Using Legends of Learning As A Reinforcing Instructional Tool: Danielle Parsons & Kimberly Todd
Danielle Parsons
Danielle Parsons has been an advocate for Legends of Learning since it’s initial release in 2017. Over the years, ATP Avenger has found multiple ways to implement Legends to meet the needs of her students: “I use Legends as a reinforcing instructional tool – to reinforce content covered in class for students to recall outside of class time. In this way, it’s also a good teaching tool for students who may have missed instruction due to illness. I’ve used Legends as a priming tool – to prime student thinking before introducing new content. It helps to get the wheels turning and bring forward any previous knowledge students have of the content. It’s also a great place for early finishers to learn more. When I have been in a bind before, I was able to set up Legends remotely for emergency substitute plans.” It’s truly amazing how one tool can be used for so many purposes!
Aside from the academic gains Danielle sees from Legends of Learning, it’s the social/emotional gains that really make an impact on her students. “In a middle school setting, students put up lots of boundaries of who they want to associate with. It sounds strange, but when I put up a playlist, the social boundaries come down. A student will ask how to pass a certain level, or how to play a game and before I can get there, another student, who ordinarily doesn’t run in the same crowd, has already jumped in and taught them what they must do. I’m sure students are not aware this happens. They are eager to teach each other what they know. Legends seems to level the social playing field.”
Thank you, ATP Avenger, for showing off your superpowers of holistic teaching!
Kimberly Todd
When schools shut down due to COVID-19, Kimberly Todd knew exactly where to turn to keep her students engaged in science…Legends of Learning! Ms. Todd was a regular user of Legends in her classroom and knew that it would be a great fit for distance learning as well: “Legends of Learning has been a huge help during the COVID-19 by helping my students to be more engaged in their learning since we are not able to be in the traditional classroom setting. It has allowed my students to connect the dots of what we are learning through a fun interactive game.”
Staying at home day after day can easily lead to complacency and boredom in students. With Legends of Learning, Ms. Todd was able to break up the mundane and add some fun to students’ day to day routine: “My students love getting to play the games and it helped to break up their activities for the week. Students are always asking for more games to play.”
Kimberly is a distance learning superstar, great work!
