A Teaching Transformation: Giving Students a Chance to Direct Their Own Learning
Tarryn Hemmingway, Grade 6–7–8 teacher at Penson School.
In the past few years, many of CIS Ontario’s member schools have piloted and successfully adopted Edwin in grades 6-9 across the country and 6-10 in Ontario. Edwin, Nelson’s digital learning ecosystem, offers curriculum linked resources across all core subject areas, interactive tools, and curated collections to keep classrooms connected wherever learning happens.
Earlier this year, the Peace Wapiti Public School Division decided to pilot Edwin in their classrooms. We recently checked in with Tarryn, a grade 6–7–8 teacher at Penson School, about her experience with Edwin and how it’s working for her students, both in the classroom and as they’ve transitioned to learning at home.
Tools and resources that transform teaching
The students didn’t have a problem transitioning to Edwin. In Tarryn’s words, “the kids are pretty good with technology now”—and they enjoyed having access to Edwin’s different tools. Right away, Tarryn found that she didn’t have to talk as much when she was in the classroom. Instead, Edwin’s Collections and resources meant that students were taking more control over their learning, and after giving the students some instruction, she was facilitating discussions rather than leading them.
The impact of COVID-19
When schools closed, Edwin helped Tarryn’s students have a smooth transition to remote learning. Edwin gave them easy access to learning resources and materials, and helped students by letting them go at their own pace. The tools in Edwin have helped students collaborate with their peers, and along the way they’re learning valuable skills, such as how to communicate effectively online. Edwin has also helped make the transition to Google Classroom more straightforward. While many teachers may have struggled with the transition to remote teaching, Tarryn says that because her class “was already used to learning digitally rather than on paper, the kids picked it up easily within the first week.”
Opening new worlds and building student engagement
Beyond the excitement in trying something new, Edwin also levels the playing field for many students who have struggled with reading. Having tools such as speech to text right there for students to use is priceless. Without it, many kids are lost, unable to find the information they need in a textbook. But with Edwin, it’s easy to search for information, and it can also deliver results out loud, rather than on the screen. Tarryn says, “I’ve watched some of my kids struggle for several years, and seeing them being finally able to access the same information as their peers was really nice. Seeing them have that ‘aha’ moment—when they truly understand what they’re learning—is great.” For students who have struggled with traditional textbooks and the old-school pen and paper, Edwin has truly been a game-changer.
And because Edwin is interactive, Tarryn has spent less time standing at the front of the class presenting information, and has many more opportunities to facilitate classroom discussions. Even with distance learning, the students are more engaged, and using the tools and resources in Edwin helps Tarryn’s students access their resourcefulness and ingenuity. Edwin also helps students access their higher-level thinking skills: instead of just taking notes, if they have to describe something, draw a picture of it, and then share that with the class, they’re much more likely to understand and retain the information.
Students can use WeVideo’s huge library of templates, images, audio and video clips, backgrounds, and sound effects to make engaging online presentations.
Students as content creators
Tarryn’s class frequently uses WeVideo, and the students work together to make videos or podcasts. For some of the students who are shy about doing a presentation in front of the class, Edwin makes it easier to flex their creative muscles. They may have been a little embarrassed to watch them, but the enthusiastic response of their classmates has helped them feel proud of their accomplishments, and it’s allowed them to stay connected as a classroom even as they’re learning remotely.
More than learning facts, it’s about developing skills
Edwin is also helping students learn to advocate for themselves. And when students have problems, Edwin’s help desk is there. Tarryn says that her students “don’t realize how resourceful they can be, and they literally have the world at their fingertips. They just have to type their questions.” Even when Edwin doesn’t work as expected, it’s still a learning opportunity, helping students be resilient and cope with change.
The only downside so far to Edwin in Tarryn’s class? There’s a huge variety of material—and that can sometimes cause problems with focus. There’s a lot to navigate, and students sometimes struggle to figure out what all the features do, and how certain tools can best be used. But even that gives students an opportunity to develop their problem solving skills.
Professional Learning is encouraged by motivating community participation with tools such as open questions and polls.
Support from peers and the professional community
Tarryn has also benefitted from extensive support from the Edwin Classroom Success Teachers. There was an in-person demonstration for the whole class about how to use Edwin and some of the tools, and then Tarryn had a personal session discussing the tools she could use as a teacher, how to set up Collections, and how to give students access to the collections. Tarryn has also joined online groups both for her district and for Edwin in general, so she gets emails and notifications when another teacher has a question, and she can see different solutions for problems, and benefit from a shared online community. “It’s been really encouraging, and it’s really nice to see that we’re not the only ones using Edwin. We can help people work through similar struggles, and if somebody needs help finding a collection you can give them access, so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
We can’t teach everyone the same way
In the end, Edwin has been a positive experience for Tarryn and her class. Most importantly, Tarryn feels Edwin helps all her students reach their full potential. “Edwin helps build critical thinking skills, it provides a different platform for accessing information, and it gives students options in how they’ll present the knowledge they’ve gained. Not everyone’s the same, and we can’t teach everyone the same way.”
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Tarryn Hemmingway
Teacher, Grade 6–7–8, Penson School