“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.”

– John Dewey

Our first assignment in Innovation in Technology was to draft a proposal letter to our supervisors (i.e. my principal, evaluating supervisor, and my department head) informing them of the preliminary details of my Innovation Project. My plan is to utilize a flipped classroom learning approach to increase learner engagement and achievement in my classroom.

I have tried to implement a flipped classroom in the past, but after researching the best strategies/models for our learners and the benefits of implementing a flipped classroom, I feel that we should try again with a different approach. After the time I have had to reflect this summer, I have come to the conclusion that my first attempts to employ a flipped classroom were a failure. But with those failures and the time I have spent researching my Innovation Project this summer, I am optimistic about my future success in this next attempt. I will use these experiences of failure to witness to my own learners that we should never give up when challenges arise!

After drafting my proposal letter, I dove into the research of the Flipped Classroom model and how students benefit from its employment in a math classroom. My Literature Review opened my eyes to a wealth of knowledge and resources for the deployment of my next attempt at the flipped classroom. There are many possibilities for differentiating the flipped classroom model. My research will continue as myself and my team plan for our exact approach. You can read some of the options in my linked research paper. Not only will the search for more information be important, but I will also need to get to know my Algebra I team and, of course, my students!

The completion of my Literature Review gave me the information I needed to create an outline of my Innovation Project over the next two years. I have taken into consideration all players that are necessary for success in the development of this implementation plan. Armed with feedforward from my peers and my campus instructional technology specialist, I tweaked and revised my rough draft of my outline. I truly believe that, if we can be thoughtful and intentional with our planning, our Charger Algebra I team will only experience positive outcomes for our learners!

Summer is coming to an end and I will be returning to the classroom. I am taking this new knowledge with me to guide my team and my learners. I hope to have many more educators join me on this journey over the next two years. While I initially set out to pursue this degree for the benefit of myself and my family, I am so excited to share my newly acquired knowledge with the world. I am grateful to my peers and Dr. Bedard for providing such meaningful feedforward and advice when I was struggling. I am ready for the challenges I will face as I continue through this program.

Future Readings and Resources

References

Boaler, J. (2022). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students’ potential through creative mathematics, inspiring messages, and innovative teaching (Mindset Mathematics) (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindset: The new psychology of success (Updated Edition). Ballantine Books.

Harapnuik, D. (2018, July 14). COVA. https://www.harapnuik.org/. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991