Renovating Innovation, The Plan

Dear Frustrated and Determined Self,

"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 ‘Wonder Women’ and shattering the glass ceilings of education one classroom at a time."

This is how I ended the letter of my initial innovation plan. I was full of hope and excitement as I printed seven copies for my presentation, checked the outlook calendar for everyone involved, and packed some gummie bears for an extra boost. With this statement in mind I worked every angle I knew and applied everything I had learned from the research into the development of this plan.

In the classroom my students were able to shift from the traditional sit - and - get method of teaching and move to learning in a way which benefited them. This was a huge success because students were engaged, free thinking, and able to enjoy learning again.

In looking at the lack of support by administration I realized that the initial vision for bringing blended learning into the ELAR classroom could have been developed more tightly and a shorter window for implementation could have been applied. We must be willing to visit and revisit the plan to ensure all gray areas have been thought through and properly assessed.

Moving forward I see the need to have a backup plan ready versus waiting to create one after something comes up. In addition to this we are able to apply the lesson learned through the growth mindset and the use of existing, updated research. Trusting the process and giving the plan time to work are essential for the application of every lesson associated here.

The Updates:

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

shift from the traditional sit-and-get teaching method by adding the rotation model where students work in different activities or centers, including whole-group instruction, small group instruction, peer-to-peer activities, pencil and paper assignments, as well as individual work on a computer.
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 by using existing data to drive the necessary learning focus and support the incorporation of blended learning in the classroom.
reduce educator stress associated with creating differentiated learning through available rotations already designed in teacher support forms, i.e. teacherspayteachers.com.
give students the opportunity to reflect faster and stay connected to their emotions while learning through e-journals and/or web dairies
select a class period to be a demo class for admin. to come and have a visual of how a blended classroom should look and allow them to capture the plan in action.
conduct professional development trainings on blended learning to famaliraize other teachers and build confidence in moving the plan forward