Ready, Set, Teach by Devin Way, Teacher in the Kenai Peninsula Boro School District

Our Alaskan Schools blog

What if students could teach each other?

That was the question I asked myself when I learned the new application ‘Clips’ for the iPad. It was simple, user-friendly, and fun! I wanted to use the app, and to have the older students in my classroom actually teach the younger students how to use it.

My classroom is set up as a kindergarten through fourth grade room, with anywhere from 1 to 7 students in each grade level. Teaching a whole group lesson can be a challenge, so I needed to
find another way for the students to learn, where I was not hovered over each of their iPads the whole time. My first step was to teach the third and fourth graders.

In a quick mini-lesson, the older students watched a demonstration of the app, and we created a short video for their vocabulary words. They were then sent off to add to the video with their own
words. Once they had proven their knowledge, we were set.

The next day the older students each partnered with a kindergartner, first grader, or second grader. The rules were simple: you are to shoot a short video demonstrating your number; in
digit form, word form, one-to-one correspondence, and any other creative ways you would like. And they were off!

I know I have amazing students, but this took the cake. Each group was able to create their video. We then complied them together and the older students took over editing, including
adding music.

Once it was complete, the student pride was the biggest star of it all. They couldn’t believe it that in that short amount of time, they were able to make a video that could be
used for years to come.

That day we proved our classroom motto was correct, “We are producers, not consumers.”


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