Simon Espinosa

Giving Every Student The Chance To Be Heard
by Patricia Garrison

"It was just a coincidence!"

So says Simon Espinosa when explaining his first encounter with the program, Pear Deck. During this year's pre-school week of activities, he happened to be walking to his classroom at the same time Mark Davies, The Hun School's Educational Technology Coordinator, was in a room close-by, demonstrating a new classroom application, Pear Deck. As he passed the door, Mr. Espinosa noticed large moving dots on a screen and was intrigued. Stopping in to the demonstration, he now reports that he could immediately see the educational possibilities the program offered, and so, he was determined to try to integrate Pear Deck into his lessons.

According to Mr. Espinosa, Pear Deck is as easy to use as it is effective. He says that while he is "not a tech person," he was able to go home that day, experiment with the program, and feel that he would be able to utilize it almost immediately, which, in fact, he did. After a "dress rehearsal" with colleagues, Mr. Espinosa used his prepared presentation for one of his initial class meetings in the course, Latin American Culture and History. He was delighted with the result; immediately, he was able to assess his class' prior knowledge regarding Latin America. Using maps and short quotations, he provided an interactive exercise for his students during class time, which later allowed him, as the teacher, to see the details of the individual answers. In this way, Mr. Espinosa was able to evaluate the skill level of the class in general and each student in particular. And in turn, this knowledge has allowed him to plan more effective lessons. 

Another benefit of the program is what Mr. Davies calls the "non-embarrassment" factor. Even the shyest student can participate in the exercise, without the fear of exposure, and still the teacher can gather important information about that student's learning. Mr. Espinosa agrees, saying that this program gives every student, including the most quiet, an opportunity to be heard. Due to the success he has had already, Mr. Espinosa intends to use the program as chapter "conversation starters," as well as a review tool for assessments, as the program also allows him to gauge the efficacy of test and quiz questions.

And the students' reactions? One student offered this comment: "Pear Deck? It is so cool! In Mr. Espinosa's class, we had so much fun seeing what we know and learning what we didn't know!" Indeed, an enthusiastic endorsement of a fine teacher and an exciting new program!

(Interested in getting started using Pear Deck? See Mark Davies for a quick tutorial!)