With the 2019-2020 school year being far from normal, especially for educators who had to make a sudden shift to remote teaching, we decided to forego our annual Year-End Teacher and Year-End Student Surveys. Instead, we checked in with all of our adopters via a brief Year-End Update. With the results tabulated and reviewed, now we can share what we learned!
Using TWC . . . How, When, and Where?
Among those who responded to the update, we learned that 85% use the program during the school day; 14% use it in an after school program or other out-of-school time setting. The remainder use it for a combination of the two or for homeschooling.
And . . . how long have they been using The Walking Classroom?
- 36% – less than one year
- 20% – one to two years
- 14% – two to three years
- 11% – three to four years
- 11% – four to five years
- 8% – more than five years (WOW!)
As far as frequency, 47% of the respondents use The Walking Classroom once a week. 35% use it twice a week. The remaining 18% use the program three or more times per week, with 2% using it every day!
And, how many listens to each podcast? We learned that 54% of the respondents listen to each podcast once, 42% listen twice, and 4% listen three or more times.
What about the Benefits?
As we did on last year’s survey and update, we asked folks how evident they found various benefits of The Walking Classroom in their implementation of the program. The response choices were the following: very evident, somewhat evident, not at all evident.
The list below reflects the responses ranked in descending order, based on total of “very evident” and “somewhat evident” responses. The “very evident” responses are shown first; the “somewhat evident” responses are shown in parentheses.
- Increases physical activity – 93% (5%)
- Fosters health literacy and healthy habits – 80% (18%)
- Addresses different learning styles – 77% (21%)
- Builds core content knowledge – 74% (24%)
- Aligns with standards – 62% (36%)
- Enhances social-emotional learning – 60% (37%)
- Develops character values – 66% (30%)
- Differentiates instruction – 64% (31%)
With all these benefits in evidence, it’s no surprise that 98.5% of respondents would recommend The Walking Classroom to a colleague without reservation!
Resources and More . . .
It’s good to see that our adopters make use of the resources we provide. We learned that 86% make use of the Teacher or Discussion Guide, and 58% have completed The Walking Classroom’s free online or onsite training. Nearly 30% refer regularly to the blog, newsletter, and electronic quizzes, and 24% make use of the slide decks and supplemental videos.
Speaking of the Adopter Resources, this summer even more resources were added! When you log in, things will look a little different, with an additional resources section on each page that includes hands-on activities, printables or worksheets, online activities, multi-day projects, and virtual field trips.
If you are an adopter and still haven’t explored the many “extras” available on the Adopter Resources page, let us know. We will provide you with the information you need to get access to the basic resources (electronic quizzes, supplemental videos, and PowerPoint slide decks for each podcast) as well as all of the new additional resources!
Challenges, Anyone?
33% of the respondents reported no challenges incorporating The Walking Classroom, with the remaining respondents cited several different obstacles. The top two challenges indicated were time (20%) and the impact of COVID-19 (10%). The remaining respondents mentioned device issues, content alignment, student behavior, or lack of support by school administration.
In response to these concerns, keep an eye on those shared stories on our blog! In relating their own experiences, adopters often provide some tips for triumphing over these (and other) troubles.
What Else?
What more can we do for our adopters? Over half of our adopters (57%) expressed satisfaction with what was currently available or offered no suggestions. Of those who shared ideas, 65% suggested additional content, with most interested in adding more grade levels, differentiation, alternate languages, or topics aligned to their specific state’s standards.
The remaining respondents were interested in additional resources, like alternate assessments, differentiated quizzes, question stems, additional kid-friendly resources (like worksheets or guided notebooks), or further ideas for extending the lesson beyond the podcast. If you have created any of these resources or have some ideas of your own, feel free to share. Other adopters would be thrilled!
Finally, a Great Big Thanks!
Thanks to all of you who took the time to respond and share your feedback on the Year-End Update. We appreciate it immensely, and we look forward to using it to make The Walking Classroom even better!
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