Teaching Math in the Hybrid School
Ah Math! Everyone’s favorite subject, right?! I actually love math, but, in my experience, math is probably the single most challenging subject to teach in the hybrid model. Parents…and students…and teachers! all have opinions on math. They love it, they hate it, they tolerate it.
Strong leadership can allay some of the problems that can come with math. As a leader, you want to do your research well, choose a curriculum that straddles the home and school schedule well, and give it a solid and dedicated try before reassessing or changing.
A curriculum that works well for hybrids, in my experience, is usually a mastery program. Rather than having multiple topics covered and reviewed in each lesson, a mastery program will focus clearly on one skill for a while and keep the review sections tidy and predictable (such as one lesson per week or a review at the end of the chapter).
If the school days focus on primary teaching and application/practice, home days can then practice, and review can be assigned periodically. This way the school teacher knows that all the students are being introduced to the topic at the same time and the same pace. If the school chooses to be the review-er, the parent must be teaching and the school may have kids learning topics at different paces or even from different curricula. This can still work if the school days focus on arithmetic fluency only.
Not trying to do or cover too much is key! Following are some ideas:
Use a program like Math U See that is laid out by week and focuses on one new concept per week. This makes it clear what home and school will be working on each week and the school can then take either the review or primary teaching end of the week. This curriculum divides nicely between home and school.
Let parents use what they choose, but lay out a scope and sequence for the year and keep school focused on the arithmetic concept mastery of that year. Use the group to your advantage in the form of games. Stay focused!
Either way, lead confidently and communicate clearly to parents and teachers what their respective responsibilities are. Keep communication open through a survey at the end of the year and assessments often enough to catch any major problems.