It is 1:00 pm on a Tuesday afternoon in the state of Florida and 5:00 pm my time in the Açores. I am excited to meet my new fourth grade student online for a tutoring session in math during his school day. Normally, I’ve been working with students after their school day and on weekends, and though there has been great success, it requires a lot of extra energy from the students. In addition, often only the wealthy American parents can afford the extra cost of tutoring. In contrast, today’s session is made possible by a request from a teacher in the Polk Public Schools District and coordinated through the Varsity Tutors online tutoring platform. Thus, I am particularly excited to be a part of such an innovative idea that can potentially support both students and teachers.
As he enters the online session, sounds of an active classroom are immediately present. He and I both talk a little louder in order to hear each other. He has a high quality headset on and leans into the screen with focused attention. I hear 'Happy Birthday' wishes and see cupcakes move in the background. I ask him about this and he confirms that there is a birthday celebration. In fact, it is his best friend’s birthday. As our session is only 30 minutes, I’m aware that we only have a few minutes to get to know each other. The teacher has requested remedial math support and my responsibility is to create a meaningful and engaging lesson during that time. Considering this structure, I decide that my best approach is to be prepared with colorful visuals targeting typically challenging areas of fourth grade math and combine this with a communication style of coaching. I will need to get to know him throughout the lesson.
My aim is to get him talking and doing math as soon as possible.We begin with a math game using playing cards in which the face cards have been removed. As he builds large numbers and then reads them aloud, I can immediately understand his understanding of place value and overall number sense. Next, I ask him, “Of these topics in math: fractions, decimals, division, multiplication, word problems, measurement and geometry, which ones are easy or hard for you?” He says that he isn't quite sure about improper fractions and how to find a common denominator. Fortunately, I had guessed that this might be an area for us to work on and had prepared a few slides that we could work with.
Next I show him a chart of multiples and we discuss how it is similar to a multiplication table, but only shows the numerals so that patterns can be identified. He very quickly picks up on the understanding of this and frequently says “ah” throughout the lesson when he is making a connection. Next, we focus on reducing fractions, turning improper fractions into mixed fractions, and adding fractions with unlike denominators. I had already written four problems by hand on the online white board platform and ask him to talk out loud as he works through the problems.
At the end of the session I ask him to rate the quality of our time together using a Likert Scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most positive. He exclaims, “Actually, I’d give it a '6' because it was so good!” I say that I agree and that I really enjoy working with him and appreciate his focus during the lesson. We don't have time to talk more about what he specifically thought was so great about the lesson; however, my guess is that he appreciates the coaching approach I used with him. I aimed to treat him with respect, recognize what he already knew, and build self-awareness of his own learning needs. It is also inspiring to receive feedback from the teachers and hear that the lessons I am doing are on target for what they need; the quality time the student spends with me is having a positive impact in their life too.
I find this experience so energizing that I have signed up to work with six more students. Some will need support in reading fluency and comprehension; some with math. The frequency of the sessions and the duration of time varies. Some will be weekly and bi-weekly and only last for a week; others will last for three or four weeks. I am so grateful to Varsity Tutors and Polk County Public Schools for creating this dynamic learning model and opportunity for professional collaboration! From my perspective of 30+ years in education this looks like a win-win-win-win! A win for the student, a win for the teacher, a win for Varsity Tutors, a win for the school district, and a win for me!
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The mission of Polk County Public Schools is to provide a high-quality education for all students.
Polk County Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in the nation, encompassing more than 150 schools and serving more than 100,000 students through both traditional K-12 schools and a variety of other programs.
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