more about their new approaches to the implementation of technology education in the classroom. This includes their successes and challenges.

Where there are challenges, we address them by providing support and further training if needed.

We share success stories with other teachers within the school and with other partner schools so they can be similarly inspired to tackle similar challenges they may face in their classrooms.

Through our professional development training, we aim to maintain a regular human connection with all our teachers across the world and help them bring exciting and new knowledge, skills, and technologies into their classrooms.

If you would like to learn more about our PD training or would love a sneak peek, please write to me at mq@bsd.education and I’d love to discuss it!

5 Tips We’ve Picked Up From Leading Virtual PD

Posted on September 23, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

As more schools adopt BSD Technology Education programs, our team continues to innovate with high-quality virtual PD training for our teachers. Video conferencing enables our instructors to facilitate professional development sessions with teachers and accommodate busy schedules worldwide. However, virtual training comes with its own unique challenges. Here are some of the best tips that we’ve picked up after hundreds of sessions with thousands of teachers.

Welcome and Follow Up Emails

The communications that bookend virtual training are crucial opportunities to build trust and set expectations. Before every virtual session, BSD sends each teacher a welcome package, instructor bio, and a personalized PD agenda. Providing participants with the “who,” “what,” and “why” of training helps kick start solid relationships. These small gestures demonstrate that we respect teachers’ busy schedules and use our time together productively.

Once the virtual session is complete, a follow-up email is sent out containing a summary of the covered material. Follow-up communication is critical for verifying goals, reenforcing new knowledge, and outlining the next steps.

Show Face

One of the biggest challenges with virtual PD is creating a relationship between the instructor and participants. To be most effective, the instructor must use their camera in addition to audio, no exceptions! Our body language and expressions allow teachers to connect with instructors and more accurately interpret the lesson material.

Along with the camera, the instructor must be ready in the following aspects:

Attitude – The instructor is excited from start to finish and passionate about the material.
Environment – The instructor is in a setting with minimal background distractions, good lighting, where they will not be interrupted.
Wifi Connection – If the teacher cannot see or hear clearly, the training will not be effective.

Continuous Engagement

As a virtual instructor, it can sometimes feel like you’re playing in an empty room. However, our instructors keep teachers engaged throughout the session by asking questions that teachers will answer with confidence.

Ex. Prompting participants with directions such as “go ahead and click that button and let me know what happens.” Answering questions like these can build confidence for the teacher and help hold everyone accountable to follow along.

When leading 8+ participants, the chat log becomes an important tool as people are often hesitant to speak up when they know others are listening. For large webinar-style training with 20+ attendees, we recommend dedicating a second team member specifically to manage the chat.

Don’t underestimate the power of short breaks every 90 minutes to allow teachers to refuel and refocus!

Prepare Prepare Prepare

A successful virtual PD session is made in the days and hours before the live training begins. Even a slight hiccup can make the difference between an audience who is engaged or disconnected from your message.

We recommend pre-registering teachers for any accounts they may need before training and setting up those accounts with everything they’ll need before starting. At BSD, this means creating classrooms with demo students preloaded with relevant curriculum.

Additionally, ensure that all browser tabs and supplementary documents you will need are on hand and organized. It’s also a good idea to ensure that your computer desktop is neutral and organized.

Record the Session

Professional development sessions are recorded to the cloud for two important reasons. First, it’s imperative to have an internal record of the session for training and quality control purposes. Second, recordings are a great resource for the teacher cohort to refer to when they want to review the material.

We use Zoom video conferences at BSD, which allows us to record to the cloud.

We want to know your thoughts on effective virtual PD. Have you run them yourself? What techniques have you come up with to connect with your attendees? Connect with us on social media or via email to share your virtual training experiences.

Connecting Classrooms to the Real World: Teachers Meet Businesses

Posted on June 18, 2019September 20, 2022 by user

Last month, we ran the first event in our new series: Teachers Meet Businesses!

Globally, people speak about the need for schools to prepare students for the job. However, there is often a gap between classroom and workplace activities.

What is Teachers Meet Businesses?

Our quarterly events bring teachers into companies to understand first-hand how technology has changed industries and business models.

During each event, a company representative discusses using technology at work, and a teacher discusses using technology in the classroom.

Therefore, this allows teachers to observe how digital skills will improve their students’ future careers.

Hearing from Businesses

Macquarie Group Hong Kong hosted our first Teachers Meet Businesses event. Fiona Yu discussed the significance of machine learning in today’s trading activity. Fiona oversees the “Blocks Desk” team, which employs a proprietary technology to rate possible buyers and sellers.

Moreover, her team uses big data and AI to advise clients on what to purchase and sell. Like how Amazon recommends books depending on your search, Fiona’s team does the same with stock recommendations.

To create these recommendations, Fiona’s team combines huge data about stock features, similar fund manager decisions, and stock screening.

Fiona cleans data for the model 90% of the time. Not unexpectedly, Fiona recommended students focus on data analysis and data visualization skills. Plotting distribution and comprehend characteristics, she emphasized the significance of the scripting language JavaScript for data visualization. Learning to code had improved her pattern recognition, she said.

Hearing from Teachers

Providing insight about authentic student learning opportunities at South Island School in Hong Kong, Iain Williamson spoke next after Fiona. The AFP media course has replaced the outdated Media IGCSE. Client commissions are a key feature of this training. They work directly with other companies to meet deadlines and objectives, much as in the real world.

This experience evaluates students’ technical abilities and ‘softer’ skills that employers expect to see, such as communication and time management.

Additionally, introducing a course with real-world application and relevance increased enrollment and engagement.

The first Teachers Meet Businesses event was a truly insightful evening and a great success! The speeches gave a clear picture of how important integrating real-world relevant digital skills in school really is. Especially so as we preparing students for the future. Moreover, Iain’s experience clearly shows that this sort of learning prepares students and makes them more engaged and enthusiastic in the classroom.

Want to learn more about our Teachers Meet Businesses events? Click here or contact me at cb@bsd.education.