I think when we’ve got kids that need different support mechanisms to learn, the Microsoft assisted learning tools become really, really vital.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) on December 3 is an annual event that reaffirms the ideals of inclusion and equity for people of all abilities. Started by the United Nations in 2018, member nations continue to celebrate and uplift people with disabilities with the intention to protect their rights and dignity across the globe.  

Microsoft’s commitment to inclusion in K-12 education, especially those with disabilities, is an essential part of an equitable education. As a company, we believe that all learners deserve the same opportunities regardless of ability, income, language, location, or identity. Our best-in-class learning solutions and education technologies help all students accelerate their learning in and out of the classroom. When all students can access content, the benefits impact everyone. 

Microsoft accessibility solutions will help you:

• Improve reading comprehension for students with dyslexia 
• Support students with dysgraphia or physical impairments write assignments 
• Provide alternative display options for students who have auditory processing disorders 
• Create more accessible documents, slideshows, and spreadsheets for everyone 

Addressing dyslexia with Immersive Reader

Dyslexia is the most common neuro-cognitive disorder, impacting nearly 20% of the population and accounting for 80-90% of all learning disabilities. If you’re an educator, chances are you’re interacting with dyslexic students daily, whether you notice it or not. Dyslexic thinkers often excel at pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and interpersonal communication. Yet, students with dyslexia often struggle with reading tasks because of phonological processing difficulties. 

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a text-to-speech tool that helps dyslexic thinkers decode text. When students need assistance understanding digital text, they can launch Immersive Reader and it will read aloud the words displayed on the computer screen. It also includes features like word splitting, one-line focus, identifying parts of speech, and dictation so that dyslexic thinkers can attend to difficult areas like punctuation and grammar. Immersive Reader is available in over 100 languages and built into the Edge browser, Word, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and many other Microsoft applications. See how to use Immersive Reader to enhance your reading instruction! 

Overcoming dysgraphia and physical limitations with Dictation

Students with dysgraphia or fine motor impairments often find it difficult to write and type words on a keyboard. Whether the root cause involves working memory issues, in the case of dysgraphia, or limitations using body parts, these disabilities make traditional activities like drafting an essay or composing an email both daunting and time-consuming.  

Dictation is a speech-to-text tool that’s available in Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. With Dictation, whatever a student says with their voice is written as words within an application. This allows students to freely convey their thoughts rather than trying to overcome cognitive or physical disabilities. Dictation also includes advanced spelling and grammar checks as well as word suggestions to help students while they are composing. All that’s needed is a computer microphone and a reliable internet connection to start dictating. 

Addressing auditory processing difficulties with Live Captioning

Auditory processing disorders (APDs) are disabilities that impact between 2% and 7% of all children. APDs aren’t conditions that cause hearing loss. Instead, students with an APD may hear words differently because of how the central nervous system processes auditory information. For example, a student with an APD might process “raise your hand” as “chase your lamb” despite understanding what it means to raise hands in class. In schools, misinterpretation becomes more pronounced in noisy classrooms or when listening to complex information. 

To help those who have an APD, Microsoft offers live captioning in PowerPoint and Teams for Education. Live captioning uses automatic speech recognition technology to display a written, on-screen transcription of whatever is spoken during a live presentation or meeting. The real-time display provides essential support for students who have trouble processing spoken words. Live captioning fully supports Spanish, Chinese, and many more languages so that non-native speakers can follow along as well. See how to use real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint and live captions in Microsoft Teams meetings to support your students’ learning journeys. 

Supporting vision impairment with Accessibility Checker

Students who are blind or have sight limitations often use a screen reader to navigate and understand content. They rely on their screen reader to describe images, understand table structures, and identify sections or slides while listening to printed text. Without properly labeled elements for images, tables, and headers, a student with vision impairments often hears a disjointed, confusing readout of whatever is being shared. Poor color contrast also impacts students with color blindness or low vision. 

Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker analyzes and offers recommendations for improving a file’s accessibility. As a tool inside of applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote, the Accessibility Checker quickly scans files and offers immediate fixes for any identified issue. Making these changes increases the likelihood that a student with a vision impairment can understand content in the same way as their peers. 

Empower all students with Microsoft’s accessibility tools

All students deserve the chance to create, engage, and fully participate in classroom activities. Microsoft’s accessibility solutions allow each student to unlock their own diversity, skills, and abilities with tools to promote a more equitable learning environment.  

Get started with the learning tools built into Microsoft 365 Education to foster a learning environment where all students and teachers feel included and empowered. Learn more by exploring the Accessibility and Inclusivity courses offered in the Microsoft Learn Educator Center. 

The post Supporting the needs of all students appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

October marks Dyslexia Awareness Month, dedicated to honoring these exceptional individuals, representing approximately one in five students. Their unique abilities encompass extraordinary creativity, problem-solving skills, and a talent for thinking holistically—an indispensable asset in today’s ever-changing world. Educators play a vital role in identifying, supporting, and empowering every dyslexic learner.

Dyslexic thinking a valuable skill

We’re excited to share that Microsoft Education has launched a new training on dyslexic thinking on Microsoft Learn, created in partnership with the global charity Made by Dyslexia. This training module aims to help you understand dyslexic thinking, a set of skills highly valued by employers and recognized on LinkedIn profiles. It will provide you with the knowledge and strategies needed to create a truly inclusive classroom where both you and your students can thrive. Explore how Microsoft Education can support you in unlocking the power of dyslexic thinkers in your classroom.

The new course covers:

• Understanding dyslexic thinking skills: Dive deep into the 7 essential dyslexic thinking skills found in children, unlocking their potential in your classroom.
• Relevance in the workplace: Discover why dyslexic thinking skills have become indispensable in the modern workforce, and how they can benefit your students’ future careers.
• Creating inclusive classrooms: Learn practical techniques and approaches to foster inclusive learning environments where all students, including dyslexic thinkers, can excel.
• The role of technology and AI: Explore the exciting ways technology and AI are revolutionizing dyslexic learning and teaching, giving you the tools to adapt to the digital age.

Supporting dyslexic thinkers in the classroom

Microsoft Education offers a wide range of tools designed to support students with dyslexia, empowering educators to provide flexible learning supports and assessment options. Let’s explore some of the learning tools and Learning Accelerators that can assist dyslexic learners in succeeding in the classroom.

Text-decoding options

Dyslexic thinkers often face challenges in translating their creative ideas into written form due to difficulties with spelling, punctuation, and grammar rules. This struggle can be evident in both the initial writing and editing stages, as they grapple with memory-based learning and applying rules.

Immersive Reader, available across Microsoft tools, supports students’ developing spelling and grammar skills by offering features like word splitting, one-line focus, highlighting parts of speech, and dictation in over 100 languages.

Change how text appears with Text Preferences in Immersive Reader.

LinkedIn has recently incorporated Immersive Reader as a new way to digest content. This new accessibility feature in LinkedIn is particularly useful among members with dyslexia, making it much easier for them to read and enjoy long form articles and content. With just one click, individuals can unlock a series of tools such as the ability to read content aloud, translate content in real-time, and change reading and text preferences on any article or Newsletter published on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Learning will also share a free course on Dyslexic Thinking later this month.

Multi-sensory reading practice

Reading fluency can pose challenges for dyslexic thinkers, as they often struggle with recognizing and working with sounds, letters, and individual words. In some reading programs, fluency is considered a prerequisite for comprehension and is given top priority for mastery. To help dyslexic thinkers, however, it’s essential to place equal emphasis on both comprehension and fluency. One way to do this is to leverage Reading Progress.

Reading Progress supports students’ reading fluency with independent practice, self-assessment, personalized feedback. Educators can use Reading Coach to identify challenging words and provide targeted practice. Both Learning Accelerators are integrated in Microsoft Teams for Education. Using Reading Progress and Reading Coach alongside Immersive Reader allows educators to individualize reading instruction for all learners.

Big picture thinking for math

To help dyslexic thinkers achieve success, harness their language-based strengths and broad thinking abilities. To support their learning, offer chances for students to engage their senses, through writing, hands-on demonstrations, or verbal discussions. Additionally, when it comes to math, these learners excel when they grasp the meaning behind symbols instead of relying on memorization of a function.

Math Assistant in OneNote offers equation reading in multiple languages, step-by-step explanations, various input options, and student-created practice quizzes which can benefit dyslexic learners.

Math Assistant in OneNote offers various tools to help dyslexic thinkers, including equation reading and step-by-step explanations.

Celebrating dyslexic thinking

The world increasingly requires the unique approach of dyslexic thinking—an approach that excels in problem-solving, information assessment, and learning. Research underscores how dyslexic thinkers possess the exact skills in high demand in today’s workplaces. The Value of Dyslexia report points to emerging roles and advanced tasks across industries that align with the inherent strengths of dyslexic thinkers.

Ready to learn more about dyslexic thinking? The Microsoft Learn platform offers training and modules built in partnership with Made by Dyslexia. Check out Dyslexia Awareness, Dyslexia Teaching, Dyslexia and Technology, and Dyslexic Thinking. These modules help educators identify, support, and empower dyslexic learners, while providing strategies and solutions to benefit all students.

Let’s celebrate the incredible potential within dyslexic minds and collaborate to create truly inclusive classrooms where all students can thrive. By doing so, we unlock the extraordinary capabilities of dyslexic thinkers and pave the way for a brighter future for all. Join us in commemorating Dyslexia Awareness Month and commit to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment for dyslexic thinkers and all students.

Lastly, Microsoft is proud to sponsor “Lessons In Dyslexic Thinking” the brand new podcast series by Made By Dyslexia. The podcast features conversations with the world’s most inspiring dyslexics where we find out what Dyslexic Thinking is and how each of us can employ it to change the world. Hear powerful stories from spies and sports stars, explorers, and entrepreneurs. Listen to the latest episode with HRH Princess Beatrice on Apple, Spotify, or Amazon, or watch the Lessons In Dyslexic Thinking playlist.       

Want to learn more?

• Watch Dyslexia Doesn’t Have To Mean Difficulty
• Take the available Dyslexia training, in partnership with Made By Dyslexia 
• Download the Quick Guide on Immersive Reader
• Explore Building reading foundational skills: A guide to Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Teams for educators

The post Celebrating dyslexic thinkers during Dyslexia Awareness Month appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Learning Accelerators in Microsoft Teams for Education can help enhance language and literacy instruction and strengthen student independence in English language development. Immersive Reader, Reading Progress, Reading Coach, and Education Insights are four solutions you can use in your classroom to support all students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Explore how each of these solutions can provide differentiated, individualized support for MLEs.

1. Support fluency with Reading Progress

Reading Progress frees up your time by streamlining the process for creating, reviewing, and analyzing individualized reading assignments. This solution can be used to support and track your students’ reading fluency. Students record their reading while their errors, accuracy rate, and correct words per minute are automatically analyzed. Learn more about how you can use Reading Progress to support the needs of MLEs.

Pronunciation sensitivity adjustment in Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams for Education.

• Adjust pronunciation sensitivity: To account for different speech patterns and accents when students read aloud, adjust how carefully pronunciation sensitivity in the Auto-detect feature analyzes results to make your review faster and more accurate. This feature predicts and marks mispronunciations, omissions, insertions, self-corrections, and repetitions. You can also manually edit errors for accuracy or turn off the Auto-detect feature.
• Chunk text: Use Reading Progress to break text into manageable sections which can help improve student confidence when reading in English. To do this, copy and paste (or transcribe) the assigned reading in Microsoft Word, creating a new document at an appropriate cutoff point. Then create an Assignment in Teams for Education and select Reading Progress from the Attach dropdown menu. Import the first Word file you created, then create subsequent assignments for the remainder of the week.

2. Provide personalized practice with Reading Coach

Reading Coach provides students with an opportunity to independently practice challenging words while providing real-time coaching. It automatically generates individualized exercises based on each student’s specific needs. By default, Reading Coach is turned on for all Reading Progress assignments. It can also be accessed through Immersive Reader via Microsoft 365 apps like Word, OneNote, and PowerPoint. Learn more about how you can use Reading Coach to enhance MLE’s language development.

Challenge word practice in Reading Coach in Microsoft Teams for Education.

• Practice pronunciation: Pronunciation can create obstacles for MLEs. Breaking words into syllables can help students decode text and access text more effectively. Reading Coach allows students to practice words that were identified as challenging for them, even providing them with the option to learn about word meaning using a visual.
• Analyze patterns and set goals: You can view how students perform on Assignments with Reading Coach at-a-glance. Analyze phonics patterns, sight word errors, and review the auto-detected miscue analysis to inform instruction and help students set personalized reading and language development goals.

3. Immersive Reader

Immersive Reader provides students with the supports they need to access text in English, regardless of language proficiency level, and promotes educational equity in the classroom. With a range of available options, it allows students to customize their learning experience and enables you to provide a variety of language scaffolds within one solution. Learn more about how you can use Immersive Reader to ensure that all MLEs have access to grade level text.

Word translation from English to Spanish and picture dictionary in Immersive Reader.

• Translate to home language: Students can translate the full text into their home language or use this translation support on a word-by-word basis. This allows students at varying degrees of English language proficiency to access the text in the language with which they are most comfortable.
• Visualize words: The Picture Dictionary tool in Immersive Reader provides a picture of the selected word, which helps MLEs to visualize the text.
• Learn parts of speech: Support understanding of sentence structure by using the Parts of Speech tool to identify and color-code nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
• Read text aloud: MLEs can build their listening and reading skills by having text read aloud. As the text is read, the words are highlighted so that students can easily follow along and match the word to the appropriate pronunciation.
• Encourage syllabication: To support overall fluency and pronunciation as well as gain a better understanding of how affixes impact word formation and meaning, students can use the Syllables tool to segment words.

4. Education Insights

Education Insights in Teams for Education aggregates student data to provide you with quick, actionable insights at the individual or class level to amplify student language development. This saves you time, so you can focus on what’s important – your students and their academic and linguistic needs. Learn more about how you can use Education Insights to inform your instruction for MLEs.

Generating a practice assignment from a challenging word cloud in Education Insights in Microsoft Teams for Education.

• Generate student practice: Develop individualized or whole class practice assignments that are tailored to the reading and language needs of MLEs in just a couple of clicks. Education Insights analyzes challenging words and phonics rules from Reading Progress and Reading Coach data to make it easier for you to look for patterns to inform instruction, create vocabulary activities, and ensure word exposure.
• Analyze progress and data: Review individual student, group, and whole class data quickly and efficiently to analyze reading progress and inform instructional decisions for MLEs.

Our Learning Accelerators offer you countless ways to support multilingual learners and scaffold instruction more efficiently. As an organization, we are committed to equity in education and deliver accessible, inclusive solutions that meet all learners’ academic, social emotional, and linguistic needs.

Learn more about Microsoft Education literacy solutions and download TESOL’s Guide to Learning Accelerators – Literacy Addition to explore activities developed to help you progress students’ English language development.

The post Accelerate learning for multilingual learners of English appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Whether a student needs Immersive Reader to read at a slower pace or only provide picture clues without narration, you can customize the learning experience and provide specific accommodations for your students. The features help students like Karrick Johnson overcome dyslexia and become confident, self-directed readers in the classroom.

Learn how to use Immersive Reader to address a variety of reading activities in your classroom.

Launch Immersive Reader whenever or wherever reading support is needed

Immersive Reader delivers built-in, non-stigmatizing help whenever students encounter difficult reading passages–like when they are asked to read and understand information in a Word document. Get started by opening Word for the web in the Microsoft Edge browser or looking for the Immersive Reader icon in another Microsoft 365 application.

Tip: If students can’t see the Immersive Reader button in the ribbon, maximize the window so that it is full screen. Select the arrow next to Immersive Reader to return to the word processor when students finish.

Adjust read aloud speech with Voice Settings

Immersive Reader reads aloud on-screen text while highlighting words, and it includes options like rate-of-speech for adjusting how passages are spoken.

• Voice Settings: Customize how Immersive Reader reads aloud passages
• Voice Speed: Increase or decrease the rate of speech
• Voice Selection: Choose the gender of the voice
• Play: Start read aloud
• Pause: Stop read aloud

Tip: Students with audio processing delays can reduce the voice speed to better understand spoken words. Others might benefit from listening to long passages at faster rates to quickly consume more content. If the voice is too fast or slow, students can return to Voice Settings and make further adjustments to completely control their reading experience.

Make on-screen text more accessible with Text Preferences

Immersive Reader allows students to change how text appears on the screen during independent reading activities. Options like line length and font spacing improve reading speed for struggling readers or those with learning disabilities like dyslexia.

• Text Preferences: Customize how Immersive Reader displays text on-screen
• Text Size: Increase or decrease character size and control line length
• Increase Spacing: Add padding between lines
• Font: Choose a font
• Themes: Change the background and font color

Tip: Adjusting options in Text Preferences causes the passage to immediately change. This helps students set up Immersive Reader so that it best displays text based on their own reading needs and improves recognition.

Use Grammar Options to integrate literacy activities into any reading passage

Immersive Reader breaks words into syllables and identifies parts of speech. Both features complement effective literacy instruction and support student reading development.

• Grammar Options: Customize on-screen text with grammatical conventions
• Syllables: Break words into syllables
• Parts of Speech: Identify and color-code nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs

Tip: Select and change the color drop-down menu to match the part of speech to an English textbook. When the color of the parts of speech in Immersive Reader corresponds to other sources, students are better able to form connections between grammatical concepts and in-class activities.

Provide individualized, just-in-time reading assistance with Reading Preferences

Immersive Reader includes line focus options, picture clues, and translation services when students need reading accommodations to understand on-screen text.

• Reading Preferences: Add tools that improve reading comprehension
• Line Focus: Show one, two, or three lines of text and mask other words
• Picture Dictionary: Show a picture and provide the pronunciation of selected words
• Translate: Choose from one of over 70 languages to translate on-screen text
• Translate (By word): Include language translation and pronunciation when using the Picture Dictionary
• Translate (Document): Convert all the on-screen text into another language
• Reading Coach: Assess fluency by recording and analyzing students as they read on-screen text

Tip: Provide varying levels of support for non-native English learners by using Document (more assistance) or by word (less assistance). Show students how Immersive Reader speaks on-screen text in another language when either option is chosen. Families can also use Immersive Reader to translate English into their preferred language provided they have a Microsoft 365 account.

Assess fluency and practice challenging words with Reading Coach

Reading Coach in Immersive Reader is a new feature that listens while a student reads aloud and automatically provides a fluency report and word identification activities.

TIP: Save time conducting assessments by using a Word document with a standard passage that all students read using Reading Coach in Immersive Reader. Encourage students to use a headset or find a quiet spot when recording for more accurate analysis. Ask students to complete practice activities and then re-record to assess growth in word identification. Learn more about using Reading Coach in Immersive Reader!

Download A Quick Guide to Immersive Reader and start using Immersive Reader today!

The post How to enhance reading instruction: a guide to Immersive Reader for educators appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Explore the latest updates to Teams and how they can help educators create a more supportive, dynamic, and interactive learning experience for students.

Use the Classwork app to create and organize content

Teams for Education is about to get even easier to use with the upcoming release of the new Classwork app! Classwork is specifically designed for educators to simplify the task of managing their curriculum. This app offers educators a one-stop shop to access all their teaching materials, and in the future, effortlessly reuse class content. With Classwork, educators can create and organize various class resources, such as assignments, files, links, channels, Class Notebook pages, and more.

Organization has never been so simple! Educators can create modules with descriptions to organize courses into distinct units by topic, lesson, or week. Modules are saved in a draft state and are not visible to students by default, allowing educators to build their content in the app at their own pace. Once they’re ready, they can easily publish the content for students, dragging and dropping modules into a desired order. Additionally, educators can “pin” important modules to the top of the list, making it even easier for their students to find the most relevant content without having to scroll through past modules.

Learn more about the Classwork app.

Develop information literacy skills with Search Coach

Students don’t often know how to use search effectively. That’s what Search Coach does—it turns students into critical thinkers and researchers.”

John Stapley, Head of Digital Technology at Napier Boys’ High School

With a commitment to help prepare students for their futures, we’re excited to introduce Search Coach, a simple and powerful new app that helps educators and students develop information literacy skills by forming effective queries and finding reliable resources.

Introducing Search Coach in Microsoft Teams

This Microsoft Learning Accelerator offers real-time coaching and feedback, easy access to advanced search techniques, and details about each website to help students learn to ask the right questions and search with confidence. It is crucial to introduce students to these skills with authentic practice early on to cultivate their ability to become well-informed and critical consumers of information.

To help educators get started, we’ve also created an ever-growing page of resources for teaching information literacy skills with Search Coach.

Improve grading with weights and averages

We’ve revamped our grading experience, to make grading in Teams more streamlined and accurate for educators and students. Two new options are available for educators to turn on: weighted categories and average grade.

With weighted grading categories, educators can assign different percentages to different assignments in Grades. To assess a student’s performance more accurately, educators can assign percentage weights to different types of assignments like class assignments, homework, projects, essays, and exams. This helps in effectively evaluating assignments as some may be more demanding in terms of demonstrating knowledge than others. Weighted categories can be enabled in Grade settings.

Breathing exercises led by Feelings Monster in Reflect

Educators can also enable the average grades option for students in the new Grade settings. Students can view their most up to date grades, allowing them to easily track their progress and empowering them to take control of their learning. By having access to their grades, students can quickly assess their strengths and weaknesses, find areas that need improvement, and take corrective action.

If a class is using grading categories, average grades will be calculated by multiplying the average score in each category by that category’s weight. This provides students with a more accurate picture of their overall progress.

Educator view of Grades dashboard with average grade toggled to Yes

Educator view of student grades with average grade highlighted

Learn more about Grades.

Distribute, code and grade Python and Jupyter Notebooks 

Python is a highly popular programming language that is increasingly used in education for fields such as data science, mathematics, physics, and statistics. We are thrilled to announce the native integration of Python Jupyter Notebooks (.ipynb) and Python Script files (.py) directly into Teams Assignments.

With this integration, educators and their students can distribute and work on Python code within Teams Assignments without having to set up a separate coding environment. They can also add comments to the notebooks, just like when reviewing Microsoft Word documents. Once the assignment is completed, the notebooks and scripts can be turned in to the educator in Teams for grading.

View of Python files in Jupyter notebook in Teams

Learn more about Jupyter Notebooks in Assignments.

Create inclusive meetings with Sign Language View

To ensure that all students can fully participate and engage with the content being presented, inclusive and accessible meeting environments are crucial. When a meeting is not accessible, students with disabilities may feel excluded or discouraged from participating, which can negatively impact their learning experience.

We’re excited to introduce Sign Language View, a new feature designed to make meetings more accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and their interpreters. Sign Language View keeps up to two signers in a consistent location on center stage throughout the meeting, making it easier to follow the conversation. This feature can be enabled during a meeting or set as a persistent setting for all Teams calls. The prioritized video streams appear at the right aspect ratio and highest quality for clear communication. Like pinning and captioning, this view is personal to the user and doesn’t affect others in the meeting.

Teams meeting with sign language interpreter pinned on screen

Learn more about Sign Language View for Teams Meetings.

Support students’ well-being with Reflect

The Reflect app supports student well-being by providing a private space for reflection and response to prompts from educators. It’s a valuable tool for promoting mindfulness and reflection in classrooms. With four recent updates, the Reflect app has been enhanced with new features that improve inclusivity and ease of use for educators to incorporate into their routine.

Breathing exercises

When we intentionally focus on our breath and engage in slow, deep breathing, it can help to calm the body and reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This can lead to feelings of relaxation and an improved mood. The Feelings Monster is excited to help educators incorporate breathing exercises into their class routine. After students check in, the Feelings Monster will guide them to focus on their breath and get their body and mind ready to learn.

GIF of breathing exercises led by Feelings Monster in Reflect

Promoting inclusivity in Reflect 

We’ve added new features to Reflect to promote inclusivity. When creating a check-in, educators can now choose simplified emotional vocabulary, reducing cognitive load for students and making it easier for learners who are new to emotion words.[

Additionally, students can hear the definition of each word read aloud as if the speaker were experiencing that emotion, supporting their emotional awareness in a multi-sensory way. This feature is available in English, Spanish, and Japanese, and will soon be available in more languages.

Customized and routine check-ins

Check-ins can help create a positive and inclusive classroom environment where students feel safe and supported. Regular check-ins also help educators monitor their students’ emotions over time and identify any changes, patterns, or potential problems early on.

Reflect has two new features, check-in ideas gallery and Ask it again, to make check-ins even faster and more consistent. With the new check-in ideas gallery, educators can easily customize Reflect questions. Simply choose from a variety of suggested questions or jumpstart an idea using the provided stems. Using a variety of check-in questions enables educators to get to know their students better while also challenging them to build self-awareness.

Educator view for options to choose for Reflect check-ins

To make check-ins a simple routine we added the new Ask it again button, which lets educators quickly repeat a past check-in question with just one click. Collecting data for the same check-in question overtime will highlight any changes for the educator

Educator view for using Ask it again feature on past Reflect check-in question

Learn more about supporting student well-being using Reflect.

These are just a few of this month’s fresh new and updated Teams features that help educators enhance their teaching and promote meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students.

Don’t miss out on all the latest and greatest Teams updates, visit our Education Blog post about all the newest Teams updates and sign up for the Microsoft Education Newsletter to get tips, creative ideas, and all the latest information! 

The post Achieve more in the classroom with new Teams features appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

One school district that overcame this challenge is Wichita Public Schools (WPS) in Wichita, Kansas, which is the largest district in the state serving roughly 11 percent of Kansas students—more than 50,000 each school year. Its investment in Microsoft’s educational technologies, such as Microsoft Surface Pros for educators and Surface Go and other devices for students, is helping fulfill the district’s mission of equipping every student with the 21st century skills and knowledge needed to succeed in an increasingly digital future.

Here’s how WPS is using technology to transform how learners learn and how teachers teach, while ensuring every student has equal opportunity to succeed:

Solving for equity and access

The issue of student access to technology pre-dated the pandemic but was exacerbated once it began, so WPS’s IT professionals set out to help create an equitable solution. Their solution—providing access to the internet and a device—has not only been paramount to supporting each student’s success during the pandemic, but will also be important long afterward.

WPS works with local partners to provide hotspots for students so they can stay connected. “Providing internet to students matters, especially for the children who might not know where they’re going to sleep for that night,” said Dyane Smokorowski, WPS’s coordinator for digital literacy. “To me, this is a social justice act. Connectivity isn’t just for the privileged; it’s for everyone.”  

WPS also pairs each student with their own computer, embracing Microsoft Surface devices and Teams as the district’s hardware and software platforms of choice. With Microsoft Surface devices, such as the Surface Pro 7 for teachers and the Surface Go for students, WPS has increased the scope of what can be taught and learned remotely. Teachers can also approach lesson planning in new, technology-driven, and inclusive ways.

Incorporating tools for inclusivity and agency

One reason these devices have been effective is because Microsoft builds inclusive solutions directly into its technologies instead of as an afterthought. This creates a one-stop shop, freeing schools from managing multiple vendors or searching for additional accessibility tools.

WPS embraces a variety of Microsoft’s inclusive technologies, including free reading tool Immersive Reader. “When our teachers … learn how it helps, they realize it helps not just students with reading troubles. It’s excellent for all the students,” said Amanda Young, a program manager of Education Imagine Academy, which is a full-time, tuition-free online public school offering from WPS.

Dyane agrees. “It’s about building that inclusivity in your classroom,” she said. “I can now design lessons better for all learners and personalize to them.”

Inclusive technologies can also provide virtual access to experiences beyond the classroom and home, which is especially important for students with fewer resources. “We have students who have not left a five-mile radius of their school,” Amanda said. “We have done live feeds from the historical museum.” Students were also able to meet directors of the local minor league baseball team “and walk around the stadium, even though they weren’t physically in that space.”

These experiences inspire students, said Dyane. “They can visit virtually and think, ‘Maybe I could work in a zoo, or in a museum. I could be a scientist.’ I think it can change the world of every student.”

Creating a new pedagogy for success

Educational technology can’t successfully evolve in a bubble, and WPS leadership understands that to make the most of it, teaching methodology must also change. “When it comes to technology, the teachers are all now functional; they get it,” said Dyane. “Now they’re starting to look at what their students are excited about, and then determining who they need to talk with to take that learning deeper.”

Both Amanda and Dyane cite Whiteboard, digital inking, and Flipgrid as examples of digital tools that can foster student engagement with material, radically change how students interact and learn, and offer new ways of designing lessons. With Whiteboard, “Now we can have a collaborative space for multiple students to share ideas, ideate, and mind map,” said Dyane.

Technology also presents new ways to connect students with opportunities through events, such as a WPS-hosted virtual career day with more than 35 guest speakers from across the US. The virtual aspect gives all students the opportunity to listen to each speaker, not just the students who are in one specific classroom at a specific time.

WPS’s ability to expand access to technology at such a critical time was a feat that has helped educators and will encourage better student outcomes now and in the future. “I will forever be a Microsoft fan because I’ve been able to grow as an educator and help my teachers and my staff grow,” said Amanda.

Dyane is likewise pleased. “When you can take the impossible and make it a reality, that’s the best use of technology,” she said.

Read more about WPS’s success story and explore Microsoft tools and devices that can help students develop the digital skills they need to succeed.

The post How one school created greater learner equity with Microsoft tools appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Last week, we announced continued investments in accessible technology tools including the newly expanded Inclusive Tech Lab. Today, in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we’re building on that work to share new research that speaks to the accessibility needs of today’s classrooms. We surveyed K-12 teachers of different ages and years of experience across the United States to understand how teaching and learning is evolving in today’s education landscape. The data reveals interesting findings on the gaps between what teachers want and need for instruction versus what they have, the broadening of accessibility needs, the pandemic’s widespread impact on teaching, learning challenges and mental health, and how teachers think about accessibility.

Here are the key trends and findings that emerged from the Microsoft Teacher Survey and what we’re doing differently at Microsoft to better support this shift in K-12 education:  

Accessible technology allows for more inclusive classrooms for everyone  

Accessible technology in the classroom is no longer perceived as only supporting a specific group of students. The data shows that 84 percent of teachers say it’s impossible to achieve equity in education without accessible learning tools. Additionally, 87 percent of teachers agree that accessible technology can help not only level the playing field for students with disabilities but also generate insights that help teachers better understand and support all their students. Thoughtful use of and investments in technology can help to bridge these gaps and make more inclusive learning in classrooms possible for everyone. This makes tools like Microsoft’s Immersive Reader a game changer. The free tool not only supports text decoding for students with learning differences, such as dyslexia, but also enhances reading and comprehension for all learners. Immersive Reader is great for any learner who needs help with reading, built right into the Microsoft 365 apps and Microsoft Edge browser, and is available to any EdTech company that builds products on Microsoft Azure. 

Pandemic effects on classrooms are more widespread than we think  

The pandemic has brought into sharp focus the complex challenges impacting the classroom. More than half of teachers, 52 percent, have noticed an increase in the number of students who have fallen behind in reading in the past two years and 39 percent have noticed the same in math. Additionally, 59 percent of teachers say that 25 percent of their students are two or more grade levels below in reading or math. Although the pandemic has had a massive impact on schools, responsibly designed accessible learning tools can support our students in getting back on track. Microsoft is committed to empowering students and providing supportive, accessible technology that helps teachers leverage insights with tools like our student support spotlight card. The new student support spotlight card in Education Insights helps teachers make sense of student engagement signals and identify which of their students may require additional support based on early disengagement. The feature is supported by pedagogical research showing that early intervention of decreased engagement can help students overcome learning obstacles and reduce the risk of falling behind.  

Teachers need support to do what they do best  

Our world has changed forever, and classroom instruction isn’t exempt from the long-term impacts of the pandemic. The fundamental tools and support needed for teachers to do their best work with students facing obstacles—both academically and emotionally—have drastically changed. We found that four in ten (41 percent) teachers have seen an increase in mental and/or emotional issues among their students. 75 percent of these teachers say there is a great or moderate need to adapt their teaching style to accommodate this challenge. Further, the research shows students with disabilities are at an increased risk of experiencing mental health difficulties. The percentage of teachers saying they have seen an increase in mental and/or emotional issues rises from 41 percent to 63 percent when 10 percent or more of a teachers’ student body has an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Additionally, research shows, teachers note that focusing on student well-being can have a positive effect on academic and life success, workforce readiness, and more.³ Digital tools, like Microsoft’s Reflect, help both teachers monitoring student well-being and students working to identify their own feelings. Regular check-ins give teachers insight into what engages their classes, where individualized support is needed, and highlight how to best provide additional interventions. 

Teaching is more demanding than ever before, and we are working to support teachers with tools and opportunities to learn how to leverage accessible technology in meaningful and effective ways. We’ve learned that companies can miss the mark in building accessible technology without also providing manageable, diverse, and easily accessed training for teachers. Nearly half of teachers—46 percent—say they aren’t given enough training to learn how to use technology in the classroom. This need is why we launched the Microsoft Learn Educator Center for Resources and Professional Development. This is a centralized platform provides free support for teachers with training on Microsoft technologies, instructional methods, and more. 

School systems need support in designing accessible learning environments  

Differentiating instruction for students in both engaging and sustainable ways is difficult. While 70 percent of schools have made an additional investment in technology in the past two years, 70 percent of teachers feel there’s a moderate or massive gap between the resources they need for instruction and what they have, revealing a disconnect and clear sign that technology investments must be intentional. The need for additional support in cultivating accessible learning environments is a pressing issue in classrooms nationwide. Responsibly designed technology can help to bridge this gap. As part of our continued commitment to equitable and accessible learning, Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab created a special classroom to show what’s possible when we normalize accessible technology for every student. This collaboration space provides an opportunity for us, education groups, and other companies to learn and get feedback on making technology more accessible. Additionally, teachers can get comprehensive feedback and recommendations to make their content more accessible for all students, in just three clicks, using Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker available online or offline and built into tools like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. 

You can learn more about updates and new solutions coming to our portfolio of learning tools by visiting the Microsoft Education Blog.  

This shift in accessible and inclusive learning is about expanding our understanding of how accessibility shows up in our classrooms, school districts, and beyond. All types of learners benefit when technology is designed with accessibility and inclusion in mind, setting up all students and teachers for success.⁴ Let’s help to unlock the possibilities for every student. 

¹ Microsoft Teacher Survey

² CDC: 1 in 4 US adults live with a disability | CDC Online Newsroom | CDC

³ The-Case-for-SEL-CASEL

⁴ Effects of inclusion on the academic achievement and adaptive behaviour of children with intellectual disabilities 

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Want to start exploring new capabilities for your classroom? Below are just a few of the training sessions delivered by Microsoft Store product experts to help foster learning environments where every student feels included and engaged: 

• Empower education with blended learning: Keep your students engaged from anywhere by learning how to best navigate a remote, hybrid, and in-person learning environment through these trainings, designed to cover topics such as organization, collaboration, and accessibility.
• Create an inclusive classroom with Microsoft Learning Tools: During the month of October, which is Dyslexia Awareness Month, we’re honoring the varied abilities that students with learning differences bring to the classroom and are offering you specific tools and training for support. This training introduces inclusive features that span different apps and platforms, helping educators learn to use Immersive Reader, Dictation and Editor, and Math Assistant to help improve students’ reading, writing, and math skills.
• Supporting the whole student for education with Microsoft Teams Insights: Microsoft Teams for Education supports educators in building a classroom environment that recognizes the whole student and saves you time in planning, giving feedback, and providing help where needed. Learn how to use Education Insights, Reflect, and Reading Progress to get real-time data on student performance to inform tailored learning solutions that set your students up for success.

This list of inclusivity-first trainings and workshops from the Microsoft Store goes on. Discover all the available sessions and register for them here!

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When COVID-19 shuttered schools across the U.S. in March 2020, The Loom School—which specializes in individualized learning environments for students with special needs—needed to find a way to transition its personalized services such as music therapy, speech therapy, and social skills to a virtual format. Loom discovered everything they needed was in Microsoft Teams, a single platform where teachers could conduct virtual classes, host one-on-one sessions with students and their parents, and meet with other faculty members.

Searching for a student-centric solution

In assessing the school’s existing technology, Katrina Todd, Loom’s Executive Director who was leading the search for a virtual solution, was pleased to find one that could meet the needs of Loom’s students was closer than she could have imagined. “We already used SharePoint and Outlook for everything,” she said. “But then once the pandemic hit, we started looking at some of the other programs.” With no time to waste, Loom began rolling out Teams.  

“There was no blueprint for what Katrina was doing, no blueprint for teaching virtual social skills” said Cynthia Snow, a Loom School parent and Microsoft enterprise manager. “From the perspective of a parent whose child has autism, it was miraculous.”

To effectively roll out Teams, Loom used the same individualized approach that the school’s educators, students, and their families were accustomed to—from introducing and training students to helping parents navigate questions. A week after in-person classes were paused, remote learning began. 

Inclusive features and an integrated learning solution

Once students and parents were up to speed, the transition to Teams made routine tasks seamless for Loom’s students and teachers alike. The ease of the platform was paramount. For teachers, organizing and linking to materials was simple. For students, the file pathways made it possible to quickly find and access class materials. Other built-in Teams features like Whiteboard helped recreate in-person classroom activities by giving students the ability to draw and work collaboratively, even in a virtual classroom format. Powered by Surface Pro devices, Loom students and educators were able to recreate the routines and rhythm they needed.

In addition to features like Whiteboard, Teams helps educators follow Loom’s example of personalized learning through features that provide more insight into individual student learning needs. For instance, Reading Progress, supports students in building fluency through independent reading practice, educator review, and insights on progress over time. In addition to skill-based support, other Teams apps offer insight into student well-being and emotional needs. The Reflect app, for example, enables teachers to poll students about their feelings and glean insights to further support students’ social and emotional learning.

Even as Loom returns to in-person services, it has found value in continuing to use Teams-powered solutions. Loom’s behavioral analyst supervisors, for instance, are using Teams to provide instant feedback and support to a behavioral technician visiting a child in their home. This creates a less disruptive—and more effective—visit than if two providers were in the room.

The overall transition may have taken a village, but “it’s made us a better support organization,” said Katrina, who sees potential for a virtual education model for The Loom School moving forward. Whether students need to access their teachers, social groups, Loom services, or the virtual classroom, they can do so without missing a beat.

The Loom School is just one example of how inclusive, accessible learning environments can inspire confidence in all students and help unlock their full potential. To learn more about the tools, technology, and resources available, get started with Teams for free and check out the Accessibility Guide for Educators. Together, we can give all learners the ability to reach their goals!

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To create an inclusive learning experience, no matter the environment, educators need tools to help them quickly assess individual student needs. Tools that give teachers insights to encourage student voice, choice, and agency are critical, as are options for teachers to monitor and intervene as student needs and capabilities change.

Below are partner solutions that help educators save time and improve accessibility and inclusivity in their classrooms by engaging students to drive improved learning outcomes.

	The 3DBear app lets students create photos and videos using augmented reality (AR) to explore and explain what they are learning. This visualization tool works across the curriculum from pre-K through university. With 3DBear, students learn social and emotional skills like self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.
	Build collective energy for your students’ redesigned school day, a portion of which is often still screen based. Breakthrus are two-minute immersive microbreaks powered by our bodies in motion, available on Microsoft Teams. They’re tunable to what classrooms need in the moment as kids head back to school. Visually led and choreographed by movement practitioners, Breakthru is free and accessible to users and students of all ages worldwide.
	Buncee is an easy-to-use content creation tool that empowers students, teachers, and administrators to be content creators. With a wide variety of media options like text, video, audio, images, and more, Buncee lets educators create content to reach learners with diverse learning needs and preferences, while students can feel empowered to demonstrate their learning in their own way.
	Kami is a digital classroom tool that helps teachers create flexible and collaborative learning environments. Whether the learning is remote, in class, or even a little bit of both, Kami’s wide range of tools enable students to interact with teachers, resources, and each other in their preferred medium—text, freehand, audio, voice-typing, or video, making learning much more accessible for all. Kami also allows real-time engagements between students and teachers which provides a truly interactive experience.
	Color-coded modular components of the Windows 10 Pro powered by Kano PC are accessible to neurodiverse students, enabling them to build their own device. Kano’s creative software is simple to use with low barriers to entry so learning to code is simple for everyone. The creative possibilities are endless, giving kids access to new domains in technology: art, animations, music, games, apps, and more.
	Lexplore provides K-12 educators a full reading assessment in just 3-5 minutes using innovative artificial intelligence (AI) and eye-tracking technology. Able to assess silent reading and its assessment, student populations who are non-verbal or who have attention challenges benefit from Lexplore – helping to ensure no students fall through the cracks.
	School Day wants every student to have a voice and to be equally heard. There is no one-size-fits-all teaching plan, but with School Day in Microsoft Teams, educators can more effectively identify students’ needs and make evidence-based decisions by simply gauging student responses to statements like “I can get help from my classmates” to get their answers for analysis on the platform. School Day ensures that all students have a voice, including those who are not typically heard, and is an ideal, user-friendly solution for remote, hybrid, and traditional learning settings. When students feel good, they learn better.
	Students with dyslexia can have a hard time processing written and oral language. Using Squigl in the classroom can help support these challenges by creating animated videos using simple images that are easy to consume and retain, and helps to pace out learning content into microlearning chunks.
	Introduce Vivi to your classroom or campus to help improve accessibility for students and staff with wireless screen mirroring, closed captioning, digital signage, emergency broadcasts, a student feedback tool, and more—all designed for every kind of learner. Vivi is compatible with Microsoft OneDrive, OneNote, and Azure, simplifying collaboration and accessibility from anywhere.
	Wakelet unlocks the power of curation, organization, and collaboration. Empower your students to showcase their learning, ideas, and creativity in a secure digital environment. Through Wakelet’s integration with Immersive Reader, every student can access text and learning materials, so educators can rest assured that everyone in the class is included.
	Whiteboard.chat strives to make educational resources available to all learners, regardless of where they are, and who they are. This online interactive digital notebook tool brings together educators and learners from across the globe.

With inclusive classrooms, and accessible tools and technology, every student has the ability to participate and grow with confidence and independence. Learn more about accessibility and inclusivity offerings from Microsoft Education partners, explore our special education and accessibility resources, and review the Accessibility Guide for Educators.

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Hamlin Robinson, a Seattle-based school serving students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences, understood that it would need accessible, inclusive technology to help its students succeed during remote learning. As we recognize Dyslexia Awareness Month, we’re spotlighting Hamlin Robinson’s commitment to supporting students, across a wide range of learning needs.

The school was drawn to Microsoft Teams because of its built-in Learning Tools like Immersive Reader, which helps improve reading comprehension for students with visual impairments, hearing loss, cognitive disabilities, and more. The tool uses proven learning techniques to create a tailored experience to meet the unique learning needs of every Hamlin Robinson student. Through the Immersive Reader, students gain confidence and independence as they grow their reading skills. Students with dyslexia, in particular, benefit from features that range from Focus Mode, which helps sustain attention and improve reading speed, to Read-Aloud Math, which helps students both see and hear math equations out loud.

Hamlin Robinson students are noticing the difference. The tutor of one seventh-grader at the school said her student feels less pressured when typing using Immersive Reader than when writing by hand. The typing allows the student to share his thoughts more freely, knowing he can refine them more easily than if he was using a pencil and eraser. “His ideas are flowing in ways that I have never seen before,” the tutor noted.

As we spread awareness about learning differences this October, we believe the right tools, technologies, and educators can enable success in any learning environment. To learn more about Hamlin Robinson’s approach to accessibility, read the full story of the school’s transition to remote learning. And if you don’t have Microsoft Teams yet, remember that students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for free.

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Seattle-based Hamlin Robinson School, an independent school serving students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences, didn’t set a specific approach to delivering instruction immediately after transitioning to remote learning. “Our thought was to send home packets of schoolwork and support the students in learning, and we quickly realized that was not going to work,” Stacy Turner, Head of School, explained in a recent discussion with the Microsoft Education Team.

After about a week into distance learning, the school quickly went to more robust online instruction. The school serves grades 1-8 and students in fourth-grade and up are utilizing Office 365 Education tools, including Microsoft Teams. So, leveraging those same resources for distance learning was natural.

Built-in accessibility features

Stacy said the school was drawn to Microsoft resources for schoolwide use because of built-in accessibility features, such as dictation (speech-to-text), and the Immersive Reader, which relies on evidence-based techniques to help students improve at reading and writing.

“What first drew us to Office 365 and OneNote were some of the assistive technologies in the toolbar,” Stacy said. Learning and accessibility tools are embedded in Office 365 and can support students with visual impairments, hearing loss, cognitive disabilities, and more.

Josh Phillips, Head of Middle School, says for students at Hamlin Robinson, finding the right tools to support their learning is vital. “When we graduate our students, knowing that they have these specific language-processing needs, we want them to have fundamental skills within themselves and strategies that they know how to use. But we also want them to know what tools are available to them that they can bring in,” he said.

For example, for students who have trouble typing, a popular tool is the Dictate, or speech-to-text, function of Office 365. Josh said that a former student took advantage of this function to write a graduation speech at the end of eighth grade. “He dictated it through Teams, and then he was able to use the skills we were practicing in class to edit it,” Josh said. “You just see so many amazing ideas get unlocked and be able to be expressed when the right tools come along.”

Supporting teachers and students

Providing teachers with expertise around tech tools also is a focus at Hamlin Robinson. Charlotte Gjedsted, Technology Director, said the school introduced its teachers to Teams last year after searching for a platform that could serve as a digital hub for teaching and learning. “We started with a couple of teachers being the experts and helping out their teams, and then when we shifted into this remote learning scenario, we expanded that use,” Charlotte said.

“Teams seems to be easiest platform for our students to use in terms of the way it’s organized and its user interface,” added Josh.

He said it was clear in the first days of distance learning that using Teams would be far better than relying on packets of schoolwork and the use of email or other tools. “The fact that a student could have an assignment issued to them, could use the accessibility tools, complete the assignment, and then return the assignment all within Teams is what made it clear that this was going to be the right app for our students,” he said.

A student’s view

Will Lavine, a seventh-grade student at the school says he appreciates the stepped-up emphasis on Teams and tech tools during remote learning and says those are helping meet his learning needs. “I don’t have to write that much on paper. I can use technology, which I’m way faster at,” he said.

“Will has been using the ease of typing to his benefit,” added Will’s tutor, Elisa Huntley. “Normally when he is faced with a hand written assignment, he would spend quite a bit of time to refine his work using only a pencil and eraser. But when he interfaces with Microsoft Teams, Will doesn’t feeling the same pressure to do it right the first time. It’s much easier for him to re-type something. His ideas are flowing in ways that I have never seen before.”

Will added that he misses in-person school, but likes the collaborative nature of Teams, particularly the ability to chat with teachers and friends.

With the technology sorted out, Josh said educators have been very focused on ensuring students are progressing as expected. He says that teachers are closely monitoring whether students are joining online classes, engaging in discussions, accessing and completing assignments, and communicating with their teachers.

Connect, explore our tools

We love hearing from our educator community and students and families. If you’re using accessibility tools to create more inclusive learning environments and help all learners thrive, we want to hear from you! One great way to stay in touch is through Twitter by tagging @MicrosoftEDU.

And if you want to check out some of the resources Hamlin Robinson uses, remember that students and educators at eligible institutions can sign up for Office 365 Education for free, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Microsoft Teams.

In honor of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Microsoft is sharing some exciting updates from across the company. To learn more visit the links below:

• “Stories from inside Microsoft’s journey to design a more accessible world” from the Microsoft Story Labs
• “Making the web more accessible and inclusive for all with Microsoft Edge” from the Windows Experience blog
• “What’s coming in Windows 10 accessibility” from the Windows Experience blog

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