Tyler and Rosemary

Another week has come and gone.   Last spring when the end of the school year was in sight, virtual learning seemed more manageable. Now -we see no definite end in sight. It’s a new ballgame on a different playing field, and we don’t know what inning we are in. But we are showing up each day for each other and for our kids.  It’s obvious to me that we are getting our footing.  

I went into Tyler and Rosemary’s classroom this week to get a deeper understanding of the complexity of our new way of teaching. By sharing what I saw, I hope you might gather some insight that may help you with the dynamics of virtual learning.

Connection: They begin with a “Good Morning” greeting - greeting each student as they pop into the zoom. When announcing each individual student, they referred back to a personal tidbit that the student shared earlier in previous days: for example, “Sean, how is your dog, Rubble?”  

Student Behavior Expectation: Students were reminded to sit up -no lying in bed - eye contact. 

Direct Instruction: They moved into the concept of multiplication. The graphics on the screen below show the sequence of the teaching of the concept. The use of visuals is clear, and sequences from simple to more complex with the aim of a deeper understanding of the concept of multiplication - just how to construct and analyze its properties.   It’s apparent that they are following our new math Bridges curriculum; Bridges refers to this part of the lesson as a “problem string”.. 

Independent Practice: After the problem string, students broke away to watch a video independently and answer discussion questions on the problem.  Mr. Haar left his zoom room open so students could pop in when they needed help.  Mrs. Kusel broke out and created a small group room to support her special education students. 

Observations: The independent practice portion of the lesson was a change to the curriculum. The Bridges curriculum called for teachers to display a problem and lead the class in more whole group discussion.  The teachers predetermined that the students would need a break from the whole group direct instruction, so they created a video and discussion questions that could be done independently. From my vantage point, this was an excellent move on the teacher’s part. On a personal note - I was in the classroom for around 50 minutes. It seemed much longer than that. I was tired 😔. This is not to say that their instruction was boring or not engaging.  It is to say that screen time is more intense - less personal, etc.  Pacing the amount of screen time should be considered.

Furthermore, grade level teams are undoubtedly realizing that curriculum needs to be streamlined for the purposes of covering and teaching for the “deep” skills and thinking that  students need to have on this grade level.  It is that the concept of multiplication is a BIG CONCEPT and a concept that a fifth grader needs in order to be successful in math. Both teachers shared that they know that Bridges Math is sound;  but teachers need to decide how much time and focus is given to a given concept; we can not be slaves to the curriculum.  Your class - with all the individual learners in this class - will dictate the time and focus of your lessons. We should all be figuring out the essential - most important work of our subject matter. And, you along with all the grade level teams, will need to visit these BIG IDEAS to monitor student understanding as well as your approach to teaching these BIG IDEAS. This Education Week article brings home this idea. 

Thanks for letting me participate, Tyler and Rosemary.  Outstanding on so many fronts. 

Marty