Innovation Proposal
Personalizing the Future of Education
Dear Teresa Trdla,
Principal at Victor Fields Elementary School, McAllen ISD.
As Dr. J. Gonzalez, Superintendent of McAllen ISD, has stated, "We're a world-class district." Our district has made great strides in the area of Educational Technology and twenty-first century learning. The district offers one to one devices and various opportunities for professional development in the area of technology implementation.
Then Covid hit, disrupting our learning and teaching for over 18 months and continues to do so. As a 4th grade teacher who teaches ALL 4th graders on our campus, approximately 70 students, I have seen students all across the spectrum. We have recent immigrants that know little to no English, students who have huge gaps in their learning, especially after Covid, students who are unmotivated and with behavior issues, students who are bored because they are far more advanced than the material taught, and so much more.
How can we reach them all at their level in a personalized way?
After reading Blended, Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools, by Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker (2015), I believe I have found a way, BLENDED LEARNING! According to Horn and Staker (2015), blended learning is a student-centered formal education program, where students learn in part through online learning with some element of time, place, and/or pace and in part, through a supervised brick and mortar location. By using Blended Learning techniques, such as a flipped classroom, rotation station model, a la carte learning, and teacher-led small groups, we will be able to provide personalized and individualized learning for all of our students.
One of the many benefits of this model is that students will not only be learning at their level but they will also have control over the pace and path of their learning. This model will help close gaps, keep students engaged, and extend the learning of GT or advanced learners by Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) that provide Choice, Ownership and Voice through Authentic Learning Opportunities (COVA) (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, Cummings, 2018).
Throughout my Advanced Digital Learning Masters Program at Lamar University, I will continue to learn about and research best practices of Blended Learning so that I may reach and grow all my learners and provide them a personalized education. One that is specifically tailored to them.
In collaboration with Veronica Balli and Ileana Reyna, I would love to share the beauty of blended learning with you, our school administrators, and our hard working teachers. I am asking for the opportunity and flexibility to pilot this innovation in our Dyslexia Lab and with the 4th grade students I service here at Victor Fields Elementary over the course of the next year and a half.
Sincerely,
Erika Peña
4th Grade Lead Teacher
Victor Fields Elementary School
McAllen ISD