SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, education software company LearnZillion announced the launch of its Student Spotlight Project, a new series of engaging, student-led videos that feature middle school students from across the United States collaborating virtually in a "Zoom-like" format.
The Student Spotlight Project will be launched on a rolling basis, beginning late September 2020, and will be embedded into the LearnZillion Illustrative Mathematics Grades 6-8 teacher and student experiences. The Student Spotlight Project will serve as a tool for teachers to facilitate student discussion, encourage a growth mindset, and empower students to reach deep conceptual understanding of mathematics by highlighting the similarities and differences in the students' respective productive challenges.
The Student Spotlight Project is developed to be used in live and virtual instructional settings to showcase authentic, day-by-day examples of student thinking and discussion, and will demonstrate how different students approach various tasks and milestones within the Illustrative Mathematics curriculum, which emphasizes supporting the whole learner.
"In these unprecedented times, peer collaboration and productive discourse – as well as successful modeling of what those concepts look like – are more important to student development than ever," said Eric Westendorf, CEO of LearnZillion. "The Student Spotlight Project is an engaging look at how students think, analyze and solve challenges in collaboration with one another. It's also a crucial demonstration of how to shift classes from workbook time to discussion-and-problem-solving time, whether those classes take place in person or outside of school, and everywhere in between."
Maya, Grade 6 Student Spotlight Team Member remarked, "I think the most exciting thing about being in the Student Spotlight Project is that I get to work with other kids my age, and I get to make new friends."
Seventh-grade team member Nadrian added, "The spotlight group discussions help me learn by really showing the different points of view on how to think about the problems, because everyone usually has a different way of solving them."
The Student Spotlight Project videos cover each part of an Illustrative Mathematics lesson, including the warm-up, the activities/task, and the synthesis. Teachers can use the videos while instructing a concept in synchronous or asynchronous distance learning, since the videos serve as models of small-group collaborative discussion. Additionally, teachers and students have access to a peer discourse model as they are building, solidifying, practicing, and applying their conceptual development.
Check out the LearnZillion Student Spotlight Team.
For more information and an introductory video, please visit: LearnZillion.com/spotlight.
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About LearnZillion
LearnZillion, a leading provider of K–12 online learning solutions and now a part of Edgenuity, curates and publishes the highest-quality core instructional materials supported by exceptional professional development. LearnZillion is committed to helping educators plan and deliver powerful, lasting learning experiences. Districts that adopt our curricula empower teachers to spend less time building student-facing materials from scratch and more time meeting their students' needs. For more information, visit LearnZillion.com.
About Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics. We develop and deliver core mathematics curricula along with deeply integrated professional learning experiences that ensure students receive engaging, high-quality mathematics instruction. Learn more at http://www.illustrativemathematics.org.
SOURCE LearnZillion
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