The educational field has been changing constantly in an attempt to meet the needs of students. Blended learning has the potential to shift traditional instruction to a more sophisticated way of learning that provides students with the opportunity to have more control over their learning (Maxwell, 2016, paras. 1-2). The flexibility the approach provides through the different blended learning models serves as the medium for students to become more self-directed learners. I started working on my innovation plan in 2021 and the initiative continued during the 2021-2022 school year. As an educator, I want to challenge my students as I meet their cognitive and socio-emotional needs in my Spanish classes.
My Innovation Plan is now in phase 5. In this phase, the teachers who implemented the program and I will present the final findings to the administration team. However, I will adjust my innovation plan by adding two more phases:
Phase 6: This phase will be implemented in September 2022. I will collect feedback from the admin team and adjust the implementation process of my innovation plan. The feedback will be collected through a survey and a debrief session. I will also share some additional resources (see videos below) that were key while I was learning about the blended learning approach.
Phase 7: This phase will be implemented in October 2022. I will present the findings to all staff. The purpose of this phase is for them to enable them to use this type of process to reflect upon their own teaching and adjust it if necessary.
During the month of August, the data will include the following topics:
- Why? I will discuss why I changed the way I taught my students and what I tried to accomplish.
- Review of data: The two teachers who implemented the components of blended learning will showcase the results of their surveys to determine if student engagement increased.
- What went well? What roadblocks did we experience? Teachers will present qualitative data showing what worked for students. I will also explain the growth and impact the innovation plan had on student learning and my personal growth.
- Student samples: By showing teachers the different e-portfolios students developed as evidence of learning and engagement in the classroom. This work engaged and energized my students through authentic learning experiences giving them choice, ownership and voice. Teachers guided students to collect all the academic work that learners implemented through the steps in my innovation plan. Here are some examples of the students’ work:
- Student 1 https://bit.ly/3d3vTDP
- Student 2 https://bit.ly/2ZDt2hT
- Student 3 https://bit.ly/2ZDt2hT
- Student 4 https://bit.ly/3xDdd7c
- Stuident 5 https://bit.ly/3xZxpCN
- Student 6 https://bit.ly/3xVzw8A
- Student 7 https://bit.ly/3G5tvsE
- Student 8 https://bit.ly/31hgCgy
- Student 9 https://bit.ly/3peSXFm
What worked during the planning/implementation of the innovation plan? All the different collaboration opportunities that have been provided throughout the program. The fact that I was challenged to think outside of the box to meet the needs of my students, who are facing changes. Throughout this learning, I have learned that I am not alone. Other educators want and are willing to take risks, but it takes collaboration to move forward and support each other. This is one of the lessons that I learned and something I need to do better. I did not reach out to everyone due to the magnitude of the project – from my perspective – but it is definitely something I want to do for my future innovation project. Expanding the initiative will allow teachers to support each other and reflect upon their teaching process. I took a huge risk with my innovation plan by going almost solo. I realized it is necessary to have more people in the team who are invested in growing themselves and their students, which is my goal for my next innovation plan.
Fernando Herrera 