Adapting Seesaw Activities for Evidence-Based Learning
Return - http://ly.tcea.org/seesaw | Facilitator: Miguel Guhlin (@mguhlin)
Learn how to enhance and enrich Seesaw activities using high-effect-size instructional strategies to transform them.
Let's Get Started!
Meet the Guest coHosts
Both Brittany and Elizabeth are TCEA Course Developers, developing Seesaw Educator and Seesaw Content Creator courses, respectively.
Together, they have impacted:
1,056
TCEA educator members.
Wow!
Schedule
11:45 - 11:55
Welcome by Miguel Guhlin (Host)
Introduction of CoHosts, Brittany Beaird and Elizabeth Benno
Announcement of Seesaw Educator and Seesaw Content Creator courses
Revisiting Evidence-Based Strategies and Alignment to Seesaw
11:55 - 12:05 (10 minutes)
CoHost: Brittany Beaird
Sharing Tips and Strategies
12:05 - 12:15 (10 minutes)
CoHost: Elizabeth Benno
12:15-12:20 (5 minutes)
Wrap-Up and Announcements
Evidence-Based Learning
As educators, we have access to many instructional strategies. Often, our use of technology tends to connect to those instructional strategies. But what happens when those strategies are not evidence-based?
To assist us in clarifying what strategies work to best accelerate student growth, John Hattie shared the results of his meta-analyses of existing educational research.
The Visible Learning MetaX database tracks this research and assigns each strategy an effect size. Any strategy with an effect size of d > 0.40 has the potential to accelerate student growth in one academic year.
Strategy Focus: Vocabulary Programs (d=0.63)
Vocabulary Programs (d=0.63) is a strategy that focuses on building student reading comprehension across the content areas. It does this through the use of various approaches (e.g. Frayer Model, mapping tools, wide reading, morphology instruction). Vocabulary Programs (Effect size d=0.63) are a surface learning strategy. It is called “programs” because it is not one strategy.
Follow these steps when introducing the Frayer Model:
The teacher explains a new word, going beyond reciting its definition (tap into prior knowledge of students, use imagery).
Students restate or explain the new word in their own words (verbally and/or in writing).
Ask students to create a non-linguistic representation of the word (a picture, or symbolic representation).
Students engage in activities to deepen their knowledge of the new word (compare words, classify terms, write their own analogies and metaphors).
Students discuss the new word (pair-share, elbow partners).
Students periodically play games to review new vocabulary (Pyramid, Jeopardy, Telephone).
For an easy, ready to go activity that emphasizes some of Marzano's steps, try the Frayer Model.
"Teachers can use Google Slides and the Frayer Model to engage students in vocabulary review beyond the classroom. I created a Google Slide deck with a slide for each of the vocabulary words in the text. I used the Frayer Model to provide structure to the review activity."
-Catlin Tucker, Facilitate a Deep Dive into Vocabulary with Google Slides and The Frayer Model
Seesaw Example: Frayer Model
Concept Sorts with Venn Diagrams
What Are Concept Sorts?
Use the concept sort activity to organize words into groups. Discuss why they chose to put those words together. Consider comparing words using 2-circle or 3-circle Venn Diagram tools (learn more).
Asking students to discuss with their peers to group vocabulary words according to category. Use Venn Diagrams as a simple way organize content.
Venn Diagram Tools
Google Slides (via Alice Keeler)
Tips and Suggestions from CoHosts
Crowd-sourced Seesaw Resources
Share How YOU Make Engagement Fun with Seesaw via Flipgrid
Join the TCEA Activity Sharing
Lucia Soto's Presentation
Links & Resources
Don’t Get Stuck in a Click-and-Drag Rut via Elizabeth Garvic
Student Examples- Engagement in Seesaw via Elizabeth Garvic
How do you create Magnifier activities in Seesaw? Via Kris Szajner(I second this! -Mr. Dossey)
For amazing jumping off points particularly in STEM Destin Sandlin @ SmarterEveryday
https://twitter.com/KSzajner (Storer)
https://www.kszajner.com/ (Storer)
https://www.flaticon.com/ (Storer)
https://www.emojicopy.com/ (Storer)
Learn More About Each CoHost
Brittany Beaird
@brittanybeairdBrittany Beaird. She is a campus learning coordinator at Pleasant Grove Elementary School in Texarkana, Texas. She has taught for 12 years, with experience in teaching both first and second-grade students. She has a passion for finding new technology to keep all students engaged in the learning process, as well as teaching her peers how to use technology effectively in the classroom. In addition to her own campus, she has trained several other educators on new trends in technology.
Brittany presented Seesaw in different presentations at the Elementary Technology Conference in Galveston in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020. She has also trained St. Thomas Aquinas teachers in 2018 on Seesaw. She presented Seesaw at Texarkana ISD's conference in 2017, 2018, and 2019 and also at the North East East Texas Leading and Learning Conference in 2017 and 2018. In 2020, she became a TCEA Course Developer with her development of TCEA's Seesaw Educator course.
Elizabeth Benno
@elizabethbenno