September 30, 2022 7:00 am

A Day in the Life of a Virtual Learning Administrator

The supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, Marcelle McGhee, shares their schedule and tips for prioritizing students throughout the day

As the supervisor for online learning at the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania, students are the focus of my day.

I believe the key to my program’s success has always been the relationship-building I do with students and parents. I try to be open-minded, non-judgmental, and approachable to students and parents. I keep in mind that everyone’s circumstances are different. It may be cheesy to say this, but I try to meet students where they are. Homeless students need food and housing, and students struggling with illnesses need care before they can even focus on learning.

Morning:

After responding to urgent phone calls or emails, I begin each day by checking the Edgenuity Learning Management System dashboard. Since I have students from multiple school districts, I toggle through those schools to review student progress. Red highlights are flags that I look for along with progress and then grades. I use the student filter on the dashboard to check on students who are behind in pacing. I do a deep dive into each student’s Progress and Grades to determine the reason for lackluster pacing. I add these students to my “home phone call” list.

Around mid-morning, I begin to call home to check on the students on my list. Usually, I have to leave a phone message requesting a callback. I follow up phone calls with a personalized email to the parent, student, and school counselor highlighting the pacing or grade issue. I keep notes on students in case there are extenuating circumstances such as illness that I need to consider before sending the email.

“For teachers, it’s about communication, communication, communication. Students have to feel like you’re directly emailing them… they can tell if you’re disinterested, even if you’re working with them online.”

Marcelle McGhee

Mid-Day:

In the second part of my day, I check attendance in the SIS. I use the SIS filters to create a list of students who have not accessed their classes in more than two school days. I use the LMS Dashboard to get a more detailed student attendance view and to confirm that an attendance email is appropriate for all students on the list. I then use the automatic email feature in the SIS to send students, parents, and school counselors an email regarding the student’s lack of attendance.

I have an “online learning” toolbox of tips and tricks that I send to students. These tips include “directions for attending teacher study hall,” “Locating and Navigating Carone Fitness courses,” and using the Guided Notes” feature. ”

Late Afternoon:

I have open virtual office hours three days a week in the afternoon. I invite (more like insist) students who are behind pacing, have an actual grade of less than 75% in a course, or are violating the attendance requirements, to attend my virtual office hours so that I can assist them with getting back on track.

On other days my afternoons are reserved for administrative tasks that keep my program running smoothly.

My day usually ends with a check of email and last-minute phone calls. I often take parent phone calls and respond to text messages during the evening.

About the Author — Marcelle McGhee

Marcelle McGhee is the Supervisor of Online Learning for Berks Online Learning, a service of the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Pennsylvania. A mother of two herself, Marcelle is proud to have the role of “professional mom” to those students who come to online learning needing support and accountability, helping students to learn the ropes of virtual school and reach their goals. As a first-generation college graduate and Guyana native, Marcelle has a wealth of experience and understanding that shines through as she goes above and beyond in supporting her students. Marcelle is a true Imagine Edgenuity veteran, having started using our products almost twelve years ago, and her expertise shines through in the way she provides support to other educators at every turn.

September 12, 2022 8:00 am

Imagine Math Students Donate to Flood Relief Fund

U.S. students solved more than 228,000 Imagine Math problems, converting earned math points to $5,000 for the American Red Cross Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund

Scottsdale, Ariz., SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 – Students who use Imagine Learning’s Imagine Math program completed math problems and donated earned points from the program to raise $5,000 for the American Red Cross Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund—all in 3 days after hearing about the funding opportunity. During the donation period, students solved more than 228,000 math problems and donated more than 5 million earned math points, which translates to $5,000 for the Jackson Mississippi Flood Relief Fund.

The donation is a part of Imagine Learning’s charitable giving program. Since the incentive program’s inception in 2008, students who have used Imagine Math have donated 1.6 trillion math points, completed more than 2.5 million math lessons, and worked through more than 82 million math problems for a total giving of $167,173 to the American Red Cross. Over the years, students have converted their point donations to a variety of American Red Cross causes, including the Haitian Relief Fund, the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, numerous hurricane relief funds, and the Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.

Top donating schools from around Mississippi and the U.S. include:

Northwest Rankin Middle School, Rankin County School District in Mississippi
East Tate Elementary School, Tate County School District in Mississippi
I.T. Montgomery Elementary School, North Bolivar Consolidated School District in Mississippi
Petal Elementary 3-4, Petal School District in Mississippi
Robert Healy Elementary School of Chicago Public Schools in Illinois
IDEA Brownsville Middle School of IDEA Public Schools in Texas
Davis Intermediate of Wylie Independent School District in Texas
Henderson Hammock Charter School in Tampa, Florida

“It’s inspiring to see our students donate their hard-earned Imagine Math points to make a difference for a community,” said Jeff Pendleton, SVP and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention for Imagine Learning. “We’re proud of the many students across Mississippi and the U.S. who are sharpening their math skills while also helping people in need.”

“Imagine Math has given our students and teachers the perfect opportunity to show kindness during the water crisis in Jackson,” said Shauna Gregg, Math/Science Curriculum Specialist for Tate County School District. “We are so proud of our students that selflessly gave in order to help our southern neighbors.”

“Pearl River County School District is so proud to have been a part of the charitable donation toward the American Red Cross of Jackson Flood Relief,” said Ashley Franatovich, Technology Integration Specialist for Pearl River County School District. “It is a beautiful way for our students to be able to contribute toward local charities. Having the option to donate brings a new and exciting motivation for our students to give their best efforts when completing math lessons. This sort of selfless giving is what we would like to encourage all children within Mississippi to participate in. Our district theme this year is ‘Be the Light’ and we are so extremely proud that our students are embracing this idea and being the light for children around our great state.”

Imagine Math combines a rich curriculum with fun, adaptive digital experiences to help students become confident math learners. Ideal as a supplement to standards-based PreK—Geometry core instruction, its two age-appropriate learning environments are designed for student engagement. Rigorous, standards-rich content adapts to the unique needs of each learner to develop essential foundations and conceptual understanding they need to achieve grade-level mastery. Two recent studies revealed that elementary and middle school students who used Imagine Math demonstrated significant academic gains on standardized assessments. Findings from one study showed that after one year of using Imagine Math, students demonstrated significantly greater gains on the Renaissance Star Math assessment than their nonparticipating peers. A second study that analyzed Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 NWEA MAP Growth Math data showed that students who used Imagine Math demonstrated a significantly greater growth rate than non-users.

More information about Imagine Math is available at imaginelearning.com/imagine-math.

About Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, and computer science; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics®, EL Education®, and Odell Education®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.

August 26, 2022 8:00 pm

ChallengeU Transforms High School Dropouts into College Students

Richmond, Va. (Aug. 24, 2022) – ChallengeU, an innovative high school dropout recovery program, changed the life trajectory of Richmond City high school students who were no longer in school. Students were able to graduate against all odds because of ChallengeU’s ability to combine the power of building relationships through boots-on-the-ground coaching with the flexibility of online learning.

On Aug. 24, a special ceremony was held at The Kitchens at Reynolds to honor four graduates who, after overcoming difficult life circumstances, are eager to pursue their chosen careers at local educational institutions such as Reynolds Community College.

“We believe every student should be able to pursue a promising career and have an equal opportunity to be successful, even after dropping out of school,” said Nicolas Arsenault, CEO of ChallengeU. He highlighted that ChallengeU partners with Imagine Learning to provide high-quality online courses aligned with state standards and delivered by state-certified virtual instructors.

One ChallengeU Graduate’s Story

Jahneysha Gibbs was always up for the challenge when it came to her academics. However, during high school, balancing life and school became overwhelming. Between the loss of her grandmother, constantly moving to different cities, and switching from school to school, she slowly began to lose motivation, and dreams of a future seemed out of reach.

“A few months after I stopped going to school, someone called my mom and told her about the program. I had enough time to grieve and deal with the loss of my grandma and was willing to come back to school as long as I did not have to go back into the building,” says Jahneysha.

She found the ChallengeU coaches to be consistent, engaging, and very adaptive to her different life situations. “I love ChallengeU and the coach relationships! They are so motivational and help you out in every way they can,” says Jahneysha, who aims to enter the registered nursing program at Reynolds in the fall.

ChallengeU is assisting her with the application process, connecting her to a job at the Omni hotel, and will be providing an academic scholarship that will be applied to her post-graduation plan. “I have always wanted to help people. ChallengeU is helping me to learn more about the field of nursing and the different roles,” she concludes. Now that she is across the finish line with high school, she wants to encourage others in similar circumstances. “It gets better, and if someone has the option to work with ChallengeU, they should definitely take it!”

“The opportunity to walk alongside these students as they have overcome various challenges has been a privilege that I am most grateful for,” said Bria Jacobs, Lead Graduation Coach of ChallengeU in Richmond Virginia. “Our program is designed to meet youth right at the intersection of their current circumstances and their greatest desires for a bright future. We see our participants as future scholars, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare practitioners, and anything else that they set their minds to. The ultimate goal is for participants to see the light at the end of the tunnel and walk toward it with confidence and a solid support system committed to assisting them every step of the way.”

“Working in partnership with public school systems in the U.S., ChallengeU is building a better, brighter future for students who have dropped out of school due to a variety of life circumstances,” concluded Arsenault. “Walking across the stage to receive a high school diploma is a moment that every student should experience and celebrate. Our team at ChallengeU is honored to help make that important milestone a reality, as well as creating a pathway to be a productive member of the workforce.”

About ChallengeU

ChallengeU is a dropout recovery program that partners with school systems to identify, re-enroll and graduate students who had previously dropped out of high school. Our intervention model combines the flexibility of online learning with the power of building relationships through in-person coaching. Our coaches provide wrap-around support in collaboration with local community organizations. We engage students in various levels of support, ensuring they will have the confidence and motivation to commit to working with us toward graduation and post-graduation opportunities. We advanced our mission in the USA based on the success of our operation, which has re-enrolled more than 24,000 dropouts in school systems throughout Canada. In 2022, ChallengeU was recognized as a B Corp Best For The World™.

For more information, visit ChallengeU.com.

Media Contact: Jill Vaughan, jill@jlvcomms.net, (804) 363-7175

August 25, 2022 3:28 pm

Imagine Learning and MetaMetrics Expand Partnership to Provide Educators With New Measures to Help Personalize Instruction

Imagine MyPath will report Lexile and Quantile measures, beginning in the 2022-23 school year

DURHAM, N.C. & SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – August 24, 2022 – As schools face significant unfinished learning resulting from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, MetaMetrics^®, developer of the Lexile^® and Quantile^® Frameworks, and Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the United States, today announced an expansion of their long-term partnership.

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, Imagine MyPath^® assessments will report National Percentile Ranks (NPR) for Lexile and Quantile measures, supporting K-12 students on their pathway to grade-level success. This will allow teachers and parents to see how students performed in comparison to other students in the same grade in reading and math, providing them with a metric to guide future learning and monitor student progress. For nearly a decade, other Imagine Learning assessments have reported Lexile and Quantile measures.

“Imagine Learning’s digital curriculum solutions include high-quality assessments designed to identify a personalized learning path that meets each student where they are and helps all students reach their potential,” said Jeff Pendleton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention at Imagine Learning. “Our longstanding partnership with MetaMetrics supports educators in using Lexile and Quantile measures to further personalize classroom instruction.”

Imagine MyPath gives every K–12 student a pathway to grade-level success with a personalized and adaptive program in reading and math. As students move from targeted intervention to supplemental grade-level practice and enrichment, Imagine MyPath continues to deliver adaptive lessons propelling them forward. Imagine MyPath empowers teachers with the data and point-of-use resources that allow them to quickly get their students back on track.

The Lexile Framework for Reading and Quantile Framework for Mathematics measure student ability and the difficulty of reading and math content on the same scale.

“Differentiated instruction allows teachers to ensure that all students receive instruction that is tailored to their individual needs, strengths and interests,” said Malbert Smith, CEO and co-founder of MetaMetrics. “By reporting Lexile and Quantile measures, Imagine MyPath will provide educators with even more actionable data to accelerate learning.”

About Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity^®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, robotics, and coding; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics^®, EL Education^®, and Odell Education^®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science^®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.

About MetaMetrics

MetaMetrics is an award-winning education technology organization that offers the only scientifically valid, universal scales for measuring silent and oral reading and listening (Lexile^®) and math (Quantile^®) measures with plans to develop measures for writing. The Lexile and Quantile Frameworks measure student ability and the complexity of the content they encounter. Lexile and Quantile measures and related technologies link assessment to instruction and provide next steps for students of all ages and abilities. The measures also provide valuable insights about students’ potential for growth. MetaMetrics’ measures, products and services are licensed to dozens of education product companies to help achieve that growth. For 35 years, MetaMetrics’ work is increasingly recognized for its research-based approach to improving learning. For more information, visit metametricsinc.com.

August 23, 2022 8:00 pm

Imagine Learning Classroom Launches with Engaging and Effective Core Math and English Language Arts Curricula

Award-Winning Programs Serve More Than 1 Million Students

Scottsdale, Ariz., August 17, 2022 – Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half the school districts nationwide, today announced the launch of Imagine Learning Classroom, the new digital application powering its core English Language Arts and Mathematics solutions. Imagine Learning Classroom (formerly LearnZillion) enhances the high-quality curricula of Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics, Imagine Learning EL Education, Imagine Learning Odell Education, and Imagine Learning Guidebooks. These comprehensive programs offer the most accessible, teachable, and engaging core curricula for K-12 students available anywhere today.

“Our goal is to deliver compelling, high-quality curricula in a teachable way to support educators and spark learning breakthroughs,” said Terry Gilligan, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Core Curriculum for Imagine Learning. “With Imagine Learning Classroom, we’ve developed a cohesive, immersive classroom environment to empower teachers and ensure student success.”

As pioneers in digital instruction, Imagine Learning continually refines its core products and services to meet the needs of all students and educators. These solutions give educators continuous, clear insights into their students’ learning, and supports them to maximize their potential. In addition, ongoing pedagogical research measures effectiveness in classrooms around the country to advance learning for all students.

Imagine Learning Classroom puts the teacher and student at the center of learning for more positive outcomes. The dynamic software creates inspiring instructional experiences, providing students with opportunities to own their own learning, express choice in content, and showcase their voice in assignments, building essential skills to set students up for success.

Imagine Learning Classroom:

Offers a turnkey solution that saves teachers time in planning and instruction
Incorporates features and functionality that support and honor each curricula’s instructional design
Empowers teachers with tools to personalize and customize instruction to their unique needs
Engages students with rich media, including videos, digital interactivities, virtual manipulatives, and more
Enables the implementation of quality curricula in all learning environments
Refreshed student and teacher experiences, including a unique experience for primary students

Imagine Learning Classroom offers the following premier ELA and Mathematics programs for grades K-12:

Imagine Learning Illustrative Mathematics is a complete K-12 IM-Certified mathematics curriculum that delivers a digital-first classroom experience, enabling teachers to create a student-centered, cohesive learning environment, based on research and driven by data that fully leverages the impact of high-quality curricula.

Imagine Learning EL Education is a content-based K-8 literacy curriculum utilizing compelling real-world texts that engage and excite learners in grades K-8. Informed by the Science of Reading, the program allows students to focus on mastery of knowledge and skills and demonstrate high-quality work while building habits of character.

Imagine Learning Odell Education is an innovative knowledge-based literacy program for grades 9-12 dedicated to fostering creativity and critical thinking. The program emphasizes learning through inquiry and empowers teachers to configure the course content by providing a variety of text collections and topics.

Imagine Learning Guidebooks is a comprehensive English Language Arts solution that immerses grade 3-12 students in reading and writing lessons across genres. Students create a web of meaning critical to the development of reading and writing skills, and build understanding through text sets, compelling questions, and integrated reading and writing activities.

About Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity^®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, robotics, and coding; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics^®, EL Education^®, and Odell Education^®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science^®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at

imaginelearning.com.

August 11, 2022 8:00 am

Imagine Robotify Rolls Out New Features for Back-to-School

Award-Winning Computer Science Learning Product Teaches the Language of Tomorrow to Students of Today

Scottsdale, Ariz., AUGUST 11, 2022 – Imagine Learning, the largest provider of digital curriculum solutions in the U.S., serving 15 million students in more than half the school districts nationwide, today announced new features for its newest product, Imagine Robotify. Designed to align with Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards, Imagine Robotify is a browser-based computer science learning platform that uses virtual, animated robots to teach coding to students in Grades 3-8 and beyond in an engaging, fun, and accessible way.

“At Imagine Learning, we are at the forefront of innovation, helping schools and families provide opportunity and access for learners,” said Jeff Pendleton, SVP and General Manager of Supplemental and Intervention. “Since acquiring Robotify, our inventive team has found more ways to make teaching computer science and coding even more accessible and affordable.”

Imagine Robotify is a browser-based digital solution designed to teach coding using the world’s best computer science simulator. The platform offers learners the freedom and creativity they need to realize their original ideas and, in the process, develop their capacity for communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Imagine Robotify provides students with the ability to master coding and computer science skills and apply their critical thinking to robotics, math, and science through project- and game-based learning. Students have access to more than 1,000 different coding activities and games, including 24/7 access to the latest virtual robots without having to ever purchase physical hardware.

Features and Benefits Include:

Best-in-class browser-based 3D robotics simulator, eliminating the need for expensive equipment to allow access and affordability to a much wider population of learners and teachers worldwide
All new user interface
One-stop shop of teacher resources and tools to instruct students
Project-based learning using Blockly and Python that applies knowledge to build, reuse, edit and analyze code to solve problems
New virtual robotics games to reinforce learning
New customization feature enables teachers to assign specific lessons and challenges to a class
Both coding and non-coding content for a full computer science curriculum
Available in both English and Spanish, as well as French, Japanese, Korean, and Turkish
New assessment and reporting tools to manage and track student performance as well as effectiveness of the program

In June, Imagine Robotify won the 2022 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Coding & Computational Thinking Solution. “Our mission has always been to show more students the power of computer science and coding,” said Adam Dalton, co-founder and CEO of Imagine Robotify. “Receiving a prestigious CODiE Award is further proof that Imagine Robotify is making a difference and helping to empower equitable learning breakthroughs for all students.”

About Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is a PreK–12 digital learning solutions company that ignites learning breakthroughs by designing forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of people, curricula, and technology to drive student growth. Imagine Learning serves more than 15 million students and partners with more than half the school districts nationwide. Imagine Learning’s flagship products include Imagine Edgenuity^®, online courseware and virtual school services solutions; supplemental and intervention solutions for literacy, language, mathematics, robotics, and coding; and high-quality, digital-first core curriculum, including Illustrative Mathematics^®, EL Education^®, and Odell Education^®—all on the Imagine Learning Classroom—and Twig Science^®. Read more about Imagine Learning’s digital solutions at imaginelearning.com.

August 9, 2022 8:00 am

Sparking Connection with Online Students

Stephanie Reilly, the Teachers’ Lounge educator of the month, shares practical tips for creating a positive rapport with students in an asynchronous, fully online classroom.

I’ve been in my role as online learning coordinator for the Fox Chapel Area School District, located in suburban Pittsburgh, for three years and wanted to share some things that have worked for us. Our online students are either fully online or have a flex schedule, where they are in school for most classes and take an online class or two. The flex schedule allows the student to come into school late or leave early. Many students take advantage of this flexible schedule for sports, jobs, or just the amazing ability to sleep in and arrive at school two hours later.

High schooler studies on their bed with headphones

“Teddy Roosevelt had it right when he said people don’t care what you know until they know you care. Showing these fully online students that we care about them is the key.”

Stephanie Reilly

Each group of students has their unique challenges. The fully online students can be really challenging to reach. How can you connect with a student you only communicate with via email, especially since some students avoid email when they fall behind? Teddy Roosevelt had it right when he said people don’t care what you know until they know you care. Showing these fully online students that we care about them is the key.

Give “caught being good” notes

Catching kids doing something positive and emailing them or (even better) mailing home a note about it shows that we are watching their progress and we are on their side.

Send snail mail

Snail-mailing school resources and information home so the students know what’s going on at school and still feel part of our school community is helpful.

Invite them to campus

Inviting the fully online students to come in and join a club or attend a school meeting and facilitating that happening can encourage the student to get out of their house and get involved.

Respond to their schedule

Responding to their needs on their time schedule as an asynchronous student can go a long way to showing the student that this isn’t school as usual. If I can quickly log on and help move a student along who is stuck at night, I am glad to do it, and that student can keep working and making progress. Some students are really struggling with various issues, so removing obstacles helps show them that we want to help.

Make feedback meaningful

Providing meaningful feedback to their written submissions, even if it’s feedback about plagiarism, shows the student that it’s not just them and the computer, but there is a real live teacher at our school who’s reading their work and available for help.

Create a warm, optional workspace

We also encourage students who are struggling online to come into school and work in my room. My room isn’t a typical classroom, it’s a relaxed environment complete with a Keurig, snacks, beautiful view of landscaping, plants, seating choices, etc. working here helps the student remember that they are indeed still a full-time student and allows me and other teachers to get to know the student, their work habits, and their struggles, and to start to build the relationship. Once we get that relationship growing, the student will respond to my emails and will even initiate emails to me and other teachers when they need help. The power of a conversation over a cup of tea cannot be underestimated.

I’d love to hear from other teachers and administrators about how they reach fully online, asynchronous students. It’s a journey! Let’s talk about it in the Teachers’ Lounge.

About the Author — Stephanie Reilly

Stephanie is the online learning coordinator and online teacher at Fox Chapel Area High School. She currently teaches online physics, earth & space, and SAT prep.

Stephanie’s first career was as a mechanical engineer. She worked in the nuclear power and telecommunications fields for 12 years, then stayed home with her children for about 10 years. She then went back to school for her teaching certificate. She taught math, physics, and computer science for about seven years before moving into her current position.

August 8, 2022 8:00 am

Creating Collaborative Math Classrooms

Dr. Bill McCallum, co-founder and CEO of Illustrative Mathematics, discusses how the theme of collaboration runs through the program’s design, creating dynamic learning environments for today’s students.

Collaboration is a core value at Illustrative Mathematics. Creating a high quality instructional system — with curriculum and professional learning — is complex work. The demands of mathematical coherence and pedagogical appropriateness often pull in different directions; you can have a curriculum that is mathematically correct but not engaging for students, and you can have a curriculum that students enjoy but where they are not learning grade-level mathematics. We think IM K–12 Math has achieved the perfect balance between coherence and engagement, and we got there by having mathematics experts and educators working together, reviewing and critiquing each other’s work, and coming to a consensus around tough questions.

Collaboration in writing the curriculum and professional learning

A good example of the balance between mathematical and pedagogical priorities is the tuna casserole activity in Lesson 2.6 of Grade 6 in IM 6–8 Math. Recipe contexts are good for learning about equivalent ratios because the ratios between various quantities in the recipe have a real world meaning (the flavor of the recipe) and because recipes are often scaled or cooked in containers of different sizes. The tuna casserole example provides a rich arithmetic context, particularly with fractional quantities, thus affording important skill building as students work with the ratios in the recipe. Furthermore, the extension activity, Are You Ready For More?, depends crucially on the fact that the vessel is rectangular, and gives students an opportunity to reinforce and use prior knowledge about area and volume. This is an example of the sort of collaborative thought that went into all the IM lessons.

Another sort of blending of expertise occurs when we try to put research about pedagogy into practice. Research recommends a problem-based approach to instruction where students have a chance to work on problems for themselves and the teacher synthesizes learning afterwards. But the practical experience of the teachers involved in writing our curriculum reminded us that you have to make the problem-based instructional model explicit and learnable. This led us to develop a carefully curated set of instructional routines, which help teachers and students manage problem-based instruction without getting bogged down in logistics, and which teachers can learn over time as they become more familiar with the curriculum.

“Because students are sharing their thinking, students using less efficient strategies will see other students using more efficient ones and learn from them. It also works the other way around. Students using more efficient strategies deepen their understanding as they explain those strategies.”

Dr. Bill McCallum

Collaboration in the IM classroom

The principle of diverse teams collaborating extends to what goes in a classroom using IM. Many of the activities are designed so that students can use a range of strategies to solve them. Because students are sharing their thinking, students using less efficient strategies will see other students using more efficient ones and learn from them. It also works the other way around. Students using more efficient strategies deepen their understanding as the explain those strategies.

The Mathematical Language Routines in IM K–12 use collaboration to help all learners, including English learners, produce mathematical language to enable rich discussion of mathematical ideas. For example, in the Information Gap students work in pairs where each student has different parts of the mathematical problem and they ask each other questions to collaboratively solve the problem. The structure of the routine is designed so that students must formulate specific mathematical questions in order to get the information they need.

The collaborative learning embedded in the IM instructional model is particularly important in supporting culturally responsive pedagogy. Collaboration comes naturally to many cultures that are often marginalized in the classroom. Giving students an opportunity to share what they bring to the classroom builds their sense of belonging and self-efficacy.

Collaboration with partners

Another way in which we live out our value of collaboration is in working through IM Certified distribution partners such as Imagine Learning. Again, each partner brings something different to the collaboration. IM brings its expertise in curriculum and professional learning, whereas Imagine Learning brings a digital platform that makes teachers’ lives easier and supports student engagement with additional features such as Student Spotlight Videos.

The future

The next phase of IM’s journey involves collaborating with schools and districts around implementation support. We plan to build an implementation support ecosystem around our curriculum and professional learning that provides schools with a coherent suite of products and services that all work together to help teachers bring about our vision of a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics. Stay tuned for more exciting news about these plans over the next few months!

About the Author — Dr. Bill McCallum

Bill McCallum, co-founder of Illustrative Mathematics, is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Arizona. He has worked both in mathematics research, in the areas of number theory and arithmetical algebraic geometry, and in mathematics education, writing textbooks and advising researchers and policy makers. He is a founding member of the Harvard Calculus Consortium and lead author of its college algebra and multivariable calculus texts. In 2009–2010 he was one of the lead writers for the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. He holds a Ph. D. in Mathematics from Harvard University and a B.Sc. from the University of New South Wales.

August 8, 2022 8:00 am

Multilingual Learners: Designing for Meaningful Interaction

Empower language learners to participate in classroom discussions with opportunities for observation and an environment that welcomes mistakes.

My teaching assignment in my first year was primarily English language learners from newcomer to almost reclassified in both EL-specific and ELA classes. As an idealistic new teacher having just read all the books and soaked up all that my student teaching had to offer, I thought that if I supplied them with the words, via labels and sentence frames, my students would have what they needed to participate in the lively classroom discussions I envisioned. I quickly learned that was not the case.

The first time I asked my students an open-ended question, I was met with a silence so enduring that the touted “7-second pause” wasn’t nearly enough. Rewording my question didn’t change the response either. Perplexed and frustrated, I continued with our beginning-of-the-year activities. It wasn’t until later, when I had more success with eliciting answers, that I realized my students didn’t feel safe speaking up yet. That’s because research shows “if English language learners (ELLs) are going to productively engage in classroom discourse and express their thinking related to content learning goals, teachers must create a trusting classroom culture in which students feel that whatever level of language they can produce, their contributions will be valued by their teacher and peers and will never be subject to ridicule, sanctions, or negative comparisons.” While this research (and my experience) speaks to English language learners specifically, we can also apply the recommendations to dual language programs — where every student is a language learner.

“If English language learners (ELLs) are going to productively engage in classroom discourse and express their thinking related to content learning goals, teachers must create a trusting classroom culture in which students feel that whatever level of language they can produce, their contributions will be valued by their teacher and peers and will never be subject to ridicule, sanctions, or negative comparisons.”

Aída Walqui & Margaret Heritage

I hadn’t yet proven to them that our classroom met these criteria. It took many cheesy icebreakers, games, and showing time and time again that mistakes were a welcome part of learning to establish our room as a safe space. But despite the comfort we felt together and what I believed were thought-provoking questions, the room was still mostly silent (or off topic) during small-group academic discussions. What was I missing?

I decided to go back to the basics because it seemed logical that before they’re comfortable participating in academic discussions, students need to feel confident in basic communication in the classroom. I decided to try a few things.

Labeling the room

As a high school teacher, this felt a little weird to me. But I grabbed a permanent marker and index cards and labeled everything I could think of around the classroom. Whiteboard, computer, pencil sharpener – you name it, it got a label. At first, my students thought it was strange too, but then it just became part of our classroom.

The students who didn’t need them didn’t really pay attention to them after the initial wonderment, but I soon noticed students referencing the labels when asking me a question or talking to classmates. While primarily useful linguistically for my EL students, the mere existence of the labels continued my work of normalizing the various language acquisition levels within our class and maintaining an environment where anyone could get the help they needed without feeling embarrassed.

Supplying sentence frames – or “formulaic expressions”

The next level up from labeling the room, I started including what I called sentence frames with my discussion questions. Walqui and Heritage call these “formulaic expressions” because they “help start or link ideas and can be used in many situations,” whereas sentence frames are more specific and often lead to a single correct answer.

Where the labels around the room were used almost exclusively by ELs, I quickly noticed that most (if not all) of my students used the formulaic expressions. Academic discourse doesn’t come naturally, native English speaker or not, so having the language to frame their ideas helped students feel more confident. They could then use these phrases, like “One example from the text is…” or “I agree with what ____ said about…” in other classes or sometimes even their writing.

Turning on the closed captions

This might be controversial, but I think movies can be legitimate language-learning tools. Before I lose all ethos as you picture me popping on a movie for my students every day in the name of “learning,” this statement comes with two caveats: first, we watch movies sparingly (and not all in one sitting); second, the closed captions must be on – in English (or whichever language students are learning).

My newcomer students hated that last bit, but I never gave in to their pleas to change the language to Spanish (the majority native language in my class). While watching a movie in English was pretty far out of their comfort zones, being able to both hear and read the words not only improved their comprehension of the movie but helped supply them with real-life examples of conversation.

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At this point I felt like I had established a safe learning environment and provided my students with the language scaffolds they needed. So why were we still struggling with academic discussions? What was still missing?

Low-stakes opportunities for discussion

Even though we had a classroom culture where mistakes were welcomed and I reiterated that academic discussions should still feel like regular conversations, students naturally became nervous and stiff when it came time to discuss. EL students in particular would be noticeably more reserved.

Knowing that “by some estimates, ELLs spend less than 2 percent of their school day in oral interaction,” I was determined to get my students speaking. That’s when I started doing something almost painfully simple. After our daily independent reading time, I would say, “turn to your partner and tell them what’s happening in your book right now.” These casual conversations didn’t feel academic to students and got them speaking – to the point where I usually had to cut them off.

a group of students sitting around a table listening to the teacher

Modeling (fishbowl discussion)

To bring the level of comfort they showed when talking about their books to the more “high stakes” types of conversations, I turned to a tried-and-true method: modeling. I found, especially for language learners, that seeing and hearing a model almost always resulted in more plentiful and confident interactions. In fact, if I didn’t provide an example for an activity, they always asked for one.

So, to model a discussion, I wrote two scripts – one not-so-fruitful discussion and one more substantive. Student volunteers sat in the middle of the room and acted out each discussion, leaving time in between and afterwards to talk about the differences between the two. I was amazed at how observant the students were. Together, we listed what could improve in the first conversation and the qualities that made the second more effective.

Opportunities to evaluate (discussion tracking)

While the fishbowl model demonstrated that my students could identify the ideal characteristics of an academic discussion, it still had only minor effects on their own. That’s when I decided to turn their small-group discussions into mini fishbowls.

I created a small checklist of the effective discussion “moves” that we identified in our whole-group fishbowl activity – asking a question, incorporating evidence, etc.— plus formulaic expressions they might use. Everyone got a checklist, but only half the students were speaking participants in the discussions that day. The other half were sitting on the outside of the group, listening to one specific person and keeping track of their participation.

Having the opportunity to observe a real discussion before participating was equal parts eye-opening and comforting for my EL students. Then, they were able to follow along on the checklist with sentence starters when it was their turn to participate. Our classroom culture where students felt safe making mistakes was key as they were able to hold each other accountable for the checklist without judgment.

It certainly wasn’t perfect. At one point I even incorporated a whole-class fishbowl version of the discussion tracking so that we could go over the dos and don’ts of each role. But academic discussions, and ensuring everyone benefited from them, became another aspect of our classroom dynamic that was always a work in progress. Ultimately, increasing the amount of time ELs spend interacting in the classroom is not just about giving them a seat at the table with the tools they might need, but about ensuring that they know their voice is valued in the room. That is truly the key that unlocks all the other strategies because students must feel safe to take the necessary risks that open the door to learning.

About the Author – Ally Jones

Ally Jones is a California credentialed educator who specialized in teaching English language learners at the secondary level. Outside of education, she is passionate about fitness, literature, and taking care of the planet for her son’s generation.

August 8, 2022 8:00 am

Subscribing to Self-Care with Dr. Maria Hersey

Everyone’s talking about SEL for students, but what about SEL for teachers? Cultivate and protect your own well-being with these tips and downloadable self-care planner.

A recent Instagram post from @selfcarewithwall shared an important thought for everyone to consider, but most importantly, for all the educators that are struggling to navigate the complicated and constantly changing realities of life, the following statement should ring true: “You are not selfish for wanting the same energy and love you give.”

During a recent presentation to teachers, we discussed the importance of identifying self-care practices that could be implemented in our daily lives. Many of the teachers shared that while they understood the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and well-being for students, as teachers, they often forgot to take care of ourselves FIRST. Self-care is the active process of making your body and mind a pleasant place to inhabit, by making sure to fill your own cup first. This definition helps to ensure that we have enough for others but asks us to consider our own needs first. It is important to remember that our own self-care and well-being must be a priority. Remember, if we want to give it, we must learn how to live it! This means that if we want our students, or others, to engage in well-being practices and self-care, we need to be willing to take the first steps and set intentions for mindful living in our own lives.

“…if we want our students, or others, to engage in well-being practices and self-care, we need to be willing to take the first steps and set intentions for mindful living in our own lives.”

Cultivating teacher well-being

The simplest definition of mindfulness offered by Dr. John Kabot-Zinn, is being present and in the moment, without judgment. It is making space for reflection and connection. Mindfulness magazine recently published an article about nine practices to engage in which support and build well-being. The authors remind us that cultivating and protecting our well-being is a personal process that requires us to check-in with ourselves on a regular basis. Being open to whatever we may need to navigate stress, anxiety, and overload is an important part of the process. Engaging in the habit of self-care is essential to our daily lives and well-being.

9 Mindful Habits for Well-Being word cloud

Cultivating and protecting our well-being is deeply personal. It requires us to check in with ourselves regularly and be open to whatever we may need to feel less stressed, more fulfilled, and at ease. In this guide to well-being, you will explore nine habits to integrate into your daily life that will serve as helpful tools in sustaining emotional wellness. In the article, 9 Mindful Habits for Well-Being – Mindful, the authors identify nine practices or habits that you can engage in on a daily basis to support our well-being. These practices or habits are:

Meditation or mindful awareness
Inquiry
Engagement
Presence
Gratitude
Compassion
Movement
Relationships
Contribution

Of these nine practices, which are just the beginning of a myriad of possibilities, which one resonates with you most? Which one can you set an intention for today to support and enhance your own well-being? Remember, the first step is the most important. Identify one of the practices that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. Commit to making this a priority for yourself and for others. You deserve it!

Setting intentions

Let’s dig deeper into one of the nine habits. In conversations with educators and other adults, I am often asked “How do I prioritize my well-being with an already busy schedule?” So many of us feel like we cannot add one more thing to our calendar of events, but it is important to remember that taking care of ourselves should be one of our daily priorities. One of the easiest ways to begin is with a small step each day. One practice could be committing just a few minutes to self-reflection and setting an intention for the day. Each morning when you wake up, set an intention for self-care. An intention is an act of instance of deciding mentally upon an action or result. An intention may also be an aim that guides us to action.

When we take a moment to set an intention, we can open our eyes to things we may have missed. For example, by observing some of the little wonders of the world such as the laughter of a child, we can shift our perspectives in an instant. Voicing our intentions can help to take our mind off our problems and perceived limitations and help to shift our focus on something that could positively impact our lives. This doesn’t mean that we ignore our problems or challenges, it just means that we are taking some time for a mindful intention, a chance to be present and in the moment, without judgement.

Some examples of self-care intentions are:

“I intend to go on a mindful walk today and enjoy the beauty of nature and the great outdoors.”

“I intend to begin the habit of taking fifteen minutes for myself, to find a quiet corner and read a book.”

“I intend to take time today to write down three things that I am grateful for, allowing joy and positive energy to fill my mind, heart, and body.”

Intentions often have no limits and are expansive, they are not goals, but are about who you want to be and what you wish to contribute to your own self-care. Intentions can also include contributions to the greater good. For example, most of us feel concern about global issues, but sometimes feel like it is an overwhelming task. Just remember the butterfly effect: a slight change can result in significant differences. When we set an intention to act, we can open our mind to ideas, opportunities and the internal rewards that come from helping others.

It is important to remember the importance of small steps and building on the successes of each step taken on the never-ending journey of self-care. Try to maintain your daily intention for the week. At the end of the week, take a few moments to reflect on how your moments of self-care made you feel. Do you have more time for yourself? Are you able to reduce or release the stress that accumulates during the week? Do you feel a little better about life and how you are managing everyday stressors? Take a deep breath in and a deep exhale out, reflect things that happened that you are grateful for in the past week. It does not have to be an exhaustive list, and you do not have to share it with others, just take some time for quiet reflection on how it feels to take care of yourself.

To build on this practice, begin each week with a new self-care intention, if you want, start a brand new one, or make a habit out of your previous intention and carry it forward. Take note of how you feel and at the end of the week, engage in your weekly gratitude practice. See if you can continue this for at least three weeks. At the end, what do you notice about how you feel about yourself? Have there been any shifts in your perspective? Are you finding more time to take care of yourself? Dr. Dan Siegel, a well-known author and clinical professor of psychology, states that one goal of regular mindful awareness practices is to turn “a state of being into a trait.” Mindfulness practices are “good hygiene” for our brain and setting and intention and practicing acts of gratitude are just two strategies for training our brains to be happier and healthier.

Finding peace

According to Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, to experience peace does not mean that life is always blissful. It means that we can tap into a blissful or peaceful state of mind amidst the chaos of a hectic life. It is important to stop listening to those voices inside your head that tell you there is no time for self-care or that self-care is selfish. In our highly connected, technological, and fast-paced world, we have all learned that sometimes we just need to unplug, hit the restart button, and begin again. Sometimes this simple solution is all we need. Think of your brain as a part of your body’s central processing unit and take some time to shut down and restart each day. Your body and your brain will thank you.

For further information or questions, please follow me on Twitter @mshersey or visit us at http://www.globaleduadvisors.com/

Self-Care Planner

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About the Author – Dr. Maria Hersey

Maria Hersey is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships for World Savvy (www.worldsavvy.org) and has over 20 years of experience in K-16 education. She is the founder and principal advisor for Global Education Advisors (www.globaleduadvisors.com), and served as the Director of Education & Training for The Goldie Hawn Foundation, and regional program manager and development specialist for the International Baccalaureate (IB). Maria has also had the privilege of working in public education as an elementary school teacher, program coordinator, and assistant principal.

Maria’s work has received international recognition for her work in social-emotional learning (SEL), program design and evaluation, curriculum development, and global-mindedness. She has been an invited keynote speaker and has led a variety of workshops across five continents. Maria holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University. Her dissertation work focused on the development of global-mindedness and school leadership perspectives.

Maria’s work with children and educators is a fulfilling aspect of life that brings her great joy and happiness. She enjoys cooking, traveling the world, and spending time with family and friends. Follow Maria on Twitter @mshersey.