I may be late to the party, but I just discovered a FREE Chrome extension that can make my teaching, planning, and grading a whole lot easier! You have got to check out Brisk Teaching! I promise it will blow your mind.
If you are anything like me, you are constantly on the lookout for tools that can enhance learning experiences and streamline planning and creating lessons. Enter Brisk Teaching, a crazy amazing Chrome extension designed to revolutionize the way you approach lesson planning, student interaction, and assessment. In this post, I will show you five ways to harness the power of Brisk in your classroom.
1. Streamlining Lesson Planning
Easy Access to Resources
One of the most significant time sinks for me (for most teachers!) is lesson planning. Brisk Teaching simplifies this process by allowing educators to quickly access a vast array of resources directly from the extension. With a few clicks, you can find educational videos, articles, and interactive activities tailored to your lesson objectives. This not only saves time but also enriches your teaching materials.
Transform an Online Article into a Whole Lesson!
Brisk Teaching can transform an online article into an entire engaging lesson. Specify the grade level, and the amount of time you have to teach the lesson, and push the ‘go’ button! Brisk will analyze the website’s material to identify key concepts and themes, then design whatever you ask of it. Make a lesson plan outline, complete with objectives, a bell ringer, direct instruction, guided practice, and closing activity. Make a multiple choice Google Form quiz with 15 questions. Write four group discussion questions. Make a worksheet, create a Google Slide presentation, outline a project – anything! In seconds!!
Oh, and it does not have to be an article – Brisk can do all of the above if you offer it a YouTube video or a PDF!
Mind blown, right?
Brisk Teaching can Create Standards-Based Lessons
But that is not all! Let’s say you do not have an article or video to transform into a lesson – but we all have State Standards. That is all you need! Ask Brisk to create a lesson plan based on “—insert state standard—”. Yes it is that simple! Brisk can find all the video clips, make all the Google Slides, put together all the student notes and assessments for you.
Admittedly everything will not be perfect. You will need to comb through the materials that Brisk makes for you and do a bit of tweaking to be sure things are as you like it. Good teaching always requires good teachers! But Brisk can do a LOT of the heavy lifting for you!
You could probably stop right there and save hours of time and years of stress – but keep reading because Brisk can do so much more!
2. Engaging Students with Interactive Content
Real-Time Quizzes and Polls
Brisk Teaching enables you to create real-time quizzes and surveys that can be integrated seamlessly into your lessons! This interactive element captures students’ attention and encourages participation. Imagine discussing a complex topic and, midway through, launching a quick poll to gauge understanding or gather opinions. This immediate feedback will let you know right away if your kids get it – or if something needs to be explained again in a different way.
Gamification of Learning
I love turning learning into a game! Brisk allows for the incorporation of gamified elements into your lessons. For example, you could create trivia quizzes, scavenger hunts, or role-playing scenarios that reinforce key concepts. Games always increase student motivation and engagement! Use Brisk to create challenges, badges, or leaderboards that encourage friendly competition. This approach can be particularly effective for subjects that traditionally feel more challenging, making learning fun and rewarding!
My favorite is the scavenger hunt. Ask Brisk to design a series of clues or tasks that guide students to find specific information or complete activities related to what you are teaching. For example, if the learning objective is to understand ecosystems, the scavenger hunt might involve finding facts about different habitats, identifying local plants and animals, or answering questions about food chains. Each stop in the scavenger hunt could incorporate interactive elements, such as photos, QR codes linking to videos, or hands-on tasks.
Related – Turn notes into a Relay Race!
3. Enhancing Classroom Management with Brisk Teaching
Behavior Monitoring Tools
Brisk Teaching also includes tools for monitoring student behavior in real-time. You can take notes on student interactions, track participation, and manage classroom dynamics effectively. By keeping a digital record, you can refer back to specific incidents, which can be invaluable during parent-teacher conferences or when discussing student progress with IEP teams.
Related – Use Google Forms to Easily Document Student Behavior
Task Management for Students
One of the biggest challenges students face is staying organized. Brisk Teaching provides a platform where students can see their assignments, deadlines, and expectations clearly laid out. You can assign tasks through the extension, ensuring that everyone is on the same page. This gives students a sense of accountability and encourages them to take ownership of their learning.
4. Personalized Learning Experiences with Brisk Teaching
Differentiated Instruction
Every student learns differently, but I find that true differentiation is the hardest part of teaching. One person can not cater to 30 learning styles at one time! Brisk Teaching makes differentiated instruction easy. With the extension, you can tailor lessons to meet the varying needs of your students. Whether through adaptive learning activities or targeted resources, Brisk enables you to offer personalized learning pathways, ensuring that every student can engage with the material at their level.
How do you know when a student needs more help on a subject? How do you know when they got it and could enjoy an extension activity? Check out this post for an easy way to see where your kids are for easy differentiation.
Individual Progress Tracking
Brisk allows you to monitor individual student progress over time. By tracking assignments, quizzes, and participation rates, you can find areas where students excel or struggle. This data-driven approach not only informs your teaching but can also help you provide targeted feedback and support to individual students. You can be sure that no one falls through the cracks!
Brisk Teaching Encourages Student Reflection
Reflection is a critical part of the learning process. Brisk Teaching provides opportunities for students to reflect on their learning experiences through journals or surveys integrated into the platform. This practice encourages students to think critically about their progress, goals, and areas for improvement, building a growth mindset that will serve them way beyond the classroom!
5. Streamlined Assessment and Feedback
Making Assessments with Brisk Teaching is Simple!
Creating and administering tests and quizzes is a breeze with Brisk! The extension allows you to design quizzes and assignments that provide instant feedback to students. This immediate response helps students identify misconceptions and adjust their learning strategies in real time. You can also collect data on student performance, which helps in your future lesson planning.
Simplified Grading Process
Grading can feel so overwhelming sometimes! Do you ever wish you could just copy and paste a comment or correction because you are writing it over and over again? Brisk can help by allowing you to grade assignments digitally – so you literally can copy and paste feedback! Leave comments directly on student work, making the process more efficient and saving you so much time.
Engaging Parent Communication
Yes! Brisk can even help you communicate with parents. Brisk includes features that facilitate communication with parents, such as automated progress reports and updates on assignments. By providing parents with regular insights into their child’s performance, you can (hopefully) enlist them as a partner to help keep students on track!
As you can see, Brisk is a powerful tool to have in your teaching tool box. Don’t be intimidated by all the things it can do! Just start with one thing, get comfortable with it, and expand from there. Here is a great quick video that can help you get started.
Also consider joining the Brisk Teaching facebook page where you can get tips and as questions!
Happy teaching!
