As a Special Education Teacher, juggling all my responsibilities sometimes felt impossible. From laying out my students’ individualized education plan (IEP) to managing student behaviors to collaborating with paraeducators, I used to wonder if I was compromising the needs of my students. Then, I started using eSpark in my ELA block. This free learning platform helped me maximize instructional time in the classroom and revolutionized how I conduct a classroom.
Below is why I love using eSpark in my classroom:
#1 It’s research-based!
eSpark in the classroom focuses on student engagement. The platform provides individualized self-paced lessons with direct instruction, practice, formative assessment, immediate feedback, and student explanation of learning.
BONUS: If you live in a state with Common Core, all lessons are aligned with Common Core Standards!
#2 It’s differentiated, adaptive, and engaging!
I teach students in 2nd to 4th grade with severe disabilities. eSpark adapts to the needs of each student. My students remain engaged in the videos and activities throughout their eSpark lesson. There are students in my classroom who kick, scream, or bite when asked to complete their typical work but love having eSpark in the classroom. Using eSpark, I can then work one-on-one with students on specific IEP goals or pull small groups, which eSpark accommodates.
I love that my students are having fun while learning and that eSpark meets them on their level, including with emergent readers.
#3 I can check their progress!
eSpark gives you the ability to check student progress, even in their free version. You can see what skill they are on and how they’ve performed on that skill. My favorite part of the progress report is how the students said they were feeling at the start of the lesson for that day. Check out the image for my students’ responses- they’re excited, proud, happy, and excited! How cool is that?
This program helps students build their capacity to work independently and provides data-driven instruction. The free version of eSpark gives you basic information, but if you’re lucky enough to have eSpark Premium, you can see more detailed reports of their work and use the data for IEP goals!
#4 Their customer service is top-notch!
I have loved eSpark so much that I am trying to find a way to get the Premium version. Their team has been fantastic through the whole process. You can schedule virtual meetings quickly or use their live chat function.
If you need help outside of business hours, they have a very extensive library of help articles for you to read through here.
#5 It’s free!
eSpark does have a premium version, and when you first sign up, you gain access to the premium version for a limited time. For those of us who can’t pay for the premium version, the free version gives your students access to the adaptive pathways, provides you with one small group lesson each week, and shows a basic student progress report. You get a research-based, engaging instructional resource for absolutely nothing; what could be better than that?
MindWorks Collaborative would love to invite you to learn more about eSpark. Join future conversations on this topic by signing up for our community of justice-driven special educators here and sign up to get alerts for our next roundtable.
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