📖 Group Guide Set Up on M2

                                                             Available for M2 users

Group Guide Introduction

Group Guide on M2 allows students to use the M2 independently while ensuring their activity is recorded through transcription for the teacher. At the same time, access to teacher-only features is restricted. This feature is designed to create student activities with minimal actions required from the teacher.

How to access the Group Guide on M2

1. Log in to your MirrorTalk account on the M2.

2. Start your session as usual by selecting Start at the bottom of the screen.

 

Then, select Group Guide at the bottom of your screen. 

You will have the option to choose between Whole Group and Small Group.

• Whole Group: Select this option to quickly launch an activity for the entire class, including the teacher, without having to manually choose each participant. This is the fastest way to engage all students at once.

• Small Group: Choose this option when you want to assign the activity to specific participants. You can individually select the students who should be included, giving you more flexibility for targeted instruction or differentiated support.

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You will see four modes to choose from, depending on the Group selected.

Alternatively, you can select a pre-created guide from the library. To learn more, please refer to this article: Group Guide: Building Group Activities for M2 on the Web

M2 Group Guide offers four learning modes: Instructional Strategy, Q&A Mode, Practice Mode, and Project Mode—each designed to support different types of classroom activities.

• Instructional Strategy uses research-backed methods to guide activities, with M2 reading the room, proposing each step, and modeling the strategy while the teacher sets goals and taps Next to move through the activity.

• Q&A Mode is best for quick exchanges, where students can ask questions or make statements, and teachers receive a transcription and highlights of the discussion.

• Practice Mode guides students through step-by-step problem solving (such as math or science tasks) with multiple directions and opportunities to show their work.

• Project Mode is designed for longer, more complex projects. Students work through several directions and then give one final recorded presentation at the end.

Each mode balances independence for the student with meaningful feedback for the teacher, while keeping teacher-only features restricted. To learn more, explore each mode below. 

Instructional Strategy

Instructional Strategy Mode uses research-based teaching methods to help guide whole-class instruction. When activated, M2 'reads the room' to see whether students are stuck, disengaged, or ready to move on, and then creates a Guide activity based on an appropriate instructional strategy.

Common strategies include retrieval practice, elaboration, dual coding, concrete-to-abstract learning, interleaving, and others. M2 models the strategy for the teacher while running the activity.

When you select Instructional Strategy, M2 asks for a lesson objective. You can state it by holding Hold to Speak, or tap once to let the AI generate one based on the M2 Teacher session.

M2 then identifies an instructional opportunity and creates a Whole Group Guide aligned with a research-based strategy.

The AI provides a default duration for the activity. If you adjust the time, the activity template updates automatically by changing the number of steps or difficulty.

During the activity, the teacher follows M2’s verbal steps, using Next and Done to move through the Guide.

After completion, the activity is added to the ongoing transcript and included in the post-lesson feedback.

Practice Mode

Practice Mode is designed for lessons with multiple sequential steps, such as math or physics problems.

When you select Practice Mode, the M2 will ask for a lesson objective. You can either hold the Hold to Speak button to state your objective or tap it once to let the AI generate one based on your M2 Teacher session. If you don’t like the result, you can regenerate it by speaking a new objective or tapping the button again for an AI-created option.

The AI also provides a default time for the activity, which the teacher can adjust. When the estimated time is changed, the activity template will automatically update: the AI adjusts the number of steps or modifies the difficulty to make the activity easier or harder.

After an objective is set, the AI will generate the activity. If you’re satisfied, tap Launch. Practice Mode activities include multiple directions, shown with a brief summary before the student begins.

For each step, the student will:

1. Listen to the direction

2. Do the task using available tools (whiteboard drawing, recording, or asking a question)

3. Present their work

The M2 will guide them through each direction until the final step is complete.

At the end, the student will see a summary screen with playback and feedback. Tap Save to store the activity. If used in Small Group, select the participant who completed it.

Project Mode

Project Mode helps teachers set up structured flows for complex classroom projects, with each activity corresponding to a single project.

When you select Project Mode, the M2 will prompt you for a lesson objective. You can:

• Hold the “Hold to Speak” button to state your objective, or

• Tap the button once to have the AI generate one based on your M2 Teacher session.

The AI will generate the activity. If you’re not satisfied, you can regenerate it by providing a new objective or letting the AI create one automatically. Once satisfied, tap Launch to begin.

The AI also provides a default time for the activity, which the teacher can adjust. When the estimated time is changed, the activity template will automatically update: the AI adjusts the number of steps or modifies the difficulty to make the activity easier or harder.

Project Mode activities include multiple directions. Each direction is followed by a Do stage, where students complete the task using tools like a whiteboard, recording, or asking a question. This sequence continues until all directions are completed.

After the final Do stage, students tap Next to enter the Present stage, where they give their final project presentation, recorded on video. The Back button is available only in this stage to return to the last Do stage if needed.

At the end, students see a summary screen with playback and feedback. In Small Group mode, select the participant who completed the activity.

Q&A Mode

Q&A Mode allows students to ask M2 questions without access to other tools. A transcription of the discussion is collected for the teacher, including highlights from the lesson.

When you select Q&A Mode, the M2 will prompt you for a lesson objective. You can:

• Hold the “Hold to Speak” button to state your objective, or

• Tap the button once to have the AI generate one based on your M2 Teacher session.

The AI will generate the activity. If you’re not satisfied, you can regenerate it by providing a new objective or letting the AI create one automatically. Once satisfied, tap Launch to begin. A short summary of the activity will appear first.

Students are then redirected to the chat, where they can ask a question or make a statement.

To exit the activity, students can tap the arrow in the navigation bar, press the back arrow on the remote, scan the QR code, or use the PIN sent by email.

At the end, the teacher can view the activity history, including start and end times, the Activity Summary, and all Q&A exchanges. Highlights of the Q&A activity are also provided. 

Note: No Student Card is generated in Q&A Mode.