Saturday, April 18, 2020

Virtual School Plans: After Vacation

Before I plan my staycation, I want to have plans for after vacation in place. This is the question that leads this planning: What teaching and learning can I maximize during this virtual learning time?

One answer to that question is math education. Math can be taught virtually with some success, so I will focus in on that teaching in the following ways.

Online Skills, Practice and Assessment
Students can make good use of online programs to boost math skill, concept, and knowledge. While a diet of only only practice is not advised, I will promote this practice in small chunks now and then throughout the virtual learning time. Steady practice will boost student skills. Regular formative assessments help too as I can see who is profiting from the at-home practice and who is falling behind. So the week after vacation, students' independent practice will include making good gains on their online practice sites, Symphony Math, IXL, and Khan Academy, and then at the end of the week they will take an assessment so I can get an idea of where they are at with their math learning and where they are headed.

Math Meetings
Math meetings will continue with a focus on fraction operations for the next two weeks. The online skills and practice for the second and third week after vacation will focus on practice related to fraction operations.

Math is a study that we can focus on with some success during the virtual teaching/learning time, so that's one focus I'll pay attention to.