Teaching Virtually: What's on the Learning Menu, April 2, 2020

Today's schedule includes virtual teaching, meeting, meeting, virtual teaching, meeting, virtual teaching, planning, prep, and response. It will be a busy day. Fortunately, my muse, the children, will energize me throughout the day with their bright minded questions, participation, and ideas.

One challenge of the virtual teaching/learning time is coordination. An NPR piece once described schools as "little cities." I think this is a good description because schools do act like small cities since schools are densely populated with a large variety of services at play. To transfer that busyness and great amount of varied services to the virtual world is no simple task. The reality is that we cannot transfer all that we do in real time online, but we are attempting to transfer the services and objectives that support students social-emotional learning as well as deepen their academic skills, concept, and knowledge.

The objectives of today's work include the following:

Small Math Meetings
The goal of the small math meetings is to solve multi-step math problems via collective conversation, model making, and numerical expressions and reasoning. Basically a small group of students and teachers gather to talk and do math.

Team Meeting
Our grade level team will meet to draft our weekly newsletter and plan the virtual week of teaching and learning ahead.

Class Meeting
One student will lead our virtual class meeting and each child will bring a mystery object to the meeting. Each child will read through clues about the mystery object and then another student will guess what that is. One child requested this activity months ago, and it's good to know that we finally have time to partake in this enjoyable, community building activity.

Math Meeting
A few math teachers, the math coach, and a school administrator will meet to discuss the 5th to 6th grade math transition process. We will have to alter the process somewhat due to this lengthy time at home and the cancellation of a number of typical math assessments, lessons, and discussions.

I'm sure that I'll be ready for a nice lunch at 2pm after this long day of back-to-back teaching and meeting sessions is over. The goal is to stay focused and positive as we make the best of these unusual stay-at-home days. I'm fortunate to be able to meet these days with health so far and the tools and ability to follow through with these tasks. Onward.

Virtual Learning: Support students, and do not judge

The bottom line is that you typically get what you put into something. If you practice and focus on a topic, endeavor, or skill, you usually achieve success in that matter. While I know this doesn't work every time, we all know that if you work at something, you generally achieve.

As I work with students on virtual menus that include a wide variety of learning experiences in differentiated and supported ways, the reality is that most will engage with those activities, but some will not. The example of minutes to the right demonstrates this. We see a range of practice minutes from 0 - 189 minutes or 0 - 3 hours and 9 minutes. That is a big difference of practice over a three-day period. As the "virtual teacher," I have tried many ways to encourage each student to complete this worthy math practice including contacting families, writing notes to students via family emails, and offering coaching support, but still some don't practice.

As a mom, I know that what we can do to support our children's learning is limitless--there are countless, varied opportunities to support your child's learning in school and out of school. What limits this limitless proposition is all kinds of issues related to capacity, schedules, will, confidence, relationships, settings, and more. This happens during typical school days and during virtual days too. That's why, after considerable communication, I simply have to let this issue be as it is--I can't judge why a family cannot support a child's school study, that's not within my role, ability, or right. What I can do is offer support and provide a realistic picture of why the study is valuable. After that it's up to the student and the family.

The limitless potential learning holds meets every family differently. Some families are very laid back and don't worry about helping a child keep up with their studies, and other families are relentless with their will to help their child achieve. People fall all along the continuum with this proposition. As a parent, I fell into different places for different children mostly due to life's challenges, commitments, and opportunity at the time. Sometimes I had the time and support to help my own children in countless ways, and other times I was greatly compromised about what I could do because of the circumstances of the moment. At all times, I did the best I could, and as I present learning opportunities to my students now, I know that the families are doing their best given the circumstances they have.

So as teachers during this virtual learning time, it's our job to provide a rich resource and support for our students. It is also our job not to judge, but to help in ways that we can.

Virtual Learning/Teaching: Implications for School Year 2020-2021

This virtual learning time has implications for school year 2020-2021.

Teach tech skills well
As we engage with students online, I find myself thankful for the lessons we forwarded related to online learning menus, virtual classroom websites, and independent learning mindsets and behaviors. All of these focus areas have proved helpful as students learn with us using a variety of "intelligent assistants." The implication for next year is to continue that focus with even greater depth as it is clear that some students did not learn those lessons with as much depth. This is evident in situations where a student is unable to manipulate the virtual world or display independent learning skills and efforts as well as others. I don't want to lose sight of this focus as I move on to next year.

Know thyself as a learner
I believe the fact that we shared almost all information with students with regard to their learning performance has been helpful in terms of their virtual learning. The more they understand their personal strengths, challenges, interests, and needs as learners, the better they are able to do in the classroom and in the virtual learning world.

Make it sticky
When learning activities are engaging, interesting, and meaningful, those learning activities are "sticky" which means they are memorable and enticing. To present a meaningful learning program while in school means that students are more eager to continue the learning at home when that's the only choice. So our efforts with regard to engagement are right on and that's where we need to continue and deepen our efforts.

I'm sure I'll continue this list as I continue to teach and learn in the virtual world during the month of April. I'm curious about what else I'll learn. 

How to run a virtual math talk

I created this virtual "white board" using a Google doc. I created the fractions, then screenshot each one and inserted the in the document which allows me to click and move them around. I used the table feature to make matching fraction bars. Students were able to access the document and together we matched fractions to the correct models, and after that matched other equivalent fractions. 

For the past ten days or so, I have been learning to prepare and lead a virtual math talk. I offer what I've learned for any of you who are trying to do the same. I also welcome your suggestions, questions, and idea.

Choosing the topic
I have looked to multi-step MCAS problems, YouCubed activities, NCTM games, and multiple projects and math activities from the past to choose topics. Since my students were engaged in fraction study when school ended, I have chosen to focus all activities on fraction study.

Small Group Lessons

Google table is a great tool for making math models. This
model shows that 2/3 of the floor is a red and white
carpet that equals 9 square feet. Each cell equals
a 1/4 square foot area. 

At the advice of a parent, I've made these small-group lessons with 8-12 students in each lesson. I have grouped the students in multiple ways including similar skills, differentiated skills, availability, ability to use tech tools and more. I am experimenting with lots of different groups structures to see what works best.

I was able to use Google draw to show how we
"scoop count" to figure out the perimeter. We also
discussed how to use equations to figure out
the perimeter. 

Preparing the Lesson
I have set up each lesson on a Google doc or Google presentation. I found ways to make those documents and presentations interactive so that when I open up the share and editing privileges, students can partake in the lesson too. I use Google draw function when working on those Google "white boards" to demonstrate the lesson content, skill, and knowledge.

Each lesson includes models, numerical expressions, algebraic expressions, real world context, and extensions for children who want to continue the learning.

Two Teachers at Every Lesson
Typically each lesson has two educators--myself, the classroom teacher, and a teaching assistant, special educator, or another teacher. This is very helpful because the second teacher can monitor the chat, students involvement, and how the lesson is going. I recommend this.

Communicating the Lesson to Students
Our team has set up a virtual menu that students consult for their daily study. On the top of the chart we have a schedule. In the schedule, we list the links to Google Meetings as well as the lesson links. To prepare for the lesson, students open up the lesson link and look over the lesson. If possible, when interacting with the lesson students have two windows open--one is the lesson and one is the Google Meet.

The schedule looks like this. Students simply click Google Meet links and lesson links to take part in the lessons. 

Lesson Order

1. I welcome students and ask if they have any questions.
2. I remind students to have paper, pencils, and something to color with available.
3. I ask students to have both the lesson screen and the Google Meet screen open at the same time if possible.
4. I take attendance, by saying each name. Sometimes I list the names in a table and ask them their favorite color during the roll call and color in their name cell with their favorite color. 
5. Then I introduce the lesson problem. It is a back-and-forth between the teachers and students after that as we discuss and solve each part of the multi-step problem or learning sequence. 
6. Upon the completion of the lesson, I introduce the optional extension and make time for student questions.
7. I end the lesson with positive statements about students' learning. 
8. I ask all students to log off, and then I spend a few  minutes at the end of the lesson reviewing what worked and what could be better next time with the collaborating teacher. 

Problem Areas

1. I am contacting families of students who are not attending the meetings to try to figure out why. So far that has been helpful and I have been able to get reluctant students to enter the meetings.
2. I am finding better ways to engage the students in the lessons by reflecting on each lesson.
3. Each lesson is 45-minutes long which seems just right for fifth graders. I try to plan the lessons so that I have a good amount of time between each lesson to review the lesson and do other follow-up/prep work. It takes about an hour to prepare for each lesson now as I get used to this venue. 

Positivity

We have had some great math talks. It is difficult to have talks like these in class since my class is typically filled with lots of students so this has been a positive aspect of the virtual math talks. Of course, a difficult part of this has been the fact that the virtual classroom is not as easy or rich as the real classroom with all the learning tools we typically have. 

I welcome your questions and suggestions as I move on with this. Trying out these virtual lessons has been both challenging and rewarding. I am learning a lot and hopefully the students are learning too. Onward. 

COVID-19: Teaching/Learning Ahead, April1, 2020

We will spend the entire month of April at home. There is a chance that we will go back to school in May--time will tell.

In the meantime, and similar to real time school days, I have to bring some shape to this at-home, virtual teaching and learning. What does that mean?

Monitoring Students' At-Home Practice
Students are working at home on three main online venues including Symphony Math, IXL, and Khan Academy. The job is to complete Symphony Math first - about 2/3 of the students have done this and 1/3 are close. The next job is to choose to master either IXL or Khan Academy. After that,  students may choose to master the platform they did not master or go on to sixth grade Khan Academy. In the days ahead, I will carefully review students' efforts in this realm and then use that information to alert their families of students' progress, and encourage students with messages about specific next steps. Overall students are doing a great job at this.

Monitoring Deeper Learning Tasks
Students also have a menu of deeper learning tasks including online Google Form practice tests and tests as well as a number of hands-on projects that have a range of completion choices. I will create a grid to check off who has done what with regard to these tasks. Then I will use that information to decide how to move forward with the deeper learning task menu. The goal is to continue to support students' deeper learning in engaging, meaningful, student-centered ways.

Math Assessment
I am going to ask students to take a formative assessment at home if possible. I would like to see what the results of that assessment show me, and will use that information to inform future virtual math meetings and math support.

Virtual Math Meetings
Overall the initial virtual math meetings have been successful. I will analyze who attended, who did not attend, and then use the information from the at-home practice, deeper learning task, and student assessment to decide how to move forward with these groups with the focus on engagement, meaning, and joy--I want these math meetings to foster math talk to inspire students to continue their math study in ways that creatively relate to the real world.

May Math
No matter whether we go back to school or not, I will use the collection of April efforts, connections, and observations to inform May math study with the goal of helping every student reach mastery with fifth grade standards in engaging, meaningful ways. This is a positive framework to follow in the days ahead.