Student Videos Set the Course
for Success

"Skills" class for Middle School students is designed to set students up for academic success throughout middle school, upper school, college, and beyond. The course covers everything from study habits to research and presentation skills.

Remote learning creates new hurdles for student success. Among them is the efficacy of the student's workspace. In the classroom, teachers can control the environment, making it free from clutter and distractions, for example. Skills teachers Allycyn Jacobs and Joan McKee quickly realized that for remote-learning, students were going to have to learn to control their own environments for optimal academic success.

To help students learn about the importance of a good workspace, and to help them create their own suitable space, students used Flipgrid to make videos of their learning spaces. They then shared their videos with three other students, gave and received feedback, and finally edited their videos (and their workspaces) based on the feedback.

The assignment was not only an enjoyable way to help students create a good workspace, it also touched on several other important skills that the class emphasizes. "Students are using their critical thinking skills when learning how to provide constructive feedback to their peers," Mrs. Jacobs said. "They are also learning the importance of receiving feedback and acting on it in order to improve their own work."