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<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>I really like your plan to use exit tickets via Google Forms!<span data-path-to-node=”9,2″> </span>Gathering that real-time data makes it so much easier to group pupils for target interventions the very next day. The data will be so useful for teacher feedback? One small suggestion that worked well for me was using the ‘Quiz’ feature in forms so students get instant feedback on multiple-choice check-ins.</p>
For our school’s SSE focus, I am looking at the Teaching and Learning domain, specifically focusing on increasing pupil engagement and ownership of learning through self-assessment and digital feedback. The children have access to technology twice per week so there will be an opportunity not only to implement this but also to make it a regular and substantial element of our SSE.
To support this, I plan to use Google Forms for weekly self-reflection surveys and Google Docs alongside Google Classroom for submitting assignments and receiving targeted feedback. The primary digital evidence I will gather includes responses from Google Forms exit tickets, baseline and follow-up pupil confidence scores, and digital comment logs within Google Docs.
By regularly analysing this evidence, I aim to move from teacher-led assessment to a more pupil-centred approach. My planned action is to establish a fortnightly reflection routine where students review their previous digital feedback, set a personal S.M.A.R.T. goal, and track their own progress over time. This evidence will directly inform Step 2 and Step 3 of our SSE cycle as we measure the impact of digital feedback on pupil autonomy.I work with a 4th Class Special Education Team (SET) withdrawal group focusing on small-group literacy support (specifically targeting reading comprehension and vocabulary development). I used the Brainstormer Gem for the limited task of generating interactive, low-stakes game ideas to introduce and reinforce new target vocabulary words before diving into a shared text.
I adopted a “Vocabulary Charades & Context Clues” activity, which suited my group’s kinaesthetic learning styles. However, I rejected a multi-step written matching game because the heavy decoding load would have frustrated two of my pupils and detracted from the core learning goal. The Whiteboard Word-Trace Relay. It is based around 8 Dolch words. It gives both pupils on a team an active, simultaneous role—one getting up for physical movement, the other getting hands-on practice with word formation keeping the game fast, fun, and super low-stress.To maintain strict data privacy, I ensured no pupil names, specific learning needs, or IEP goals were entered into the prompt. I framed the prompt strictly around general 4th Class reading level adaptations.
The Gem added clear value by giving me quick, fresh ideas to scaffold learning. It allowed me to move away from static worksheets while relying on my professional judgment to choose what best supported my pupils.
In terms of School Self-Evaluation (SSE), Google Workspace and Prebuilt Gems can be brilliant for driving targeted literacy and numeracy interventions. We can then prompt Gems to brainstorm explicit whole-school or small-group teaching strategies aligned with our School Improvement Plan.
Hi Keara,
I completely agree with your approach, switching to the Brainstormer Gem was a clever pivot! I spend a lot of time working with withdrawal groups in SET. I have to be specific and targeted in my lessons. It is very time constrained. Having an AI tool generate differentiated starting points makes planning targeted interventions so much easier.
My chosen activity for this module focuses on a 4th Class History lesson exploring the Famine using Google Slides. In respect of what I already referred to earlier, this would be used with a core group of children I withdraw for pre-teaching of the Famine. In SET we tend to be time poor so a ‘ready to go’ lesson laden with imagery and interactive teaching is perfect. With the google form ‘exit’ test I can assess instantly and with record what the children know before engaging in the class proper. The class teacher also has a record of the level of understanding these children have as she seeks to differentiate in class. Plus we have a recorded assessment which we can add to the other forms of assessment we perform in Literacy and Numeracy. To remove reliance on writing, pupils will use a pre-structured template provided via Google Classroom. The template includes distinct text boxes with built-in sentence starters, word banks, and embedded image prompts. Pupils who experience literacy or fine motor difficulties can use Voice Typing in Google Docs (pasting their content into Slides) or record audio explanations. This approach ensures all children engage deeply with historical concepts regardless of writing ability.
To evaluate understanding and gather evidence for learning, pupils will complete a short Google Form featuring visual prompts. Live feedback provided during the activity allows for immediate guidance, while form responses highlight common misconceptions to inform next steps for revision.
Looking towards School Self-Evaluation (SSE), Google Workspace can transform how our school gathers evidence:
* Google Forms: Streamlines feedback collection from staff, pupils, and parents, instantly generating analytical charts that save administrative time compared to paper surveys.
* Inbuilt Accessibility Features: Features such as voice typing, alt-text, and screen readers ensure pupil voice is genuinely inclusive during the SSE evidence-gathering stage.
* Shared Drive: Centralises digital portfolios and assessment data across year groups, allowing for ongoing collaborative review of teaching and learning goals.
Hi Deirdre,
I enjoyed reading your reflection on using Google Forms for your Ancient Rome lesson. Your point about digital tools giving quieter pupils a low-pressure way to demonstrate their knowledge is so accurate and crucial for an inclusive classroom. Incorporating images alongside voice typing ensures the assessment measures their historical understanding rather than reading or writing stamina. I also completely agree with your link to SSE; using Forms to collect anonymous, accessible feedback across the school community makes data collection much more efficient.
Hi Deirdre,
I enjoyed reading your reflection on using Google Forms for your Ancient Rome lesson. Your point about digital tools giving quieter pupils a low-pressure way to demonstrate their knowledge is so accurate and crucial for an inclusive classroom. Incorporating images alongside voice typing ensures the assessment measures their historical understanding rather than reading or writing stamina. I also completely agree with your link to SSE; using Forms to collect anonymous, accessible feedback across the school community makes data collection much more efficient.
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.
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.
Thinking of something new or different isn’t easy to come up with sometimes. Ai can bridge that gap pretty simply. This is a great example of that. The differentiation opportunities for someone like me in SET are excellent. Take the same topic and simplify the language and the amount of text involved, even on something we may have dreamed up on the spot.
I ACCIDENTALLY ADDED THIS AS A REPLY TO SOMEONE ELSE BELOW. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ANSWER.
I work in SET. One child in particular has no interest really in anything as he has a very low IQ and a number of other issues. I have used Gemini book creator to put him as the centre of every book. So if I want him to internalise 3D shapes we research places like the Pyramids, the Sphere in Las Vegas et. Then I make the story about him travelling the world visiting them and build his work outwards from there. The child in question is very vulnerable and would have a very innocent view of the world. It’s important when using Gemini that I kept his profile simple. A first name, basic description and his favourite sports jersey for the illustrations etc. Ten attempts to create a story for him will give ten different illustrations of him. So I use the first one and upload that image very time. I include no surname or DOB, give his school and general area where he lives. At the end of the year the conditions around Gemini books changed and it didn’t work as well unfortunately
<p style=”font-weight: 400;”>I work in SET. One child in particular has no interest really in anything as he has a very low IQ and a number of other issues. I have used Gemini book creator to put him as the centre of every book. So if I want him to internalise 3D shapes we research places like the Pyramids, the Sphere in Las Vegas et. Then I make the story about him travelling the world visiting them and build his work outwards from there. The child in question is very vulnerable and would have a very innocent view of the world. It’s important when using Gemini that I kept his profile simple. A first name, basic description and his favourite sports jersey for the illustrations etc. Ten attempts to create a story for him will give ten different illustrations of him. So I use the first one and upload that image very time. I include no surname or DOB, give his school and general area where he lives. At the end of the year the conditions around Gemini books changed and it didn’t work as well unfortunately.</p>