There are many thoughts and ideas that cross our minds at one point or another. Thinking back, I don’t think I ever followed through with many ideas in my life unless I had a deeper connection to them. This course has taught me that an idea can be more than just an idea.
When I want to have a vacation with my family, my first step is to brainstorm ideas of locations – just because I think it does not mean it will instantly happen – I must weigh my options first and come up with a plan that is thought out and consider many other things such as budgeting, lodging, transportation, and activities. There are so many components that go into making a trip idea come to life.
The same goes for an innovation plan or idea. The first step was deciding what I was passionate about and relating it to my current campus role. It was a no-brainer for me that I realized what supports teachers were lacking at my campus and as the mathematics instructional coach, I have many ideas on how to best support but sticking to one idea that would make an impact across the campus was the challenge.
I had to consider my current role while coming up with my innovation plan and writing a proposal letter aimed at administrators on my campus. I am lucky to work with administrators who are open to listening to ideas as long as there is a plan in place. It is important to also share my WHY as it is what is driving this innovation plan. I am hoping that those who are interested can connect and understand through my promotional video. My role would be to support teachers who are in the trenches every day and take their feedback in order to improvise where needed.
Once a connection is made, I must prepare for the question “How do you know this will work?” and my literature review will help answer that question. I have worked to focus on the benefits of the implementation of blended learning through the rotation model and create an understanding of what that will look like in the classroom. Furthermore, an annotated bibliography (coming soon) will evaluate my sources and their credibility.
I have built great relationships with teachers on my campus and with that in place, it is safe to say they will be excited to move forward with the plan that will be put into place. On our campus, most of us agree that we must be more effective with the implementation of the rotation model to ensure that students are engaged and learning at every possible moment. My implementation outline will help clarify what implementation will look like this upcoming school year and through the next year.
I am looking forward to exploring other literature that will help with my implementation as well as my understanding of focusing on the vision. This program has pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I am most excited to build on my passion for teaching and learning.