Math and reason in cyber school

My name is Pat Parris. I have been teaching history and leadership electives since 2004 in a cyber charter school. (Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School.) During this time I have had the opportunity to teach critical thinking skills, and watched the light bulbs pop on during tutoring times in our adobe classroom. I am writing this post to suggest adaptations of various math strategies that are currently being deployed from this web site. I would like to thank Jim Wright for making these strategies public, and Intervention Central for this math remediation research.


The United States is uncompetitive in math. In the past that has not been a problem. Preparing students to be compliant requires a very different teaching strategy, than to teach them to reason. In the current globally environment we are all competing to learn to think critically.

What do these strategies look like at a cyber school? I have taken the strategies from this web site and adapted them to our Moodle learning platform, and adobe multi-media classroom. Here are a few examples of how math remediation can happen on school wide level. The Moodle platform offers asynchronous instruction and the strategy includes an "A" after it. .The Adobe classroom offers synchronous instruction and the strategy includes an "S" after it. In addition we use other software programs that we purchase at our school to continue to bridge the gap between synchronous and asynchronous instruction. This gap continues to narrow with each passing year of innovation. I have included one new program in this list, but there are many.

Applied Problems: Encourage Students to Draw to Clarify Understanding .... 
 
When we apply problems by drawing real world templates of how they function, then students demonstrate that they have connected the dots of reason to draw a conclusion. In a cyber setting we can ...

• Assign a project with an offline lesson. A
• Create a model in a file upload assignment. A
• Complete a series of tasks that lead the student to a complex solution. This can be accomplished by a combination of multiple choice assessments and free response reasoning. A
• Complete a series of discussion board posts with simple tasks that will lead to a conclusion. A
• Teacher place a worksheet in the file upload tool of the adobe classroom containing at least six word problems. Students are required to draw a picture of the problem to solve it. S

 Applied Problems: Improving Performance Through a 4-Step Problem-Solving Approach

• Understand the problem. (Give an example of what the solution may look like in your online lesson.) A
  
• Devise a plan. (Work backwards from the solution to devise a process and access by creating a task with a timeline.) A
  
• Carry out the plan. (Work the process forward in a discussion board post. ) A
• Look back (Reflect with a discussion board post. Include a review in a a future online lesson.) A
• Walk through the process in the adobe classroom as described in the website above. S

Math Computation: Boost Fluency Through Explicit Time-Drills

• Use timed tests in Moodle to create formative assessments.A/S

Math Computation: Motivate With ‘Errorless Learning’ Worksheets

• Work backwards from the answer key and have students submit the steps toward solving a problem in a series of free response steps. A
• Work backwards from the answer key and have students submit the steps toward solving a problem in a series of adobe classroom responses. S

 Math Computation: Two Ideas to Jump-Start Active Academic Responding

• Place mini assessment chunks into Moodle using tools like hot potatoes. A
• Place formative assessments into Moodle lessons with html tools. A
•  Ask questions that demand a response in the adobe classroom. S

Math Homework: Motivate Students Through Reinforcers, Interesting Assignments, Homework Planners, and Self-Monitoring 

• Real life assignments that require a solution that will benefit the student. A
• Homework passes for good grades. A
• Tasks with answers are included and tasks without answers. A
• Tests are created that allow students to take and retake the tests until they have reached mastery of the test bank. A
• Meet with students regularly to check on time management strategies in the adobe classroom. S

Math Instruction: Consolidate Student Learning During Lecture Through the Peer-Guided Pause

• Pause in an adobe classroom session for feedback and students respond to summarize and demonstrate concept understanding. S
• Require multiple discussion board posts responding to peer guided responses. A

 Math Instruction: Increase Student Engagement and Improve Group Behaviors With Response Cards

• Students respond to a teacher's pause with an immediate simultaneous response using the poll tool in the adobe classroom. S
• Students respond to a video in a mini quiz with public broadcast of the results. A

 Math Instruction: Maintain a Supportive Atmosphere for Classroom “Math Talk”

• The teacher uses open-ended comments (e.g., “What led you to that answer?”) as tools to draw out students and encourage them to explore and apply math concepts in group discussion in the adobe classroom. S
•  The teacher uses open-ended comments (e.g., “What led you to that answer?”) as tools to draw out students and encourage them to explore and apply math concepts in group discussion in a discussion board. A

 Math Instruction: Support Students Through a Wrap-Around Instruction Plan

• Students are encouraged to "think aloud", to verbally reveal his or her cognitive process to the class while using a cognitive strategy to solve a math problem in an adobe classroom. S
•  Students are encouraged to "think aloud", to verbally reveal his or her cognitive process to the class while using a cognitive strategy to solve a math problem with a nano gong lesson in Moodle. A

Math Instruction: Unlock the Thoughts of Reluctant Students Through Class Journaling

• Students role play making change in a fast food restaurant. The role play takes place in the adobe classroom. S
•  Students journal their understanding of a lesson in a Moodle lesson. A

Math Problem-Solving: Help Students Avoid Errors With the ‘Individualized Self-Correction Checklist’

• Students demonstrate their accuracy on particular types of word and number problems by using an ‘individualized self-instruction checklist’ that reminds them to pay attention to their own specific error patterns.  S
• Students demonstrate their accuracy on particular types of word and number problems by creating and using an ‘individualized self-instruction checklist’ that reminds them to pay attention to their own specific error patterns in a free response lesson.  A

Math Review: Balance Massed & Distributed Practice 

• Students acquisition and fluency in a newly taught math skill is improved by transitioning from massed to distributed practice.  For example students practice math skills such as reducing fractions to least common denominators into instruction either by  requiring the student to complete short assignments regularly in adobe classroom tutoring session. S
•  Students acquisition and fluency in a newly taught math skill is improved by transitioning from massed to distributed practice.  For example students practice math skills such as reducing fractions to least common denominators into instruction either by  requiring the student to complete short assignments regularly in an file upload worksheet. A

Math Review: Teach Effective Test-Preparation Strategies

• Students practice (1) specific test-review strategies and (2) time-management and self-advocacy skills in an adobe classroom session. S
• Students practice (1) specific test-review strategies and (2) time-management and self-advocacy skills using the "Method Test Preparation" software. A

Math Vocabulary: Preteach, Model, and Use Standard Math Terms

•   Teach math vocabulary with a game show strategy in the adobe classroom. S
•   Teach math vocabulary with a matching quiz game Moodle lesson. A