Innovative Planning Proposal

Innovative Planning

De Zavala Middle School

707 W. Pioneer Drive

Irving, TX, 75061

2nd May 2019

Greetings and Great Health Hawks!

As we come close to the end of the year, I would like to thank you for all of your hard work and the dedication you show our students on a daily basis. The job of an administrator is no easy feat. I am certain I speak for everyone on campus when I say thank you.

As we continue to break chains off the minds of our scholars, we must remember that the archaic method of learning is stagnating the academic progression we seek to create. Students are being advanced without the ability to demonstrate their learning, educators are struggling to keep up with the growing demands of state facilitated education, and the effective use of technology in the classroom is often abandoned for fear of trounce. Those affected the most are often performing below grade level or already classified as SPED/504. If the problem is not caught and corrected as swiftly and aggressively as possible, we are sure to do a disservice to our students and ourselves.

I propose an innovative plan of action that will engage all students and as well as eliminate a huge portion of the burden educators carry by shifting students from the traditional sit and get method of teaching and allowing classrooms the freedom to evolve into the now. For our Hawk Scholars, the now has come and is on the precipice of passing us by.

Starting with the tier 3 students I surveyed them to see how they thought their learning could be enhanced. More than half indicated some form of computer usage to help when the pace is faster than they would prefer. Three students stated rotation on a constant basis would help them focus and buy in to the learning objectives each day.

Initially I wondered how the students’ suggestions could work in our ELAR classrooms. I surveyed the tier 1 and tier 2 students as well and the results mirrored the tier 3 students; indicating that the effective use of technology would be highly beneficial to their academic success. After considering the resources readily available on our campus I checked with the technology department to see how frequently scholars and staff are engaging with technology throughout the day as well as on a weekly basis. The results showed roughly 12% of the time iPads and chrome books are being used as a supplement to instruction.

I am proposing the incorporation of blended learning in every ELAR classroom to:

shift from the traditional sit-and-get teaching method thus avoiding boredom
create more flexibility to increase rigor for tier 1 (76% +) learners and grow up with grade level (and one step below to close the gap) rigor for tier 3 (54% -) learners
reduce educator stress associated with creating differentiated learning by providing focused PD on the content
give students the opportunity to reflect faster and stay connected to their emotions while learning
increase technology usage to 25% by the end of the 4th 6 weeks and 38% by the end of the school year

Why not close the achievement gap and remove educator stress by introducing structured technology into the classroom? Students are already using technology devices for their non-scholastic needs. This proposal would increase student productivity and engagement while elevating the stress of educators by utilizing new resources that are already available.

Alfred Mercier said “what we learn with pleasure we never forget”. I submit introducing pleasure into the classroom will revitalize our students, invigorate our educators, and keep the focus on the learning where it belongs. Together we are better.

I look forward to expanding the growth of our Hawk Scholars and shattering the glass ceilings of education one classroom at a time.

Kindest regards,

Candace L. Moffitt

6th/7th grade ELAR, Educational Practitioner

ADDENDUM:

Innovative Planning - Update

De Zavala Middle School

707 W. Pioneer Drive

Irving, TX, 75061

2nd May 2019

Greetings Hawks!

As always, thank you for taking the time to receive and consider this communication. Revolutionizing our classroom to expose our scholars to the highest degree of education possible is not easy feat however the task is one well worth undertaking. This letter is an update to the innovative planning proposal submitted in January.

The innovation proposal was a great success. Fellow educators were given tools to enhance their classrooms, as well as themselves and exposed our scholars to a new world of technology they had yet to explore. The training session have been beneficial to all teachers who attended. The feedback has been helpful in reflecting on how the information was presented and what things could be changed to make it more engaging. Below is a breakdown of glows, grows, and how much is left to monitor and employ.

Glows:

PD before and after school
Using my classroom as a test ground
Modeling blended learning
Giving educators the same video links and books to read that I learned from in class
Having a pilot teacher, Ms. Williams, who also used her room as a test ground

Grows:

The interactive opportunities during the PD sessions
Availability of myself and/or Ms. Williams to answer questions during class time
Frequency of PD sessions
Length of PD sessions
Help with pooling resources and developing lesson plans
Ways to use technology effectively in the lesson

Still to do:

Check with the technology department for updated numbers on in class usage
Revamping the PD sessions to include more interactive opportunities
Creating a Professional Learning Network within our campus for additional support
survey teachers on interest and effectiveness of updates thus far

One of the most significant lessons I have learned throughout this process is asking for help. When things seemed dismal, there were people I could go to for help if I simply asked. Often as educators we do not want to be a burden or add something else to the plate of our comrades. This keeps us from seeking assistance and taking on added stresses that can affect our ability to perform. This was essential to my innovation plan because there were so many things I did not know. Another lesson I learned was to have a time management system in place. Without it, deadlines were cut close or even changed to accommodate all schedules involved. This lesson was important because of how many people were involved in the success of this plan.

For the coming year, I plan to have Blended Learning sessions during our teacher workdays, and I have already spoken with Principal Horgan about offering PD credit hours again for the session. I will also have the Professional Learning Network fully functioning by the start of the 2019-2020 school year. My next innovation is currently in the works and I look forward to sharing the new proposal with you. As we all remember why we started and why we want to revolutionize education, I am always reminded that it is both where we come from and where we are going that will change our world. Our world begins with us.

Kindest regards,

Candace L. Moffitt, M.Ed.