Jeremy Kaplan
As an integral part of American society, the quest for a unilaterally comprehensive education across the country is an evolving goal that calls upon innovation, commitment, and deliberate action. With ongoing discrepancies in quality of education throughout various areas, ongoing detriment in cumulative math skills, and a continued lack of physical resources for many schools, the quest for providing unparalleled education is often met with a myriad of proverbial roadblocks. With a dedication to move past these barriers, many companies, non-profit organizations, and disruptive innovators are successfully developing the forward-thinking tools that can modernize the traditional educational system, and foster positive results for each participating student.
As an entirely cumulative subject, math relies on the principle of mastering basic skill sets, and implementing this baseline understanding to garner knowledge of increasingly complex topics, increasing the baseline with each step. Due to this ongoing evolution of cumulative learning, deficits in learning can manifest themselves early within education, and continue to increase over time, as students continue to be unable to proverbially “catch up”. The detrimental nature of this issue is seen across the country, especially in densely populated school districts like New York, where teachers do not have the resources to engage in the bespoke one to one education needed to effectively bring every child up to speed.
Recognizing the detriment this gap has on college preparedness and long-term success for countless students, the non-profit group New Classrooms has developed Teach To One, an innovative learning model designed to provide bespoke math education for every student. Within the Teach To One model, the benefits of personalized learning are maximized through continuously evolving bespoke learning modules, intuitive analytics that drive next steps within the cumulative learning process, and ongoing monitoring aimed at maximizing comprehension of all tasks through the approach that works best for each student.
As students enter the school year with varying levels of comprehension, and unique needs, Teach To One determines the starting point best suited for each student, and creates bi-weekly learning modules aimed at garnering mastery of a specific goal. Throughout the two week period, student activity via is intuitively monitored to determine ongoing comprehension success, with lessons repeated as necessary, presented in new formats designed around the particular student’s most effective learning styles. Daily “exit interviews” provide ongoing insight related to the efficacy of each lesson, and determine whether there is need for repetition of a lesson, or if the student can proceed to the next lesson.
Creating a well-balanced model that incorporates traditional learning methods with innovative tech-based methods allows Teach To One to integrate educationally based math skills with real-world implementations of math strategies. Through individualized learning modules, students have the opportunity to master various math related skills, which are then implemented within small group-based activities, providing the social emotional learning needed within educational development. As each group activity is scheduled to include students who are working on the same tasks, each student can actively participate in the group project without feeling left out, or otherwise not up to speed. The model also incorporates traditional instructor-led education, wherein teachers provide a specific lesson plan to a group of students who are working on the same lesson, maximizing the teacher’s ability to provide a thoughtful lesson that will appropriately fit the comprehension of students at any given time. Finally, Teach To One incorporates real-world projects aimed at providing students with an understanding of ways in which specific math lessons are integrated within everyday life.
Tailored around each students’ needs, goals, learning styles, and abilities, Teach To One is a personalized learning tool that actively disrupts the status quo, and provides opportunities for students to excel through personalized learning. Not only does the implementation of Teach To One within schools provide students with an interactive learning environment more conducive to overall success, it also provides educators with the tools needed to maximize their teaching agendas. With teachers responsible for the education of thirty students within one classroom, all at different skill levels and comprehension, it is often impossible to provide the one on one attention needed for each child to gain a uniform level of understanding for the grade level. With limited resources, limited time, and growing classrooms, countless teachers recognize this ongoing problem, especially within cumulative subjects like math. Thus, for many teachers, implementing the innovative learning model of Teach To One has provided them with the tools needed to maximize learning, focus on smaller groups of students at the same level of comprehension, and spend time actively teaching smaller groups without sacrificing the remainder of the students.
Founded by Joel Rose and Chris Rush, Teach To One helps schools redesign classrooms to maximize the success of each student. Partnered with many participating schools across the country, Teach To One is implemented in New York’s Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School, and J.H.S 088 Peter Rouget for the 2019-2020 school year. As a former fifth grade math teacher, Co-Founder Joel Rose recognizes the status quo educational model as a structural problem that requires systemic change, and a fundamental reimagination of the classroom in order for each student to receive the bespoke education needed to flourish on a long-term basis. Teach To One certainly provides an effective marriage of the bespoke operational components and educational components needed to provide a completely personalized learning experience for each student. As education continues to be an integral part of American society, a society that thrives on evolution and forward-motion, Teach To One is a reigning example of the transformative benefits of innovation in the newly redefined classroom.
