It requires plenty of uninterrupted, well organized, and focused, thoughtful time on task.
The math learning in the past two weeks was interrupted by a number of important efforts and issues. Then when students took a recent test, it was clear that the interruptions affected the steady learning. That propelled me to clear the path for a few uninterrupted weeks of steady math teaching and learning.
The interruptions were due to illness, special events, and other important matters. For example we stopped the learning at one point to focus on social issues which were very important to moving forward with care and attention.
As I think ahead, I want to think about the following focus areas:
- The Curriculum Map: It's very important to think through the curriculum map realistically and thoughtfully. Front loading good teaching is one way to meet all standards since the start of the year typically has less interruptions than the end of the year.
- Special Events: It's important to carefully schedule special events. For the most part, we've done that and that has helped.
- Room for Error: Illness, interruptions, and error will occur. Mostly sticking to the teaching/learning schedule creates room for that error or lost time.
This summer, I'll carefully re-look at the math teaching year scope and sequence. I'll embed a number of concepts within other concepts so we have a good amount of repetition of concept throughout the year to help students solidify concept, knowledge, and skill.
