It has been just over one month since the U.S. government and the CDC announced measures to ensure social distancing in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. Since the announcement on March 15, 2020, to refrain from gatherings of more than 50 people, stricter measures have been placed. The health of our population and the vitality of our economy have suffered, and the toll that it has taken on our education system could cause major setbacks for students across the country, both academically and socially.
As school districts and teachers struggle to find new and innovative ways to improve at-home learning for their students, there is one organization that is bringing its unique and highly successful school-based learning solution, Teach to One: Math, into the home. New Classrooms Innovation Partners is dedicated to providing a personalized education approach to improve student success through collaborative learning. Teach to One: Math is the organization’s flagship school-based learning modality.
Launched in 2012, the company has partnered with schools across the country to implement its math solution. The modality is specially designed for students to work with their own personalized curriculum with the goal to improve their overall educational experience. Joel Rose, co-founder and CEO of New Classrooms and Teach to One: Math, is a former fifth grade math teacher who saw the challenges that teachers faced when trying to help students learn and understand daily math lessons. Especially in math, if learning is hindered and gaps are present, the student suffers.
Teach to One: Math is a truly unique approach to personalized learning that enables students to learn the core principles of the curriculum at their own pace. Teach to One offers multiple instructional approaches or learning modalities that include collaborative group work, independent work, and traditional teacher-led instruction.
All modalities have instructor assistance available to ensure that students stay on pace and are fully understanding the concepts. The daily lesson plan also includes an exit slip, a five-question online assessment at the end of class that identifies how well the student learned the instructional concepts, which inform their schedule for the next day.
During a regular school year, students will meet in a large, open learning center for their 80–90-minute block, where they will find their daily schedule that includes information on which of the learning modalities they will be using that day to experience a new math concept. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent school closures, New Classrooms has integrated the Teach to One: Math modality to adapt to the current at-home learning model that schools have been forced to implement.
“We know that the lives of teachers, students, and their families are being upended in unimaginable ways,” said Rose. “As learning has largely shifted to the home environment, we have been able to leverage key aspects of Teach to One so that students can continue to access math curriculum, lessons, and assessments that are tailored to their unique strengths and needs.”
Teachers who are implementing Teach to One in their schools have begun collaborating with each other to identify how they can improve the student experience of at-home learning. Teachers from Ector County ISD in Texas say that despite the challenges of disrupting the day-to-day lives of many families due to COVID-19, they have noticed a higher than expected attendance and participation rate among their students.
While the solution that Teach to One has designed is meant to serve as a collaborative, in-person approach, it has been helpful in encouraging teachers and instilling confidence that their students will be prepared when they return to the classroom.
About New Classrooms Innovation Partners
Founded in 2011, New Classrooms Innovation Partners is an independent, national nonprofit that is on a mission to bring personalized learning to students across the country. Its innovative learning approach Teach to One: Math is an award-winning educational solution that has redesigned the traditional classroom learning experience. Teach to One creates content that engages students by meeting them where they are in their educational journey. Teach to One uses an open-concept classroom approach and utilizes technology, independent learning, and collaborative learning to help students understand the daily curriculum.
Prior to launching Teach to One: Math, Joel Rose and Chris Rush, co-founders of New Classrooms, launched School of One, a middle-grade math solution designed to improve students’ learning experience in New York City Public Schools. In 2009, School of One was named Best Invention of the Year by Time magazine. Teach to One: Math was built from the same principles as School of One and is now available in schools nationwide. Teach to One: Math ensures that students learn the right math lesson at the right time and in a way that adequately meets their individual needs.
