Blended Learning has so many facets and possibilities, yet there are so many schools that are not attempting to implement it. Well, I plan to change that at least at the school that I can control. I have created an innovation proposal to show my principal and hopefully will be the first step to a blended learning model coming to a classroom that I teach in!
Dear Ms. Turner,
I see an unbelievable opportunity to level up in my classroom and I would like to share it with you. I believe that the level of student engagement and the need for students below grade level to receive more individualized instruction to help them reach their goals is a great reason to start this initiative. Using the current technology in our classrooms, we have a chance to make strides with many of the students that have always been harder to reach in the past using more personalized learning.
I would like to propose a new blended learning model (individual rotation) that I will pilot in my classroom starting in August 2019. This model will include the following:
- Students will be given a personalized learning plan in Math that they can follow at their own pace (using Education Galaxy).
- Students will be pulled for small group instruction when needed for current content and previous content they may have struggled on.
- Students will reflect and give feedback on a daily basis to record their accomplishments, goals met and also things they may need help on (using provided Google Form).
- Students will also track their goals and mastered skills at least once a week in their Leadership folder or digitally (student choice).
Students are already using Liftoff/Education Galaxy so this part of the model will not be a huge adjustment for students or teachers. Students will be provided with some guidance of the topics and areas they need to master. They will then choose which skills to work on first and chart their progress using the reflection time and Leadership folders. The small group instruction time will be adjusted to allow for students to be pulled as needed or by request from them. At the end of each day, students will fill in the Google Form with information such as what skills they may have mastered during their personalized learning or struggles they have had on skills. The information from the Google Form will be used to adjust a student’s personalized learning plan and also if a student needs more small group instruction time. I believe that this reflection time will make tracking student goals and data a more seamless and less stressful process. It will also provide students with more frequent feedback of what they have mastered and what they need to continue to work on.
To prepare for this pilot, I will be implementing some of the parts individually this school year to work out any issues and also get student feedback to help improve its efficiency for next school year. More detailed research and information about the implementation of this model can be found here. Thank you for your time and consideration for this proposal.
Sincerely,
Brent Mischnick
Mischnick Mindset 