Top Teaching Tips from the Edpuzzle Ambassadors

Have you met our Edpuzzle Ambassadors? This select group of teachers from across the globe helps educators everywhere use Edpuzzle to make their teaching lives just a little easier and their students’ learning journeys a little more magical.

We asked the Ambassadors to share the biggest challenges they face in the classroom and how Edpuzzle solved them. Read on to find out how Edpuzzle can help you overcome obstacles in your day to day teaching life!

Challenge #1: How to connect with students’ families

Finding ways to connect with students and their families when they need help with homework is no easy task.

LaKeshia Brooks, a middle school math teacher from Kansas, shared her advice:

“I created a repository of Edpuzzle videos and attached them to weekly newsletters for families to help with asynchronous classwork.

Families were delighted to have a resource to help their students with coursework and a refresher for themselves!”

This virtual solution is a great way to involve families and make sure they’re not overwhelmed when their children ask for help with homework!

Challenge #2: How to build in differentiation

It’s no secret: differentiating class material is time-consuming. That’s why middle school ELA and robotics teacher Danesa Menge uses Edpuzzle.

“I use Edpuzzle to see what students know so I can diagnose students in need and students who need more challenges.

I build in differentiation with Edpuzzle so that when students answer correctly, they get positive reinforcement, and if they answer incorrectly, I use the feedback feature to link to a mini lesson with additional questions to review before moving on,” she said.

Learn more about how to use the feedback feature in Edpuzzle and differentiate quickly and easily for each student!

Challenge #3: How to use data to drive teaching decisions

Using data to make decisions sounds great in theory, but how do you put it into practice? 8th grade science teacher Jason Smith builds on Danesa’s advice for differentiation and adds:

“As I look at my students’ results on my Edpuzzle video lessons, I can adjust my lesson plans to meet their needs. I can then teach students on the topics they struggle with rather than the topics they already understand.”

You can get tons of dazzling data at glance with Edpuzzle by looking at your student gradebook or going into the individual assignment to see how each student answered each question and how much time they spent on your video lesson. You have a wealth of information right at your fingertips!

Challenge #4: How to keep absent students from falling behind

Frequent absenteeism is one of the hardest challenges to deal with in the classroom. Michelle Manning, an Instructional Technology Integration Specialist, gave her advice on how to help absent students keep up with their classmates:

“You can flip your classroom and record differentiated lessons right in Edpuzzle, which allows you to provide students with access to the same high-quality instruction, regardless of whether they’re in the classroom or not. Those who were not in class can watch the recorded lessons at their own pace, ensuring that no student falls behind academically.

Most importantly, the ability to differentiate video lessons ensures that no student feels excluded from the learning process, fostering a sense of inclusivity and belonging.”

Using Edpuzzle to help support SEL and make sure that all students feel at home in your class is what it’s all about!

Challenge #5: How to make classwork accessible for all students

How can you help your students who have trouble writing or typing out answers? Dustin Rimmey, a high school government and economy teacher, offered the following solution:

“I enable audio responses to either answer a question or explain a process. Students grew confidence in their answers, and I as the teacher gained additional insight where specific challenges were occuring.”

Challenge #6: How to maintain a work-life balance

It’s been said that even summer vacation doesn’t make up for all the hours that teachers spend lesson-planning, grading, and providing additional support to students outside of official school hours. So how can you save time without compromising quality?

“With Edpuzzle’s intuitive Teacher Assist features, I am able to streamline the process of creating interactive video lessons and assessing student understanding,” said Alex Isaacs, an Instructional Technology Coach in New Jersey.

“Using autogenerated questions and finetuning them as needed frees up time and impacts my ability to gain data-driven insights to adjust their instruction and tailor support. The saved time also contributes to a better work-life balance, where I can enjoy more downtime after school and focus on other important tasks during prep periods.

Teacher Assist isn’t just a tool; it’s a lifeline for overworked teachers in education.”

So, how can you use these top teaching tips in your classroom? Let us know on Twitter, and we hope you’ve been inspired by our Edpuzzle Ambassadors!