My biggest takeaway from the last school year is that something has to change and that has to start with me. I was in a perpetual state of frustration and disappointment. I strived to turn it around in the spring when I was given a class set of Chromebooks. My first goal was to increase engagement using the technology to drive that. I would offer digital assignments, like Quizziz, Google Forms, Edia, and Delta Math. Students like the opportunities to complete these tasks because it gave them the choice to attempt them multiple times or receive alternate problems to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts.

This led me to go outside of my comfort zone and create my own digital content. I started with a Learning Menu using Google Slides. This was a huge success! I got several administrators and other teachers to complete some observations on the day I used it in class. The higher-ups at the central office were told about it. It was a course-altering experience for me. The feedback that I received from students was good. I used this strategy several more times. Success was variable, but I do know I gave my students the opportunity to have a choice and an authentic learning experience.

Even though I was able to provide the chance to find choice, ownership, and voice, I am not sure it was received that way. This is where having a more thoughtful plan is going to help me help them find their voice and ownership. Giving up control to my students will not be easy for me. I know my struggle will be watching them struggle. I would equate my feelings to a mother’s anxiety about her own children being stressed and overwhelmed. We need to only remember that there is research about how our brain is plastic and will grow through those failures, mistakes, and hardships with a growth mindset (Dweck, 2007). This program is helping me better understand how my learners will feel as they embrace and own their learning. I love math because I have always appreciated that there is a right answer for most problems. I do not thrive in areas where you have multiple right ways to analyze a topic. Writing has always been a skill that I have not mastered yet. It is actually amusing that I have often found myself with so much to “say” in these posts and assignments. I won’t know where to begin.

I have already begun to think about how I am going to implement a COVA learning approach as I plan how to carry out my Innovation Project. I hope to allow my students choice by using a digital platform like Google Classroom to share lesson videos that I have made with Screen-casto-matic and YouTube. Students will be able to access these at their own pace. I will continue to use web-based tools, like Quizziz, Google Forms, Edia, and Delta Math, to give practice. This will allow me to be available for invention when necessary.

As I continue to play scenarios in my head and plan for the role of this Blended Learning model for my classroom, I am continually reminding myself that I need to remain flexible. The learning, on my part, is a commitment for the long haul. I have always told myself that the day I stop learning (or wanting to) is the day I need to leave the classroom. I have to model a Learner’s Mindset. I have some work to do over these next few weeks. I am grateful to have this course to help me fine-tune my Learner’s Mindset.

Reference

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