Why Parents Should Become Toddle-ers

Support Your Child's Learning & Metacognition with Toddle

MIS partnered with Toddle in 2024, a multifunctional learning platform that provides different tools for teachers, students, and also parents. For teachers, Toddle allows educators to “plan, teach, assess, report, and communicate – all in one place.” 

For students, Toddle’s closed AI can provide tailor-made practice material and instant feedback – worlds better than a standard worksheet that doesn’t grade itself. Over time, a portfolio of student work is stored in the platform, allowing teachers, students, and parents to observe and monitor students’ development.

While PYP Coordinator, Armin Martin leads the charge for Toddle integration and maximization in the Junior School, his counterpart in Middle and Senior School is our inquiry-based learning expert and Technology Leader, Derek Swanson. Martin explains that Swanson’s role is to teach students and staff how to use Toddle, “supporting Toddle use and integration in a practical and entertaining way with students and staff for the Middle School and Senior School.” (Click here to learn more about Mr. Swanson and his upcoming presentation at Toddle’s inquiry-based learning Summit.)

Swanson explains that “Toddle is not only a tool for teachers and students. Parents can utilize the potential of the Toddle platform in many important ways, ultimately allowing you to support your child to lead their own learning. At MIS, educators are using Toddle to connect curriculum intentions with student curiosity, making learning visible through reflection, documentation, and choice.” Meaning, parents can see how learning “unfolds over time, including the uncertainty, revisions, and thinking that often stay hidden.”

Learning looks different in every grade group, and therefore, Toddle looks different in the different school sections. Since Toddle is a dynamic platform that MIS uses differently in each school section, parents should be aware of how to maximize the potential of Toddle based on your child’s specific grade and personal journey. Below, Swanson provides parents of students in each school section with a few top tips and tricks on how to use Toddle to its fullest potential:

Junior School Parents:

The home-school connection is about validating the process of discovery -- one of the features of the PYP curriculum.

• Parents could engage in the Portfolio. The portfolio is where "messy" learning is documented through photos, voice notes, and early drafts. Many times, with the younger grades, the teacher will support student documentation, but in the upper elementary (grades 3 and 4) the learning is well documented by the studnets' themselves.
• By engaging with the feedback loop, parents can reinforce the specific concepts being engaged with by their child. When a parent comments on a student’s reflection, it signals that their growth is valued more than just a final product. This helps to create support system that anchors the student’s understanding of the standards and to take supported academic risks (knowing that they have the support of the parent).

Middle School Parents:

The is a bridge where students begin to manage their own learning, but still need support as they develop their metacognition.

• Parents could have a look at the Calendar and Task views to support metacognition -- the process of planning ahead and thinking about prioritization. Instead of nagging about deadlines, parents can use Toddle to ask, "I see you have a project due in ten days; how are you breaking that down into smaller steps?" When breaking tasks down to smaller parts, the larger task feels much more manageable, which is a great learned skills as the child heads to the completion of the MYP (personal project) and the DP (extended essay)
• Certainly, the parent could continue to provide formative engagement but moving the parental role toward supporting accountability and planning supports the idea of gradual release -- where students take greater accountability for their own learning. It helps students make the shift from being told what to do to managing what they need to learn.

Senior School Parents:

The focus shifts toward mastery and strategic improvement, under the assumption of gained skills around metacognition.

• Parents could look into the Gradebook and Progress Reports as indicators of mastery of standards and levels of achievement. Toddle provides a longitudinal view of performance—not just a snapshot of a single grade. This is different from the iSams grade book, rather than just a numerical 1-7 in the DP (or 1-8 in the MYP), parents can see the contextual evidence and help to provide their child with a debrief of areas of focus heading into the next learning event.
• The formative and summative data allows parents to act as mentors. If a summative mark isn't where it needs to be, the transparency of the Toddle platform creates the opportunity for a constructive conversation about revision and focus. It moves the conversation away from "Why is this grade low?" to "Based on this feedback, what specific skills should we prioritize for the next assessment?"

Swanson concludes that “Toddle helps to create transparency as our documented curriculum is visible to all stakeholders. When everyone knows the goal, we can better hold students accountable to expectations, pushing each child to dream bold dreams.”