Educational Software Blog

One of the most common questions teachers ask during training is "How can I integrate Smart Tutor with my classroom instruction?" Here are some tips that teachers have shared with me about how they use Smart Tutor with their students:

Interactive Whiteboards or Smart Boards

Although many schools in Florida have installed interactive whiteboards in their classrooms, most lack the materials and content to support them. Smart Tutor's interactive tutorials and activities are ideal for use with interactive whiteboards. We are hearing from teachers that the program provides a more engaging classroom experience by reinforcing the skills taught in their lesson plans in a fun and motivating way. Students actively participate by coming to the board and clicking on answers, and teachers especially like how the program triggers whole class discussions.

Interactive Whiteboard Lessons

RTI - Use the Intervention Reports

Response to Intervention is an important but time-consuming task. I was recently told by two teachers who use Smart Tutor in Ohio that RTI has become much easier for them because the program assesses and automatically provides the individualized instruction their students need. They also told me that they monitor their students' progress and check the intervention reports every Friday so that they can use this information to plan any additional strategies that might be needed for the following week. They also use award certificates to acknowledge their students' achievements and keep them motivated.

Response to Intervention (RTI): How can Smart Tutor help you?

Story Time Tuesdays

We recently started podcasting using iTunes and TIVO. All materials can be downloaded for free via the iTunes Store and even via TiVo. Teachers are now using these free stories during Story Time to build listening and comprehension skills. One teacher asks her students to download the stories and write a summary or review. If your students have access to iPods, iTouches or other portable music players, you can ask them to download it on iTunes.

Stories for Kids on iTunes

Friday Games

A middleschool teacher from the Special Ed department in a Florida school district also uses a concept she calls "Friday Games." If her students complete their Smart Tutor assignments by Thursday, they get to spend one hour playing reading or math games on the computer. Another teacher uses the math and reading games in her classroom as practice so that students don't forget basic concepts such as telling time, multiples of a number, homophones, synonyms and antonyms, and prefixes and suffixes, just to name a few. You can check out our free reading games and math games here.

Bingo!

 

One ELL/ESL teacher uses the bingo cards from our Interactive Flashcards site to teach her ESOL students new words and concepts in English. The interactive nature and simple design of the cards also make it ideal for students with Special Needs. The flashcards are also available in French and Spanish, so they can be used for foreign language instruction as well.

We hope these five tips will help you integrate Smart Tutor in your classroom. Feel free to share your own tips and best practices by joining our Teacher Forum or by email.