The reflection process involves engaging in deep thinking about experiences, actions, and emotions. It involves analyzing events and considering their impact to identify lessons learned for future improvement. The last several months, my approach to learning has positively changed my perceptions of teaching and student learning.
Pathway to Authentic Learning
When I embarked on this learning journey, I realized I was going to be pushed out of my comfort zone. I was used to learning structures where I was provided with given timelines, outlines, and guidance. During the first course of this program, we were asked to select a tool to design an e-Portfolios AND to decide on a topic for an innovation plan. I was just a bit overwhelmed as I was unsure where to begin.
Choices & e-Portfolios
Being so new to the program, I decided to reach out to my peers, especially those who had already begun the program before myself. Initially, I thought Google Sites would work for me as I had created a math site for my campus through there – but then we were informed Google Sites was going away as an option. Based on peer feedback, I was between WordPress and Wix. I quickly learned that Wix might work best for me due to the preset pages available and that is what I went with. I am not going to lie, I am an overthinker, so I initially created a page including my About Me section then decided it was NOT what I envisioned. After hours of work, I scrapped the page and started over. During the second attempt, I was happy with how it was looking and after several YouTube tutorials, I learned all about navigation pages and how to make those work better for my site. It was an adventure, to say the least!
Innovation Ideas
This topic was a no-brainer for me. As an elementary mathematics instructional coach, I have been guiding and supporting teachers to include blended learning in their workstation routines, so I knew that my plan had to be aimed at what I was already working on. Our district has already been so supportive with blended learning that we have so many easy to use and ready to go resources for our students. The next steps included brainstorming best practices for implementation – this is where I had to reflect several times and truly consider and prepare for teacher input and pushback.
My innovation plan is aimed at creating self-directed learners through blended learning implementation in elementary mathematics classrooms. Looking back, I have self-reflected several times throughout this process refining my plan as I considered how teachers and students might respond. I also realized this is all part of the innovation process – we plan, refine, implement, reflect...and the cycle continues because it is not always going to be smooth sailing!
Philosophies of Learning
Through the authentic learning approach of COVA, I have discovered more about myself and the process that works for me as a learner. My learning philosophy includes information about my findings of the different learning theories but to sum it all up, I found myself between cognitivism and constructivism. I decided that my past learning experiences along with the most recent have shaped me to have this mixture of learning styles.
CREATING SIGNIFICANT LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
I learned more about the key principles and strategies to consider when designing environments that foster engagement, motivation, and academic success.
Professional Development Plans
The best way to involve teachers and support their classroom implementation of blended learning, is to understand their needs. I can do this by giving them the opportunity to decide how to focus our campus learning prior to implementation. This can be done via a survey so that I can take that feedback and plan accordingly.
Allison Gulamhussein’s 5 Principles of Effective Professional Development highlights principle 3 as “Teachers’ initial exposure to a concept should not be passive, but rather should engage teachers through varied approaches so they can participate actively in making sense of a new practice”. Principle 1 describes the “duration of professional development must be significant and ongoing to allow time for teachers to learn a new strategy and grapple with the implementation problem”. I have a feeling these principles will drive my plans for effective PDs for teachers.
Incorporating COVA Methods
Although my innovation plan focuses on students, I must ensure I reach the teachers first. After all, they will be the ones who will take what they learn and implement it in the classroom. Here are some ways COVA can be incorporated for both teachers and students:
Choice
Teachers – Through surveys, let teacher feedback drive how professional learning will be implemented as well as provide various choices for learning
Students – In the classrooms, students will have options for tools to use for their learning, whether those are digital or concrete
Ownership
Teachers – As a district, we will be transitioning to Canvas as LMS, they will have the choice to design their LMS math course to fit the needs of their class
Students – They will be able to access resources and assignments tailored to their needs
Voice
Teachers – I will provide checkpoints for teachers to provide feedback throughout implementation, this will help me hear their concerns and prepare an action plan
Students – Teachers will be able to conference with students to understand what may or may not be working for them in the blended learning framework
Authentic Learning
Teachers – Through PD sessions, teachers will learn skills that will be applied when implementing blended learning in their classrooms. We will be in a constant cycle of learning, applying, and reflecting.
Students – Teachers will guide students through new skills and resources that students will then put into practice in their learning environment
CHALLENGES
Through reflection, I found that I may be running into several hurdles both with teachers and students. Some of those are listed below:
Teachers:
Needing 1-1 support
Time management for planning and implementation
Time management for balancing in-person teaching with online components
Designing assessments that align with online and in person components
Ensuring equitable access to resources and support for all students
Students:
Encountering technical difficulties that are not easily troubleshooted
Managing time effectively through workstation time and independent learning
Proficiency levels for digital literacy may differ
Balancing online learning activities while still engaging in traditional classroom instruction
Effective communication with teachers and peers
May have different learning preferences
CONCLUSION
After 10 years in education, I have learned the value of reflecting to refine and grow. Having the opportunity to reflect through this program has taught me more about myself as a learner and now an innovator. What I found very helpful was the connections with peers in the program as their feed-forward was very valuable in helping to shape my thoughts and ideas.
References:
Gulamhussein, A. (2013, September) Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf. Dropbox. https://www.dropbox.com/s/j13c5mk092kmqv9/Teaching_Effective_Professional_Developmt.pdf?dl=0
Harapnuik, D. (2021a). COVA. Harapnuik.org. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991