Gearfuse Technology, Science, Culture & More
The Teach to One program was created by New Classrooms, a non-for-profit organization based in New York. Teach to One uses a system of real-time monitoring of progress and creates unique learning modules for the benefit of every student, and also integrates teacher-led exercises within groups of children working within similar time frames. Implementing group work based on these parameters, Teach to One provides a balanced selection of traditional learning alongside innovative tech-based learning.
The program Teach to One was co-founded by Joel Rose and Christopher Rush. Even though the company relies on tech-heavy algorithms and technologies, Teach to One creates custom curriculum for all of its students, and each facet of the educational module is overseen by staff at Teach to One’s New York offices. The modules focus on growing cumulative skills with students working in three week “playlists”, with each module aiming to gain particular results, understanding of concepts, and comprehension that can be demonstrated and will aid in the completion of the next module.
Each math lesson takes into account a student’s progression, learning style, and outside factors, like the state’s testing requirements, time of day of each lesson style, and other outside factors that can aid in achieving success. All of this information is logged and processed through smart algorithms. Teach to One’s software is intuitive and responsive in nature and has the ability to adapt to changing features which allows for a limited amount repetitiveness, maximizing a student’s learning potential.
Teach to One provides a learning dashboard, which clearly outlines learning targets and transparently provides expectations. The learning dashboard also implements technology to monitor, assess, and recognize student success. It is accessible to parents, and monitored by New Classrooms staff members, which allows students to receive help not only with the content of their lessons, but with appropriate deadline expectations and goal planning. Each student is assigned a Math Advisor, who can use their motivation and a sense of shared responsibility to aid students in their ongoing success.
In 2015, Teach to One experienced considerable growth, and formed partnerships with schools within all four Continental time zones, an advancement that championed the company’s infrastructure and ability to sustain continued growth while maintaining quality control. When it comes to the company’s rapid growth, Co-Founder Rush has stated, “We want to be very responsible in every student’s education. They don’t get a do-over.” The tools of the program have been designed to teach math within the 5th to 8th grade parameters and Teach to One hopes to expand its offerings to encompass all grades and eventually integrate science into their custom-tailored curriculum.
One example of a school that has adopted and utilizes this program is Phoenix International Academy located in Phoenix, Arizona. They became a partner school in 2019. Phoenix International Academy serves 4th through 8th grade students who live in the South Mountain Community. Their community is “strong, diverse, hardworking, and resilient.” Most of the families of students who attend face socioeconomic struggles but care deeply about education and achieving each student’s dreams.
The staff claim they were all a bit nervous during the first days of implementation because teaching math according to the Teach to One curriculum was completely new to all of them. Fortunately, by the end of the second week of programming the teachers were “hooked!” The benefit was that the students were being taught at their instructional level rather than just grade level, and to see them succeed (specifically students who had not felt proud of themselves in math), is what the teachers say was exactly needed, every day.
Observers have noticed during the Teach to One block that students tend to exhibit a general feeling of relaxed focus. There are many different things happening at once, but all with the intent of each student getting what they require to be successful in terms of personal learning. The surprising elements of the Teach to One program to the staff has been the availability of linked content, materials, and websites with abundant student resources. It seems apparent to the teachers, “how quickly and prolonged student interest and excitement about learning math has become.”
The important concept behind Teach to One’s innovative learning model is that it ensures an effective, positive, and transformative mathematics experience for all students, independent of wealth, class, age, or level of initial understanding. This modern approach is an attempt to get students to truly enjoy their learning experience, and to even adopt math as their favorite subject. As these successes with learning in the classroom can begin at an early age, the fondness of students’ desire to learn will only grow throughout middle school and into high school. This is an integral part of learning and childhood throughout the United States and the world – to get students in a mindset of prolonged learning over years of their life in order to pursue their dreams and aspirations as they turn into autonomous young adults.
