Canvas Usage

In Provo School District, fifth-grade teacher Mary Wade uses Canvas for Elementary to make learning fluid, personalized and student-driven. Designed for young learners, this version of Canvas features large icons, a simple dashboard and a central location for announcements and resources. Wade’s online classroom mirrors her physical one to create a seamless experience between online and in-person engagement. “It just seamlessly is in and out of face-to-face, partner, one-on-one, group, and then online and then on the floor,” Wade said.

Each Monday, she and her students collaborate to identify learning goals and post them on Canvas, which serves as a central hub for tracking progress and accessing lessons. Students then choose whether to attend live workshops or complete self-paced lessons with interactive tools, depending on their needs. The platform supports both student agency and teacher efficiency, allowing Wade to coach students and monitor their progress more effectively.

“Canvas is essential for that flexible learning piece so that they have the choice to self-pace anything that they feel like they can,” she said.