In this article
Relevant for: M2 users & MirrorTalk users
updated Mar 27, 2025
M2 & MirrorTalk Group Dashboard, provides actionable data on each reflection and helps you understand growth over time.
Here's how we define our metrics:
M2 Feedback
M2 provides feedback on several areas of instruction including engagement, pacing, and questioning. The selection of these criteria is inspired by the work of John Hattie and Robert Marzano.
- Engagement refers to how the teacher verbally interacts with the students, and how the students respond to the teacher’s interactions.
- Pacing refers to the speed at which the teacher moves through lesson content and activities, and whether that speed allows students to appropriately process new content and practice new skills.
- Questioning refers to the clarity, quality, and complexity of the questions the teacher poses to the students.
M2 Score
After an M2 activity, teachers receive scores for engagement, pacing, and questioning. Scores are generated on a scale of 0 to 4, following the rubrics below:
Engagement
| Score | Meaning |
| 0 | No evidence of effort to engage students; the teacher speaks without inviting student participation or acknowledging responses. |
| 1 | Minimal effort to engage students; teacher-student interactions are infrequent, brief, or one-sided with little student response. |
| 2 | Moderate effort with inconsistencies; the teacher attempts to involve students, but interactions lack follow-up or only engage a limited number of students. |
| 3 | Strong engagement; the teacher frequently prompts student participation, listens to responses, and sustains interaction with most of the class. |
| 4 | Exemplary engagement; the teacher consistently fosters dynamic, reciprocal dialogue with students, encouraging wide participation and building on their responses. |
Questioning
| Score | Meaning |
| 0 | No questions are posed, or questions are off-topic or unclear, showing no effort to stimulate thinking. |
| 1 | Questions are primarily low-level (yes/no or recall) and lack clarity or relevance to the lesson objective. |
| 2 | Questions show effort to promote understanding but are inconsistent in clarity, relevance, or complexity; some missed opportunities to elicit deeper thinking. |
| 3 | Strong use of clear and purposeful questions, with some variety in depth and type; most questions promote understanding and deeper thinking. |
| 4 | Exemplary questioning; the teacher consistently uses clear, purposeful, and varied questions to promote critical thinking, reflection, and student discussion. |
Pacing
| Score | Meaning |
| 0 | No discernible attempt at pacing; the lesson is stagnant or rushed to the point that students cannot engage with the content. |
| 1 | Pacing is uneven and significantly disrupts learning; the teacher spends too much or too little time on key tasks without adjusting. |
| 2 | Pacing shows intent but is inconsistent; students may struggle to keep up or become disengaged due to rushed or prolonged segments. |
| 3 | Pacing supports student learning; the lesson moves efficiently, with minor areas where more or less time would improve understanding. |
| 4 | Exemplary pacing; the teacher adjusts fluidly to student needs, allowing sufficient time for processing, practice, and transitions without losing momentum. |
Reflection score
Swivl used Norman Webb’s Depth of Knowledge framework to design the Reflection Score.
MirrorTalk's Reflection Score operates on a 0-4 scale, where each level describes the complexity of thinking demonstrated in the reflection.
| Score | Meaning |
| 0 | The learner does not reflect, reflects on an irrelevant topic, or reflects in a very minimal way. |
| 1 | The learner demonstrates thinking at the recall level, where they can identify facts, names, places, objects, and basic ideas that are relevant to the reflection prompts. |
| 2 | The learner identifies patterns in recalled information. This may include noticing similarities and differences, making observations or categorizations, using context clues and summarizing key information. |
| 3 | The learner demonstrates thinking at the abstract level, which may include developing arguments, revising ideas, formulating a hypothesis, integrating multiple perspectives, or evaluating a situation. |
| 4 | The learner extends their thinking by synthesizing multiple concepts, making novel connections, applying ideas in unexpected contexts or engaging in deeper analysis. |
Lesson
Each MirrorTalk reflection comes with a Lesson, located on the front of the reflection card. Swivl used Robert Kegan’s Levels of Consciousness and Subject-Object Theories to build the Lesson. In the context of M2/MirrorTalk, the "Lesson" is designed to identify learning gaps or adaptive lessons that help students expand their thinking. It uncovers deeper insights about the student's understanding and growth, in relation to the learning objective.
In M2, the "Lesson" aims to uncover these less obvious but crucial aspects of a student's learning experience. By identifying learning gaps and adaptive lessons, M2 helps teachers and students better understand the student's development and guides how to support their growth beyond the explicit curriculum.
- The term "Lesson" generally refers to the often unstated but critical knowledge, ideas, perspectives or skills that underpin so much of success in school. This contrasts with the formal curriculum, which consists of the courses, lessons, and learning activities students participate in.
- Example: Things that a mentor or coach would give you insights on so you won’t have to figure it out on your own.
- MirrorTalk analyzes the learner's grade level and reflection to identify key challenges and growth opportunities relevant to their age and their current level of thinking (see Reflection Score).
- Based on this analysis, MirrorTalk provides a key insight to help the learner navigate their current challenge and progress their thinking to the next level.
- When the learner is reflecting on an activity with an objective, the lesson will focus on helping the learner progress their thinking related to the objective.
Back of the card
The back of the card in M2 provides additional in-depth insights and analytics for teachers, allowing them to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their students' learning and development. The back of the card insights are not visible to students. While the front of the card offers key metrics such as the Reflection Score and Lesson, the back dives deeper into the cognitive, social-emotional, and developmental aspects of the student's reflection.
The information available on the back of the card includes:
- Cognitive Bias detects any potential cognitive biases the student may have displayed in their reflection, such as confirmation bias, anchoring bias, or hindsight bias. By identifying these biases, teachers can help students develop more objective and critical thinking skills.
- Zone determines whether the learning activities and experiences provided are appropriately challenging and supportive for a participant’s current level of development.
- Mindset assesses a participant’s attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions towards learning. It includes and expands on the concept of a growth mindset.
- Tone refers to the sentiment conveyed through the participant's language during the reflection.
The back of the card is designed to provide teachers with a comprehensive diagnostic tool for understanding their students' learning and development. By combining insights from various frameworks and theories, such as Kegan's Orders of Mind, Piaget's stages of cognitive development, 21st Century Skills, and CASEL's social-emotional learning competencies, M2 offers teachers a rich and nuanced view of their students' strengths, challenges, and opportunities for growth.
Teachers can use this information to inform their instructional strategies, differentiate their teaching approaches, and provide targeted support to individual students. For example, if a student consistently demonstrates a particular cognitive bias, the teacher may design lessons or activities that explicitly address and counteract that bias.
It's important to note that the back of the card is visible only to teachers and not to students. This is to ensure that students receive appropriate feedback for their developmental stage and avoid overwhelming them with too much information. Teachers can use their professional judgment to determine which insights from the back of the card to share with students and how to frame that feedback in a constructive and motivating way.
Overall, the back of the card in M2 is a powerful tool for data-driven instruction and personalized learning. By providing teachers with a comprehensive view of their students' cognitive, social-emotional, and developmental strengths and challenges, M2 empowers them to make informed decisions and create learning experiences that truly meet the needs of each individual student.
Cognitive Bias
There are dozens of cognitive biases with generally agreed upon definitions. Swivl identifies and defines a cognitive bias when there is evidence of one in a reflection. Some cognitive biases more commonly occur during reflection, including:
| Bias | Meaning |
| Confirmation Bias | The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions while giving less consideration to information that contradicts them |
| Halo Effect | The tendency to allow one's overall impression of a person or entity (often based on one positive trait) to influence judgments about unrelated characteristics, leading to a skewed perception |
| Fundamental Attribution Error | The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and underestimate situational factors when explaining someone else’s behavior, while de-emphazing the same in one’s own behavior |
| Sunk Cost Fallacy | The tendency to continue investing in a project, decision, or course of action- despite it no longer being beneficial - because of the time, money, or effort already invested |
| Anchoring Bias | The tendency to rely heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the “anchor”) when making decisions, even if that information is irrelevant or insufficient |
| Recency Bias | The tendency to give greater weight to recent events or information than earlier data, even if earlier information is more relevant or significant |
| Negativity Bias | The tendency to focus on, remember, and give more importance to negative events or information over positive ones |
| In-group Bias | The tendency to favor and prioritize the opinions, actions, or preferences of one’s own group over those of outsiders, leading to biased decisions and actions |
| Status Quo Bias | The preference for maintaining the current state of affairs and resisting change, even when change might be beneficial |
| Overconfidence Bias | The tendency to overestimate one’s knowledge, abilities, or control over situations, often leading to excessive risk-taking or flawed decision-making |
Zone
In M2, the "Zone" is inspired by the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), a theory developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky, and Yerkes-Dodson Law to build the Zone score.
M2 & MirrorTalk calculates the Zone by analyzing reflections to assess whether the learning activities and experiences provided are appropriately challenging and supportive for a participant’s current level of development. It helps determine if the tasks and lessons are within the participant’s ZPD, allowing optimal growth and learning.
The Zone provides insights to gauge a participant’s level of challenge, their needed level of support, and any stress or frustration they might be experiencing.
Zone is represented on a scale, where “Ideal” is the perfect level of challenge, anything below that indicates either too little challenge or too excessive challenge or stress.
| Score | Meaning |
| Out of the ideal zone |
Activities are not challenging enough, or the learner is notably disengaged. The learner needs more demanding tasks or increased motivation to fully engage with the material. This zone may result in boredom or manifest itself in a lack of progress shown. Or, activities are excessively challenging, or the learner is overly stressed or anxious. The learner needs additional support, scaffolding, or stress management to effectively engage with the material. This zone may lead to frustration or be overwhelming for the learner if not addressed. |
| In the ideal zone | Activities are appropriately challenging and supportive for the learner's current level. Learners are engaged and capable of their best learning and productivity. This zone promotes growth and optimal learning experiences. |
For example, teachers can use the Zone to adjust their instructional strategies and ensure students are appropriately challenged. This may involve modifying the complexity of tasks, providing additional support or resources, or offering more challenging activities for students ready to move beyond their current level.
The Zone in M2 helps make data-driven decisions about how to best support each participant’s unique learning needs and foster their development over time.
Mindset
Mindset assesses a participant’s attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions towards learning. It includes and expands on the concept of a growth mindset, as developed by psychologist Carol Dweck’s work. A growth mindset is the belief that one's abilities and intelligence can be developed and improved through dedication and hard work, as opposed to a fixed mindset, which views abilities as static and unchangeable.
The score is determined by considering various factors, which include:
1. Tone: the participant's sentiment regarding the language used in their reflection
2. Ability: an evaluation of evidence showcasing a growth, neutral, or fixed Mindset, influenced by Carol Dweck's research
3. Motivation: a measurement of the participant’s desire to continue learning about the topic, including any goals or plans expressed in the reflection
Mindset in M2 gives insights into the participant’s attitudes towards learning. For example, by understanding their students’ mindsets, teachers can tailor their instructional strategies and feedback to promote the development of a growth mindset. This may involve praising effort and progress rather than innate ability, encouraging students to embrace challenges, and framing mistakes as learning opportunities.
For students, receiving feedback on their Mindset score can help them become more aware of their attitudes and beliefs about learning. It can encourage them to adopt a growth mindset, which has been shown to lead to higher achievement, increased motivation, and greater resilience in the face of setbacks.
Mindset is represented on a scale, where “Ideal” is the most productive attitude for learning, while “Below” and “Above” indicate when a participant’s attitude may be overly negative or positive in a way that inhibits learning. Along with the score, M2 provides personalized feedback and recommendations to help students develop and maintain a growth mindset over time.
| Score | Meaning |
| Fixed | Demonstrates a fixed mindset, negative attitudes towards learning and challenges |
| Neutral | Shows a mix of fixed and growth mindset characteristics |
| Growth | Demonstrates a strong growth mindset, positive attitudes towards learning and challenges |
| Above |
Overly positive attitude that may inhibit realistic self-assessment and learning |
Mindset in M2 is a valuable tool for promoting a culture of growth and continuous improvement in the classroom. By empowering teachers and students with insights into their attitudes towards learning, M2 helps foster a mindset that is essential for success in school and beyond.
Tone
Tone refers to the sentiment conveyed through the participant's language during the reflection. Tone captures the emotional nuances, revealing how the student perceives, feels about, and responds to the topic. Swivl used Carol Dweck’s work about how one speaks influences the learning process to build the Tone score.
| Score | Meaning |
| Negative | Uses language indicating frustration, disengagement, or pessimism |
| Neutral | Uses balanced language without strong positive or negative sentiment |
| Positive | Uses language indicating enthusiasm, engagement, and optimism |
| Above | Uses language indicating excessive positivity, such as sarcasm, superficiality, or delusion. |
Depending on the Tone percent, different weather pictures will be displayed:
For a precise description on how the scores for each category are calculated, see How are MirrorTalk scores and feedback generated?
Emergency Alert in Mirror
To ensure a secure and supportive environment, we have implemented the Emergency Alert feature. This alert system is designed to flag any emergency situation that requires immediate attention from a teacher or adult. Here’s everything you need to know about it:
What is an Emergency Alert?
An Emergency Alert in M2 is a notification system that highlights critical situations needing urgent intervention. When the system identifies such an event, it automatically sends an email to the account owner and displays an alert on the dashboard. This dual notification system ensures that the necessary parties are promptly informed and can take immediate action.
What Triggers an Emergency Alert?
The Emergency Alert system is activated by any behavior or conduct that poses a risk of harm physically, emotionally, or psychologically to oneself or others. Examples of emergency situations include, but are not limited to:
- Self-Harm or Suicide Mentions: Any indication or mention of self-harm or suicide.
- Physical Violence: Actions or threats that involve physical harm or violence.
- Verbal Abuse: Use of harsh or harmful language intended to hurt or demean.
- Intimidation and Coercion: Attempts to manipulate or control someone through fear or force.
- Bullying and Harassment: Repeated and deliberate actions aimed at harming another individual or group.
- Any Behavior Seeking to Dominate or Control Others: Any conduct that aims to overpower or oppress others against their will.
For further learning: article on student group types and adult group types. Please keep in mind that different information will be visible for you, your colleagues, and your students depending on which group type you select as a Group Manager.
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