Math Schedule and Hybrid Routines

I’ve been teaching in a hybrid model setting for most of the school year. My school started remotely and proceeded with an in-person staggered start. The classes are divided so I have half of the students in the morning and the other have in the afternoon. I appreciate that the school has made social distancing a priority and is limiting the amount of kids in a physical classroom at one time. The overall schedule has also changed and my math block has decreased to 40 minutes instead of 60.

Long story short, I teach kids at home and in the classroom at the same time. My instruction is mostly digital. I do that for a number of different reasons. While the digital model hasn’t been ideal, it allows everyone to participate and I can gauge engagement by looking at a teacher dashboard. My agenda and routines for each class have changed over time. Currently this is how I’ve been managing my quick 40 minute block.

11:00 – 11:05

Students come into the classroom and login to Zoom. Students at home do the same. Once everyone is logged in we start the meet and greet session. Usually there’s a prompt that students answer. This is whole group and students talk to each other about the responses. This time is dedicated to help build classroom community and connect with students. You can find many of the pictures for the meet and greet here.

11:05 – 11:10

Students log on to Nearpod for a brief review of past concepts. I use Nearpod for this time slot around three days a week or so. It’s a quick 2-3 slide presentation. Sometimes I’ll replace the Nearpod with a Quizzes or Desmos task. This time is purposefully used for students to review past concepts and I can see if additional practice is needed for specific skills.

11:10 – 11:25

Students take a look at the agenda slide and then review the goal for the day. The class completes a consumable journal page under the document camera. This is generally the time that is used to introduce new concepts/skills. Questions are asked the most during this slot. This time slot can be a challenge to manage as far as engagement is concerned. Still tweaking.

11:25 – 11:40

During this time students are either working in breakout rooms, on a set of problems from the consumable journal or independently working through a teacher-paced Desmos task. During this time I’m working in Zoom breakout rooms with students or sending feedback through the Zoom chat. I’ll often turn off my mic and video so I can hear the students and so the conversation doesn’t slow when I enter a breakout room. At times I might ask a question or two to check for understanding. The class then comes back together before the end of the session to review the group work/Desmos task results. There’s a quick closure statement about what we explored that day. I then say goodbye and a new group of students start populating the Zoom waiting room.

This routine will probably change, but it has been working so far. Ask me in a week and I might have a different answer.