We know that some students may struggle to engage in learning. How can teachers foster student engagement? Try setting classroom goals around Knowre Math participation and providing specific, constructive feedback. In this article we will explore 4 different strategies for boosting student engagement. While we will discuss these strategies as they relate to Knowre Math, they can also be used more broadly in the classroom to support overall student engagement in learning activities. 

Each new school year students enter into the classroom with gaps in their prior knowledge. The challenge of how to address those gaps, while simultaneously introducing students to new grade-level standards, is a difficult balancing act.

Many Knowre Math students start the new year off by taking Knowre’s Ready? Check. Go! (RCG) diagnostic. The RCG was created to identify incoming skills gaps by giving students a chance to show what they know on key topics from the previous year (ie. 7th graders take a Ready! Check. Go! focused on 6th grade math skills).

I spend a lot of time talking with teachers about data. Data is at the core of much of what we do at Knowre and it is also at the core of how many of our teachers make instructional decisions in their classrooms. 

In most classrooms teachers are the primary collectors and analyzers of data. In a smaller number of classrooms, however, teachers are opening up this process to their students as a way to further engage them in the learning process. 

Summer assignments this year are much different than years past. 

With many summer programs and local recreational options being cancelled in their physical forms due to COVID-19, students will have more unstructured time on their hands. There is also the pressure of needing to help students not fall further behind, to cover missed standards, and to give all teachers and learners time to recharge. 

At the beginning of each school year, teachers and students engage in activities and conversations which are designed to set expectations. In many elementary school classrooms, processes and procedures are not only introduced, but actively practiced again and again.

Often during this time, little to no academic content is being taught. These efforts, though time consuming, create an environment in which learning can occur because everyone knows how to interact and behave within the classroom. This time spent at the beginning of the school year typically reaps dividends as the year progresses.

In the immense plethora of emotions and things to deal with during this time, we at Knowre want to help where we can.  

Personalized learning (however you may define it) is a fundamental tenet of what we strive to accomplish through Knowre Math. Our goal is to mirror the one-on-one interaction between a student and a teacher as much as possible. 

As countries across the world take steps to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, normal school routines are being disrupted. Knowre Math can be a critical resource in helping to ensure that math learning is still occurring at home when students are not able to attend school in-person.

When building your new math plan, it is important to think about expectations, accountability and celebration. Together these three elements can create a supportive and predictable math learning environment that will not only help promote continued skill development, but also a sense of normalcy in a temporary and new routine.

Data related to the Common Core State Standards is now available on the Knowre Math Teacher Dashboard. To access this data, click on the “CCSS” data view option (see image below).

With education instruction and technology changing so frequently, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to keep up with the trends and terminology necessary to feel "in the loop" (especially with many education conferences right around the corner). 

One such education term that has emerged is student agency. This article explores the following frequently asked questions about this timely topic:

Adaptive learning. Personalized learning. Differentiated instruction. Online learning. Hybrid learning. The "flipped" classroom. Blended learning.

With both education instruction and technology changing so frequently, sometimes it can feel difficult to keep up with the trends and terminology.

Let's take a deep dive into blended learning, including: