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That’s a great way to use it in the classroom. The past two years for writing narratives the children have asked if they could type their stories and they really enjoyed the process of working in Google Docs. They quickly learned that if they attempted spelling a word they would get the correct option with autocorrect or they would get the dreaded squiggly line! They quickly learned how to fix them!
For our SSE focus, we’re focusing on formative assessment, specifically how quick digital feedback helps pupils reflect on and edit their work across different subjects.
To implement this at the senior end of the school, we’re going to use Google Workspace. Google Classroom is great for setting tasks with rubrics and building up handy comment banks, while Google Docs lets us drop in real-time notes as pupils write. We will also look into using Google Forms for quick exit tickets to check understanding at the end of a lesson.
Going forward, to see if it’s making a difference, we’re gathering a few key pieces of digital evidence. We will be running quick pupil surveys on Google Forms to see if our feedback is useful to them. We’re also beginning to check the version history on Google Docs to see if pupils are actually acting on our suggestions, and tracking overall progress on Google Sheets.
It’s been a really practical way to gather solid evidence for SSE while making our assessment approach a lot more responsive.
That was a great idea to try it for a social story for a SPHE lesson. I must have a play around with this element too. Maybe for next time you could use different language in your prompt, such as “modern, multicutural classroom with diverse names”. It might give a better output and be more appropiate for your class.
I used the Brainstorm Gem for a 3rd Class Science unit on Magnetism. I used the Gem to draft a quick, five question formative assessment quiz to check students’ understanding of magnetic attraction, repulsion, and non-magnetic materials midway through the topic.
To verify the output, I carefully reviewed every question against the 3rd Class Science curriculum learning outcomes, checking that the language was accessible for 9 and 10 year olds and that concepts like magnetic poles were explained accurately.
I used three of the simple multiple-choice questions directly. I adapted one scenario-based question about testing objects around the classroom to use everyday items that my students recognised (like brass paper fasteners and plastic rulers). Finally, I rejected a question that introduced electromagnetic fields, as that content was well beyond the required depth for 3rd class.
In terms of safeguarding and professional boundaries, I maintained strict data privacy by never including any student names, assessment results, or identifying specific school information into the tool (I have mentioned that it is a DEIS 2 and north Dublin school).
Ultimately, the Gem added great value to my assessment practice. It served as an efficient brainstorming partner, saving me preparation time while allowing me to easily create age-appropriate diagnostic questions.This is a great idea for a lesson – I might borrow it myself! By embedding Google Docs voice typing alongside structured supports like word banks and sentence starters, you are seamlessly implementing Universal Design for Learning, ensuring every child can participate meaningfully regardless of their writing ability. I look forward to doing the same!
Google Slides is a great tool for the children to use. Previously I have let 3rd class design their own slides and some weren’t laid out that well – so learning from my experiences I think giving them a template to work from would be better, even giving each slide a title to work off.
I have used voice-to-text before with some students and it has worked well for some, but others struggled with pronunciation of words and also having to read it back so that it makes sense. It’s a shame that Slides doesn’t allow for the voice-to-text option; so I have used a Doc for a child who couldn’t type and then transferred his written work from the Doc to a Slide. It took some extra time but the child was delighted that he made a Slide like his classmates! These tools are great to help create a more inclusive classroom giving the children with needs the supports they need to succeed.
I would like to use a Google Form to gather pupil voice as part of our School Self-Evaluation process. It gets the children more involved in their learning and assessment and it gives teachers meaningful feedback based off the right questions being asked.
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!
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.
I have used Gemini for writing and comprehension questions previously for some of our school novels – some come with set of questions and others don’t. It’s a great tool to help draft questions and is a great time saver! You can also ask for a variety of question types which is handy too!
Prompt: I teach 3rd class in a DEIS band 2 Irish primary school. I am planning a 40 minute lesson introducing magnets. Suggest three active starter activities, key vocabulary, a simple group activity and one assessment for learning check.
Gemini gave some good, practical suggestions for starter activities, including Magnetic Mystery Bag, Attract or Repel physical movement game and Magnet Fishing. The main activity that was suggested was “The Magnetic Hunt” whereby the children make predictions and test classroom items to see which ones stick to magnets. The lesson was well laid out, clear and easy to adapt and I would definitely use it with my class. It also gave differentiation options for various oarts of the lesson.
As for responsible AI use: never input student names or personal information. I do sometimes include broad characteristics of our context, such as being a DEIS Band 2 school in Dublin, but nothing specific. This helps to tailor the output a small bit more.