A Late-Blooming Passion

Diane’s journey into education wasn’t traditional. As she shared in a recent podcast interview, “I actually started my education journey later in life. My boys were in kindergarten and fourth grade when I started.” She was working as a bank teller and had an unfulfilled feeling. She was called to education from a dive to be a strong positive role model for her children.

Her journey to education was motivated by a profound realization: “I saw the way they looked up to their teachers and I saw the way they enjoyed learning.” This insight prompted her to quit her job at the bank and pursue education. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher finding joy in play and hands-on learning. She continued to invest in STEM education eventually becoming her school’s STEM lab specialist.

During her journey, she continued to use technology. While scrolling through Twitter one evening, Diane discovered Seesaw, the digital platform that would become instrumental in her professional growth. She quickly tried this tool on her own and implemented it into her classroom. Within just two weeks of implementation, 90% of her parents were actively engaging with the tool. As she candidly describes, “It’s all in one place. I’m not trying to sell anybody, but I don’t know why anybody would use other things.”

Transforming a Classroom

In her STEM lab, Seesaw became more than just a communication tool. It became a platform for capturing learning in its most authentic form. The built in multimedia tools allow every student to share their understanding in a way that fits them best. One of her favorite projects illustrates this perfectly – a limestone cave model where students used sugar cubes and clay to demonstrate erosion.

“The kids take pictures and a final video as they are making it rain and showing how it is eroding the rock,” Diane explains. “Because we can take pictures and video and integrate it all in Seesaw, the teachers and parents can see that they fully understand it before we even go on our field trip.”

Diane focuses on teaching resilience and creativity. “Getting these kids to recognize that failure is okay… getting them to think of multiple ways to come up with an answer is a big deal,” she emphasizes. Seesaw is the perfect tool to build a growth mindset in children. The multiple ways that students can share their understanding intuitively leads to their not being one way to answer the question.

Perhaps most importantly, Seesaw gave Diane confidence. From initially being ostracized from colleagues when suggesting the tool, she had to prove its value. “Probably about 18 out of 20 parents in my classroom were on board with it and they really liked it,” she recalls. This portion of parents were far higher than the current methods being used and was a selling point for her coworkers.

Transforming a Career

The tool didn’t just transform her classroom, it expanded her professional horizons. “Seesaw has really given me confidence,” she says. It enabled her to speak at state and national conferences, connect with educators, and share innovative teaching strategies. These opportunities would not have been possible without Seesaw.

Diane’s story illustrates how the right educational technology tool can transform any classroom. It’s more than just choosing and using a tool, it’s about creating connections, building confidence, and continually evolving as an educator.

As Diane herself puts it, “We learn by talking to different people and sharing ideas.” Her journey with Seesaw proves that embracing educational technology can open doors to unexpected opportunities and discover profound professional growth.

To hear more about Diane’s success with Seesaw, tune into her podcast episode here.

The post The Tool That Transforms Teaching Careers appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Seesaw Instruction & Insights 

Exclusive Updates

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Updated December 2, 2024

Focus Mode Update – Disable Individual Drawing Tools

You asked, and we listened! Provide students with even more guidance in Focus Mode by selecting which drawing tools students are available to students.

Admin Learning Insights Dashboard

Equip instructional leaders with deep learning insights to make data-driven decisions. Monitor how students are performing on standards and gain visibility into what standards are being taught using Seesaw. 

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School & District Library Collections

School and District Library Collections will allow admins to bring their scope and sequence into Seesaw, helping them customize their use of Seesaw to align with their school and district initiatives. Teachers can browse the curated collections in a space they already utilize, helping save valuable time!

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Read-with-Me

The Read-with-Me scaffolding tool supports emerging readers with passages that can be read aloud to them with word-by-word highlighting, allowing them to make powerful connections between written and spoken word.

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Reading Fluency Assessment Tool

The Reading Fluency Assessment Tool allows teachers to quickly understand student progress on literacy skills like word identification and reading fluency. The tool collects and automatically analyzes student reading samples and provides at-a-glance, actionable reporting to teachers. 

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Free Response Assessment Type

The Free Response Assessment Type adds additional flexibility to Seesaw assessments by allowing teachers to collect open text responses to formative assessment questions. The tool allows for manual grading and autograding and provides aggregated response data in reporting.

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Focus Mode 

Focus Mode makes any activity align to the developmental level of the students completing it by helping to minimize distractions and ensuring students respond in the appropriate and desired formats.

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Flexcard

Flexcard expands the way teachers engage with students! Flexcard offers more customizability and variability in activities to meet the unique needs of your classroom. Flexcards can contain text images and voice, or a combination on each side with up to 30 sides. 

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Seesaw for Schools Updates

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Creative Tool Enhancements 

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Activity Templates 

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Quarterly Digital Portfolio Activity Templates

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Sitewide Standards

Sitewide Standards allows schools and districts to localize to their state/region standard sets. This saves teachers time and makes all places within Seesaw easier to use and more personalized.

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The post What’s New in Seesaw appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

At Seesaw we believe the student’s experience matters, offering diverse multimodal tools that cater to different learning styles. The platform engages students by giving them voice and choice in their learning journey, allowing them to interact with content in ways that resonate with them. They can easily share their progress with peers, teachers, and family members, building a strong support network that celebrates their achievements and fosters their growth. Even students who may not yet be able to read, write, or speak can communicate and express their needs through our accessible tools. Additionally, Multilingual Learners benefit from visual and audio aids, as well as support from family members, with translation capabilities in over 100 languages to help them master English.

Here’s how Seesaw enables students to experience learning:

I can get into Seesaw quickly with a QR code so I don’t have to remember a passcode.

I feel like I know our classroom routines because it’s easy to find what I need to work on.

I have lots of fun with my assignments because I get to choose from different tools to show what I know, like a camera, microphone, or pencil.

I like showing off my digital portfolio with my friends.

The post The Experience Matters appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Seesaw’s tools are certified for Learner Variability, Research-Based Design, UDL, and more, amplifying evidence-based best practices for multilingual learners. These tools drive academic growth, foster language acquisition, and build learner confidence. For years, Seesaw has been a vital asset in ELD initiatives, helping educators implement these research-based methods in their classrooms. From digital portfolios to creative tools and family communication, Seesaw provides a comprehensive platform that empowers both teachers and students.

Intuitive Tools That Empower Expression and Foster Accessibility

Seesaw’s multimodal tools enable teachers to support learning with visuals, video models, and audio support. Additionally, these tools provide students with alternative ways of showing their understanding. Sharon, a 1st and 2nd grade teacher, said, “Having many formats available for student responses makes a huge difference for my English Language Learners”. Supporting students’ language needs allows multilingual learners to show what they know without barriers, giving teachers actionable insights to move students’ language and academic development forward.

Differentiated Content That Meet Students Where They Are

Providing students with “just right learning” is an end goal for every educator. Seesaw is an industry leader in this area. Through hosting a thousands of leveled activities, to customizable group assignment options, teachers are finding power in using Seesaw to provide students exactly what they need to learn at their fullest potential. 

Out of 900 teachers surveyed, 95% said Seesaw enables them to differentiate content to meet students’ diverse needs.

Capture and Celebrate Student Growth Over Time 

Seesaw’s student driven digital portfolios revolutionize how teachers assess and document student progress through language domains. Unlike traditional portfolios, Seesaw creates a reflective space where growth is clearly seen and becomes a tool to showcase student achievements. This space is also uniquely shared with connected family members making it a transparent view for all stakeholders into student growth over time. 

Bring Every Family into the Learning Loop

Family involvement is critical for student success, especially for ELL students. Valencia, a PK teacher, shared how Seesaw motivates her student’s best work. “Knowing that their families will see their work truly excites my students. When they are proud of their completed crafts, they place them directly into their backpacks. Their focus is to share that joy with their families. Seesaw fulfills that desire for students immediately.”  The learning journal by Seesaw ensures that learning extends beyond the classroom creating a shared space for families to experience their child’s growth. 

Early Markers of Transformative Impact

The Seesaw ELD program has had a significant impact on schools even when they had a chance to just preview it. Educators across these districts are reporting transformative results for their multilingual students. Alex Isaacs from Long Branch School District has observed a notable increase in student engagement and pride, stating, “Students are empowered to participate and excited to share their learning with parents and families.” This heightened engagement is bridging the gap between school and home, creating a more inclusive learning environment.

In Vacaville USD, Cheryl Carter has seen a marked improvement in how multilingual students interact with their lessons. “Multilingual students engage by recording their responses and then listening/rerecording with enthusiasm,” she notes. This increased participation has led to more confident learners and more accurate assessments of student progress.

Teachers are also benefiting from Seesaw ELD’s comprehensive resources. As Carter points out, “Teachers don’t have to create support lessons; they are ready to use through Seesaw ELD Content.” This time-saving aspect allows educators to focus more on individualized instruction and less on lesson preparation.

Schools report that students from diverse backgrounds feel valued and seen as a result of the program’s cultural representation and multimodal tools. This has resulted in increased motivation and academic improvement. Several schools report increased test scores and English proficiency among their multilingual learners as a result of scaffolded lessons across core subjects.

As more schools adopt Seesaw ELD, the positive impacts continue to multiply. From boosting student confidence to saving teacher time, from improving family engagement to enhancing overall academic performance, Seesaw ELD is proving to be a game-changer in supporting multilingual learners and creating more inclusive, effective educational environments.

Research Validated English Language Development Solution

Seesaw’s supplemental curriculum is validated by LearnPlatform, a third-party edtech research company, to satisfy Level IV requirements according to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The programs systematic evidence-based practices and developmentally appropriate design leads to easer differentiation, stronger interaction, and more purposeful assessment. Read the full report outlining how Seesaw satisfies this validation here.

Experience The Seesaw Difference for Multilingual Learners

Seesaw equips teachers with intuitive tools to differentiate instruction for Multilingual Learners and foster culturally-responsive classrooms that drive academic growth and language acquisition. Seesaw ELD provides K-5 Multilingual Learners with scaffolded opportunities to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking English in the context of over 480 ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies lessons.  

Developmentally appropriate lessons can be flexibly taught through various ELD models and follow the WIDA Framework, Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model, and state content standards. 

Try out the following lessons to support your students in language development:

• Language Arts Grade 2: Language Level 1-2 
• Math Grade K: Language Level 3-4
• Science Grade 5: Language Level 5-6
• Social Studies Grade 1: Language Level 1-2
• English Language Explorers: Newcomers

The post The Learning Experience Platform for Multilingual Learners appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Educators, policy makers, and governments have been paying more attention to literacy instruction in the past few years, but it has always been a critical part of elementary education. Much of this attention comes from the post-pandemic effects; students not performing at grade level. Moreover, recent movements have highlighted the lack of evidence backing popular reading programs. Schools and districts are currently reviewing their literacy programs and searching for research-backed, evidence-based solutions for early literacy.

Schools are constantly looking for additional programs and will often adopt multiple solutions. This is because early literacy skills require ample, differentiated practice. Going beyond what the core curriculum has to offer enables students to stay more engaged and learning to be differentiated easier. 

Seesaw’s early literacy content and instructional tools support schools’ needs for high quality supplemental curriculum. But don’t take our word for it. Hear from our community of educators the secrets that make Seesaw the perfect tool to unlock powerful early literacy growth.

How has Seesaw revolutionized word recognition activities and early literacy development in your classroom?

• “I love to see growth in students’ reading and spelling. A few years ago I looped with my class which included a few students who were well behind reading level. After two years of doing a reading intervention with them, getting them more interested in reading, and using Seesaw for spelling and phonics pattern sorts and work, I saw so much growth in these students by the end of the second year.” – Amara B., 5th Grade Teacher
• “Seesaw allows all my students to record themselves. This allows all students to engage throughout the lessons versus just listening to the teacher speak.” – Margaret O., 2nd Grade Teacher
• “Seesaw made small group instruction a breeze as each person had what they needed.” – Gwendolen G., Dyslexia Interventionist
• “I am able to differentiate my students’ learning with Seesaw. Seesaw allows me to provide the perfect amount of support.” – Diane D., 4th Grade Teacher

These teachers have found that using Seesaw has been a crucial tool in dramatically improving their early literacy instruction. By adopting Seesaw’s easy to use platform and accessible tools, they were able to help their students get back on track quickly and easily.

How is language development practice made better when done with Seesaw?

• “Our reading program has a really boring phonics piece that is all just pencil and paper. I created assignments to go with the program and the students are so much more engaged and invested in their learning!” – Julie B., 2nd Grade Teacher
• “Students can be assigned different activities based on their own learning pathways. Then use Seesaw tools to reflect and share. This allows students to progress at their own rate and use Seesaw to share their growth!” – Mckinzie K., 2nd Grade Teacher
• “During reading groups, I can work with students at different phonics levels, while others can be doing high quality Seesaw activities. For students that are new to English, Seesaw is a life-saver.” – Carly A., Year 2 Teacher

Early literacy programs emphasize practice and repetition. However, this may be at the cost of losing student engagement and interest. Seesaw enabled these teachers to reengage learners and provide them with specific learning opportunities tailored to their needs by providing them with the tools they needed. 

How does Seesaw enable early intervention for all learners?

• “With Seesaw, I was able to pinpoint specific at risk students, thus allowing early intervention and an opportunity to close the gaps much earlier in the year.” Crissy C., PreK Teacher
• “The best thing about Seesaw is the ability to respond to and receive feedback orally. It opens doors for success along the way.” – Christy D., 2nd Grade Teacher
• “When seeking progress monitoring documentation in an early childhood setting, performance based tasks are where the action is at. Seesaw as digital portfolio is perfect for tracking their progress.” – Debra M., Instructional Coach

The ability to make faster, better decisions that support concrete evidence and learning artifacts is one of the key characteristics of effective teaching. Through Seesaw’s digital portfolio, teachers gain the ability to do just that making it the perfect teaching partner.

How does Seesaw foster a safe and supportive learning environment, particularly for students with diverse learning needs?

• “Seesaw enables me to record video scaffolds and prompts so that children who are working at a level significantly below their peers have the support they need, this has an enormous positive impact on pupils’ confidence and self-esteem.” – Joanna C., Year 6 Teacher
• “Loading daily Phonics activities in Seesaw for students enabled them to work independently using the various tools to show what they know, so I was able to further differentiate their instruction during small group time to meet their needs.” – Lisa W., 3rd Grade Teacher
• “I use Seesaw for its accessibility features to help meet the needs of all of my different types of learning. Some prefer to speak than write. Some need visuals and the ability to actually move items around. My students really love doing phonics lessons in the Seesaw program.” – Katherine G., Reading Specialist

Providing equal access to content means removing learning barriers, especially for diverse learners. By providing students with a safe and supportive learning environment through Seesaw, they were able to see themselves in the content and access it at a level they were comfortable with.

How has Seesaw involved families in early literacy instruction and supported students’ reading development outside the classroom?

• “We use Seesaw to post a video of reading a just right book and send it to their parents. Parents can see the text the child is reading as well as see their child in the video. They love listening to their child read on a daily basis and can see the reading growth.” – Carol J., Inclusion Teacher
• “Seesaw has allowed me to make lessons based on our home readers that students can access at home. I engage with parents about how they are supporting their child with their reading. I hear students read, give feedback and engage with the learning even while at home.” – Maria-Anna M., K-6 Coach

Involving families in learning not only keeps them informed about growth on a regular basis, but also establishes a strong partner for at home support. Through Seesaw, these teachers strengthened their relationship with their families and fostered support for home learning.  

Seesaw is a ESSA-Validated Early Literacy Solution

Seesaw’s supplemental curriculum is validated by LearnPlatform, a third-party edtech research company, to satisfy Level IV requirements according to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The programs systematic evidence-based practices and explicit instruction of phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension align with research-based practices to accomplish this task. Read the full report outlining how Seesaw satisfies this validation here.

Experience the Seesaw Difference

Seesaw has proven itself to be a powerful tool for enabling more effective early literacy instruction. The ability to cater learning to different learning styles, keep students engaged, and connect families fills a niche that many schools desire. With our research-based content, we aim to provide flexible implementation, engaging learning, and build a passion for reading in every classroom. Our curriculum supports foundational reading skills with more than 500 lessons that bring joy to an area that may normally feel dull & boring. 

Try out the following collections, which also include formative assessments, to support your students in literacy:

• Fun Phonemes, also offered in Spanish, helps students build phonemic awareness. By listening to, identifying, and matching sounds, students build mastery of each phoneme.
• Alphabet Garden introduces learners to letters where they practice letter formation, phonemic awareness, and making connections to each letter in the real world.
• Alphabet Treasures assists students in building rapid letter recognition and identification in multimodal ways.
• Phenomenal Phonics, also offered in Spanish, helps students recognize sound-spelling relationships by sorting, blending, segmenting, and making connections.

The post How Teachers are Unlocking the Power of Early Literacy appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Instructional Strategies for Gradual Release and Active Learning

The gradual release of responsibility¹ is an instructional framework where teachers slowly release responsibility of learning to students over time. Teachers begin by describing learning objectives, modeling and thinking aloud to demonstrate key vocabulary and skills, and highlighting the relevance of the lesson. Students observe, make connections, and discuss initial learning with classmates. In this stage, teachers should explicitly teach² routines to support cognition and comprehension. Seesaw Lessons aid teachers with this crucial explicit instruction. Every lesson begins by introducing important new vocabulary and modeling skills through visuals, audio, video, and more.

@mshoofs_kinders #seesawlearning #seesawpartner @seesawlearning ♬ original sound – Lauren

The gradual release of learning continues through opportunities for students to respond to teacher’s questions and practice new skills with teacher and peer support. Magic happens when students engage in active learning activities with partners and independently. Through investigation, creative activities, discussion, and reflection³, students are able to connect new learning to prior knowledge and transfer learning into longer-term memory.

The Seesaw Library has thousands of activities to help teachers and students engage in investigation and capture creating learning in the real world on a digital platform. Built in prompts spark engaging discussions and questions. Multimodal tools empower students to engage in hands-on learning experiences and select their preferred method for showcasing it.

Seesaw’s elementary Computer Science curriculum empowers both teachers and students to observe, learn, and apply computer science skills to their everyday lives. Teachers can leverage the instructional videos and example coding programs to explicitly model coding skills and vocabulary. Students collaboratively and independently reflect on their interests and create coding projects such as an animated story, game, dance, and more to share with their learning community. Seesaw Lessons help teachers transfer the responsibility of learning to students over time while engaging students in rich active learning experiences.

Some coding with @bishopkinder today using @ScratchJr! Introduced coding using Code Crew lesson from @Seesaw Library. Then we used to create ourselves as a character and coded ourselves to move across the background. Great job, coders! pic.twitter.com/jkAqSOB9oF

— Traci Piltz  (@TraciPiltz) September 18, 2023

Multimodal and Interdisciplinary Instruction

Multimodal instruction is the practice of using multiple formats–such as text, visuals, video, audio, hands-on experiments, and movement–to activate students’ thinking in multiple ways, leading to deeper connections and skill mastery. Students often receive multimodal instruction (inputs), but only text-based opportunities to show their understanding (outputs). This presents teachers with a conundrum: how might they tap into what’s going on in their students’ heads?

Teachers often have a narrow window into students’ understanding. Worksheets and assessments offer written insights. Small group and 1:1 oral assessments provide additional insights, but are often time-consuming to implement routinely. 

Alternatively, these eight thinking moves⁴ can help teachers tap into their students’ heads to get a fuller picture of student understanding while empowering students to build new ideas and connections:

1. Observe closely and describe what is there
2. Share explanations
3. Reason with evidence
4. Make connections
5. Consider different points of view and perspectives
6. Understand deeply and draw conclusions
7. Wonder and ask questions
8. Investigate

Students often engage in many of these thinking moves, but are not given opportunities to capture or share their learning with others. Seesaw’s portfolio with multimodal tools makes it easy for teachers to leverage these eight thinking moves. Learners can capture their wonderings, observations, evidence, and reasoning using their choice of tools: drawing, text, audio, video, and more.

Learning new knowledge also requires different cognitive pathways. Quick checks for understanding reveal short-term memory cognition, but how might teachers tap into students’ longer-term memory and mastery of learning? The key is interdisciplinary, project- or inquiry-based learning.

With Seesaw Lessons, students engage in a variety of activities to activate these pathways that focus on attention, memory, reasoning, communication, and visualization. When students are able to engage in digital inquiry⁵ and apply learning across subjects or to the real-world⁶, they develop a more complex, transferrable understanding. These practices empower them to use rather than simply acquire knowledge.

Incorporating Formative Assessment and Providing Immediate Feedback

Formative assessments provide insights to teachers and students about their learning to inform instruction. Immediate feedback⁷ empowers students to self-correct and redirect their learning. This type of feedback also boosts students’ self-esteem and identities as students⁸. Researchers Carol Dweck, David Yeager, and Jo Boaler refer to this boost of self-esteem and identities as a growth mindset⁹. When students have a growth mindset and reflect on their learning, they realize they can learn almost anything when they persevere and try new things.

Formative assessment helps teachers encourage their students’ growth mindsets. Teachers can better differentiate and support their students with timely, actionable feedback. Their can create small groups or engage students in collaborative activities¹⁰ to reinforce skills and their growth mindsets.

AMAZED by the new formative assessment tools in @Seesaw! It took me less than 3 minutes to make an exit ticket using the AI BOT! Instant Ss feedback, self-grading & data by class or broken down by individual Ss! The possibilities are ENDLESS! #cbgroveland #seesawlearning pic.twitter.com/IY822rq9nK

— Lindsay Toub (@miss_toub) September 18, 2023

Seesaw’s Formative Assessment feature provides students with immediate feedback¹¹ on multiple-choice, drag and drop, and poll assessments. These quick checks provide students with immediate feedback and the teacher with insights to scaffold or extend learning. When these formative assessments are paired with more open-ended multimodal tools, teachers can get a more holistic picture of students’ understanding. Additionally, teachers can create their own activities with formative assessment or grab standards-aligned, ready-to-go lessons with this tool in the Seesaw Library.

INSERT LESSON PREVIEW IFRAME OR IMAGE AND DELETE THIS TEXT

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally responsive teaching honors and encourages students to connect their cultures, languages, interests, and life experiences to what they’re learning at school. Student strengths are celebrated and nurtured, leading to an increased sense of belonging¹².

 

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A post shared by Marisa | 5th grade teacher (@teachwellandsel)

Seesaw Lessons help students see themselves in their learning through diverse characters, stories, and experiences¹³. Activities help them build empathy, see diverse learners like themselves, and make connections to everyday life¹⁴. Extra care has been given to diverse representation in our computer science collections, as a historically homogeneous field. Students learn digital leadership, coding, and computational thinking skills alongside diverse characters. Lessons collections like Careers in Computer Science, Story Pirates: Story Sparks, and What’s My Job highlight real-life individuals working in a variety of professions, helping students better imagine themselves as digital innovators¹⁵, with intersectional, complex identities.

 

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Students also draw from funds of knowledge¹⁶, a wealth of diverse experiences and skills, in which they can share to enrich the diversity of their classroom. Seesaw’s portfolio with multimodal tools empower learners to showcase their learning in their preferred way. Every lesson in the Seesaw Library is equipped with audio directions in English and Spanish to increase access and support learners. Spanish lessons include fully translated text, audio, video, and visuals to support multilingual learners practicing and sharing their learning. These learners have access to screen, video, and audio recording tools to orally rehearse before sharing.

 

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Fostering Family Engagement

Family engagement research¹⁷ shows the impact of engaging families as co-owners of student outcomes. Families are the experts on their child’s interests and cultural experiences. When there are natural ways to bring that expertise to and from the classroom, students are able to connect new information with their experiences and background knowledge, leading to deeper learning. There are high gains in student achievement when parents are informed of what their child is learning and how to support them at home. Consistent outreach to parents (messaging and sending resources to support the child at home) result in high student achievement. Teachers want to engage with their families to support their students, but reaching every family is complex and time-intensive.

Seesaw helps teachers save that time. Once families are connected to their student, they can participate in their child’s learning by viewing their portfolio, commenting on progress, messaging with teachers, and participating in family activities. Teachers can choose to message student work examples to families, or families can already automatically see their child’s work once it is approved and added to their journals. Teachers invest time in the initial setup so that families are automatically kept in the loop every time their child creates something new in Seesaw.

Families can tap into their funds of knowledge and contribute to classroom culture and their child’s learning by commenting on their child’s work and messaging with the teacher. Messages and comments translate into over 100 languages, increasing accessibility. Families can stay up-to-date with classroom events and follow up on student learning at home. Teachers can send reminders or share helpful resources for families to utilize to support their child at home.

Seesaw Lessons also include activities designed to be completed with partners at home or school. These activities explain the importance of this activity or domain to their child’s development. Videos and instructions model for parents how to support and engage in the activities with their child. At Seesaw, families are essential partners to students’ growth. Teachers can easily engage with families with ready-to-go resources, student portfolio work, and messaging tools.

 

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Conclusion

Seesaw is the one learning platform all teachers need to spark engaging, personalized learning for every student and family in meaningful ways. Check out our free Quick Start Guides for teachers and Messages guides for teachers and families to bring multimodal tools, culturally responsive lessons, active learning opportunities; formative assessments; and family engagement practices into your classroom today. Rest assured that you are integrating research-based best practices into your pedagogy by integrating Seesaw into your daily instruction.

References

1. Fisher, Douglas, and Nancy Frey. Better Learning through Structured Teaching: A Framework for the Gradual Release of Responsibility. ASCD, 2008. https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/siteASCD/publications/books/Better-Learning-Through-Structured-Teaching-3ed-sample-chapters.pdf
2. Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3), 317–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/0361-476X(83)90019-X
3. Resnick, Mitchel, and Ken Robinson. Lifelong Kindergarten : Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The Mit Press, 2018. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262536134/lifelong-kindergarten/
4. Ritchhart, Ron, et al. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. San Francisco, Ca, Jossey-Bass, 2011. https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Chapter%201%20MTV%20Ritchhart%20Sample.pdf
5. Coiro, Julie, et al. From Curiosity to Deep Learning: Personal Digital Inquiry in Grades K-5. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Stenhouse Publishers, 2019. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED596069
6. Repko, Allen F. “Assessing Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes.” Academic Exchange Quarterly, Fall 2008, p.171-178. https://interdisciplinarystudies.org/docs/syllabi/Assessing_Interdisiplinary_Learning_Outcomes_(Allen_F._Repko).pdf
7. Fyfe, E. R., & Rittle-Johnson, B. (2016). The benefits of computer-generated feedback for mathematics problem solving. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 147, 140–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2016.03.009
8. Black, Paul, and Dylan Wiliam. “Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment.” Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 92, no. 1, Sept. 2010, pp. 81–90, https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171009200119.
9. Dweck, Carol S., and David S. Yeager. “Mindsets: A View from Two Eras.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 14, no. 3, Feb. 2019, p. 174569161880416, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6594552/, https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166.
10. Boaler, J. (2000) (Ed) Multiple Perspectives on Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Ablex Publishing: Westport, CT. (pp 171-200). https://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Chapter-7-of-Multiple-Perspectives-on-Mathematics-Teaching-and-Learning.pdf
11. Butler, A. C., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). Feedback enhances the positive effects and reduces the negative effects of multiple-choice testing. Memory & Cognition, 36(3), 604–616. https://doi.org/10.3758/mc.36.3.604
12. Cohn-Vargas, Becki, et al. Belonging and Inclusion in Identity Safe Schools. Corwin Press, 17 Aug. 2021. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED614224
13. Morris, T. T., Dorling, D., Davies, N. M., & Davey Smith, G. (2021). Associations between school enjoyment at age 6 and later educational achievement: Evidence from a UK cohort study. Npj Science of Learning, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-021-00092-w
14. Ryoo, Jean J. “Pedagogy That Supports Computer Science for All.” ACM Transactions on Computing Education, vol. 19, no. 4, 16 July 2019, pp. 1–23, https://doi.org/10.1145/3322210.
15. Kimberly A. Scott, Kimberly M. Sheridan & Kevin Clark (2015) Culturally responsive computing: a theory revisited, Learning, Media and Technology, 40:4, 412-436, DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2014.924966. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439884.2014.924966?journalCode=cjem20
16. González, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-06807-000
17. Henderson, Anne T, et al. A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Austin, Tex., National Center For Family & Community Connections With Schools, 2002. https://sedl.org/connections/resources/evidence.pdf

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Pick one word that is your focus or intention this school year.

Lindsay: Embrace

What are some traditions or superstitions you have for the first day of school?

Lindsay: I love reading students the book “Don’t Eat Your Classmates” on the first day of school. It’s fun and silly and gets everyone laughing.

How does Seesaw bring learning to life in your classroom?

Lindsay: It gives students an authentic reason to do their work. Students are so excited to share their writing, reading, creations, etc. with others.

What is the best advice someone ever gave you?

Lindsay: A wonderful mentor of mine taught me to have high expectations for all students. It’s made such a difference in my teaching.

How do you use Seesaw to connect with families?

Lindsay: I love that parents can see first-hand what we are doing in the classroom. It’s like being a fly on the wall. I love it and so do they!

If you were able to have an unlimited amount of something for your classroom, what would it be and why?

Lindsay: Fine point dry-erase markers. My students use these every day and we can never have enough.

Share one Seesaw goosebumps moment. Was there a time learning was captured on Seesaw that gave you goosebumps?

Lindsay: I love when students hear a recording of their reading from the beginning of the year and compare it with one at the end. It’s so fun to hear their excitement and surprise.

What is the best compliment you could get from a student or a parent?

Lindsay: “When they tell me how impressed they are with the amount of growth they’ve seen from their child.”

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

Lindsay: That I have written a book for teachers about teaching reading! I’m so excited to share my new book with my students this coming year. I’ll tell them about how I wanted to be a writer when I was a kid and now I finally am one. I hope this inspires them to reach for their goals and dreams.

Share a notable teaching moment that you still think about today.

Lindsay: The moment one of my students excitedly exclaimed, “Mrs. Kemeny! I am ACTUALLY READING THE WORDS!” I can still hear his voice and see the look on his face. Best moment ever.

What/who inspired you to become an educator?

Lindsay: I was a serious dancer when I was younger and would often perform in school assemblies. It was being in those schools that made me realize I wanted to be a teacher.

If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? And why?

Lindsay: I’d say an educational tour of Disneyland, but to be honest…I’d be way too stressed about losing a student there! Haha. Since I love teaching reading, maybe Powell’s Bookstore in Portland which is the largest independent bookstore in the world. And then I’d pair that trip with something fun like an aquarium or the coast.

Join Lindsay Kemeny at Connect 2023!

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Pick one word that is your focus or intention this school year.

Loretta: Curiosity

What is your favorite activity to build classroom community during the first week of school?

Loretta: Storytelling! Last year I invited children to bring something from home that held a story. They shared their story with the class and as they shared their story it woke up stories inside all of us. We get to know and connect with others and ourselves through the stories we shared.

What is your favorite “teacher hack” or “tip”?

Loretta: Stay curious! You are the teacher but you can also be a learner. Children have so much to teach us.

How does Seesaw bring learning to life in your classroom?

Loretta: Seesaw, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways . . . documenting growth, sharing the classroom with families, inviting families near and far into our learning, as a tool for student reflection, for extending the classroom walls . . . Seesaw provides so many possibilities to transform our learning . . . it’s all about how we view it and use it.

If you were able to have an unlimited amount of something for your classroom, what would it be and why?

Loretta: Art supplies . . . pastel watercolors, clay, beads, wire, chalk, sparkling gemstones, yarn, tape . . . because they bring joy, they can help us think through ideas, communicate our thoughts, nurture our creativity, research and motor skills . . . and because replenishing them can be expensive.

What are some traditions or superstitions you have for the first day of school?

Loretta: After over 20 years of teaching, I still get nervous about the first day of school, especially the night before! I pick a ‘first-day’ outfit and lay it out before I go to sleep.

How do you use Seesaw to connect with families?

Loretta: Come to my session at Connect! That’s what it’s all about – Building Belonging in the Classroom through Seesaw.

If participants take away one thing from your #Connect2023 session, what would you want it to be?

Loretta: Think about the way that you use Seesaw right now. Does it embody what you believe about education?

Share one Seesaw goosebumps moment. Was there a time learning was captured on Seesaw that gave you goosebumps?

Loretta: “This is a parent story. I currently live in Germany where my children also go to school. Their school uses Seesaw. I feel such gratitude and joy when I see their grandparents in Canada and their aunt in England engaging with posts from their classroom! I love how Seesaw can connect us even when we are physically so far apart.”

If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? And why?

Loretta: Anywhere?! I feel very lucky to live and work right beside a forest. We spend every Thursday morning in the forest. It’s such a magical space. It has become our second classroom and teacher. There is such joy in jumping into a muddy puddle! Especially as an adult.

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

Loretta: Sometimes, I don’t want to be at school either!

Share a notable teaching moment that you still think about today.

Loretta: There are a few. I think those moments happen for me when kids really push me out of my comfort zone, when they offend my adult sensibilities or challenge norms. It’s those moments that cause me to reflect and continue to nudge me to do better as an educator and as a human being.

What/who inspired you to become an educator?

Loretta: My grandpa, who was a Kindergarten teacher and loved stories. I am a fourth generation teacher.

What are your tips to build relationships with families at the start of the school year?

Loretta: I always try and remember that families are entrusting me with their most precious possession. Sometimes families can feel challenging, I try and remember that their demands may come from a place of anxiety: ‘is my child going to be ok?’ Especially in the early years, parents as well as children experience separation anxiety. Listen. Be empathetic. The relationships you build now will help you later. After all, we all want what’s best for the child and we all need to work together.

What is your favorite quote of all time?

Loretta: “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller

What is your favorite children’s book?

Loretta: Do I have to pick one?! I love Kate DiCamillo and the Mercy Watson series.

Join Loretta Fernando-Smith at Connect 2023!

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Pick one word that is your focus or intention this school year.

Caitlin: “Connection”

What is your favorite activity to build classroom community during the first week of school?

Caitlin: “I love having students create their own Google Slides quiz about their favorite things. Students answer a question and give three possible answers on the slide. Each answer is linked to either a “Woohoo you got it right!” slide or to a “Whoops, try again” slide. They have fun playing each other’s games and getting to know each other while also learning some Google Slides skills.”

How do you use Seesaw to connect with families?

Caitlin: “Families LOVE seeing and commenting on their child’s work. They are constantly in the loop about what their child is learning in the classroom. They can see my feedback and know exactly the areas they can support their child in.”

Share one Seesaw goosebumps moment. Was there a time learning was captured on Seesaw that gave you goosebumps?

Caitlin: “Open-ended assignments can sometimes seem daunting but they are oftentimes the most rewarding. My class did a Lego WeDo build that related to one of our science lessons. Students built the lego model and coded the motor and sensor on the build. I felt like I needed a way to ensure my students were making the connections to the science lesson so I asked them to document their learning in Seesaw. All they had to do was explain how their build worked, what it represented, and add some visuals. I gave them 5 vocabulary words they needed to incorporate in their reflection. WOW! Their reflections were so creative and so different. I saw videos and audio recordings, I saw pictures with labels, I saw pictures they had uploaded from the internet that supported the science lesson. I really felt like they took ownership of this semi-open ended assignment and hit it out of the park. It was better than anything I would have assigned them.”

What song do you know all the lyrics to?

Caitlin: “A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton. I’m pretty good at doing the air piano too!”

If you were able to have an unlimited amount of something for your classroom, what would it be and why?

Caitlin: “Chart paper! I use it for everything and hang them around the classroom for students to refer to!”

Share a notable teaching moment that you still think about today.

Caitlin: “I will never forget during distance learning, I would have my Kindergarteners record themselves reading their decodable books in Seesaw. They started to incorporate all of the things I do while reading! They would ask open-ended questions and pause for answers even though it was a recording! SO CUTE!”

How does Seesaw bring learning to life in your classroom?

Caitlin: “Seesaw best captures my students’ learning process in so many different ways. I can see my students’ depth of understanding or misunderstandings so quickly and there are many ways for me to give feedback so that I can get them headed in the right direction. And best of all, families are right there every step of the way. My conferences are much more enriching and families take an active role.”

What are your tips to build relationships with families at the start of the school year?

Caitlin: “The first day of school comes with a lot of different emotions for students and for families. To try to create positivity and excitement, I always send a welcome postcard to students and their families with a Seesaw QR code that leads to a welcome video of me introducing myself and then reading the book “A Letter From your Teacher on the First Day of School” by Shannon Olsen. This postcard helps to put students at ease before meeting their teacher on the first day of school.”

If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? And why?

Caitlin: “It’s hard to choose just one! Wouldn’t it be exciting to be like Ms. Frizzle and take students to places you’re learning about or locations in books?”

What is the best compliment you could get from a student or a parent?

Caitlin: “My teacher heart explodes when I talk to families of former students and they share a memory from that school year. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a lasting impression and something that I would not have even expected. Those small memories are a reminder that every day is another amazing opportunity to make a lasting impression on these students.”

If participants take away one thing from your #Connect2023 session, what would you want it to be?

Caitlin: “I hope that participants will leave with some creative ways to use Seesaw to document and give feedback for each step of the writing process. Honestly, this idea of documenting each step could be used in other curricular subjects as well including documenting the Engineering Design process or Science experiments.”

What is your favorite children’s book?

Caitlin: “Anything that I can create a STEAM project or STEM challenge out of! Especially ones that highlight diverse voices! There are so many great ones out there!”

What is the best advice someone ever gave you?

Caitlin: “Connecting with your students matters most!”

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

Caitlin: “Sometimes I google how to spell something on my phone before writing it on the board. Everyone does that though, right? ”

Join Caitlin Arakawa at Connect 2023 in her session “Cultivating Confident Writers: Techniques for Upper Elementary”

The post An Interview with 3rd Grade Teacher Caitlin Arakawa appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

What is one word that describes your intention or goal for this school year?

Carolina: Joy

What are some traditions or superstitions you have for the first day of school?

Carolina: Traditionally I like to get to school really early so that I can greet all the kids as they come in. Since I teach first grade and I’m also a mom, I think of what parents would like to have as a way to remember their kids’ first day, just like I remember my girl’s first day of first grade. For the last couple of years, we’ve had kids hold a sign that said “My First Day of 1st Grade,” and took photos of them. Then we uploaded them to Seesaw. We also had kids draw a picture of themselves on their first day, which we saved and gave back to them on the last day. On the back of that one, we had kids draw a picture of their last day of first grade.

How do you use Seesaw to connect with families?

Carolina: I love taking photos and videos of kids, and then posting them on Seesaw for all parents to see and be involved in our classroom activities. It’s a great tool to keep everyone in the loop in a safe way!

Share a notable teaching moment that you still think about today.

Carolina: We focused a lot on mindfulness and self-regulation last year. We learned strategies for understanding what one is feeling and then calming down. We talked about how sometimes we need other people’s help to realize we need to use a strategy to self-regulate. One day, one of the students in my class who has a lot of problems managing his emotions was having a fit. One of his classmates moved close to him, put his hand on the child’s heart, and said, “Breathe with me. Let’s do it together. Snake breath. You can do it.” The other child calmed down. I felt so proud of both of them!

How does Seesaw bring learning to life in your classroom?

Carolina: I especially love Seesaw when kids use their creativity to show their learning! For example, last year we had kids come up with their own version of one of three fairy tales we studied. They had to make their own characters, backdrops, props, scripts, sound effects and light effects, and then use Seesaw to show their fairy tales. Most of them filmed themselves. It was amazing to see how much they learned and how creative they can be!

What are your tips to build relationships with families at the start of the school year?

Carolina: I think that the best way to build relationships with families is to treat them with familiarity. When I talk to families eye-to-eye and help them realize that we both want the same things, it’s a lot easier to build relationships. There’s a spark when caretakers acknowledge that you’re there to help their child grow and learn, and to support them as caretakers along the way as well. Even though it’s a lot of work, sending a friendly email with one positive comment about each kid is a great way to get started!

If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? And why?

Carolina: In first grade we study the Aztec and Maya, so it would be wonderful to take them to Tenochtitlan and Tikal so that they can see what they are learning about first-hand. We also read about a dinosaur fossil, so I would also love to take them to the Museum of Natural History in NYC and have them see a T-Rex.

What is the best compliment you could get from a student or a parent?

Carolina: You made me believe everything is possible.

If participants take away one thing from your #Connect2023 session, what would you want it to be?

Carolina: I want teachers to see that everyone can think deeply and show their thinking, including little kids. All it takes to incorporate higher level thinking skills into their teaching is to start! The more teachers use Visible Thinking Routines, the clearer it becomes and the easier it is to incorporate them into everyday teaching and learning.

What would your students be surprised to find out about you?

Carolina: I think it always surprises them to know that I am a regular person with life outside of school, who enjoys doing many of the things they also love to do! For example, I like to surf and ski.

Join Carolina Castro at Connect 2023!

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Pick one word that is your focus or intention this school year.

Tonya: Leadership

What is your favorite activity to build classroom community during the first week of school?

Tonya: My favorite literacy activity to engage, empower, and encourage my students is to read, discuss, and complete a self-empowerment activity using “The Best Part of Me book “. The book helps build a creative class as we all discuss how we see our image (uniqueness), build self-esteem in ourselves in others, and share the diversity of culture in our classroom.

What is your favorite “teacher hack” or “tip”?

Tonya: Let students know what’s going on. I used to just hand out the books and start teaching, but it’s a lot easier to get where you want to go if everyone’s onboard. Students should know what they’re going to learn, why they’re learning it, and how it’ll be evaluated. I also learned to use a rubric so that kids know right from the beginning how their work will be evaluated and, therefore, what they should strive for.

What/who inspired you to become an educator?

Tonya: My star 6. As a Paraprofessional, I learned from 6 African American Women Educators who shared three key points with me.

1. Positive classroom management is key to your class success.
2. Always believe in the Impossible in your classroom and you will see the possibility soar!
3. Never give up on a student.

What are your tips to build relationships with families at the start of the school year?

Tonya: I build family engagement by completing these three main goals every year.

1. I invite my parents to write two power words that describe their student.
2. I gain 100% family involvement on Seesaw.
3. My families receive a book bag filled with non-perishable food, school resources, school supplies and a book to read with their child nightly.

If you could take your students on a field trip to anywhere in the world, where would you take them? And why?

Tonya: My students love learning about landforms. The field trip I would take my students on would be to Hawaii. Hawaii has the most different types of landforms from volcanoes to misty plateaus, craggy ocean cliffs, tropical coastal areas, lava deserts, and fern and bamboo forests. Students love learning these geographical features because they make up one-fourth of our world, but they also regulate the ecosystem, climate, and weather, making it possible for humans like us to live.

What is the best compliment you could get from a student or a parent?

Tonya: My parents always thank me for believing in their child emotionally, socially, and physically. They learned because I gave their child purpose.

If participants take away one thing from your #Connect2023 session, what would you want it to be?

Tonya: Seesaw gives you WINGS to WIN in the classroom!

What is your favorite children’s book?

Tonya: “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.

What is the best advice someone ever gave you?

Tonya: Believe in the impossible because that’s where the possibility lies!

Join Tonya Kelly M.Ed. at Connect 2023!

The post An Interview with 4th Grade Teacher Tonya Kelly M.Ed appeared first on Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform.

Pick one word that is your focus or intention this school year.

Hannah: “Growth”

What is your favorite activity to build classroom community during the first week of school?

Hannah: “It’s so important for everyone to learn each other’s names during the first week of school. I have two favorite picture books that I read to my class: The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi and Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal. We also do several name game activities. In a circle, we share our name and a fun fact and then see if everyone can remember the people before them in the circle. We create our own class name jar with a special symbol to represent ourselves. We do a classmate scavenger hunt to learn neat facts about each other while also writing everyone’s name on our own paper.”

What is your favorite “teacher hack” or “tip”?

Hannah: “Instead of different classroom jobs for different students, make one student the “VIP” each day. Let them do all of the jobs that day – line leader, paper passer, calendar helper, etc. You’ll save your sanity when you don’t have to remember everyone’s job each day and that one student gets to feel super special all day long! I use a jar with clothespins that have student names written on them. Once they had their turn, I clip their clothespin to the side of the jar. When everyone has had a turn, all the clothespins go back in the jar and we start again!”

What are some traditions or superstitions you have for the first day of school?

Hannah: “I always set extra alarms because I am so worried I’ll forget to wake up and get back into the routine of school!”

How do you use Seesaw to connect with families?

Hannah: “In addition to the amazing Messaging features that let me message 1-on-1 with parents and send small- and whole-group messages, Seesaw lets families see what we’re up to in the classroom! I can share pictures and videos with families of the things we’re doing. Families get to see their student’s work in their child’s portfolio. Families can like and comment on their child’s work too! As a mom myself, I love the window into the classroom, especially when my child usually tells me they did nothing all day!”

Share one Seesaw goosebumps moment. Was there a time learning was captured on Seesaw that gave you goosebumps?

Hannah: “My favorite moment will always be the first time I heard one of my most quiet and shy kiddos read with beautiful fluency and expression on Seesaw! I had never heard them speak that loudly or clearly or in so many words and I was in awe of their reading! It was that ah ha moment for me about why Seesaw helps all students show what they can do!”

What/who inspired you to become an educator?

Hannah: “My mom inspired me to become an educator. Ever since I was little, I loved being in her classroom and hearing her talk about her students. As I got older, I watched the impact she had on students and I knew I wanted to have that kind of positive influence too.”

What are your tips to build relationships with families at the start of the school year?

Hannah: “Reach out to families early and often to help build positive connections. I send home a welcome letter to families before school starts that shares important information about our class schedule, how to contact me, and directions to join our class on Seesaw. I also share a little bit about myself and my family. To keep those positive connections going during the first week of school, I share pictures of what we’re doing as often as possible and I try to send positive messages to parents when I catch their child doing something awesome!”

What is your favorite quote of all time?

Hannah: “‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.’ -Maya Angelou”

What song do you know all the lyrics to?

Hannah: “An embarrassing amount of Disney movie songs!”

JOIN Hannah Irion-Frake at Connect 2023!

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