Originally Posted in 2021.
This week’s story comes from our archive of teacher stories. A form so effective that it’s still in use three years later!
Back when Heather was teaching Grade 3, she was looking for a way to quickly take the emotional temperature of her class after recess. She found that when students were upset or hurt at lunch, she wouldn't find out until later in the day or sometimes not at all. That got her thinking, “what if she created a survey for them to fill out after recess?”
In Heather's class, her students have access to 1-to-1 iPads and have access to Seesaw for daily reflection and skill progression. This means that students know where to go to get assignments or activities from their teacher. A classroom management solution like this is key to creating a positive and easy to use experience for students.
Heather created a Google Form that asks 3 simple questions:
- What did you do during your break?
- Who did you play with?
- How was your break?
If everything is A-OK, students' answers are sent to Heather and she's able to view the students' responses in a Google Sheet created by the Google Form.
If the students indicate that they aren’t OK, they are presented with another set of questions, asking them to explain what happened and why they feel that way. This is done with a neat feature in Google Forms.
Students are also given an opportunity to write out how they are feeling and what happend at recess. Responses are listed chronologically in the Google Sheet and can be filtered by the emoji reactions that students selected. 😄
Additionally, Heather can filter by email address and isolate responses from only one student. This is especially helpful to identify trends and for communicating those trends to families.
Students access the Google Form through an activity posted to Seesaw, but this could easily be done with a QR code posted on the wall, a short link or bookmark. Heather found that after a couple days of modeling the process of filling in the form, her students continued the post-recess habit on their own!
Why this worked
Heather’s approach provided a safe space for students to express how they feel, and seek support if needed. Her class felt empowered to identify their emotions and the cause of those emotions. They also had the choice to ask for support from Heather. Students who may not reach out in person were given another options to ask for help. Finally, Heather had a pulse check on the emotional state of her class. Were they ready to learn? Perhaps a quick breathing exercise before they jumped into the next lesson.
How We Feel
Checking in on your students is great, but how about a way to track your own emotions? Model the behaviour you want from your students with one of our favourite check-in apps, How We Feel.