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Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Skillshare, and YouTube – there’s no shortage of platforms for sharing educational courses and content.
But even though the courses that populate these platforms are seemingly ubiquitous, they’re not always of the highest standard. We’ve all come across substandard creators or even ghost YouTube channels with libraries of content created entirely by AI.
But as an educator or content creator in the educational space, knowing how to create quality isn’t an option – it’s non-negotiable.
Not only to stand out among the thousands of other creators but also to ensure that your content is engaging and captivating for the learners who consume it.
So with that in mind, we’ll take a look at a number of effective strategies for creating …
As online learning continues to expand across various sectors of education including microschooling and traditional educational institutions, new tools are being developed daily to help with the technical tasks of teaching remotely.
We’ve already examined how school management software can assist schools in streamlining administrative tasks, as well as the benefits of using virtual classrooms to teach curriculums, but how can online schools minimize the burden of one of the most time-consuming tasks that all teachers face – grading?
Grading is important for a number of reasons – as we’ll discuss below – so how can digital schools design effective assessment and grading systems that ensure academic rigor, fairness, and meaningful feedback for students?
Below, we w…
When you think of a traditional classroom, what comes to mind?
Most likely a teacher standing at the front of the class, delivering a lecture while students follow along in their textbooks and take notes that they use to complete assignments at home.
This model works… to a point.
But when you honestly think about it, many students struggle to adopt this method – think about the number of kids you knew at school who couldn’t focus at all during their classes.
However, over the last decade, a new approach to teaching has emerged that flips this model on its head – the flipped classroom.
Below we’ll explore exactly what that means and the benefits associated with it.
What Is a Flipped Classroom?
A flipped classroom is an instructional approach that reverses where trad…
Whether you’re a microschool, large university, or tutor setting up a side teaching business, having the right tools, platforms, and protocols in place is vital for the success of your endeavor.
School management software has become increasingly popular among educators for its ability to streamline administrative tasks, saving them time and improving overall efficiency.
Below, we will discuss how school management software can help you streamline administrative tasks and allow you to focus on what really matters – teaching.
1. Attendance Tracking
One of the most time-consuming administrative tasks for educators is taking attendance.
With school management software, however, attendance tracking can be done in just a few clicks. You can quickly and easily mark student attendance, a…
Today we’re happy to announce a project that has been in the works for quite some time – the a.school curriculum.
The curriculum is a free resource comprised of modules on various subjects that all a.school instructors and school owners can use when creating their own lesson plans. It’s designed to showcase the full scope of exactly what a.school can do and demonstrate some of the really great courses you can make with a little bit of creativity.
While each module is full of useful and interesting content, it’s also a template that can be used to structure lessons and activities.
It will appear automatically as a sample class for existing and new users. Instructors are free to use as much or as little of it as they like.
Each module in the curriculum includes…
Critical thinking skills are essential for all students both in school and once they graduate. They allow students to think independently, evaluate information (and not accept everything at face value), and solve problems effectively.
They’re also highly valued in the workplace and are considered essential for successful careers in many different fields.
But critical thinking isn’t innate – it’s learned.
As an educator, you can play a significant role in fostering critical thinking skills in your students.
Here’s how:
Encourage Active Learning
Active learning is an approach that encourages students to be active participants in the learning process.
It involves engaging students in discussions, asking questions, and encouraging them to think deeply about what they are…
As more schools move to remote or hybrid learning models, it’s important for teachers to know how to create and manage virtual classrooms effectively.
A virtual classroom is an online platform where teachers can hold live sessions, share resources, and communicate with students in real-time. It’s an essential tool for ensuring that students can continue to learn and engage with course material no matter where they are in the world.
The benefits of using a virtual classroom are enormous. They allow students to get a high-quality education regardless of their geographic location or time zone. This is especially helpful for students who live in disadvantaged communities and can’t access schools physically.
If you’re thinking of setting one up yourself, consider these tips:
…
The idea of a “smart” classroom seems like something from a science fiction movie. But already artificial intelligence is already being used in schools to streamline administrative tasks, manage student data, and even help teachers create lesson plans. This technology has the potential to help teachers focus on what matters most: teaching kids how to think critically and solve problems.
This isn’t a singular opinion but one echoed by administrative heads throughout the world. According to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, “Education will be profoundly transformed by AI. Teaching tools, ways of learning, access to knowledge, and teacher training will be revolutionized.”
The numbers also back this up. One report estimates the global AI in the education market is est…
Keeping track of appointments across various platforms is incredibly important when hosting and coordinating multiple school events simultaneously. To help keep things organized, we’re happy to announce the release of two calendar-related features.
The first is .ics downloads for calendar entries. Now, once you’ve created an event, you can export it as a .ics file that can be downloaded, shared, and used with any number of external calendar apps.
We’ve also introduced calendar subscriptions. This allows you to subscribe dynamically to your calendar from third-party apps, including Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, and Google Calendar. Simply copy the in-app link and open it in your preferred calendar, and all of your a.school events and appointments will be display…
Project-based learning (PBL) is a growing educational trend and teaching method that focuses on applying knowledge from different disciplines to create real-world solutions.
It also encourages students to solve problems through collaboration and the use of critical thinking.
The end goal of project-based learning is for students to be able to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real-life situations.
How Does Project-Based Learning Work?
Unlike traditional scholastic learning in which students pore over books and are required to memorize information in written exams, project-based learning utilizes a much more hands-on approach to learning.
Students are required to work on a project over a long period of time – this could be as short as a week or as long as a w…
Recently, we’ve been thinking about how we can make it easier to bring users on board and integrate them quickly into your school.
Previously, adding users involved an invitation process that required you to know the user’s email address. We’ve done away with all that, and developed a way of adding users with usernames and access codes.
Now, you can add users to your school with nothing more than their name. Once entered, a.school will automatically generate a username and access instructions to enable the user’s account.
You have the option to send the access instructions via email or download the access instructions and send them manually.
Once a user receives their access instructions, they can either scan a QR code or follow a custom login URL, enter an access code…
We’ve touched on the concept of microschooling in previous blog posts without delving too deeply into what makes them unique or the degree to which they can benefit students, parents and teachers.
In this article, we’re going to take a detailed look at the benefits of microschooling.
Classes are purposefully kept small
In traditional schools, it’s commonplace for classes to have between 30 and 40 students being taught simultaneously. Classes of this size are not conducive to optimized learning, and many students won’t be able to have the stimulation or excitement needed to learn effectively.
Microschool classes are kept purposefully small, which means students and teachers get to know each other on a personal level, and special attention can be given to each person in the class…
Like any venture, starting a microschool has a lot of moving parts, with many different aspects to consider, both from a business and educational perspective.
To help get the ball rolling, we’re going to outline and discuss the essential elements that should be in your builder’s toolkit when starting a microschool. From doing market research to setting a curriculum, let’s take a look at the different steps involved in starting a microschool and becoming part of the microschool movement.
See what your competitors are doing
There are many ways to design and start a microschool. Because this process can vary quite drastically, it’s wise to take a look at competitors and understand the model that they’re using.
Since each microschool is unique in terms of its size, its offering,…
The microschool movement is a relatively new phenomenon that has started to emerge all over the country in recent years. It is a response not only to the restrictions spurred on by the coronavirus pandemic but also to parents who are frustrated with the traditional schooling paradigms and current learning environments, and who are looking for alternative ways to educate their children.
But what exactly are microschools, why were they created, and what are the benefits of this innovative learning method?
What is a microschool?
As their name suggests, microschools are very small schools that typically serve 10 to 15 students, but sometimes as many as 150. All microschools are different, but their approach to learning is similar – a project-based approach, as opposed to rigorous, on…
We recently published a blog post with a host of new updates, and we’re delighted to announce that we have a few more to share with you.
Class streams
We’ve implemented a new way of viewing classes. Class streams let you view all the activities happening in a class at a single glance. Now you can stay up-to-date with new students, submitted assignments, class entries, and more directly in a class without having to seek out any of that information.
Activity statuses
Sometimes you may want to upload an activity and work on it before you make it available to students. With activity statuses, you can change the status of an activity to “Published” or “Draft” to allow students to access it, or keep it as a work-in-progress while you fine-tune all the det…
After shaking off last year’s dust from our boots, we’ve had our heads down developing and implementing a number of exciting features to help your school run smoothly and further enhance the a.school experience.
Custom login URLs
When logging in, new users usually have to head to the launchpad before they’re able to access their school. With custom login URLs, it’s now possible to create a customized login URL that allows users to log in directly to a school’s dashboard. This URL can also be very easily shared, allowing for faster, broader access to lessons.
Copy classes
Designing every class from the ground up can be time-consuming, especially once you have the curriculum and other settings down pat. With the copy classes feature, you can save time by…
Once you’ve established your school or educational institution, the next step to growth is to get the word out to potential students and to start filling up enrollment spots. Pre-internet, the best way of getting this done was to advertise in local magazines and newspapers, partner with local schools, or canvas the neighborhood with fliers about your organization. Today, however, the go-to method for increasing awareness about your school, tutoring program, or educational institution is through the use of digital marketing. Given that almost everyone has access to a smartphone, computer, and internet connection, a savvy digital marketing strategy is going to give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to reaching the largest possible audience.
The topic of digital marketing is a…
According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, digital inclusion is “the ability of individuals and groups to access and use information and communication technologies.”
In the information age in which we live, it’s one of the most important avenues for ensuring that everyone around the world can leverage the power of the internet. Those who are least likely to be digitally included include lower-income earners, the less educated, people with disabilities, and the elderly, and it’s these groups that need digital inclusion the most. Digital inclusion allows these groups to enjoy the benefit of digital services, provides numerous opportunities, and increases the quality of life across the board.
And while the number of fields that digital inclusion benefits are myriad, …
Communication is one of the most important aspects of education, which is why we’ve introduced a new feature in a.school to facilitate it in the most intuitive way. Messaging is a chat feature that enhances and streamlines the communication process, broadening conversation in real time between students, instructors, guardians, and other users. The feature takes two forms – class streams and direct messaging.
Class streams are the conversations that take place between all participants of a class. This includes enrolled students, guardians of enrolled students, instructors, and school owners.
Direct messaging is one-on-one communication between two different users, such as an instructor and a student, or an owner and a guardian.
Messaging is just one of the ways that we’re helping y…
Like any other business, schools, universities, and other learning institutions depend on branding to help differentiate them from competitors and encourage new students to enroll. Branding is important on a number of different levels. Not only does it play a role in advertising your services and offerings to the parents of potential students, but it also helps to communicate your values and mission. Branding isn’t simply your name, logo, and color scheme. It’s the way in which you present your school’s character on every level of communication, from your emails, newsletters, signage, and even invoices. Branding also brings together all the separate elements of your school and allows it to communicate with one clear voice in order to make a lasting impression on your community.
Belo…