EDLD 5314

EDLD 5314

Artwork by Maya Hayuk

BHAG —  

My big, hairy, audacious goal is that Cindy Avitia High School will take the tools they’re already using (Google Classroom, Google Drive, Google Slides, etc…) to create a learning environment that empowers students by putting them in charge of their own learning.

AUDIENCE —

Cindy Avitia High School is a small, public charter school startup in Silicon Valley that was created by parents who were unsatisfied with the school offerings in the area.  Though we are surrounded by high-tech companies like Google, Apple, Intel, and more, our school is just a startup and we have few resources to work with.  We do, however, have chromebooks for students and Macbooks for teachers, and access to Google Apps for Education, and our school has a great digital system for lesson planning/sharing in place using these tools.  Our teachers are mostly young, scrappy, think-outside-the-box educators who are willing to try new things, but only if it leads to greater student achievement.  There are 20 teachers at this school.  

DESIRED RESULTS —

That teachers will take the current lesson planning/sharing system we are already using, move instruction to Google Classroom, and design an online learning environment that uses COVA principles to put students in charge of their own learning.  

MY “WHY” —

The “why” of my project is what drives me as a teacher, and what powers everything I do for my students, whether they’re my students in school or participants in my art workshops and public art events.  My “why” pushes me to advocate for change within my school and in the larger educational system.  You can find my “why” statement here.

OUTLINE OF PL PLAN —

All good results depend on planning.  My Professional Learning plan started with a simple outline and grew into an online course for my teachers.  You can find the outline here.  You can also read my blog post about my plan concept here.

TIMELINE

This PL will take place over a semester, with a new concept introduced at the first PL of each month.  The rest of each month will be for implementation and team/coaching meetings to support each new concept.

3-COLUMN TABLE

5 PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE PL

  1. Duration :  This PL experience will be ongoing for an entire semester, with weekly coaching check-ins.
  2. Support :  Teachers will work collaboratively as teams, and one-on-one with coaches to implement what they learn
  3. Initial Exposure:  Teachers will learn by navigating a model online learning environment and creating their own learning environment through the modules.
  4. Modelling:  the PL course, itself, is a model of what the teachers will be creating.  Each module will include real-life modeling of each lesson objective.
  5. Content:  Since teachers will be creating things for their own courses, their learning experience will be customized for their own needs, not generic.

VIDEO PITCH

EDLD 5388 Pitch Video from Rebecca Recco on Vimeo.

THE COURSE AND RESOURCES

This Google Classroom course is accessible only within the Alpha Public Schools institution.  These settings are important to keep student information private and protect our students. Below is a list of the lesson slide decks and resources included in the course:

This slide deck offers an introduction to the course.

Flipped Classroom:
Flipped Classroom Slide Deck
The Flipped Learning Toolkit — everything you need to flip your classroom

COVA:
COVA Slide Deck
COVA — It’s About Learning

Universal Design:
UD Slide Deck
Understanding Universal Design in the Classroom  — Making learning accessible to all students.
Universal Design for Learning — An extensive guide to using UD to improve learning for all students.

Flexible Learning Environment:
Flexible Learning Environment Slide Deck
Flexible Classrooms:  Providing the Learning Environment Kids Need — How to encourage student choice with tantalizing spaces
Flexible Seating and Student-Centered Classroom Redesign — A deeper dive into Flexible Learning Environment design

Assessing Student-Led Learning:
Assessing Student-Led Learning Slide Deck
Learner-Centred Assessment — a guide to creating assessments for student-centered learning
4 Keys to Aligning Outcomes, Activities, & Assessments — example and more information about planning actives and assessments.  3 column table example

Sharing and Celebrating Student Work:
Sharing and Celebrating Student Work Slide Deck
Celebrations of Learning:  Why This Practice Matters — the “why” of celebrating student work
Showcasing Student Work –Specific ideas for celebrating student work

RESOURCES:

Albermarle Public Schools. (2015). Flexible Classrooms:  Providing the Learning Environment Kids Need. In Edutopia. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/practice/flexible-classrooms-providing-learning-environment-kids-need

Bergmann, J. and Sams, A. (2014). The Flipped Classroom Toolkit.  Edutopia.  Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/video/flipped-learning-toolkit

Centre for Teaching Excellence. (n.d.). Learner Centred Assessment.  Retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/assessing-student-work/grading-and-feedback/learner-centred-assessment

Darby, A. (n.d.). Understanding universal design in the classroom. Washington, DC: National Education Association (NEA). Retrieved from http://www. nea.org/home/34693.htm

Delzer, Kayla. (2016).  Flexible Seating and Student-Centered Classroom Redesign.  Edutopia.  Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/flexible-seating-student-centered-classroom-kayla-delzer

EL Education.  (n.d.).  Celebrations of Learning:  Why This Practice Matters.  Retrieved from: https://eleducation.org/resources/celebrations-of-learning-why-this-practice-matters

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. John Wiley & Sons.

Graham, Edward. (n.d.). Showcasing Student Work.  Retrieved from: http://www.nea.org/tools/57917.htm

Gulamhussein, A. (2013). Teaching the Teachers Effective Professional Development in an Era of High Stakes Accountability. Center for Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/Teaching-the-Teachers-Effective-Professional-Development-in-an-Era-of-High-Stakes-Accountability/Teaching-the-Teachers-Full-Report.pdf

Harapnuik, D. (2016, September 29). COVA model [Web post]. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?s=cova

Harapnuik, D. (2016, November 28).  4 Keys to Aligning Outcomes, Activities, & Assessment [Web post]. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?tag=3-column-table

TKI. Universal Design for Learning.  Retrieved from:  http://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/universal-design-for-learning/

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