Module 2 – Designing Learning with Google Classroom and Google Workspace

[Pat Brennan]

*Please Note:  Participants who use Word (Or equivalent) to write their assignments and then copy and paste these into the forum may find that additional extraneous formatting is brought across. To avoid this, either right click in the post window and choose ‘Paste as Plain Text’ or use the keyboard shortcut cmd+shift+v. Alternatively, you can first paste the content into Notepad (Or similar) and then copy it from here to the topic window.

ASSIGNMENT

Write a forum post (150 words min) as a Reply to this post, reflecting on your learning sequence

Include:

• Your topic and class level
• One design choice you made
• How it supports clarity, sequence or consistency
• One adjustment you would make
• One possible link to reflection or SSE
• Then respond to one peer.

Please also comment on at least one other participant’s post.

Then, consider how Google Workspace and classroom could be used in School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.

[Carol Smith]

I am teaching sixth class. The topic I chose for module two was ‘Trees’. Assuming that we have already studied life along the local river bank close to the school.  My class will be challenged to choose a tree in the school grounds, identify the tree by examining the leaves and bark. Explore how the tree impacts the area – shade, drainage, supporting other life forms eg. Birds, insects, fungi, moss etc. The children will use tablets to take pictures of the trees, and design a poster with a labelled diagram of the tree, and give an oral presentation of their research. I decided that a poster would be an inclusive format for presenting this project, and children could add information through the oral description. One adjustment I would make is to allow the children create a slide/powerpoint presentation instead of the poster. It is useful to remember to include options for children who find presenting information, the possibility of pair work or encouraging children to label the picture in more than one language, Gaeilge, English and a childs native language.

Google workspace would be hugely beneficial for our SSE, as we would be able to capture the opinions of the children, and focus on the style of teaching and learning that works best for them.

[Nicola Healy]

Hi Carol,

This sounds like a very interesting and exciting project.  It might be an idea for your pairs to revisit their chosen tree during the different seasons and see how the tree has changed at different times in the year.  They could take photos and add them to the presentations.  They could share these images on the schoolwebsite – sharing the learning with the whole school community.

[Sarah Bredin]

I decided to create a lesson that follows on from pupils’ European country presentations I spoke about in the previous assignment. After each group presents their project the class completes a google forms quiz based on the information they have learned from their classmates.
One design choice I made was to create the quiz using a mixture of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. This allows pupils to demonstrate their understanding in different ways while giving immediate feedback through google forms. It also keeps all pupils actively engaged during the presentations, as they know they will complete the quiz afterwards. I will encourage taking notes. I think this will keep them interested during their classmates presentations
If I were to adapt this lesson I would ask pupils to create one or two quiz questions for the class after completing their presentation.
Google Forms provides useful assessment data that can help me as a teacher to reflect on teaching and learning, monitor pupil progress and identify areas for improvement.

• This reply was modified 4 months ago by Sarah Bredin.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Sarah,

I really like the idea of a peer-led quiz. This is a purposeful way to ensure active listening and engagement during student presentations. Using a mix of multiple-choice and short-answer questions in Google Forms provides great flexibility for diverse learners while delivering instant formative feedback.

Your adaptation to have pupils author their own quiz questions is brilliant for higher-order thinking. From an SSE perspective, the automated data and analytics generated by Google Forms offers objective evidence of student learning that can directly inform whole-school reflection and future assessment planning.

[Alan O’Connor]

I really like the idea of using a forms quiz to assess the pupils’ understanding of the other presentations. This would be helpful to the teacher to see which presentations were effective in getting their information across. The quizzes that elicited the most correct responses would suggest that their presentation kept the rest of the class effectively engaged. It would also break up the presentations for those who find it difficult to focus for longer periods of time. If they know they are going to have a quiz after each presentation that would be something for them to look forward to as well as give them a bit of a brain break while also keeping them engaged in the content.  I would definitely use this idea with my class.

[Sinead Boylan]

I love the idea of a quiz on each presentation. Classes I’ve had previously have loved Kahoots so I often use them but a Google Form would be a great modification.  All assessment info would then be saved to the Drive and with their accoutn as opposed to Kahoot which can be a bit of a pain to collect data from.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by Sinead Boylan.

[Orla Holm]

I love the idea of combining learning about the natural world, trees, and technology. I think this would help to bring things full circle for the children.  It is so important not to forget the natural world and to keep learning about it running alongside technology. You have lovely ideas, I’m sure that the students in your class would be very happy with your lesson.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Carol,

I like how the activity builds on pupils’ previous learning about the local riverbank and encourages them to explore the trees in their own environment. also the multimodal presentation options you’ve suggested will better cater for the diversity in your class.

One suggestion might be to have the children pair up and compare their chosen tree with a classmate. This could lead to some interesting discussions about biodiversity and habitats that then could be shared with the whole class.

[Nicola Healy]

My topic was The Stone Age Peoples with Third Class.

A design choice I made was creating a quiz that asked questions related to a short video.  It supported sequence as the children watch the video about the Stone Age and then answer the quiz questions after to see what they have learned.
One adjustment I made was read aloud enabled by Mote.  This came about as I was reflecting on how reading the questions in the quiz might be difficult for some students.

I have explored Google Classroom – adding a topic, making a quiz and using Gemini to generate ideas.  I think this could be very useful in helping me create and organise lessons for my Third Class Pupils next school year.  It could be a good replacement for Seesaw which I miss and which has proved to have become too expensive and so the school no longer subscribes to Seesaw.

However I need to see if we can set up Google workspace for education related to our domain name.  When I tried to do this earlier it said that the domainname was already registered, so I need to find out more about this.

Lots of learning today and lots of reflection!

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Nicola,

Regarding Google Workspace for Education, if your school domain is already registered, it usually means one of two things: either Google Workspace has previously been set up for the domain, or another Google service is already using it. The first step is to identify who the current administrator is and whether the school already has an existing Google Workspace for Education tenant associated with the domain.

Below are some Google links that should provide some pointers…

Google Workspace Help

https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/
https://support.google.com/a/answer/60216
https://support.google.com/a/answer/6208960
https://support.google.com/a/answer/183895

Anecdotally, this is a relatively common issue in schools particularly if the domain has been in use for a long time and if different staff have been responsible for the backend admin over time, so hopefully it will simply be a case of locating the existing account rather than starting from scratch.

[Nicola Healy]

This is so helpful.

Thank you Pat.

[Keara Sweeney]

Hi Nicola,

we sent up Google workspace a few years, it took a bit of time but they were very helpful to get it all up and running.

Even though we have it, we mainly use it for the Drive and sharing between colleagues.  During covid we also had Seesaw but in the last 3 years, I have been using Class Dojo, very nice for younger class.  However, after seeing Classroom today, I think I will make the shift next year.  It makes sense to have everything linked together.  Even this year our 5th & 6th  classes moved to digital online portfolios on Google, it’s planned to implement this from 3rd up going forward.

[Robbie McHugh]

I really like the idea of portfolios we are very lucky in that we have access to chromebooks and are using classroom but I would love to know how to organise and get started with portfolios from 4th to 6th class.

[Carol Smith]

Hi Nicola,

Great idea getting Mote to read aloud the questions and information to the children. If you have and EAL kids in your class you could also switch the instant translate app, then their own language will appear on the bottom of your whiteboard as the text is spoken in English. While I’m not sure if its always work perfect, I have used it with the Starlight programme to try engage EAL kids more in our English lessons.

Diffit is also a brilliant website to choose a target reading level and translate and pasted text. It will generate vocabulary lists, activities and comprehension questions too. This was a vital site for me when I was in SEN with children arriving to senior classes without English.

[Nicola Healy]

This is really helpful.
Thanks so much Carol.

[Sarah Bredin]

Hi Nicola,

I really enjoyed reading about your learning sequence. I liked how you used a quiz after the video as it gives pupils an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned straight away. Your decision to enable Read Aloud with Mote was an excellent adaptation and shows how small changes can make learning more accessible for all children particularly those who may struggle with reading independently.

I also agree that Google Classroom is a great way to organise resources, assignments and assessments in one place. In our school, pupils from 3rd to 6th Class have Google accounts (with email disabled) and it has worked really well. It keeps their work secure, and everything is automatically saved to Google Drive so there is no worry about losing files. By the time pupils reach 6th Class they can look back at projects and work they completed in previous years which is a lovely way for them to see their progress. I also find that when children are asked to type stories or projects instead of writing them by hand, they tend to produce much more detailed work and are more willing to edit and improve it. I also use google classroom alot for various reasons so I do recommend looking into it further.

Sarah

[Angela McGahern]

I like the read aloud enabled by Mote adjustment suggestion.  It is a lovely inclusive option to read the questions in the quiz which may be difficult for some students.

[Alan O’Connor]

I have chosen the topic of Data for 3rd class. Following introducing the topic and teacher-led examples, the pupils’ individual activity would be to choose a question/topic and collect data from their peers in response to that question.

I would use pupil-facing slides to guide the pupils and outline the process of collecting data using concise instructions (choosing a question, creating options table, tally marks, collating data). This would also allow students to identify the steps they need to take for the independent portion of the lesson and offer clarity for the lesson activity. This task supports the SSE/reflection process. For instance, if pupils were able to follow the learning sequence without further clarification from the teacher, it would suggest that the task enabled students to be more independent in their learning. One adjustment I would make to the slides would be to include a visual/infographic to summarise the process for the students who are visual learners.

To collate their results, I would share a google sheet through google classroom where a simple template is available for the pupils. I would ask them to outline the options they gave their peers when collecting their data, recording the amount of votes each option got. They could also use the chart tool to explore the different chart types they could select to display their data. This would support the students in considering the next logical step for this topic i.e. recording data in different ways.

[Tim Behan]

I really like the idea of using Google Classroom for topics like data. I used this to conduct a survey for a Science project the class were working on last year. I created an assignment in Google Cassroom and attached a shared Google sheet with the survey questions that we had previously agreed on. The class were then split up into groups and each group went to a different classroom to survey their assigned class. The children used a chromebook to capture the data and entered it onto the shared google sheet which we could view being updated in real time. We then created graphs and charts based on the results. This led to very interesting discussions on what type of graph, e.g. bar chart, pie chart etc. would be best to represent our data. The children really enjoyed this activity and it was a great way to integrate maths and science as part of the overall project.

[Dee Duignan]

This is such a great lesson idea! I love how you move the kids from doing physical tallies with their class straight into using Google Sheets. It makes it feel realistic.

Linking your slide design directly to your SSE goal on pupil independence is a brilliant idea. If they can follow the visual steps without needing to raise their hands for help, you know the instructions worked.

 

[Dee Duignan]

This is such a great lesson idea! I love how you move the kids from doing physical tallies with their class straight into using Google Sheets. It makes it feel realistic.

Linking your slide design directly to your SSE goal on pupil independence is a brilliant idea. If they can follow the visual steps without needing to raise their hands for help, you know the instructions worked.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Alan, thanks for engaging in Module 2
Using pupil-facing slides to guide 3rd Class through independent data collection is a great design choice that directly promotes learner autonomy.
The adjustment you made to include visual infographics further enhances accessibility for diverse learning needs and hits that UDL methodology.
Also, using Google Classroom to distribute structured Google Sheets templates is a brilliant way to build digital literacy while exploring graph creation.

[Keara Sweeney]

I have chosen a science topic – Materials and change for 3rd Class.  I used your template to adjust to my own needs, as a lot of the criteria was the same such as success criteria and l  The learning Intention is to investigate which materials can make a good tea bag.

I didn’t know about the tabs section on the left in Google Docs and I liked this feature.

In Google workspace, I’d create a task in the Classwork, an assignment with a list of materials needed, how to keep it a fair test etc and then leave them have control and agency over their investigations.

In Slides I could make a quiz for assessment and again link it into Classroom or even they could send me back a response on Classroom with their data recorded.

I liked your system of filing on the drive so that item can be found together.  I often have trouble locating files, docs etc that I have created as they are named badly or not at all!

I also would use the stream function for links for videos related to this topic.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Keara,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on how so many of the Workspace tools could be integrated into the science task. The tabs feature is a really useful feature of both Google and Office 365, but is somewhat of a hidden gem that we don’t often think of using. The creation of an effective administration system when naming files and saving them to folders is also so important – indeed, enlisting the help of Geminin could be beneficial for suggestions in how to do this.

[Keara Sweeney]

Hi,

when I try to download the pdf for Module 2, it keeps opening as Module 3, is this happening other people?

[Deirdre Ui Bhroin]

I teach in a special class for autistic children. The subject is English reading. My lesson is designed to be delivered in a one to one setting. The reading level is around senior infants/first class but the child is 12, so their digital literacy skills are sufficient for the lesson.

This reading lesson sequence blends shared reading with voice-to-text (VTT) technology to build literacy without requiring physical writing. Introduce the child to a highly visual short story, emphasizing two or three core vocabulary words. Next, introduce speech-to-text by speaking a target word into the microphone tool, showing the child how spoken words instantly transform into text on the screen. Then, ask a simple comprehension question, encouraging the child to respond verbally. Referring the child to the visual text can help constructing the answer to the comprehension question.

The learning could be reinforced by reading the screen-generated text aloud together, tracking the words with a finger, and pairing them with a matching picture for visual confirmation.

If I were to make an adjustment to the lesson, I would look at ways to generate movable/dragable  images to support the text, so that the child can create their own visual prompt to answering the compression question.

This would tie in nicely to SSE if the focus was on assessment as there would be a live folder, showing student progress over time.

 

[Paul Munroe]

The draggable images idea sounds great, Deirdre. It could give the child more control over their response and might make the comprehension piece feel more interactive and less like a question-and-answer task. Maybe one simple option would be to use Google Slides with a few movable pictures already prepared on the side of the slide. The child could drag the image that matches their spoken answer or use the pictures to build the answer before saying it aloud. It would keep the activity visual without needing too much extra setup.

[Tommy Hayes]

This is a great idea.  I have used Scratch to create something similar.  It is actually easy enough to code and the child can virtually grab the item by being in the scene. I did a course a few years ago and it only took about 10 minutes to create it.  I feel it may be worth exploring to help achieve your objective.

[Eva Ryan]

I think this is a fantastic idea and an excellent way to support students in this class. I have previously used Book Maker in this way , however this course has shown me that the Google Classroom is much more accessible for students with SEN.

[Deirdre Ui Bhroin]

I think this is a great ideas for a lesson on 3rd class Data! I really like how you used Google Sheets templates; it’s a great way to bridge concrete tallying with digital literacy. Adding the visual infographic to your slides is also an excellent adjustment that will definitely help to foster more independent learning for the pupils

[Sinead Boylan]

3rd Class
Topic: Vikings in Ireland
This is a topic that the children really enjoy and get involved in. I spent a good few weeks in term 2 studying them with the children. We integrated it across most of the curriculum. I mainly used Google Slides to present information to the children during the topic, as well as videos. We use the Explore with Me SESE program and it has great resources.

In Google Classroom, I would create a Quiz Assignment in the format of a Google Form for the children. This can be a great use for assessment of learning. I would pick general questions on the topic of the Vikings and also ones based off the children’s projects that they would have presented.

I have used Google Classroom previously during Covid home-schooling but I got out of practise using it due to being in SET and the junior end of the school for the past few years. I started to use it again in term 3 with 3rd class and I could definitely see myself using it more going forward. For clarity and consistency for both myself and the children, I think I would set each topic up in the same format and practice getting into the Google Classroom and finding the topic. Practice, practice, practice as they say!

I didn’t know what the tabs feature in Docs was, I’ve just been using it this evening to write some module notes and this forum response! It’s a very handy feature and will definitely make use of it more!

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by Sinead Boylan.

[Paul Munroe]

Vikings always seems to be one of the topics that grabs them, Sinéad, and it sounds like you got great mileage out of it across the curriculum. A Google Form quiz would work nicely there, especially with a mix of straight recall questions and a few pulled from the children’s own projects. That way it feels tied to what they actually did and shared rather than a test dropped in from nowhere.

[Sean Geraghty]

I really enjoyed reading your post, particularly your ideas for using Google Classroom to support your work on **Vikings in Ireland with 3rd Class**. It is a topic that lends itself very well to integrating different subjects, and I like the idea of combining Google Slides, videos and the Explore with Me resources throughout the learning sequence.

I think using a **Google Forms quiz** at the end of the topic would be a very effective way of assessing the children’s learning. Including questions based on the pupils’ own projects is a particularly good idea, as it gives value to the work they have presented and encourages them to engage with each other’s projects.

I also agree with your point about consistency. If Google Classroom is organised in a similar way for each topic, pupils will gradually become more independent in accessing slides, assignments and other resources. This could be especially useful as they progress through the school.

Your point about getting back into using Google Classroom also stood out to me. I think one of the biggest challenges with digital tools is simply getting into the habit of using them regularly. Once both teachers and pupils become familiar with the routine, they can become a very useful part of everyday teaching and learning.

[Tim Behan]

For this assignment, I used Google Classroom for a class Geography project on France. I currently teach 6^th class. For clarity, I created a topic and an assignment in Google Classroom titled France Project. In the assignment information section I outlined the criteria for the project, such as at least 10 facts, include the flag, capital city, population etc. The idea is that following a series of lessons on France, the children will collate what they have learned in class and add in some extra facts that they find through their own research. The children could gather their facts and images in the Google Doc provided in the assignment. The children would then use Google slides to make a mini presentation on France, including text and pictures, taking these from the Google Doc. One adjustment I would make is to add a link to a website such as Kids Britannica or a similar appropriate website and include this link in the assignment to give the children a suitable resource to conduct their own research. This will help with clarity also.  A possible link to reflection or SSE is that using Google Classroom for projects like this creates a digital portfolio linked to the student so that their progress can be reviewed and reflected on and the topics covered over time are easily available and accessible as part of their digital record.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Tim, welcome to Module 2 and thanks for this reflection.

Google Classroom as a tool to organise a 6th Class Geography project on France provides a clear, consistent digital framework for research and presentation. I’m personally a huge fan of GC for its ability to allow our students to collaborate and create.

Your adjustment to embed curated research links, such as Britannica Kids, shows great foresight in scaffolding independent learning. Britannica is also such an inclusive platform.
The link you made to SSE is spot on, leveraging Google Docs and Slides to build digital portfolios creates an accessible record of progress over time. It is also a great student centred assessment platform!

[Angela McGahern]

5th Class
Topic: Famine in Ireland
This is a topic that the children find fascinating and become engrossed in learning more about the topics from famine ships to the workhouses. It can be integrated cross-curricular in all subjects. I used Google Slides to present information to the class in addition to music, art and videos. We used their novel “Under the Hawthorn Tree” to allow them to read about the lives of people during this time and visit the famine museum.
Google classroom supports clarity; by teachers type clear directions and attach specific files, rubrics, or media links directly to every task, sequence; teachers can schedule posts in advance to release work at the exact time a new step begins and consistency; by using the reuse Post option to keep the same format for weekly tasks or routine quizzes.
In Google Classroom, I would created Quiz Assignment in the format of a Google Form for the children. This helps show assessment of learning. I would pick various questions and differentiate them for all abilities to show their understanding and progression.
I think that Google workspace would be beneficial for our School Self-Evaluation. As one of the six steps we could record the opinions of the children and then incorporate this into plans going forward.

[Paul Munroe]

The famine is a great topic to use with 5th class Angela and is one of those areas where children often become really interested, especially when they can connect the facts with stories like Under the Hawthorn Tree or a visit to a museum. I like that you’ve used different approaches too, not just slides. Music, art, videos and the novel would give the children a much better sense of this time in history and help them understand it from different angles. Google Classroom would work well here, especially for keeping all the resources in one place. It can be very handy for a big topic like this, where there might be links, slides, questions, rubrics, and project work all happening over a few weeks.

[Niall Hickey]

Love this idea Angela on the famine as it’s a topic that all the kids can relate to in our schools. Integrating the different subjects that link to the famine also helps their learning and there is lots of information online on the famine to make different quizzes and also do some genre writing with the use of under the hawthorn tree

[Laura Wickham]

I love the idea of scheduling posts in advance at the exact time the new step begins. This is super differentiation and it allows for students to progress at their own speed. I think your example also is a great example of how slidesw and classroom can be used to support purposeful learning of a novel and not just digital learning for the sake of it.

[Dee Duignan]

we use accelerated reader and after children complete a book challenge of finishing a book in 2 weeks I would create a book detective challenge on google slides where they feedback character info and review the book. The children would present their slides to the class once completed. One adaption I could make would be to enable the children to use peer rubrics to see if the children met their goals outlined before the assignment. This would support clarity.

You could use this as evidence of  Digital learning Integration Literacy Initiatives, or Formative Assessment for the SSE

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by Dee Duignan.

[Niall Hickey]

For my unit on Time with 4th Class, I designed a pupil-facing slide deck to guide students through calculating time durations and converting between 12-hour and 24-hour digital clock formats.

One core design choice I made was creating an interactive “Jump Strategy” number line graphic on the slides. This visually models how to break down time intervals into friendly chunks (e.g., jumping to the nearest hour first, then adding remaining minutes).

This approach directly supports clarity and sequencing by breaking a multi-step abstract calculation into a clear, visual algorithm. Presenting the steps in the exact same color-coded layout across the instruction, independent activity, and digital practice provided strong structural consistency, helping pupils navigate the task with minimal teacher prompting.

Reflecting on the activity, one adjustment I would make is incorporating a quick 2-minute “elbow partner double-check” before pupils input their final duration answers into their digital worksheets.

This directly ties into our School Self-Evaluation (SSE) on learner autonomy.

[Victoria Murphy]

This is a very interesting use of the Google Suite to support time, which has become one of the more difficult topics in Maths for children in our modern era. Visual sequenced consistent information will enhance the quality of learning in the classroom.

[Pat Brennan]

Hi Niall,

Your ‘Jump Strategy’ approach to break down what  is a challenging abstract concept for students and presenting the steps in a consistent, colour-coded format is a simple but effective way to scaffold learning and help them work more independently. I also like your focus on learner autonomy.
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One suggestion I would have is to incorporate a few real-world problems, such as calculating journey times or the duration of matches. This can help students see the relevance of the skill and make the learning more meaningful.

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[Victoria Murphy]

This was an interesting module – I’m familiar with the google suite of tools but linking them to google classroom was new and useful information.
Currently teaching in a junior autism classroom I found the ‘Teacher Planning Template’ a really useful document to support the sequence of learning activities. Our learning tasks need very small specific steps over a long period of time and this type of planning and using AI to support it will improve the quality of learning in the classroom. The use of Docs for defining the plan for example Group 1 Jolly Phonics learning. I also liked the link with Headings that will make it easier to use. I used Google Slides to create a series of lesson intro embedding video and images etc. The use of a generated doc like Task3 will also be useful for creating a consistent assessment strategy that can be used for all JP Groups as learning progresses.
Using an organised Drive structure enables teacher reflections to be recorded and available to support continuous improvement. Documents can be shared for comment/review by others. Digital systems will enhance my teacher practice and support improved quality of learning for my pupils.

[Kevin Byrne]

Hi Victoria,

I have just looked again at my google Drive and seen the lack of structure there. Your response reminded me to organise by creating a proper folder structure. Rather than spend hours going through everything I will file from now on and hopefully build a better system in time. Thanks for the reminder! I just looked at the note we were asked to make at the start of the module that was the area.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Victoria, thank you for engaging in Module 2.

Thank you for sharing such an insightful reflection tailored to your junior autism classroom. Using Google Docs with clear headings to map out small, explicit learning steps for Jolly Phonics shows a deep understanding of structured pedagogy needed in your classroom.

Embedding video and visual media within Google Slides is a brilliant choice to maintain clarity and routine for your pupils.

Your recognition of how a structured Google Drive folder supports ongoing teacher reflection aligns perfectly with SSE principles. Creating consistent digital records ensures seamless collaboration and supports high-quality, continuous improvement in teaching.

[Cathal Scarry]

I could definitely see the benefits of doing something similar. I’m in SET for the last 8 years and constantly trying to improve the efficiency around planning and assessment.

[Kevin Byrne]

In a special school context, addition and subtraction are often repeated ad nauseam, sometimes with limited success. I chose to look at addition and subtraction assessments up to 20 for students starting 4th class. I realize this is a huge topic and not suitable for a single activity; however, I wanted to test the AI’s ability to create something that I would consider acceptable.

I built a set of student-facing slides using Gemini that used clickable links to test student ability to add and subtract various images, complete counting tasks, follow patterns, and gradually work up to simple number sentences.

By using this technique, I can create slide decks that mirror this layout for any lesson. This allows students to gain familiarity with the process, helping them get straight to the learning intention.

One adjustment I had to make was to the deck creation itself. It took several attempts, and the images were not always accurate. Moving forward, I need to become more precise when prompting the tool.

Our SSE next year will focus on Assessment and Progress (details still to be fully nailed down!), but stressing the importance of reflection, assessment, and building a consistent approach across lessons and throughout the school should ultimately enhance student learning.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Kevin, thank you for engaging in Module 2.

It is great to hear how this works in your special school context. Establishing a familiar, repeatable slide layout gives your pupils consistency and allows them to focus directly on the learning intention.

Your reflection on refining AI prompts for accurate visuals highlights great critical evaluation. Tying this structured approach to your SSE focus on Assessment and Progress will establish a unified assessment strategy across the school.

[Sandra Dunne]

Thank you Kevin for sharing such a insightful reflection! Designing interactive, clickable slide decks for addition and subtraction up to 20 is a fantastic approach, especially in a Special School context where visual clarity, routine, and predictable layouts are so vital for reducing anxiety and supporting learning.

I completely agree with your point about consistency. Establishing a familiar slide structure allows students to focus on the actual mathematical concepts rather than trying to navigate a new format every time. Your realization about refining AI image prompts is very relatable—getting precise visual outputs often takes a few attempts!

Regarding School Self-Evaluation (SSE), your focus on Assessment and Progress aligns brilliantly with Google Workspace. Using standardized digital slide decks across classes creates a consistent baseline for tracking progress over time. Work samples and video/audio clips of students completing these tasks can easily be stored in a shared SSE Google Drive folder to showcase distance travelled.

 

[Robbie McHugh]

4th class Norway project
I would begin with a shared document on google docs(children have access to chromebooks) where children imput answers to KWL before beginning the project.
This would be linked to self evaluation where we revisit the document at the completion of the project.

I would assign the children a task of creating a docs/slides fact file for Norway using google classroom.Within the post I would include success criteria and possible a rubric from Gemini( i havent tried this before.) I would attach a template for them from google docs/slides and assign a new one to each student.) I would also attach a link/links to the post on google classroom to relevant websites like national geographic kids. Using classroom helps keep it consistent and is ill help the children with their success criteria.

[Robbie McHugh]

Also is gemini on docs and slides through a paid service for school accounts?  I can only seem to access gemini through classroom or through the app but not built into docs/slides like in the video.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Robbie, thank you for your engagement in Module 2.

Integrating a KWL chart via Google Docs for a 4th Class project on Norway is a brilliant way to activate prior knowledge and encourage self-evaluation.

Google Classroom as a tool to distribute individual templates along with clear success criteria and research links ensures excellent sequence and consistency and allows student autonomy.

Your interest in using Gemini to generate assessment rubrics is a great next step for framing expectations. Tying the initial KWL responses to final project reflections provides a great opportunity for learner self assessment.

[Tommy Hayes]

I am just wondering about your thoughts on Claude.  I used it to synthesis some plans together and to be honest it seems so powerful, and in my experience to date better than Gemini and ChatGPT.

[Laura Wickham]

For my topic I chose music for second class, whereby the students learn to distinguish different orchestral instruments. Learning outcome =recognise, show and describe examples of timbre in different instruments. The aim was for pupils to listen carefully to a range of instruments, recognise that instruments have different sound qualities and begin to use simple vocabulary such as bright, soft, sharp, smooth, deep and warm to describe what they hear.
One design choice I made was to organise the lesson in a clear sequence. I would begin by sharing the learning intention and playing short examples of familiar instruments such as the violin, piano, drum, clarinet and saxophone using audio links on slides. Pupils would then listen to and try to identify each instrument. We would then discuss the different sounds before pupils in groups on tablets complete a simple listening activity matching instruments to words that describe their timbre using multiple choice on google forms. From an organisation point of view, I organised audio excerpts linked to docs in drive into their categories e.g. strings, wind etc.
One adjustment I would make after teaching the lesson would be to include more opportunities for pupils to play classroom instruments themselves (or invite staff/parents who play instruments in) and compare their timbres rather than relying mainly on recorded examples.
For reflection and SSE, I think it would be beneficial to share practice and lesson sequences created among cohorts and colleagues particularly in the arts. I could also reflect on whether pupils were able to independently use appropriate vocabulary to describe timbre and use this evidence to inform the next music lesson.

[Maria Santos Blanco]

I really like how you organised the lesson into a clear sequence and used audio clips to introduce the different instruments. The Google Forms matching activity is also a nice way to check their understanding. Do you think you would use this activity again with other types of music?

[Maria Santos Blanco]

I planned an Autumn learning sequence for my Junior Infants class. One design choice I made was to use simple Google Slides with large images, very little text and the same layout throughout the lesson. I chose this because my pupils benefit from clear and predictable routines. The sequence begins with a short picture-based discussion, followed by teacher input, a matching activity and a simple reflection at the end. This supports clarity because pupils can see what they are expected to do, and consistency because the same structure is used throughout. One adjustment I would make would be to include more symbols or visual prompts for pupils who need additional communication support. A possible link to reflection or SSE would be to observe whether this clearer digital structure helps pupils stay engaged and complete activities more independently, and then use this information to improve future lessons.

[Lorna Hehir]

I really like how you have used simple google slides with large images and little text. This is a great way to keep the lesson clear and suitable for junior infants. I also like that you have included a short reflection at the end.
One suggestion would be to add simple audio instructions to some of the slides. This could support pupils who find it difficult to follow written instructions and would be inclusive.

[Orla Holm]

Topic & Class Level: Barryscourt Castle. 5th/6th Class History (Local Studies / Change & Continuity).

Learning Sequence
Explore: Map the site; investigate 16th-century Anglo-Norman defenses (bawn walls, turrets, drop-hole dungeon).
Investigate: Analyse floor plans and images of the Great Hall to compare Tudor-era and modern daily life.
Synthesise: Examine OPW conservation efforts and create a visual 16th-century castle visitor guide or job advert.
Design Choice
Used structured architectural graphic organisers and visual cards instead of text-dense readings.

Clarity, Sequence & Consistency
Clarity: Translates complex medieval terminology into concrete visual components.
Sequence: Progresses logically from physical identification to social history, ending with modern conservation.
Consistency: Uses a uniform layout, ensuring students quickly locate key terms and inquiry prompts.
Adjustment
Add 3D block-building or virtual walkthroughs to help spatial learners visualize how the 3-storey main block and 5-storey turrets connect.

Reflection / SSE Link
Students complete a 3-2-1 reflection log (3 facts, 2 terms, 1 question). Teachers use this data for School Self-Evaluation (SSE) to measure active inquiry and engagement in local history.

[Sean Geraghty]

My learning sequence focused on The Great Irish Famine (1845–1849) and was designed for 6th Class. One of the main design choices I made was to use Google Classroom as the central location for the lesson. I created links to the lesson slides as well as a pupil template that the children could use throughout the lesson to record their learning and complete the different activities.

Before assigning the lesson on Google Classroom, I also completed a teacher planner. I found this particularly useful as it encouraged me to think carefully about the learning objectives, the sequence of activities and what I wanted the pupils to achieve by the end of the lesson. Having the slides, pupil template and instructions together on Google Classroom also provided greater clarity and consistency for pupils.

One adjustment I would make would be to include more opportunities for differentiation within the pupil template, such as extension questions and additional supports for pupils who may need them.

This could also link well with School Self-Evaluation (SSE). Pupil feedback or a short reflection at the end of the lesson could help identify what worked well and what could be improved when using digital learning tools in future lessons.

[Tommy Hayes]

Topic and Class Level: Science: Rocket Design & Flight Dynamics (5th Class), adapted from the SFI Curious Minds resource.
For this learning sequence, I chose to design student-facing material using Google Slides to deliver the content sequentially. Anchoring the lesson on slides helped establish a clear, predictable flow. I started with inspiring rocket launch footage to hook the pupils, followed by clear step-by-step instructions for constructing and testing their rockets.
The core goal was using a fair test procedure to investigate how trajectory angle affects maximum flight distance. While I have taught this lesson before, using AI as a planning partner helped refine my scaffolding.
One adjustment I would make would be to introduce this to data, and use Google Sheets to show children how to compile a simple table on sheets and create a graph. I may also follow up the lesson by allowing student to design and make adjustments to their rockets to investigate the results of their adjustments.
Link to Reflection / SSE: From a School Self-Evaluation (SSE) perspective, analyzing pupil recordings from these flight trials offers valuable evidence for assessing STEM problem-solving and critical thinking skills across the senior cycle.

[Eva Ryan]

For the purpose of this response I have chosen 6th class and the topic is Writing for an Audience (for podcast scripting – curriculum links: Literacy and Digital Learning)
The design I have chosen is pupil facing slides in the Google Classroom App. I would have a clear topic title: Podcast Project. I would ensure the structure of it is clearly labeled to ensure accessibility for the students. The following would be included in the slide:
1. Read & Analyze: Sample Script & Success Criteria (Material)
2. Draft: Podcast Planning Doc (Assignment set to ‘Make a Copy for Each Student’)
3. Record & Upload: Audio Portal (Assignment)
4. Peer Review: Reflection Form (Google Form)
Including the success criteria supports clarity for students as they know exactly what is expected before completing tasks and submitting work.
For sequencing purposes, ordering the slides encourages the students to plan out scripts first eliminating the want to record straight away. Numbering the tasks also builds a predictable routine and clear instruction which supports consistency in the task and avoids consistent questioning of ‘What am I doing now?’.
An adjustment I would make is to use colour coded templates (as shown in the module) to make the sections clear into three parts: Introduction, Main Task and Ending. Sentence starters would also support students.
From an SSE angle (Looking at Our School), this hits Learner Outcomes by giving 6th class a genuine audience, which forces them to actually think about tone and pace rather than just writing to please the teacher. It also ticks the Learner Experiences box by building independence, digital skills, and proper peer-feedback habits.
A good reflection question for us to ponder on the course is: Does a Google Classroom setup like this actually help kids get a better grip on audience tone and peer review, or would traditional copybook drafting do the exact same job?
Throughout this module and upon completing this forum post, as somebody who is very new to Google Classroom, I have reflected upon whether the setup supports students get a good grip of audience tone and peer review or would traditional copybook drafting be similar? I have found this module very interesting and have learned a lot in the structure of google classroom, docs etc and can see when practiced and familiarized how much these tools can be utilised in the classroom.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Eva,

Thank you for your post here and for your comprehensive overview of the use of the Google tools here. You have raised a very good point around comparing a Google classroom led approach with a traditional copybook drafting approach in terms of children getting a better grip on tone and review – it is difficult to answer this definitively, and its likely that the answer lie somewhere in the middle. Children having the opportunity to engage with various methodological approaches is ultimately hugely positive, and when achieved over a number of years children are likely to be able to select learning preferences as they transition into 2nd and 3rd level education.

[Cathal Scarry]

I based my response on something I initially tried out last year. With the aid of the learnings from this course, I hope to improve it.

4th Class SESE (Geography & Science) — Irish Bogs and Peatlands (Pre-teaching approach).

Design Choice

I used a hands-on pre-teaching approach for a student in my class who needed extra support. He had a very poor working memory and needed repetition and consistency of approach every day. Before we started the topic with the whole class, we watched short videos on the bog wildlife and turf cutting, handled a real sod of turf so he could feel and smell it, and created a simple illustrated storybook where he was the main character touring a bog, spotting wildlife, and bringing home turf.

How It Supports Clarity, Sequence, or Consistency

This helped with clarity and sequence by giving him a head start on the topic before the main lesson began. We highlighted key vocabulary in his storybook that matched the words I’d be using in class. Matching the story to the upcoming lesson made the content familiar, boosted his confidence, and made it much easier for him to follow along with the rest of the class.

One Adjustment

In the future, if I were to adapt this, I’d create a digital version of the story on Google Slides with recorded voice-overs. That way, he could easily re-listen to the story on his own and practice the keywords at home with his parents.

Link to Reflection / SSE

This links directly to our School Self-Evaluation goals around Learner Experiences and Inclusion. It shows how small, adjustments help ensure every child can actively take part in class, and saving these personalised resources online gives us clear evidence of differentiated learning in practice.

[Kevin Mullins]

This is such a wonderfully thoughtful and multi-sensory approach to pre-teaching. Making the student the main character in the storybook is a brilliant way to increase engagement and anchor the new vocabulary for someone with working memory difficulties. Handling the real sod of turf adds a great tactile element that makes the abstract concepts concrete.

Your adjustment to move this onto Google Slides with recorded voice-overs is a fantastic idea, especially for strengthening the home-school link. As a suggestion for that digital version, do you think you could include an interactive slide at the end where the student could record their own voice retelling the main points? It could be a lovely, low-stakes way for them to showcase their learning and build even more confidence.

[Lorna Hehir]

As I am working in EAL , I adapted this activity for a small group of 3rd/4th Class EAL pupils. The topic I chose was Geography-rivers, with a focus on developing key vocabulary such as river, source, mouth, bank, tributary etc

One design choice I made was to use pictures, labelled diagrams and repeated oral language practice. Pupils would first match words to pictures before using the vocabulary in simple sentences. This provides a clear learning sequence and supports pupils in developing English and subject knowledge.
An adjustment that I would make is to give the pupils sentence starters and a word bank that need more language support.
This could link to SSE by reflecting on how well visual supports and sentence starters help pupils participate, understand and use new vocabulary independently.

I would also use pupil feedback and my own observations to make changes to the activity and ensure that the learning remains suitable for the needs of all pupils in the group.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Lorna Hehir.

[Sandra Dunne]

Topic: Scientific Inquiry & Plant Biology

Class Level: 5th Class

Course Reflection

In designing this learning sequence, I created a central Google Slides hyperdoc paired with direct links to Google Classroom assignments for each step of the investigation.

My primary design choice was using a single, visual hyperdoc as a central navigation hub. This choice significantly supports clarity and consistency, as students have a predictable structure for every lesson. It reduces cognitive load by eliminating the need to search through multiple attachments, allowing students to focus directly on learning tasks.

One adjustment I would make is embedding short audio instructions within the Google Slides. This would offer better accessibility for reluctant readers and support independent learning.

Looking ahead, Google Workspace and Classroom offer immense value for School Self-Evaluation (SSE). Digital portfolios saved in Google Drive can serve as authentic evidence of student progress over time. Furthermore, teachers can use Google Forms and Sheets to gather and analyze baseline data on teaching methodologies, helping staff collaboratively track targets in our SSE action plan.

[Kevin Mullins]

For my learning sequence, I focused on introducing basic fractions to a 3rd Class group. One major design choice I implemented was scaffolding the lessons strictly from concrete to pictorial modeling, moving directly from physical paper-folding activities to sketching fraction bars. This specific choice supports sequential clarity and structural consistency, ensuring that learners solidify their spatial understanding of parts of a whole before navigating abstract notation.

Reflecting on the lesson delivery, one adjustment I would make next time is integrating a formal formative assessment checkpoint immediately after the physical folding activity to identify and assist struggling students earlier. This deliberate approach links directly to our current School Self-Evaluation (SSE) focus on enhancing numeracy outcomes across the primary grades. By systematically tracking individual progression through active, tactile learning methodologies, we can gather robust evidence on the exact intervention strategies that successfully optimize student comprehension.

 

[Kevin Mullins]

My vocabulary warm-up game, “Cad atá ar iarraidh?”, strongly supports pupil engagement through its fast-paced, interactive nature, which captures interest immediately at the start of the lesson. To ensure inclusion, I modified the activity by offering a visual desk mat for children who needed extra support, allowing them to participate fully and discreetly without feeling singled out.

For feedback, the game provides an immediate, low-stakes formative assessment checkpoint; hearing the children use targeted ceisteanna aloud allows me to instantly gauge their pronunciation and vocabulary retention. My next steps will be to gradually fade the use of the covering cloth and transition the children into small-group or paired versions of the game. This will increase their independent speaking time and allow them to take turns leading the activity themselves, building confidence as we progress through the unit.

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