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Partnerships for Learning Sandau Home Learn More Inspiration About the Author |
About the Author
Thank you for exploring my work and journey here on the Learning Innovation Lab! My name is Jona Sandau, and I am an elementary level Academic Specialist (TOSA) in American Canyon, California. I've been a teacher since 2001 in several roles: classroom teacher, intervention teacher, and teacher leader most recently. While teachers of every kind want to help their students, one thing I've always been drawn towards are students in the achievement gap.
When we began Touro University's Innovative Learning Masters Program, students were asked to find a passion on which to focus our studies. I knew the achievement gap in early literacy would be my area of concentration. Why not find ways to help our youngest learners early on with simple skills like letter knowledge, rather than waiting until they're several years behind? Is there untapped potential in the relationships our students have outside the classroom?
If you're interested in working with families and community partners to help your students achieve more, I hope my work on this site is helpful to you. If you'd like to read more about my discoveries and process in the Innovative Learning Masters Program, please check out my blog at apple4theteacher.weebly.com.
When we began Touro University's Innovative Learning Masters Program, students were asked to find a passion on which to focus our studies. I knew the achievement gap in early literacy would be my area of concentration. Why not find ways to help our youngest learners early on with simple skills like letter knowledge, rather than waiting until they're several years behind? Is there untapped potential in the relationships our students have outside the classroom?
If you're interested in working with families and community partners to help your students achieve more, I hope my work on this site is helpful to you. If you'd like to read more about my discoveries and process in the Innovative Learning Masters Program, please check out my blog at apple4theteacher.weebly.com.
Reflections on My Journey
I can remember being in high school, up late one night doing homework and sarcastically crying out, “I’ll never be done with homework! I’ll probably become a teacher and have homework for the rest of my life!” I laugh now, knowing that I had no intention of that statement ever coming true when I said it.
Out of college, I spent a few years as a research assistant and literacy volunteer for the California Youth Authority (prison for younger offenders), followed by six years as a health educator for low-income pregnant women and teens. I began to realize that I’d been circling education and helping children indirectly long enough, and finally became a teacher.
As a teacher, I treasure the opportunity to have a lasting positive impact on my students. I love teaching them to persevere, and that without struggle, there is no growth. This belief led me to accept a job as Academic Specialist five years ago--completely thrusting myself outside my comfort zone. This experience truly made me a proponent of the term “growth mindset.” If I could be successful as an Academic Specialist, what else could I do?
Out of college, I spent a few years as a research assistant and literacy volunteer for the California Youth Authority (prison for younger offenders), followed by six years as a health educator for low-income pregnant women and teens. I began to realize that I’d been circling education and helping children indirectly long enough, and finally became a teacher.
As a teacher, I treasure the opportunity to have a lasting positive impact on my students. I love teaching them to persevere, and that without struggle, there is no growth. This belief led me to accept a job as Academic Specialist five years ago--completely thrusting myself outside my comfort zone. This experience truly made me a proponent of the term “growth mindset.” If I could be successful as an Academic Specialist, what else could I do?
Lasting Learning: Innovative Learning program
In my early years out of college, I followed my interest in organizations that work toward better outcomes for children and families. Touro’s Innovative Learning Masters Program has given me the opportunity to reconnect to this focus. Studying how families and community partners can positively impact student achievement has allowed me to explore the potential of relationships.
Relationships have been at the heart of this Innovative Learning program as well. The experience of learning alongside knowledgeable, dedicated, and supportive educators has elevated my thinking and challenged me continuously. In this program, we learn from one another’s action research, efforts with technology and digital media, and understandings of design thinking. Together, we learn more and become capable of more. This is what I want for my students.
Relationships have been at the heart of this Innovative Learning program as well. The experience of learning alongside knowledgeable, dedicated, and supportive educators has elevated my thinking and challenged me continuously. In this program, we learn from one another’s action research, efforts with technology and digital media, and understandings of design thinking. Together, we learn more and become capable of more. This is what I want for my students.
TPACK Reflection
The TPACK model illustrates how content, technology, and pedagogy interrelate to provide rigorous learning for our students.
For my project, the intersection between pedagogy and content knowledge (PCK) addresses “How do I approach different learning styles and scaffold content for student understanding?” Since my project puts the role of teacher in the hands of family members and volunteers, I included a variety of activities at different levels for tutors to offer students, as well as modeling, role play practice, and scripts for encouragement or for transitions to new activities.
Where technology meets pedagogy (TPK), I ask, “How do I choose and manage the technology to best help students learn?” This prompted me to develop criteria to guide my selection of technology and activities:
How is technology used in a content area for rich and lasting learning? This is TCK, where technology and content knowledge meet. Here, criteria is useful once again. To be considered for my program, online activities and tools needed to:
The TPACK model was clearly an essential support that helped me to integrate these core contexts and build a stronger project. TPACK is an important paradigm that has changed my approach to teaching.
For my project, the intersection between pedagogy and content knowledge (PCK) addresses “How do I approach different learning styles and scaffold content for student understanding?” Since my project puts the role of teacher in the hands of family members and volunteers, I included a variety of activities at different levels for tutors to offer students, as well as modeling, role play practice, and scripts for encouragement or for transitions to new activities.
Where technology meets pedagogy (TPK), I ask, “How do I choose and manage the technology to best help students learn?” This prompted me to develop criteria to guide my selection of technology and activities:
- Activities must be free
- Primary focus on teaching letter names and sounds, rather than gaming concept.
How is technology used in a content area for rich and lasting learning? This is TCK, where technology and content knowledge meet. Here, criteria is useful once again. To be considered for my program, online activities and tools needed to:
- Teach alphabet letter names and sounds
- Teach correct consonant & vowel sounds for Kindergartners (short vowel sounds only)
- Include simple visuals that support the letter sounds (example: apple for a)
The TPACK model was clearly an essential support that helped me to integrate these core contexts and build a stronger project. TPACK is an important paradigm that has changed my approach to teaching.