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“Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century” (Hallissy, Butler, Marshall, Hurley, 2013) advocates for transforming education to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy. It emphasises student-centred, inquiry-based learning, integration of technology, and fostering skills for lifelong learning to meet rapidly changing societal and economic demands.
I have chosen to focus on critical thinking, as outlined in “Redesigning Education: Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century” (Hallissy, Butler, Marshall, Hurley, 2013). In an age of rapid information growth, the ability to question, analyse, and evaluate sources is essential for lifelong learning and informed citizenship.
In my classroom, I plan to embed critical thinking into daily lessons by moving beyond rote recall to activities that require analysis, comparison, and reasoning. For example, when exploring historical events, students will examine multiple perspectives, identify bias, and justify their conclusions with evidence. In geography, I could pose the real-world question: “How should our local community address the impact of climate change?” Students would work in small groups to research causes, examine data, evaluate potential solutions, and present a recommended action plan. They would need to assess the credibility of sources, weigh short- and long-term consequences, and consider different stakeholder perspectives (e.g., environmental, economic, social).
I will also encourage metacognition by asking students to explain their thought processes and decisions. Tools like Google Classroom discussions and Google Forms reflective prompts will help capture and share these insights, supporting peer learning and deeper understanding. This sustained focus will empower students to become insightful, independent thinkers.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GE9W5sBNOsPT4-ev8dItshkEsOrJ6Gj5odUJQ4lID5E/edit
Love this idea Colm. Very practical and engaging. I to am interested in developing problem solving and critical thinking skills in 5th class.
Great work on google slides. Love the Kahoot quiz – very engaging !! Definitely agree that a more blended approach is needed going forward.
Over the past number of years, particularly during and after the shift to remote and hybrid learning, I have come to rely heavily on Google Workspace for Education tools such as Google Classroom, Google Meet, Google Groups, Docs, and Slides to enhance both teaching and learning. These tools have proven invaluable not only in maintaining continuity of learning during school closures, but also in building more flexible, accessible, and collaborative classroom practices.
Google Classroom has become my central hub for organising assignments, communicating with students, and sharing resources. It reduces administrative workload, increases clarity for students, and allows for differentiated instruction through scheduled posts, attachments, and feedback tools. The comment feature enables ongoing formative feedback, which supports students in improving their work before final submission.
Google Meet has extended learning beyond the classroom. During remote learning periods, it provided a vital link between teacher and students. More recently, I’ve used Meet for parent-teacher meetings, after-school support, and virtual guest speakers, adding further dimension to classroom learning.
Google Groups allows for easy communication with specific student cohorts or staff teams, making collaboration and sharing of best practices seamless. Tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides encourage real-time collaboration, even in group work outside of school hours.
Going forward, these tools will remain central to my practice, particularly in promoting a blended learning model. Students can revisit materials at their own pace, access learning at home, and take greater responsibility for their progress—supporting the development of self-regulated learners.
The implications for teaching are significant: more responsive instruction, better differentiation, and richer student engagement. For learning, students benefit from a more inclusive, flexible, and modern approach. Google Workspace supports a digital culture aligned with both the Digital Learning Framework and School Self-Evaluation (SSE), offering measurable evidence of improved learner outcomes and experiences.
Dylan Wiliam’s 2014 paper “Formative Assessment and Self-Regulated Learning” emphasizes the critical role of formative assessment (AfL) in developing students’ ability to manage their own learning. He argues that AfL is most effective when it supports self-regulated learning through clear learning intentions, success criteria, quality feedback, and student involvement in the assessment process. This shifts the focus from merely measuring learning (Assessment of Learning – AoL) to actively supporting it.
Reflecting on my current assessment practices, I see opportunities to move beyond traditional summative tasks and increase the use of low-stakes, formative strategies. While I do use questioning and self- assessment, I could improve AfL by integrating more peer-assessment, using rubrics co-created with students, and providing more actionable feedback rather than marking alone.
To better support self-regulated learning, I plan to incorporate strategies such as student goal-setting, reflection journals and oral feedback in order to help students become more active and autonomous participants in their learning journey.
To support this shift, I created a questionaire for 5th class Learn Together unit on “Belief Systems.” This form includes a mix of multiple-choice, and short answer sections and scales to assess understanding. I plan to use this at the end of the topic to identify misconceptions and address them before moving forward—making it both an AfL and AoL tool. Forms also provides instant feedback and analytics, allowing me to differentiate follow-up tasks.
This is a great idea especially at the beginning of the year. There are pupils that have high sten scores but may not enjoy reading or writing. It’s a great way of including pupil voice in this area.
Google Classroom offers transformative potential in the modern classroom by streamlining communication, managing assignments, and fostering collaboration between teachers and students. It provides a central hub where learning resources, announcements, tasks, and feedback are accessible in one place. This supports more efficient planning and delivery of lessons while promoting student responsibility and independent learning.
https://classroom.google.com/c/NzczNTAwOTQzMzY1In the context of School Self-Evaluation (SSE), Google Classroom offers a practical way to gather evidence under key domains such as Teaching and Learning, Learner Outcomes, and Learner Experiences. Teachers can track assignment submissions, monitor engagement levels, and analyse the quality and frequency of student responses. This data informs reflective practices and enables teachers to set realistic, measurable targets as part of the SSE process.
Moreover, Google Classroom fosters inclusive practices by allowing for differentiation, personalised feedback, and support for diverse learner needs. It also supports school-wide collaboration and consistency in digital learning, making it easier to identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement in digital competence and pedagogy, as outlined in the Digital Learning Framework.
I agree that sharing information with SET’s and Sna’s is very useful especially when suppporting all children.
This sounds like a great resource to use in September and like you said it will aid getting to know the children in the class. Much appreciated !!
One effective way to enhance student learning through digital technology is by integrating tools from Google for Education, such as Google Jamboard, Google Forms, and Google Classroom, to promote interactive, collaborative, and personalized learning experiences. For example, using Google Jamboard allows students to visually brainstorm, problem-solve, and collaborate in real-time, supporting differentiated learning and creative expression.
Applying the School Self Evaluation (SSE) Guidelines, particularly the domains of Teaching and Learning and Learner Outcomes, I can reflect on the impact of digital integration on student engagement and progress. By using digital tools, I can gather formative data via Google Forms or Classroom to inform teaching strategies and identify areas for improvement.
At the school level, developing my use of digital technology supports a whole-school digital learning culture, aligns with the Digital Learning Framework (DLF), and encourages peer collaboration and professional development. This promotes consistent digital integration and supports the SSE process by providing tangible evidence of progress and learner achievement.
From Google for Education’s Teacher Centre, I chose:
🔗 Create a quiz in Google FormsI will use Google Forms to create interactive quizzes aligned with our English and Maths curriculums. I’ll include curriculum-specific vocabulary, visual supports, and even voice instructions for students with additional needs. I will also tailor the difficulty level based on ability groups, enabling me to support differentiation and student autonomy.
In class, I plan to use the quizzes for house points, revision tools, and assessment for learning (AfL). Students will receive immediate feedback, and I can quickly analyse data to adjust future lessons. I’ll also train students to co-create quizzes, fostering digital literacy, ownership, and peer learning. This resource promotes engagement, reflective teaching, and digital competence—all central to SSE and the Digital Learning Framework.
