Start of Shift:

1. Please arrive five minutes before your scheduled session so that you can be ready to instruct at the start of your shift.

2. Be aware of parking restrictions. Please check with your center director

3. Coats may be hung on the rack at the rear entrance.  Food may be kept in the kitchen. To keep purses or other valuables safe, please feel free to store them in the bottom left-hand drawer of the main desk.

4. Pick up your name tag from its designated spot and return the name tag to the cabinet in the office at the end of the day.

5. Clock-in in at the instructor kiosk.  Please scan out at the end of the day. If you are not able to clock-in, inform your lead instructor or Center Director.

6. Pick up an iPad (currently not in use), a stamp, follow up notes, a black clipboard and any other items you may need. IPads, stamps, and calculators should be checked out when you take one and returned at the end of your shift.

7. Check with the center director or assistant center director to see where your assigned seat for the day is. Students will be permitted to select a pod to sit at.  If you pod has several students while others remain open, please send the student away asking them to select another pod, or tell the student to ask the lead instructor or Center Director where they should sit.

8. Prepare your pod for instruction

1. Follow-up Note

2. Date stamp

3. A+ stamp

4. Pencils

5. Erasers

6. Calculator

7. Desk tools

8. Scratch paper

Working with Students:

1. Greet each student by name when he or she arrives at your pod.  If this is your first time meeting that student, introduce yourself by name. Make sure student sitting at your pod is scanned in.

2. Have a thorough understanding of the Mathnasium Hour and the emphasis on the Mathnasium curriculum and distributive practice.

3. Start the appropriate logs and ask about school work. Review what the child has for homework, so that you are not surprised at the end of the session. Inform student when they should start their homework (usually at the beginning of the session) and how long they will be able to spend on homework before moving onto Mathnasium content.

1. Attendance Log: date, your initials, time, did the student bring in homework?

2. Homework Log: date, your initials, completion, proficiency, spot check, time spent. What specific topics did the homework cover? Is there an upcoming quiz or test? Remember top spot check student work. Do not use pens on student homework.

4. Technology may be used towards productivity. Some homework assignments may require internet connection. Check connectivity at the start of the session. Ask for Admin help in printing paper copy when appropriate.

5. Mathnasium emphasizes direct instruction and guided practice, as well as developing number sense.  Make certain each child knows what is expected on each page of Mathnasium work before you allow them to start on a page.  Find ways to incorporate number sense whenever possible.  Key concepts we like to emphasize are counting, wholes & parts, proportional thinking, quantity & denomination, and the law of sameness.

6. Use appropriate markups. Mark a √ when an answer is correct on Mathnasium work.  Circle incorrect answers and review them with the student.  Add a √ next to the circle when the student understands the question. Select a problem that he or she got right and ask “how they got it!” Feel free to offer extra punches in order to keep a student on task and focused.

For example: gives students two punches for long, repetitive pages (2x5 digit long division, decimal computation, etc)

7. As your math session progresses, please date stamp every page of the binder that a child completes.  Every child has a punch card clipped to the inside left pocket of the binder.  Please stamp that card with the corresponding number of punches, using the A+ stamp.  See Punch Card notes in this section. 

8. Encourage each student to complete the age-appropriate Problem of the Week (POW).  Give a punch for the correct answer. Mark which Problem of the Week (L, U, M, A) the student completed on the attendance log. This is not a requirement, but a good tool to use for students that feel overworked and need a break from binder work.

9. Instructor uses the answer keys for WOB pages and Prescriptives whenever needed. These can be found on Google Drive.

10. Complete Follow-up Notes in full and file completed pages. We manage student binders by exception and scheduled reviews so your documentation is crucial.

1. When a child completes a Mastery Check record this in your Follow-up Notes for that day.   Remove the entire Prescriptive from Section 2 of the binder.  File completed pages in Section 5 of the binder. Mastery Checks and WOB covers go in front of the red tab. All other pages go behind the red tab. If a student does not successfully complete the Mastery Check, make sure this is marked on the Follow-Up Note log, and “DNP” (did not pass) is written on the Mastery Check.

2. When a child completed a chapter of the Workout Book, record this in your Follow-up Note, with book and chapter number. The next chapter will be assigned.

3. When student attendance fill up the attendance logs, complete appropriate actions. For example when a new student complete the first 8 sessions, your follow-up notes should indicate student name and “Admin review- completed 8 sessions”.  When a student completes 10 or 20 sessions, record student name and add “admin review: completed 10/20 sessions”. Replace with new attendance log. Please do not replace attendance log for One-on-One students.

11. Assign specific goals and check-in with student throughout the session.

1. Gauge your students’ interest/enthusiasm for their content, give incentives for them to work on material they don’t like. For example, tell them to do 1-2 pages and then promise to move on, give them bonus punches, switch to a new section and come back later. 

2. Feel free to skip students past pages that they are completing with ease, and inform lead instructors of pages that seem way too difficult for the student. If a student is spending too much time on a page that shouldn’t take long, it might not be a good fit for them right now.

3. Some students need specific, concrete goals to motivate them and keep them focused, and others don’t. All students are different, and all students’ goals will be different. A good rule of thumb is 6-8 pages per session, but this will vary based on the student and their content. 

12. Reward student work with appropriate number of punches, or praise.

13. If at any point you find yourself overwhelmed or in need of help, feel free to ask a lead instructor for assistance with anything you might need, such as grading or answering questions from students.

14. Feel free to move any students that are not working well together, or are having behavioral issues. Ask a lead instructor for help if a student refuses to leave.

15. Student may not have outside food. Water and sugar free lollipops (up to 2) are available.

16. 5 minutes before the end of the session, if the student has earned a Mathlete score of 4 or higher, ask the student to spin the wheel. Check the mathlete score rubric in your black clipboard if you are not sure of what score a student deserves. Take this time to file back pages in Section 5.

17. Assign Mathlete score and record in student attendance log.

18. Direct each departing student to scan out and return the binder to you or the shelf. Make sure the student has all of his or her belongings. If a parent has a question, please direct them to see your lead instructor or Center Director.

End of Shift:

• Complete and submit your Follow-up Notes of the day.
  • Record student’s full name when follow-up is needed with Mathlete score in
  • Score MC and write MC number, number correct out of total without assistance, circle “Y”  or “N” for challenge question and if the student passed the mastery check. For example, “MC 123 :10/10 (Y)/N (Y)/N
•  If you are the last instructor at your pod, clean off your table, push in chairs, change the date stamp, sharpen pencils, and put all tools in the wire bin.
• Clock-out at the kiosk, return your name tag. Feel free to ask any questions that may have arose during your shift before you leave.

Student Binder Setup

Student binders are setup with 5 sections

1. Student Information

2. Prescriptives in Progress

3. Workout Book in Progress

4. School Related Items

5. Completed Work

Colored Pages

Student assessments are printed on blue and green paper. Please check with your lead instructor and Center Director for how to work with assessment students. One of the leads would be more than happy to help you through these pages.

Color Binders

Binder colors are used to indicate how long a student has been attending Mathnasium. White binders are used for most students.  Red binders are for free trial sessions and new students. Black binders are used for veteran students, level 4 and up.

Punch Cards

There are 5 different level cards: level 1 White (1-20), level 2 is red (21-40), level 3 is black (41-70), level 4 is gold (71-100), level 5 is platinum (100- ).  Each advancement means less stars to be punched to complete a card. If a student moves onto the next level, make a note of this on the Follow-Up Notes log.

RC does not count towards card number but does count towards redeemable prizes.

Students may redeem the cards as they complete them, or save them in the clip in the binder for future redemption. 

Make to initial each card a student fills out. If a student spins an RC, write it on their most recent card and initial it. 

One punch:

• Each page of a the Workout Book or Prescriptive, including Mastery Check

• Challenge question on Mastery Check

• Completing workout book chapter

• A correct answer for the POW (age-appropriate)

• Wearing a Mathnasium shirt or a Mathnasium wrist band

Occasionally, we will offer double punch day or double punch hour when a student celebrating a birthday is in the Center.

School Work

90% or better on a test qualifies students for a 5 punch card or a nerd rope.

You may reward improvements on tests and quizzes with punches.

You may choose to give students punches for their homework, corrections on quizzes and tests.

Supplies

We have two supply stations with scratch paper, lined paper, graph paper. We also have markers and color pencils, protractors, compasses, and scissors. Items used should be return to its original location.

Down Time

Get a drink of water. It’s important to stay hydrated. There is always a lot to do at the center. First thing is to take care of yourself!

• Set date stamp: at the start of the day to today’s date or at the end of the day to tomorrow’s date

• Walk around help check pages and assist students

• Review student binder and familiarize yourself with what students are working on

• Tidy up the center: student book case, game area, parent waiting area, teaching pods, reward cabinet, supply stations, study room, break room, stock room.

• Write math post card to students

• Check who need binder photos

• Clean student binder

• Clean inactive student binder

• Check and refill supplies at each pod

• Check and refill supplies at supply stations: front and back room

• Check and refill preprinted items in horizontal file. Please keep the file cabinet locked to prevent the drawer from opening on its own.

• Sharpen pencils, including back storage

• 3 hole punch colored paper: blue, green, yellow

• Make parent folders

• Continue your Mathnasium curriculum

• Practice areas of math you have  done in a while

• Ask your lead instructor on what else you can help with