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Hi Mark. I like how you’ve connected your evidence-gathering to the SSE process. Using assessment data alongside pupil work, observations, and pupil feedback should give you a really clear picture of what’s working. It might also be worth thinking about how you’ll track the impact of the AfL strategies over time, so you can clearly show improvements in engagement, reading, and independent learning.
Our School Self-Evaluation (SSE) focus is wellbeing and for this assignment I have chosen to review how classroom routines and formative assessment strategies can support students’ sense of belonging and confidence in learning. When students feel safe and supported they are more willing to participate and achieve their potential.
To review this area of my teaching, I’ll look back at lesson plans I’ve created using Teach & Create to see how I’ve included wellbeing through group work and giving students opportunities to share their ideas and opinions. I’ll also use resources I’ve adapted with the help of Copilot to make sure lessons are accessible and suitable for students with different abilities and learning needs. I’ll use Assessment for Learning information from Learning Accelerators to see how students are engaging with their learning and where they might need extra support.
Using this information, I plan to build in more regular check-ins with students, give them more chances to reflect on their learning and work together, and continue adapting lessons to meet their needs. I also want to ask students for feedback about their learning experiences so I can better understand what helps them feel supported and engaged in the classroom. My goal is to create a positive, inclusive learning environment where every student feels confident, valued, and able to do their best.
Hi Mark. I agree that AI tools like the Canva agent can be useful for generating ideas and providing a starting point, but they do need careful editing and review. The templates are helpful, but the final quality depends on the creator’s input and attention to detail. This is especially true when working with school materials.
For this activity I used the Canva AI agent to create a teaching resource for a 4th class English lesson on descriptive writing. The resource was designed to help pupils use descriptive vocabulary and adjectives to improve their writing. It included colourful visuals as well as some word banks and a simple writing prompt to encourage creativity.
After inputing my instructions I carefully checked all of the content to make sure it was suitable for the age group and matched the learning for the lesson. I reviewed the spellings and grammar and made sure that the examples were appropriate and easy for 4th class pupils to understand. I also checked that the images were relevant and appropriate. I mainly kept the layout, visuals, and vocabulary suggestions but I did change some of the writing prompts to better suit my class. I removed a few words that were too difficult and made some of the instructions simpler to make them clearer.
One important safeguarding and professional consideration would be that AI-generated resources should always be reviewed before being used in the classroom. Teachers are responsible to see that all content is accurate, age-appropriate and aligned with the curriculum. It is also important not to enter any personal or identifiable information about pupils into AI tools.
I feel hat the Canva AI agent would add value by saving time when creating an engaging resource and by suggesting ideas that I could adapt for my lessons and teaching. While the resource was not perfect it did provide a starting point.
Hi Mark. I really like how these tools not only support accessibility but also provide useful data to inform teaching. I agree that using Reading Progress and Immersive Reader as part of SSE could help identify literacy needs early and track progress over time. I think this will make sure interventions are evidence-based while giving pupils more independence in their learning.
Using Microsoft 365 Copilot to create practical classroom tasks has highlighted for me how AI can support me in being more inclusive and efficient in my approach to teaching. One of the biggest benefits I found was the ability to quickly adapt resources to get past barriers to learning. Copilot helped me make instructions simpler, create scaffolded activities and also produce differentiated resources that can support children with different levels of literacy and language. This can definitely reduce the time spent creating multiple versions of the same task to make sure all pupils have access to appropriate learning opportunities.
Another strength was pupil engagement. Copilot made discussion prompts, real-world scenarios as well as interactive activities that were interesting for children. I think having a variety of tasks can help cater to different learning preferences. This would help with greater participation across the class.
Looking ahead, I feel Learning Accelerators and the inbuilt accessibility features within Microsoft 365 have the potential to support our School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process. Inn particular tools such as Reading Progress, Reading Coach, Search Coach, and Speaker Progress could provide valuable data on pupil progress while promoting independent learning. Accessibility features such as Immersive Reader, live captions, dictation, translation, and text-to-speech can help remove barriers for pupils with additional learning needs, English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners, and those with literacy challenges.
As part of SSE, these tools could help the school monitor learner outcomes as well as evaluate the impact of teaching strategies, and identify areas where additional support is needed.I agree that the quality of the prompts makes a huge difference to the final output, and it’s interesting that you refined the vocabulary definitions until they met your needs. I thibk this is someting that you would get better at over time. The poster sounds like a great addition too, as visual resources can really help pupils engage with a topic like World War Two. I also like your emphasis on key vocabulary throughout the lesson as I think it supports historical understanding as well as literacy development. Your point that AI provides a strong starting point but still needs teacher input really resonated with me.
I used Copilot Teach to create a lesson plan for a 4th class on the topic of Fractions – Equivalent Fractions. I found the lesson plan to be generally well-structured and fairly easy to follow. It included clear learning outcomes, suggested activities which were relevant and ut outlined opportunities for assessment. The lesson sequence was logical and provided a good starting point for planning.
While the output was of a high standard, I felt that it still required some changes before using it with my class. The activities were a but general and did not fully reflect the different abilities of my pupils. I would also want to makr sure that the examples and resources matched the curriculum and the materials available in my classroom.
One specific adjustment I would make would be to include more differentiated tasks. For example, I would provide concrete manipulatives and visual supports for pupils who need extra assistance and also it would be important to offer more challenging problem-solving activities for pupils who need it.
I also believe Copilot Teach could be a valuable tool in our school’s School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process. It could help staff analyse survey responses or summarise inspection findings. Other ways it could be used is to generate action plans, suggest evidence-based teaching strategies and draft sections of the SSE report. This could definitely save teachers time while supporting collaborative planning and helping schools focus on improving teaching and learning outcomes. However, if using any AI-generated suggestions in this way they hould always be reviewed and adapted by staff to ensure they accurately reflect the school’s context and priorities.Hi Mark. I agree with your view of AI in education. I think saving teachers time is a major benefit and I also see the importance of checking AI-generated content before using it in class.
Your 6th Class History cloze test on World War II sounds like a useful resource that could be used for reinforcing key vocabulary and assessing pupils’ understanding. I also liked your point about ensuring pupils remain the ones doing the thinking. I feel encouraging them to question and evaluate AI-generated information is a very important skill that will help develop their critical thinking ability.
I thought using Copilot was a positive experience overall. I found it easy enough to use and it created the resource quickly. The first response it gave was good, but I needed to refine my prompts a bit and edit the content to make sure it matched the objectives and was suitable. I think this highlighted the importance of using AI as a support tool rather than relying on it to produce finished resources.
The classroom resource I created was a lesson on the water cycle for 4th Class. Copilot helped me generate a short reading passage, comprehension questions, a sequencing activity, and a simple reflection question to check understanding. I adapted the language slightly, added visual supports to differentiate to meet the needs of children in my class.
I believe AI can support teaching by saving time on lesson planning and creating differentiated materials. One significant benefit is the efficiency it offers. It will allow me to spend more time focusing on teaching and supporting pupils. However, one limitation I found is that AI can produce inaccurate or sometimes overly generic information, so its important to review and fact-check and adapt the content before using it in the classroom.
To ensure pupils remain the ones doing the thinking, I would use AI only to support my planning and resource creation, not to replace pupil learning. I would encourage pupils to ask questions, explain their reasoning and solve problems independently. The activities would be designed to promote discussion with AI acting as a tool to enhance learning rather than provide the answers.
