Math, Virtually Anywhere

Students at Lakeview, Peterson, Sendera Ranch, and Nance are taking part in their very first virtual classroom. Each morning, students arrive at their designated location and connect with their teacher and classmates via Zoom on their Chromebooks. These 4th and 5th graders are taking an Advanced Math course with Lakeview’s GATES teacher, Mrs. Andrews in Northwest ISD. Mrs. Andrews is innovative in the way she delivers content to all of her students through a variety of platforms. She provides opportunity for collaboration for her students and has a constant presence in their learning beyond the four walls of her classroom. The relationships she has built with her students, both in person and virtually, provide a necessary foundation for this class' success.

Students are able to access all course content through Google Classroom. This can include instructional videos, presentations, links to resources, and so much more. Together they have been able to experience the world of online learning and discover what it means to be part of an online community.

Actually working together to complete a task in their virtual classroom has been a new experience for them all. While being connected through Zoom, students have used Google Slides to collaborate during the work period. Zachary shared how that process works, “Since there's a chat button we chat to each other to share our ideas with each other.” Braylen goes on to say his collaboration in Google Slides is primarily done through the commenting feature. He and his partner are able to compare their answers and discuss any differences by leaving each other a comment. Both boys see great value in working collaboratively with their peers, both in person and virtually.

When asked what Zachary has enjoyed most about his experience in a virtual classroom, he said, “I like this because we get to connect with other people, learn new ideas from them, and work together with new classmates who have different math skills than everyone else in the classroom”.