Preparing for remote learning amid COVID-19 concerns
UPDATE (4/1/20): We have created Math at Home resources by grade level (PK-5) to help educators, students, and families with this sudden shift to home learning.
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In recent days, we’ve had a number of conversations with Bridges educators who are preparing for the possibility of school closures due to the COVID-19 virus. These closures would obviously present a major disruption for educators, parents, and students. While remote learning is not ideal for elementary students, it may be necessary in some areas. To support educators in these trying circumstances, we put together some ideas and recommendations.
First, it’s important to acknowledge that Bridges in Mathematics was not designed for remote learning. Many of the aspects of Bridges that you appreciate as an educator—student discourse and hands-on learning with manipulatives, for example—will be difficult, if not impossible, in a remote learning environment. Then there are the challenges that districts will face with rushed roll-outs, including the need for rapid technology access and deployment, lack of sufficient PD on remote learning, and potential equity issues (particularly for students in intervention or with IEPs).
Creativity will be key, as only you know your unique mix of students and technology as well as the expectations of your administration, district, and community. Please consider the following resources as possibilities from which you can draw as you deal with this challenging situation.
This list will be updated as additional resources become available.
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Family Support Webpage: Families can access links to online games and activities that align with grade-level content.
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MLC Apps: MLC’s free math apps are available to the public and work with iOS devices, Chromebooks, and other devices running modern web browsers.
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Geoboard: This instructional video includes activities and problems to explore with the app.
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Pattern Shapes: Here you’ll find two downloadable lesson books you can use with the app.
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Create and save problems in the Number Rack and Number Line apps to share with students.
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Free Lessons & Publications: MLC offers the public a large collection of free lessons and publications, such as:
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Using the Rekenrek as a Visual Model for Strategic Reasoning in Mathematics – 10 activities along with an introduction to using the rekenrek or number rack. Use these ideas along with the free Number Rack App .
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Learning to Think Mathematically with the Rekenrek, available in English and Spanish, works well with the free Number Rack App .
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Learning to Think Mathematically with the Rekenrek, Supplemental Activities offers student-ready activities that build on the previous book.
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Pre-K Story Collection – Nine illustrated read-aloud books, each containing 2–4 mathematically rich stories.
In addition, Bridges educators have access to PDFs of student books, third-party resources, and other materials on the Bridges Educator Site.
We are interested in how you and your community are preparing for or implementing a remote learning program. Please share your ideas and insights in the comments.