The success of a student depends on the teaching staff, to a large degree. This is a fact that is known throughout academia and understood by Teach to One: Math. In fact, one of the strengths of the program is understanding the talents of the teachers so that they can be leveraged for the best possible academic outcomes. Professional experiences within Teach to One: Math is unique and different from that of traditional classrooms. They are exceptionally collaborative and very rewarding.
Collaboration
There are many interesting aspects of the program, such as the way students work in groups. Teacher teams work together with large groups of students. Instead of just one teacher, there is a team of teachers that collaborate on meeting the needs of the student group. The teachers coordinate on systems and instructional practices. They also work cooperatively given the shared accountability for student learning outcomes. This type of collaboration is a model that is effective and sustainable for many reasons. Chief of among those reasons is knowledge-sharing because it offers an additional opportunity for professional growth.
Daily Schedules
The program identifies the common needs of students, which enables teachers to work with a group of learners that have the same needs. From a logistical standpoint, this works by providing teachers with a personalized schedule on a daily basis. The schedule will provide details about the students for the day, where the instruction will take place in the Math Center and the specific nature of the instruction so that the teacher focuses on a specific set of skills.
Multimodal Instruction
During the school year, there are various modalities facilitated by teachers, which includes Independent Learning, Live Investigation, and Small Group Collaboration. The teachers will also receive an assigned student group for the Math Advisory portion of the program. This gives them a chance to get to know the students and build productive relationships. It’s important that teachers have a chance to engage with students individually. Math Advisory is one of the times when this need is fulfilled.
Quality Lessons
When developing the Teach to One: Math, there were 80,000 lessons examined. Of those lessons, there were 9,000 chosen and the focus was on making sure the lessons were of high quality. Those selected included nine Learning Modalities. This gives students the chance to consider different approaches to instruction and select what works best for them. When a teacher is providing instruction in Live Investigation, they can actually provide any materials they want to use if it relates to the skill that has been assigned. The teacher can also choose to use the lesson provided. This flexibility is beneficial to the teacher, but it’s also helpful to students.
Support (On-Site)
Partner schools have the advantage of receiving on-site support. This support is provided to administrators and teachers. It includes operational, technical and instructional support provided by specialists. When a partner school becomes self-sufficient, they have the option of reducing the amount of support that’s received. This is something that tends to happen after the program has been implemented for a period of time. The amount of support needed by teachers and administrators is the amount of support that will be provided.
Teacher Portal
The teacher portal is a valuable tool because teachers are able to access a wide-range of information. This includes reviewing performance history, tracking learning progress, and establishing future goals. It’s also worth noting that the Teacher Portal is available around the clock, which is another example of how the program accommodates the needs of teachers.
