Blogs I feel as if we’ve added another important cornerstone to the foundation of Teaching Channel this week—because we have the first survey results in our ongoing, direct conversation with you. We’re learning what subjects are important, what video lengths work well for you, and what you might be missing while you’re on our Tch website.
First, thank you to the 380+ educators who took part in our Tchers’ Voice survey.
I’m struck by how thoughtfully you responded to each question. And, who are you? The largest group of respondents is classroom teachers, but we also heard from administrators and many other educational professionals.
And, we’re so pleased to see such a wide range of grade levels represented—you create quite a colorful pie!
There is also a good mix of levels of experience—the average is more than 16 years in the classroom—with an equal number having more than 15 years of experience and fewer than 15 years.
Now let’s get to the key findings. We asked you what topics are most important to you: differentiation was the highest priority, followed closely by engagement. Common Core also figures prominently, as do assessment and planning.
Despite a strong interest in planning, very few of you (just 11%) are aware of the Tch Lesson Planner, our personal assistant for teachers. But, those of you who are using the planner find it very useful. So, here’s a quick explanation of what the Lesson Planner does: it allows you to pull content from any website and organize it your personal workspace. You can schedule reminders to watch videos or use lesson plans when you need them. Here’s a link to a short video about the Lesson Planner if you’d like to learn more.
We’re also learning a lot about what length videos are most useful to you. Given the strong response to “all of the above” we see a desire for a full range of video lengths, depending on what the topic deserves. A majority of you also said you did not have a “threshold” where you’d stop watching. It really seems to depend on what you’re seeing.
One respondent told us, “I like the 2-3 minute segments on classroom management topics such as attention getters, engagement strategies.”
Another said, “I’d say not longer than 10-15 minute because Tch is something I do when I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing other things.”
And, still another: “Please keep all length videos available for all kinds of users.”
Thank you everyone, we hear you and we’re glad you’re part of building Teaching Channel. We’re anxious to continue the conversation with our upcoming February survey.
And finally, if you were among the first 100 to complete our January survey—a $10 DonorsChoose gift card is on the way!
