- Year 2022
- NSF Award #1557323
- Registration Master Teaching Fellow
- First Name Monica
- Last Name Hunt
- Discipline Mathematics
- Institution Sacramento State University
- School Name and District Currently Teaching The Met Sacramento High School
Abstract
The 2020-2021 school year presented a unique challenge and opportunity for educators. Due to the necessity of distance learning, effective technology became more necessary than ever before. Additionally, due to the varied circumstances of students’ home environments, educators needed to be more flexible and understand challenges. This action research project addressed the following question: how can distance learning be made more accessible, engaging, and effective for high school math students? To attempt to do this, I undertook three interventions: I created videos for direct instruction, made self-grading quizzes that students could retake, and developed various methods for students to demonstrate their understanding. Feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive. They shared that these interventions, and the relationships my student teacher and I built with them, helped them feel understood. All students surveyed said they would like to keep the option of retaking quizzes and explained that they had a positive impact on their learning. While the videos and varied assessment methods had more variety in the responses from students, the majority were in favor of those as well. Following the study, I have considered which interventions to carry over into in-person settings. I have continued to offer retakable quizzes and create various assessment strategies but have found videos for direct instruction to be a challenge when students are in-person.
