Teachers Are Now Using Emojis & GIFs In Their Classes!
By @TobyChilliShow
American teachers are getting schooled by their students and are using memes, emojis, and GIFs to teach in their classrooms. According to a survey by dictionary.com of more than 800 elementary through postgraduate teachers, more than a third (37%) of them use these tools for lessons.
Middle school teachers use them most often (44%), followed by high school teachers (42%), college instructors (33%), postgraduate (31%), and elementary school (29%). And they’re utilizing them in a variety of ways, like using memes to help students remember everything from class rules to history and having emojis help kids learn appropriate emotions and how to express them.
But before you roll your eyes at the idea, know that lots of education experts say techniques like this could work because they help teachers connect with their students using language they see online and in pop culture. And remember, this generation of kids have grown up with technology, so incorporating tech trends into teaching helps keep instruction fresh.
And no one knows better than teachers how to use what’s age appropriate for their students. Memes and GIFs are great for middle and high school kids since they’re so hooked into social media and emojis are effective for elementary students learning about feelings and emotional intelligence. And any way teachers can find to connect with students to help them learn is worth a try.