I owe the utmost gratitude to Napa Learns. Without their assistance, my journey would not have been possible. Thanks to their generosity and support, I was able to embark on this journey at this point in my career, rather than years down the road. The results are already substantial; much of what I learned from this program impacted next-day-in-the-classroom approaches. I will build upon those approaches for years to come!
Special thanks are also due to Touro University of California, my professors, and my cohort. One cannot learn in a vacuum. Throughout my studies, I depended on my Touro network for feedback, inspiration, and laughter.
Click on the image above to visit Touro's website.
My success is also due to the support of my Village. We learned early on that when Mommy's in grade school, everyone's in grad school. My husband, children, babysitters, and friends constantly adjusted their schedules and shared my attention throughout my year of master's study. I am a lucky person to be surrounded by such a rich support system.
What's next?
Continued Practice: I ended my school year with a sense of momentum that I intend to continue. My research over the year confirmed the necessity for 21st century learning infused with technology, collaboration, inquiry, and standards. In the spring months, I applied Michael McDowell's work to my own classroom practice. Strategies that yielded great success, and that I intend to continue, are:
A simple, standards-based rubric for student and teacher use
Decontextualizing learning goals for students
Teaching students to give each other standards-based feedback
Bringing in an authentic audience for the PROCESS, rather than only the product
Using technology to flip and enhance direct instruction
Next Steps: My role at my school will be changing in the upcoming year, as I transition from classroom teacher to site academic specialist. As such, I intend to support teachers who are beginning to implement rigorous PBL in their classrooms. I will do what I can to offer helpful tech tools, model lessons and planning, and- when times call for it- continued research. Thanks to my studies with Touro, I will be able to do so with confidence because of my research and classroom experience.