Ways to Use Pinterest in Teaching

Pinterest has always been a place where you are inspired by the ideas of other people sharing your same interests. Things you already appreciate are given new avenues to grow every time you explore Pinterest. Education also aims to reward students with a sense of discovery and newness for enhancing their learning experience. This way, students are on their initiative, more involved, more open, and find lessons easy to absorb.

Combining Pinterest with your teaching methods will be a match made in education heaven. Not only will you be able to employ a very effective way of teaching, but you will also be equipped with an endless cache of material that will serve you for the rest of your teaching career. Let this article be your definitive guide in using Pinterest as an indispensable tool in and outside the classroom.

How Can Teachers Make the Most out of Pinterest?

Almost every challenge that a teacher faces in the classroom can be met with solutions they can find on Pinterest. Fresh ideas for tackling the same lessons are something teachers struggle to tackle every year. New ideas about how to teach lessons abound on the Pinterest platform. Wake the interest of even the most disinterested student with the material that Pinterest offers.

There is also no shortage of materials and visuals that portray what you want to impart. To better illustrate Pinterest education, we have come up with a list that you can employ and refer back to:

1.  Stay up to date – As Pinterest is constantly updated by users every day, you can expect Pinterest to contain the latest concepts and trends in the world of education. Pinterest is a trove of resources of everything you need in your field of teaching, from lists of useful websites, and how-tos to hacks, libraries, lesson plan samples, tips, and activities.

2.  Fresh ideas – It is impossible not to get ideas of your own when on Pinterest. The abundance of usable material will surely inspire you to come up with creative ideas to use in your class. Use Pinterest as you would use Google for any lesson you plan to teach and be surprised how much useful stuff it is for you to use.

3.  Get students’ smartphones to work for you – Today’s youth are particularly internet and tech-savvy. Having students follow relevant Pinterest accounts will ensure that learning is integrated into their internet-busy lives.

4.  Have a class gallery – Dedicate a Pinterest board where all students can pin ideas that relate to lessons. This will showcase the different takes of each student on the lessons you have and will offer you the perspective of your students regarding your lessons.

5.  Digital portfolios for everyone – You and your students’ Pinterest accounts will serve as your digital portfolios that will be useful beyond the classroom. This real-world application will help everybody with their careers and educational opportunities.

6.  Have a yearly account of all your students’ work – A class Pinterest account will curate a yearly illustration that you can use for several purposes; extract ideas for an updated teaching approach or use the account to see how much students understand.

7.  Inspire students with the most stunning imagery – Most students are visual learners, and the best pictures will have the most impact on their learning. Spark interest and give your students lessons to remember.

8.  Get everyone to participate – Students who are reluctant to participate in a classroom might find it easier to pin relevant pictures as their way of being involved in your class.

9.  Printables galore – Pinterest has loads of free printable materials and images that you can use in face-to-face classroom lessons.

10.  Games and experiments – Pinterest contains a lot of games and experiments that you can use in teaching your lessons.

How to Effectively Integrate Pinterest into your Classroom

Using Pinterest for teachers’ everyday efforts is an effective way for students to learn a little more than in the conventional classroom. Just as long as the teacher competently integrates Pinterest as one of the main channels of learning, students will keep your class as a memory they will cherish for the rest of their lives.

1.  Make sure that everyone follows your class’s Pinterest account.

2.  Have homework and other activities submitted through the class/group Pinterest board.

3.  Encourage students to contribute pins that are relevant to the class’s lessons.

4.  Regularly post pins and boards to the Pinterest boards of each class – past and present!

Sharing Content

Not all students will thrive in sharing in front of the class. Some may excel in it, while most will not be as effective as others. However, sharing through Pinterest without the direct attention of everyone might encourage more introverted students to enthusiastically share pins that they think are relevant to the lessons at hand.

Creative Team Brainstorming

Brainstorming happens face-to-face or through a bulletin board-type tool on the internet. Implement Pinterest as the class’s official online brainstorming place for ideas that your students may have when not in a face-to-face setting.

Being able to contribute ideas exclusively through imagery pins rouses the imagination like no other way. Everyone’s interpretation of images will vary to various degrees, and this will ignite collaborations that are unique, quirky, and progressive. Pinning is very easy and requires minimal effort – something that might make participation easier for even the most difficult students.

Surprise even yourself with what your students come up with when they use Pinterest as their main brainstorming tool.

Project Inspiration

Direct your students to go straight to Pinterest for inspiration. Browsing through images around the idea of their projects will surely spur their own unique and motivating projects.

Conclusion

Using Pinterest in the classroom is a tool that anyone will find interesting and captivating. Use Pinterest to make your class something your students will never forget. We have become teachers to touch lives and instill knowledge, and Pinterest is a platform that will help give any student the learning experience that they deserve.