Above: Langton School teacher Tracy Reese was recently selected as an Impact Influencer by Knowledgehook, an instructional guidance system that uses insights to assist teachers as they work with students’ individual needs to find success in numeracy.

Grand Erie Teacher Recognized as ‘Impact Influencer’ for Data-Driven Math Lessons

Langton School teacher Tracy Reese is being recognized for her engaging teaching methods and adaptive strategies that are fostering a love of math in her classroom. Reese was recently selected as an Impact Influencer by Knowledgehook, an instructional guidance system that uses insights to assist teachers as they work with students’ individual needs to find success in numeracy. 

“I use Knowledgehook at the beginning of the year to gain insight into where my students are by assigning a kick-off mission,” says Reese of the immersive game-based activities on the platform that are designed to improve student understanding while giving teachers digital instructional guidance tools. “Then, using the resulting data, I program and select tasks that support the needs of each student, and meet with them in guided groups, providing opportunities using concrete tools and modeling key concepts.” 

Right: Langton School teacher Tracy Reese.

When the pandemic hit and classrooms went remote, Reese utilized Knowledgehook to enhance at-home learning in engaging students, measuring growth and determining next steps.  

“Teachers can use the program to target specific skills and content through assigning missions or other tasks and activities to their students. They can be completed as a whole class, in small groups or independently at home,” explains Heather Brown, Grand Erie’s Elementary Program Coordinator. “The program then assesses student understanding of the skills and content, and this data shows up on the teacher's ‘dashboard.’ Teachers can quickly see who understands the content or demonstrated the skills, and who may need some extra support.”

Knowledgehook’s Impact Program recognizes teachers who demonstrate teaching methods of putting research into practice in their classrooms. For Reese, it’s a way to foster the curiosity and investigative skills of students at this age level, keep engagement levels high through variety and utilizing technology, and an important means of revisiting and reviewing key concepts throughout the year. 

“It’s a wonderful complement to a balanced math program, providing a way to cover the expectations of the curriculum and meet the needs of the diverse learners in my classroom.” 

Reese started her career as an educational assistant, and then decided to pursue an education degree, beginning teaching in the primary division. She’s spent most of her teaching career in junior/intermediate, and is currently teaching Grade 6/7. She also spent a year and a half as an instructional coach for Grand Erie. 

Grand Erie recognizes technology as a vital way to increase engagement and drive achievement, and works to promote environments that allow staff and students to utilize technology to meet differentiated learning needs.