Leading Innovation in Classroom Learning
In the spring of 2012, Dr. Pamela Redmond began to build a new online Master's degree program for teachers. She began by meeting with local school district and community partners (see Community Relations below for a list of collaborators) to learn what workforce readiness skills students needed for the future and where the districts needed teacher leaders to support change. What evolved was a program focused on moving classroom teachers from practitioners to action researchers to teacher leaders via immersion in a program that "walked the walk" of 21st century learning: Student-driven, problem, project and inquiry based learning, steeped in new media and technology and founded on research, pedagogical theory and best practices.
Entitled, Innovative Learning this program required retraining all of the teaching faculty to be able to not only teach online, but also to create a 21st century learning environment. Decades of research into how the unique affordances of digital tools can be leveraged to offer students opportunities to learn in ways that best meet their unique needs, the program was designed with a vision for teacher renewal and reinvention of the classroom enterprise. The program is committed to supporting teachers to connect their studies in the program to their professional practice through inquiry-based learning and action research. Combined with a commitment to social justice and equity for all students, we seek to explore the intersection of closing achievement gaps and how new media and digital tools can be used to level learning opportunities for all students.
Overarching these studies of the impact of technology on learning are the concepts of TPACK, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and 21st century workforce readiness competencies. Each project herein takes into consideration:
While the coursework and curriculum were designed by Pamela Redmond, it came to life through the dedicated and visionary Graduate School of Education adjunct faculty including: Dana Grisham, David Malone, Martha McCoy, Ramsey Musallam, Rebeckka Anderson, Helen Hawley, Roger Pence. To learn more about the Innovative Learning Master's degree in Education or any of our other degree programs, click CONTACT.
Entitled, Innovative Learning this program required retraining all of the teaching faculty to be able to not only teach online, but also to create a 21st century learning environment. Decades of research into how the unique affordances of digital tools can be leveraged to offer students opportunities to learn in ways that best meet their unique needs, the program was designed with a vision for teacher renewal and reinvention of the classroom enterprise. The program is committed to supporting teachers to connect their studies in the program to their professional practice through inquiry-based learning and action research. Combined with a commitment to social justice and equity for all students, we seek to explore the intersection of closing achievement gaps and how new media and digital tools can be used to level learning opportunities for all students.
Overarching these studies of the impact of technology on learning are the concepts of TPACK, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and 21st century workforce readiness competencies. Each project herein takes into consideration:
- What will students need to know and be able to do 10, 20, 30 or more years from now?
- What is essential to teach them today?
- How can we use digital tools and media to break down barriers to learning while engaging and motivating students.
- What are the new literacies and digital epistemologies that students need to know?
While the coursework and curriculum were designed by Pamela Redmond, it came to life through the dedicated and visionary Graduate School of Education adjunct faculty including: Dana Grisham, David Malone, Martha McCoy, Ramsey Musallam, Rebeckka Anderson, Helen Hawley, Roger Pence. To learn more about the Innovative Learning Master's degree in Education or any of our other degree programs, click CONTACT.
Community Relations
A number of organizations have contributed significantly to the Innovative Learning teacher network either through ideology and research or direct partnership. Below is a partial list of these influencing organizations.