A new tool is not a lesson objective. Before opening an app or asking pupils to log in, finish this sentence: “This will help me see or teach … .” If the answer is only that the activity will look more engaging, it is worth considering whether a simpler approach would do the job.
The EEF’s Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning examines how technology can support teaching, assessment and pupil practice. The useful question is what a tool enables you or your pupils to do. The examples below are suggested classroom activities, not claims that a particular product improves results.
1. Use a visualiser to make a decision visible
The problem: pupils see a polished model paragraph but cannot explain how to build one themselves. A visualiser or a projected document lets you show the choices that happen before the finished version.
Start with a question and a short quotation. Write a deliberately broad first sentence, such as “The character is angry”. Then talk through what is missing: angry with whom, about what and how that helps answer the question.
Revise the sentence in front of the class. Leave the first version visible so pupils can compare the choices. Highlight the part of the quotation you want to explain, then pause before writing the explanation. Ask pupils to suggest two possible continuations and discuss which is better supported.
Keep the model short enough for the thinking to stay visible. If you spend fifteen minutes polishing a whole essay, pupils may lose track of the specific move they are meant to practise. Finish by giving them a new sentence or quotation to work on independently.
Use the board and keep the original sentence beside its revision. The important feature is the visible decision, not the camera.
2. Use a short quiz to uncover a misunderstanding
The problem: you need to decide whether to move on or revisit an idea, and a few confident answers do not tell you what the whole class understands.
Choose one misconception and build a question around it. For example, if pupils confuse a theme with a plot event, give several statements about the text and ask which expresses a broader idea. Write plausible alternatives so an incorrect answer reveals something useful.
Include an explanation stage. A correct selection may be a guess, while an incorrect answer can come from a misunderstanding of the question rather than the text. Ask pupils to justify their choice in a sentence before showing the answer.
Decide how you will respond to the result. If a large group has chosen the same incorrect explanation, discuss that reasoning and model the distinction. Then ask a different question that checks the same idea. Repeating the identical question immediately may only show that pupils remember the displayed answer.
Avoid making speed the centre of an activity that is meant to assess interpretation. Time to read, think and explain matters more than who taps first. Check that the display does not expose individual pupils’ mistakes in a way that discourages participation.
Use mini-whiteboards or written choices held up together. Ask for a short explanation in books before sharing the answer.
3. Use a shared document for a bounded comparison
The problem: a group produces a paragraph, but it is difficult to tell whose thinking contributed to it. Instead of asking everyone to edit the same passage at once, give each pupil or pair a defined role.
For a comparison task, create three labelled spaces: a claim about the first text, a claim about the second and a sentence explaining the relationship. Ask pairs to draft their assigned contribution and attach a relevant reference. Keep a record of who is responsible for each part.
Review the join between the claims. Does the comparison explain a meaningful similarity or difference, or simply say that both writers use language? Model how to make the relationship more precise, then ask each pupil to write an independent comparison sentence.
That final individual response matters. A good shared document does not by itself show that everyone can perform the task alone. Use the collaborative version as a step towards independent work, rather than the only evidence you collect.
Use a sheet divided into the same three spaces, or put contrasting responses on the board. Keep the independent sentence at the end.
Check the practical details before the lesson
- Access: can pupils use the tool with the devices and accounts already available?
- Reading: is the text large enough, and can pupils access an alternative format if needed?
- Permissions: can pupils edit only the intended area, and can you restore an accidental change?
- School approval: use approved services and follow your school’s process for pupil information and shared work.
- Fallback: can the learning continue if the connection or device stops working?
Avoid asking pupils to sign up to an unfamiliar service during the lesson. If an activity depends on a new platform, establish the school’s approval and access arrangements before planning around it. Keep examples anonymous when demonstrating work beyond its intended audience.
Keep the tool only if it helps the next step
After the lesson, ask what you learned that you would otherwise have missed. Did the quiz reveal a misconception? Did the visible revision help pupils improve their own sentences? Could pupils explain the comparison independently?
You do not need a complicated evaluation spreadsheet. A short note about the learning, the time spent setting up and any access problems can help you decide whether to use the approach again. Technology earns its place when it makes a useful teaching action possible or easier to carry out.