Can a remote academy run advanced classes for special-purpose and gifted high schools?
Students preparing for special-purpose high schools, gifted schools, or Olympiads are rarely satisfied with a standard curriculum. They often need hard proof problems in number theory and combinatorics, and even university-level calculus ahead of schedule, so these classes were long thought possible only at small offline academies. Today, though, a remote academy can run such advanced classes just as well. In this article, we walk through concrete ways to run advanced classes for special-purpose and gifted high schools and Olympiads at a remote academy.
Types of advanced classes a remote academy can offer
The range of high-difficulty classes a remote academy can actually run is wider than you might expect.
1. Regular classes preparing for the Korean Mathematical Olympiad (KMO)
These classes split the material into number theory, combinatorics, geometry, and algebra, and work through difficult proof problems. The key to such classes is board writing and instant Q&A. As the teacher writes out a proof step by step on the digital board, students need to be able to ask and get answers right at the point where they get stuck. To match the level of engagement of an in-person class, even a remote academy needs real-time board writing and two-way communication.
2. Advance university calculus seminars for students admitted to gifted schools and science high schools
These are small, selective seminars that coach incoming students through theory derivations and integration techniques using university-level textbooks. Because the groups are small, it is important to check and give feedback on each student's solution process individually.
3. One-on-one consulting for math research reports and mini-theses (school record entries)
In these sessions, the teacher looks through the student's math modeling report together with them, verifies formulas, shows how to visualize graphs, and gives feedback on drawing logical conclusions. Since the core of the session is sharing a screen and editing in real time, this is something that works well online, and is in fact often more convenient.
System elements needed to run advanced classes
To run such high-difficulty classes properly at a remote academy, you need to meet a few system requirements.
A live video class environment where real-time board writing and Q&A feel natural
An individual mode that lets you check each student's solution process separately
Screen share for giving feedback on reports and formulas
A learning management system that handles class videos, assignments, tests, and attendance in one place
The ClassCanvas live class program uses a one-board-per-student setup, so the teacher can see every student's working screen at the same time. This suits classes like KMO prep, where several students each work through their own proofs. With the one-on-one feedback feature, you can also run classes like research paper consulting, where you look closely at one student's screen and make corrections, without any trouble. Screen share is useful when you explain while looking at a graph visualization tool or a formula editor together.
Outside of class, it is also important to use the ClassCanvas learning management system to distribute video lecture materials in advance and keep a running record of assignments and test results. Students preparing for special-purpose and gifted high schools often have to follow a long-term curriculum, so their learning management records become a history of their growth.
Running a full year around competition and selection schedules
Preparation for special-purpose and gifted high schools and Olympiads runs on a one-year curriculum built around competition and selection schedules, not school pacing. The character of the class changes with the season: the weeks before a competition go to practice classes on past exams, and once the competition is over, the class moves on to the regular class for the next topic area.
Students write out their proofs on their own boards, and the teacher marks them up and gives feedback right on top. Gaps in logic are much easier to spot than when you only explain verbally.
In a small, selective class, you can also hold a presentation class where one student's solution is shared with the whole class and reviewed together.
You can pull up the board writing from previous classes in learning management, which is a good way to review the flow of a long proof.
The documents and steps needed to register a remote tutoring academy are covered in The 6 steps to setting up a remote academy, and how to decide between a remote tutoring academy and a remote lifelong education institute is covered in The difference between a remote tutoring academy and a remote lifelong education institute.
Wrapping up
Because advanced classes for special-purpose and gifted high schools and Olympiads deal with high-difficulty content, board writing, Q&A, and individual feedback all need to work smoothly. There is no reason for a remote academy to deliver lower quality in these classes. In fact, with features such as screen share and individual mode, you can offer even closer guidance than in an in-person class. If you want to run advanced classes in an online academy format, we recommend first thinking through how to combine tools such as the ClassCanvas live class program and learning management system, along with your curriculum design.
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