Pear Deck

What is Pear Deck?

Pear Deck is an educational technology tool designed to make classroom presentations and lessons more interactive and engaging. It integrates with platforms like Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing teachers to create interactive slides. Students can participate in real time by responding to prompts, answering questions, or providing feedback through their devices.

How to Create a Pear Deck

Check out this tutorial to learn how to make a Pear Deck! Make sure to download the Pear Deck extension in Google Chrome. This will be the first step in creating fun and interactive lessons!

Presenting a Pear Deck

To present a Pear Deck, simply open the Pear Deck extension and click "Start Lesson". This will allow students to use a presentation code to access the lesson! Simply choose whether you would like the lesson to be "Instructor-Paced" or "Student - Paced" to begin your presentation.

Ideas for Use

Instructor - Paced Activity

Instructor-Paced mode in Pear Deck allows you, as the teacher, to control the pace of the presentation while students follow along on their own devices.

Classroom Uses:

1. Formative Assessment

Use quick comprehension checks (e.g., multiple-choice, draggable, or open-ended slides) to gauge student understanding during the lesson.
Gather real-time feedback to address misconceptions immediately.

2. Interactive Lectures

Enhance engagement with live polls, open-ended questions, or draggable activities.
Pause to ask questions and visualize concepts with drawing slides.

3. Guided Practice

Work through problems step-by-step with the class.
Use Pear Deck to scaffold critical thinking or problem-solving processes.

4. Classroom Discussions

Collect student responses anonymously and display them to spark discussions.
Facilitate debates by polling opinions and discussing results.

5. Test Reviews and Study Sessions

Use practice questions to review key concepts.
Identify areas of confusion and target those topics for revision.

Student - Paced Activity

Using Pear Deck's Student-Paced mode allows students to move through the presentation at their own pace.

Classroom Uses:

1. Independent Practice

Assign interactive slides for students to complete at their own pace, reinforcing skills or concepts taught in class.
Include a mix of question types (e.g., multiple choice, drawing, open-ended) to cater to diverse learning styles.

2. Homework and Asynchronous Learning

Use Pear Deck to create engaging homework assignments with interactive elements.
Allow students to explore content and answer questions on their own schedule, making it ideal for flipped classrooms.

3. Formative Assessment and Reflection

Collect responses on student understanding of a topic without time pressure.
Include reflection slides to encourage students to think about what they’ve learned and identify areas for improvement.

4. Reading Comprehension and Analysis

Provide text passages or images for students to annotate, highlight, or analyze.
Use open-ended and multiple-choice questions to assess their comprehension and critical thinking.

5. Differentiated and Remedial Learning

Offer tailored lessons for students to review challenging concepts or move ahead if they are advanced.
Use Student-Paced mode for differentiated instruction, allowing students to work at a level appropriate to their needs.

Supporting Universal Design for Learning Pillars

ENGAGEMENT: Interactive slides (e.g., draggable, multiple-choice, or drawing) encourage all students to engage with the material. Students can respond anonymously, reducing anxiety and encouraging participation from shy or hesitant learners. Teachers can include emotional or reflective slides to gauge how students are feeling and adjust lessons accordingly. Student-Paced mode allows learners to engage with content on their own time, accommodating different energy levels and focus spans.
REPRESENTATION: Combine visuals, text, audio, and interactive elements to present information in diverse formats. Teachers can adjust slides to include additional scaffolds, such as images, definitions, or real-world examples, to support comprehension. Pear Deck is compatible with screen readers and allows for zooming, ensuring accessibility for students with visual impairments. The interactive format ensures that instructions are clear, concise, and presented alongside relevant content.
ACTION & EXPRESSION: Students can draw, type, select, or drag to respond, catering to different communication preferences and abilities. Anonymous response options let students express their thoughts without fear of judgment. Teachers can view responses in the dashboard and adapt instruction on the spot, providing targeted support where needed. In Student-Paced mode, students can spend more time on challenging slides or skip ahead if they’re ready.

Additional Tutorials

Adding Questions to an Existing Presentation

This tutorial will provide information on how to add questions to a Google Slide or Powerpoint that has already been created! No need to start over, just add interactive questions!

Instant Pear Decks

Did you know Pear Deck has a library of already created lessons? Amazing! This is a must-see!

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