Students Can Be Teachers, Too!

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 By: Samantha Wilkinson, OIT Teacher Specialist

One of my favorite end-of-year activities was to have my students become the teachers. On the smartboard I would introduce this by simply projecting the words "YOUR TURN". They'd get excited to share their expertise and have the attention of the whole class, and I'd get excited to see them in a different role. The end of the year is the perfect time for this as we have established classroom community and learned a lot that they can pull from when picking a topic to teach the class. Not to mention, we know that teaching others is the ultimate level of understanding. And let's be honest, at this point in the year, it really should be their turn to show what they know!


This project idea can be as basic or as complex as you choose but I'd usually give them a day or two to brainstorm topics they wanted to share about to the class. Topics that students chose ranged from tips on how to solve multiplication problems, World War 2 automobiles, history of Lego, and even best ways to care for a cat. Then I'd give some days for research, and finally I'd give some guidance on what they were expected to present. I would always use this as an opportunity to teach my students how to use some of the advanced tools and features in Google Slides like editing the theme builder, including animations, and having talking points in the slide notes. Typically, I'd require 3-5 informational slides on the topic and then some type of follow-up activity, discussion question, or short quiz to see if what they taught was learned. 

This project requires students to use a lot of executive functioning skills such as determining a focus, honing research skills, organizing thoughts and ideas in a clear and coherent presentation, and creating a connected follow-up activity, so there are many opportunities for teaching mini-lessons throughout. As I checked in with students throughout the week, I was able to give really clear and specific feedback on what they were coming up with, and because they already felt like experts since they got to choose the topic, we were always able to communicate back and forth, creating a successful feedback loop. 


I think it is clear that this project lends itself to teach technology literacy skills! While I used Google Slides last year, this year there is no doubt I would introduce Nearpod to students. 

Did you know that every AACPS student has the ability to create interactive Nearpod presentations? The good news is that even if you've never used the application yourself, you can actually build and create in Google Slides using the Nearpod extension. Both students and teachers can add this by going to Google Slides> Extensions> Get Add-ons and the searching Nearpod for Google Slides. It's really quite easy.



Once the extension is selected and opened, a toolbar will appear on the right and students will be able to create regular Google slides or add in interactive elements such as fill in the blanks, collaborative whiteboard spaces, polls, and gamified quiz elements. See a sampling of options below:


When they are finished creating their presentation, they select "Save & Go to Nearpod" where they can then launch the presentation. A join code will be given for other students to use to enter the interactive presentation. The student will be in charge of progressing through the slideshow and engaging elements. They will even get a report on how the rest of the class did in the lesson, just like teachers get! This is a great way to end the project, by having them self-reflect using data from the report.

More good news: Students can NOT host a presentation with other students unless a teacher joins first, so you don't have to worry about kids creating and hosting presentations without your knowledge. 

I hope you consider this project idea for the end of the year. You can even put students into teams or assign them the topics. You could have them create in Nearpod to assess what they know about a topic you finished teaching. No matter what you decide, I hope you try out Nearpod with students. I think you will see engaged learners who feel a sense of ownership and autonomy in their product. 

Find out more about how to use Nearpod on AACPS Teacher Intro to Digital Tools or contact your eCoach or teacher specialist.



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