Classroom Inspiration Archives - Swivl https://www.swivl.com/category/classroom-inspiration/ Mon, 06 Mar 2023 23:08:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 97173492 How Dodge City Schools Transformed Their Coaching Program to Support ELL Achievement https://www.swivl.com/2022/06/07/how-dodge-city-schools-transformed-their-coaching-program-to-support-ell-achievement/ Tue, 07 Jun 2022 16:05:59 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=69828 This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name → When administrators in Dodge City, KS, reviewed their student data in 2019, it was clear that literacy, specifically for their English Language Learners (ELLs), needed to be a top priority. With 80% of […]

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This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name

Hit the play button to listen to this article.

When administrators in Dodge City, KS, reviewed their student data in 2019, it was clear that literacy, specifically for their English Language Learners (ELLs), needed to be a top priority.

With 80% of the district’s 7,000 students identifying as Hispanic/Latino, this was already an area of focus. After receiving funding from a state grant, though, the district was ready to take a new approach.

Instead of focusing on top-down PD, Dodge City leaders invested in teacher coaching and self-reflection as a path to student literacy growth. 

To better support ELLs, Dodge City needed to remake their tools and systems for coaching

According to Kelley Clark, Literacy Project Manager and Professional Development Coordinator, this was a research-informed decision.

“We had seen a body of evidence saying that PD sessions alone won’t give us the return we wanted,” Kelley said. “We needed to support what we were doing with instructional coaching.”

In the past, Dodge City had had versions of instructional coaching, and even used classroom video in support of it. But they had identified several challenges to address.

“Coaching looked different across buildings and between individuals. Coaches often did ‘other duties as assigned’ instead of true coaching,” Kelley said.

Their old method of capturing classroom video was also a challenge to address.

“Lots of teachers found coaches visiting classrooms and using iPads to record them intimidating. The teachers had questions: What’s going on with the video? Whose video is it?” Kelley said.

With a clear goal and challenges to address, Dodge City was ready to get to work.

Leaders replaced classroom visits with Swivl Robots to create a more teacher-centered coaching program

Dodge City systematized and focused their coaching efforts by adopting Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle. While coaches used to visit classrooms to record lessons with an iPad, teachers now recorded their own lessons with Swivl Robots. 

Kelley was unsure how teachers would feel about recording themselves with Swivl Robots.

“The teachers actually preferred using the Robots to record themselves over having their coach record them with an iPad,” Kelley said.

At the same time, administrators and coaches audited coaches’ time. This clarified the job’s responsibilities and opened new ways for coaches to offer teacher support.

“Coaches began to leverage video captured by Swivl Robots at multiple points of the coaching cycle,” Kelley said. 

This included:

  • Capturing video before coaching to capture the current reality
  • Coaches sharing model lessons for teachers to refer to during the coaching cycle
  • Recording lessons during the cycle for reflection and richer coaching conversations

Additionally, Dodge City started using Swivl Robots to empower curriculum implementations. When ELA and Math teachers wanted to see a new curriculum taught in a lesson, coaches recorded and shared model lessons. These acted as concrete examples of instructional expectations teachers could revisit and share with others.

“We invested in teachers, focusing on collective efficacy,” Kelley said of the changes Dodge City made to support ELL achievement.

Teachers are empowered to reflect with classroom video, and ELLs show growth in crucial skills

“Change takes time. But we are seeing teacher practice shift,” Kelley said. 

This shift in practice has led to concrete results related to Dodge City’s goal to support ELLs. Recently, the Dodge City ESOL and Diversity Director shared assessment data showing growth in speaking, listening, and reading skills for ELL students.

“It’s steady, incremental growth, which is what we want to see,” Kelley said.

Kelley believes that giving teachers tools to engage in meaningful self-reflection and coaching is a key piece of that growth.

“When the Swivl Robot is in the classroom, it’s an objective observer,” Kelley said. “Teachers look at what they’re doing, and how their kids are responding. That’s more powerful than anyone coming in and saying ‘you should be doing this or that.’”

Kelley looks forward to expanded use of Teams by Swivl (now Reflectivity) for asynchronous discussion through time-stamped commenting, as a way to enrich face to face conversations with teachers.

During a recent coaching session, Kelley observed the power of giving teachers tools to reflect on classroom video.  While watching a video, the teacher saw how often she laughed with students and had fun moments with them during class. 

“She was laughing and having a good time, but she wasn’t conscious of it,” Kelley said. “It’s not always about identifying negative things. There are so many positives to discover.”

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Regular reflection is the PD teachers deserve. Here’s why. https://www.swivl.com/2022/02/15/teacher-self-reflection/ Tue, 15 Feb 2022 16:51:00 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=67556 This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name → Littleton Elementary is a small but fast-growing rural district in Maricopa County, Arizona. It operates seven physical schools plus one virtual academy. The district is known for its high-quality education, which attracts students […]

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This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name

Littleton Elementary is a small but fast-growing rural district in Maricopa County, Arizona. It operates seven physical schools plus one virtual academy. The district is known for its high-quality education, which attracts students of many income levels and backgrounds from around the area.

Facing a teacher shortage, the district has hired many new teachers from out of state. This means there is a high ratio of mentor teachers to early-career and new teachers.

How can a district maintain its high levels of instruction in these circumstances?  Littleton, like other districts nationwide, knows that the best teacher support is often in-house.  

The foundation of their support system is the use of reflection and video capture tools that offer an objective look at the classroom, so teachers can identify challenges away from the emotionally-charged day-to-day teaching.

In 2022, teacher support doesn’t mean sharing another slide deck about self-care.

Leaders can give teachers the support they deserve by helping them build a regular routine of reflection, and use video to go deeper when needed. 

Thousands spent on PD per teacher, but impact on day-to-day is unclear

A study by the New Teacher Project found that teachers spend 10% of their time on professional development activities, and districts spend about $18,000 per year per teacher on PD. Despite these large PD investments, teachers often lack adequate support in fundamentals like classroom management, which are more important than ever.

Consider these responses shared by a few of the 300K+ educators subscribed to our newsletter when we asked about how their training addressed classroom management:

“I don’t encounter classroom management issues that I can’t handle or address, but that’s not because of formal training I’ve had. That kind of training is not offered in teacher prep in college/university or professional learning once employed.”

“Nothing prepares you for classroom management. There was not even a course.”

“I have never received training on how to handle a student who refuses to sit down, take off their backpack, or complete any assignments.”

“I have taught for 23 years. There have only been three instances where I had no training to deal with student disruptions and behavior. Note: these have been in the last year.”

There were many comments echoing similar sentiments. A simple response to these circumstances might be, well, then train them! 

However, typical professional learning, theory-heavy and application-light, is the wrong response. Classroom management issues are highly context-specific to the personality of the teacher and students, the class size, the subject, and even the time of day of the class. 

Faced with urgent, unique challenges, teachers don’t need more nondescript, one size-fits-all style workshops. They don’t need more consultants or more observers in their classroom. 

Teachers need the tools and space to identify their specific issues. With an understanding of their challenges, they can start to address them objectively, and seek help they need from others. 

Helping teachers build a regular routine of reflection is the best way to do this at scale.

Reflection is more effective and convenient with Sessions

With Sessions by Swivl, administrators can give every teacher in a school or district the tools they need to begin a regular reflection routine.

Sessions guides teachers to reflect through several clearly-defined steps

  1. Set a Goal. Goals are the backbone of the reflection process. We recommend starting each week with a small goal, and as you gain more confidence and time, increase the rigor.
  2. (Optional) Incorporate Video Evidence. Remember this is optional! When you are ready to incorporate video evidence, you will always have the opportunity to do so after setting your goal. 
  3. Reflect. Explain what went well and what you’ll need to work on in the future to realize your goal or embark on a new one.
  4. (Optional) Ask for feedback. Reflection alone can only go so far in determining your next steps. Involving a partner will help you accelerate your thinking.

Even with teachers’ busy schedules, Sessions helps teachers reflect in a time-efficient way. Sessions helps teachers focus on specific aspects of their instruction as they reflect. 

Teacher preparation programs, the National Board certification process, and many state licensure programs all prioritize reflection as a tool for teacher growth. Why? Because it works.

Now, it’s time for all teachers to get the tools they need (and the time to use them), so they can realize the sustaining benefits of regular reflection.

Administrators: help your teachers build a regular routine of reflection

Remember Littleton School District in Arizona? 

Their Director of Instructional Technology Jim Verrill shared a recent story with us of a principal who was tasked with helping one of their teachers work through an instructional challenge. With all the professional learning options available, this principal encouraged the teacher to begin working through the challenges by recording their teaching and using Sessions to self-reflect. 

Then, through their robust system of teacher support, there are other actions teachers, coaches, or administrators can take to make sure the teachers get the help they need.

As Jim said, “Now, because principals have Swivl tools, they can help a teacher who needs support and have them work on reflection.”

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What Swivl means by ‘student coaching’ https://www.swivl.com/2021/05/25/what-swivl-means-by-student-coaching/ Tue, 25 May 2021 22:18:55 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=62401 Everyone is familiar with athletic coaches. Most are familiar with instructional coaches, too.  But what about student coaches? Of course, these are teachers. Teachers encourage students, motivate them, and help them build skills in one-to-one settings.  Through all of these acts, teachers are coaching students because they are teaching through relationships. If teachers are coaching […]

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Everyone is familiar with athletic coaches. Most are familiar with instructional coaches, too. 

But what about student coaches?

Of course, these are teachers.

Teachers encourage students, motivate them, and help them build skills in one-to-one settings. 

Through all of these acts, teachers are coaching students because they are teaching through relationships.

If teachers are coaching students, but not calling it coaching, why focus on the term? 

Why we need to identify and name the act of coaching students

Putting a specific term on any practice has a few important functions. 

Naming something brings attention to it. We can discuss coaching students easily when we have a name for it. A name makes it easier to measure and improve coaching students, too. We can also ensure teachers have strategies and tools needed to maximize the impact of their coaching moments. 

It’s important to note that coaching is a specific act with a student, not a broad term to describe any interaction. 

It’s not every passing conversation teachers have with kids. It’s not when the teacher is addressing the whole class through a lecture or questioning. It’s not when the teacher is grading a student’s work.

At the same time, coaching can happen in a variety of places and contexts. 

For example, as a high school English teacher, I had some of my most impactful short conversations with students when talking to them outside the classroom right before class began. 

In these moments, I was teaching students through building relationships with them. Those were coaching conversations.

What does student coaching look like?

In most cases, a coaching conversation involves teachers interacting with one student or a small group, likely sitting down, making deliberate time for that individual or group’s needs, and asking lots of questions.

The goal of this is to move beyond helping a student improve a skill. It’s more than ensuring students understand any specific information. Those outcomes might come out of a coaching conversation, too, but they’re not the focus. 

The purpose of coaching conversations with students is to dig into a student’s mindset and the stories behind its development

Teachers have all had students who “get in their own way.” This term applies to students who appear to have the skills needed to succeed, but demonstrate behaviors or patterns of thought that prohibit them from doing their best. 

“…coaching is a specific act with a student, not a broad term to describe any interaction.”

However, when a student is academically successful according to their test scores, grades and GPA, they can also benefit from coaching, and shouldn’t be overlooked in this discussion. Sadly, some of those severe mental health crises I observed while teaching were from high-performing students under tremendous pressure from their family, peers and themselves. 

In short, every student has a story of struggle. Coaching can help everyone.

When a teacher makes time for coaching conversations with students, it’s a chance to dig into this mindset, uncover barriers to learning, and help students conquer mindset issues that may be holding them back from doing their best work. 

Of course, these results usually don’t happen through one interaction. 

As a teacher, I was often “playing the long game” with certain students, understanding that it would take weeks or months to establish a relationship with a student, develop their trust, and show them I was there for them. Only then could I begin to encourage and push them towards doing their best work. 

This required prioritizing relationship building and conversations over other activities over the long term. At times, I might’ve been more lax about these students’ work habits at the moment, knowing that pushing them in this way wouldn’t be helpful. It was the process of teaching through relationships.

My story of discovering the power of coaching students

I once taught a student, who I’ll call Phillip. 

He talked more than anyone in class. However, most of his comments were quick, random thoughts, vaguely inspired by the topic of the day. Occasionally, he’d share a beaming insight that soared over the heads of the other freshmen students.

From this, I knew Phillip had great verbal skills. However, when it came to writing, he was lost. His thoughts were too rapid, and he couldn’t keep up while typing or writing. So he felt blocked.

At first, this frustrated me. 

I redirected him. I conferred with him 1:1 during class. He would say, “yes, OK, sounds good Mr. Dawson” and then go back to rocking in his chair or talking to students near him. I moved his seat. I lost my patience and appealed to his “grade” or “losing points.”

All the while, though, I talked to Phillip about his interests. I knew he liked music. He liked Magic: The Gathering cards. He was a social person and enjoyed asking me questions about myself and checking to see if I knew other teachers in the school that he liked talking to. 

“The purpose of coaching conversations with students is to dig into a student’s mindset and the stories behind its development.”

Eventually, I asked Phillip to stay after school, so we could work on his backlog of missing assignments. Despite my frustrations with his writing, he knew I wanted to help him. 

When we met, I talked to him about one of our writing topics. It was an essay about his love of music and his experience learning the bass guitar. I asked him questions and realized he had great information to share. A perfect personal narrative. 

Then, I turned on my iPhone Voice Memo app, and hit record. I repeated my questions. He repeated his answers. I played back the recording and said, “what if you don’t focus on coming up with ideas and writing at the same time? What if you just focus on writing down what you already said?”

The results weren’t miraculous, but it worked.

As a quick aside, this shift from writing to audio has been a valuable tool throughout my teaching career. School is often focused on writing as the primary means of capturing thinking, but audio is a convenient and accessible method for both students and teachers to use. 

He still struggled with focusing. However, he popped on his headphones and started chipping away at the recording, writing down ideas he heard and wanted to keep. He finished the assignment and turned it in. 

He successfully passed English. This was his second attempt, so it was a big deal.

The spectrum of skill development vs. emotional development

After I made time to build a relationship with Phillip, there were a few results. 

First, he used this recording tactic to do other writing assignments. Second, most of his future writing assignments in class went more smoothly for him.

He built his writing skills. But more importantly, he realized he could write.

It was only through prioritizing conversations with Phillip and exploring his interests, that we discovered this idea to help him break through his struggles. 

While coaching students will often lead to building content knowledge and skills, the biggest impact comes from emotional development. 

When teachers coach students, and help them improve their mindset, they help them with the ultimate transferable skill, useful across classrooms and situations outside of school. 

That is the power of coaching students. The power of teaching through relationships.

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Making the Transition Back to School https://www.swivl.com/2021/03/30/making-the-transition-back-to-school/ Wed, 31 Mar 2021 06:28:38 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=61441 It’s a question everyone in education is asking: What will next school year look like? While the answer will vary across schools and districts, we know for certain we will not be going back to normal. When schools welcome students back in the fall, it will be different; it HAS to be different. The pandemic […]

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It’s a question everyone in education is asking: What will next school year look like? While the answer will vary across schools and districts, we know for certain we will not be going back to normal. When schools welcome students back in the fall, it will be different; it HAS to be different. The pandemic has changed everything from the way we work, to the way we connect with friends and family, to the way students access instruction. 

There have been incredible challenges over the last twelve months but also opportunities to innovate and disrupt traditional ways of teaching. When the pandemic forced school closures in March, over 20,000 educators turned to the Modern Classrooms Project’s blended, self-paced, mastery-based instructional model

While there are still challenges that lie ahead, the Modern Classrooms Project can support educators and students as they return to in-person learning and begin to address the social-emotional and academic impacts of COVID-19. Educators can also effectively differentiate instruction and deepen student learning by using technology tools like Swivl coupled with the Modern Classrooms Project instructional model.

Learning levels have widened

There have always been a broad diversity of learning levels within a classroom but the pandemic has only made these gaps more extreme. While some students thrived in the remote and hybrid learning setting, many have suffered academically, socially, and emotionally. A recent analysis of student learning loss due to the pandemic found that students learned only 67 percent of the math and 87 percent of the reading that grade-level peers would typically have learned by the fall. The learning loss was especially severe for students of color, where scores were 59 percent of the historical average in math and 77 percent in reading.


Students’ varying academic levels will need an instructional model that meets them where they are.The Modern Classroom instructional model replaces a one-size-fits-all approach with differentiated instruction and flexible structures that meet the unique needs of each and every student. Students are no longer pushed ahead to a new lesson each day. They can take the time they need to truly master new content and only progress when they are ready. 

Centering student relationships

Children and adolescents have not been spared the unique stresses of the last year. Some students may have lost a loved one or experienced economic hardship due to a parent losing their job. Some may have become more aware of systemic racism, climate change, and other societal issues like food insecurity and healthcare availability. It is critical that schools are responsive to the unique experiences, attitudes, and feelings students will bring back to the classroom. While this is a global problem, there are things that any individual teacher can do to start addressing these needs. When in-person learning resumes, we know there will be a temptation to be singularly focused on academic content to make up for learning loss. While it’s important to build students’ academic skills, it will be equally as important to focus on students’ social and emotional well-being and foster positive relationships with them.

The Modern Classroom instructional model allows educators to spend less time delivering whole group instruction and more time working closely with students. By leveraging blended instruction through teacher-created videos, teachers can use valuable class time for supervising small group work, checking in with students one-on-one, and providing meaningful and personalized support. This small group and one-on-one time helps foster healthy, trusting relationships with students. Relational teaching takes work and time, but it is the key to building supportive school communities for our students. 

Disruptions will continue

Modern Classroom educators report that our model provides them with flexibility to more easily transition between in-person, hybrid, and remote learning environments and assist  students who miss class. According to a 2016 Department of Education report, 21% of high school students miss more than fifteen days of school per year. This number could be even higher next year. Students may miss school for a variety of reasons outside of their control and should have opportunities to access content and pick up where they left off. In Modern Classrooms, students can access content at any time and from any place via teacher-created instructional videos. 

Blended, self-paced, mastery-based classrooms put students in the driver’s seat of their own learning.  Students don’t have to wait for whole-class direct instruction to access new content: they can easily hit play and watch a short instructional video created by their teacher. After watching this instructional video, students can proceed to their assignments and apply what they have learned. Students control the pace of their learning as they move from lesson to lesson. When students are in control of their learning, they naturally take more responsibility for their learning. This learner independence is a 21st century skill that will benefit students long after their school days are over.

Leveraging technology

Modern Classroom educators were at an advantage when the pandemic struck because they were comfortable leveraging technology to facilitate learning. But for many teachers, technology was not as commonplace in their classrooms and they had to quickly learn how to use new platforms, apps, and technology tools. Now that educators have these new technology skills, they can’t let them go to waste. Educators can harness their use of technology and serve their students even better than before. 


As students across the country adapted to remote and hybrid learning, they, too, became more familiar with education technology and its various uses. For Modern Classroom students, the transition to remote and hybrid learning was made easier by their expertise using technology to access instruction. A study by John Hopkins University found 66% of students in a Modern Classroom report that they learn how to use technology in class compared to only 47% of students in a traditional classroom, and that 100% of Modern Classroom educators felt they used technology effectively. In the last year, districts have invested more heavily in technology devices and infrastructure and it will be important that their instructional models support the effective and efficient use of this new technology.

Preventing burnout 

Teaching is challenging even in the best of circumstances, and  the pandemic has made it substantially harder and put immense pressure on educators. An alarming poll from the National Education Association found that nearly one in three teachers are more likely to resign or retire early due to COVID. At a time when educator’s stress levels are soaring, it’s critically important that they feel supported. 

Modern Classroom educators report that our model makes teaching more sustainable. They are able to focus less on delivering content in real-time and focus more on connecting with students one-on-one and creating learning environments where students flourish personally and academically.

Join the conversation with Swivl and the Modern Classrooms Project

Want to engage in more discussions about this topic and hear first-hand perspectives from Modern Classroom educators? Join us on April 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET and hear from Modern Classroom educator Moira Mazzi on how the blended, self-paced, mastery-based model has helped her overcome the challenges of remote teaching and will ease her and her students’ transition back to in-person learning. 


You can get started learning the Modern Classroom instructional model and bring new teaching strategies to our own classroom by enrolling in their Free Online Course at learn.modernclassrooms.org.

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Developing Teacher Agency Through Edited Video https://www.swivl.com/2021/01/21/developing-teacher-agency-through-edited-video/ Thu, 21 Jan 2021 19:01:10 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=58958 This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name → Teachers should be empowered to face the challenges they experience in their own classrooms. As a fourth grade teacher, I met with my instructional coach just once per quarter. It was frequent enough […]

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This blog is focused on the use of Swivl Teams. Teams is now Reflectivity – learn why we changed our name

Teachers should be empowered to face the challenges they experience in their own classrooms. As a fourth grade teacher, I met with my instructional coach just once per quarter. It was frequent enough for administration to check the box indicating that I got coaching, but remained mostly an empty exercise. It was not uncommon for me to have a question or a challenge I was stuck on, but not get any feedback or real help until I had moved on or struggled through it myself. It’s obvious now that I already knew my weaknesses; I didn’t need a coach to always point them out. What I did need was access to tools that would make it easier for me to show my coach exactly what I was questioning in my teaching. 

The barriers of time and lack of coaching resources cause teachers to push their questions aside every day and work around them, which does not lead to elevated performance. With video coaching, simple editing and playback tools make it easier for teachers to maintain ownership of their problems and goals, and make it easier for coaches to do their jobs. 

Traditional video coaching vs targeting challenges

Traditional video coaching is based on reviewing video from an entire lesson and the only way to support the time required for this format is to reduce the frequency you meet with coaches. But in between the occasional coaching sessions, teachers are waiting to receive feedback, are not being supported or growing in their practice, and ultimately miss out on improving student outcomes in the classroom. Instead, what if the goal were to empower teachers to pinpoint their challenges and ask for what they need? 

If a teacher could record their lesson in the morning and share it with their coach by lunchtime, they could realistically receive feedback as soon as the next day. The shorter and more engaging the video shared, the more opportunity there is for teachers to use meaningful and relevant feedback to make real-time changes. 

What if the goal were to empower teachers to pinpoint their challenges and ask for what they need? 

Though great general purpose tools, commonly-used video editing programs could not have helped me quickly reach the result of short and shareable recorded lessons.

However, the editing tools available within the Swivl Teams platform are specific for teachers and provide a seamless way to integrate coaching sessions into busy school days. 

How it works with Swivl

When a teacher records and uploads a lesson to their Swivl account, they can choose specific video editing tools – Trim and Cut. Together, these allow you to easily remove unneeded parts from the beginning and ends of the video while also removing sections from the middle that aren’t relevant. Now, the video is more engaging since it’s focused on only the most important segments. And more importantly, the teacher has chosen what they want to work on for this session.

Now, some coaches prefer to keep the whole video intact for reference – and that’s okay. Swivl has built-in playback tools that have a similar effect as editing. In this case, I recommend using bookmarks and time-stamped comments to highlight specific moments of recorded lessons. If I shared a recording of a lesson that was thirty minutes long, for example, it would be extremely useful for me to be able to bookmark exactly which points of the lesson I felt needed work or indicated a challenge I have. My coach would simply be able to revisit parts of the lesson that I indicated, while maintaining the integrity of the whole video.

Communication builds trust

Had I had access to this kind of collaboration with my instructional coach when I was teaching, I would have felt more supported and confident in my teaching practice. Communicating with a coach through bookmarks and time-stamped comments would provide for faster feedback, and therefore a more supportive professional learning environment.

There still exists the common mentality of “checking a box” to complete an observation or coaching session, and Swivl is working to make this a thing of the past. Ultimately, great coaching is built on relationships, and transactional approaches will not produce effective teachers. 

Had I had access to this kind of collaboration with my instructional coach when I was teaching, I would have felt more supported and confident in my teaching practice.

A journalist’s writing goes through multiple revisions before it is published, a football coach meets to watch film with his players after every practice, and the conductor of a symphony orchestra makes adjustments to the music’s tempo in real time. Without thoughtful feedback, and ownership of their challenges, the journalist’s writing becomes outdated, the football team will not be prepared for success, and the conductor is unable to create a unified work of art. So why shouldn’t teachers also be given time and agency? 

Trust that if all educators are given the tools to form stronger relationships, teachers will have the courage to admit their struggles, and feel confident in their ability to excel.

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edTPA Success with Swivl https://www.swivl.com/2020/03/30/edtpa-success-with-swivl/ Mon, 30 Mar 2020 23:12:20 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=59960 The edTPA is a performance-based, subject-specific assessment and support system used by teacher preparation programs throughout the U.S. One of the more difficult tasks of the edTPA is Task 2, the video portion. Getting the edTPA video submission right can be daunting, from creating the right recording environment, to meeting the file submission requirements. What […]

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The edTPA is a performance-based, subject-specific assessment and support system used by teacher preparation programs throughout the U.S. One of the more difficult tasks of the edTPA is Task 2, the video portion. Getting the edTPA video submission right can be daunting, from creating the right recording environment, to meeting the file submission requirements. What does it take to be successful in creating a great edTPA video.

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ECEs get a “Head Start” with Swivl https://www.swivl.com/2019/11/14/video-for-ece-head-start/ Thu, 14 Nov 2019 08:46:52 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=43957 From in-home observations to flipped classrooms to mentor/ mentee relationships, Swivl is the obvious choice to collect crisp, clear audio and a 360° video recorded view of what is going on in early childhood education (ECE) environments. Swivl’s multi-audio technology allows parents to participate in evaluations providing more data for family engagement specialists while observing […]

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From in-home observations to flipped classrooms to mentor/ mentee relationships, Swivl is the obvious choice to collect crisp, clear audio and a 360° video recorded view of what is going on in early childhood education (ECE) environments.

Swivl’s multi-audio technology allows parents to participate in evaluations providing more data for family engagement specialists while observing home environments. Bringing the Swivl equipment home allows specialists to get a full picture of the child. Multiple microphones and video allows teachers and schools to show parents exactly what is going on in the class.

Teachers, students, and parents can use it for a Flipped Classroom experience. Schools can build libraries of videos for students and parents to reference. Teachers can Bookmark key moments during the lesson to guide viewers at home. School practices and events can be recorded for viewing at a later time. 

Multi-camera videos and Speech Analysis give researchers unparalleled insights for individualized ECE observations. We know how important the first few years of a child's cognitive development are for pre-literacy, pre-math, and pre-writing skills. Many studies have shown that these are key indicators of their future success in school.

Finally, with Swivl, coaches can also use video to provide teachers time-stamped feedback while using Swivl Teams. Teachers and coaches can use Rubrics to refer to evidence-based practices to engage in meaningful dialogue.

Swivl user Marilyn Armstrong, the ASaP Project Manager at The GRIT Program says, “Our project is building the skills and confidence of early childhood educators to promote social and emotional learning and the inclusion of all children. Swivl helps our educators in rural areas to capture and share the practices they are using with children with their coach. We love the annotation feature to encourage reflective questioning and provide positive feedback. Swivl supports our team to work together collaboratively even when they are far apart!”

Download the companion flyer

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Positive Video Recording Practices in Schools https://www.swivl.com/2019/11/13/swivl-positive-recording-environments/ Thu, 14 Nov 2019 07:45:47 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=43938 We get it. Recording videos in the classroom can be stressful for students, teachers and parents alike. Swivl is here to help everyone become comfortable with video by offering some suggestions for creating positive recording environments Recruit Willing Teachers and Observers Start your video program small by only asking willing teachers and observers to participate. […]

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We get it. Recording videos in the classroom can be stressful for students, teachers and parents alike. Swivl is here to help everyone become comfortable with video by offering some suggestions for creating positive recording environments

  1. Recruit Willing Teachers and Observers

Start your video program small by only asking willing teachers and observers to participate. Forcing recording in the classroom can create tension between you and your teachers and a negative environment for students.

  1. Share your privacy plans

The privacy of teachers and students is a top concern for us at Swivl and we're sure it is for you, too. Thoroughly investigate the privacy policies of your district, and be transparent about them with teachers, students, and parents. We have several sample permission and media release forms we can offer you if you don’t know where to start.

  1. Record with formative assessment in mind

Piloting a video program with summative assessment can be stressful for teachers. Record often using a formative assessment strategy and they will begin to identify their glows and growths earlier in their video journeys.

  1. Celebrate Teacher Participation

Recognize your teachers’ bravery by identifying ways to reward and celebrate them. Thank them for reinforcing the culture of video. Rewards needn’t be tangible - even providing extra opportunities for teachers to collaborate during regular school hours can be hugely rewarding for teachers who are strapped for time!

  1. Collect Feedback Often

Understanding how your teachers, students, and parents are feeling about video recording is critical to a successful video program.

The bottom line: If all else fails and you’re still having trouble getting started with Swivl, record yourself at every faculty meeting or PD session. Prove that video isn’t so scary after all!

Gather more positive recording practices from Harvard’s CEPR “Best Foot Forward” Project or reach out to us at: support@swivl.com

Download the companion flyer

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Student Empowerment Part 2 https://www.swivl.com/2019/07/25/student-empowerment-part-2/ Thu, 25 Jul 2019 23:34:48 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=59968 Authors Rick Jetter, Ph.D. and Rebecca Coda provide the justifications for and strategies to make your organization dependent on student input for genuine transformation felt by everyone from school Administrators to teachers, parents, and community stakeholders. Learn how allowing student ideas to flourish will change the landscape of your education system. Resources discussed during the […]

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Authors Rick Jetter, Ph.D. and Rebecca Coda provide the justifications for and strategies to make your organization dependent on student input for genuine transformation felt by everyone from school Administrators to teachers, parents, and community stakeholders.

Learn how allowing student ideas to flourish will change the landscape of your education system.

Resources discussed during the webinar>

Generously provided by Rick Jetter and Rebecca Coda

https://youtu.be/yQbEvHjVXII

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Student Empowerment Part 1 https://www.swivl.com/2019/07/11/student-empowerment-part-1/ Thu, 11 Jul 2019 23:40:34 +0000 https://www.swivl.com/?p=59970 This was one of a two-part webinar series that explores strategies for encouraging more authentic student voice in your class and promoting student agency in the decision making processes that ultimately affect their educational experiences. Big thanks to Trevor Mackenzie! (author: “Dive Into Inquiry”) Resources discussed during the webinar> Generously provided by Trevor Mackenzie

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This was one of a two-part webinar series that explores strategies for encouraging more authentic student voice in your class and promoting student agency in the decision making processes that ultimately affect their educational experiences. Big thanks to Trevor Mackenzie! (author: “Dive Into Inquiry”)

Resources discussed during the webinar>

Generously provided by Trevor Mackenzie

https://youtu.be/FigdX1iWnO8

The post Student Empowerment Part 1 appeared first on Swivl.

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