Innovation Plan
As part of my degree program, I have to formulate an innovation plan for my school. It has been challenging to think about and to plan. I feel like this is just the beginning. I see opportunities for this project to grow and evolve as I learn more. The outline for my plan was originally submitted to my instructor on January 21, 2018. Since then, the innovation plan has been revised. The revision is below. This innovation plan will be ongoing and evolving over the course of my degree program.
De Beau Microschool specializes in assisting homeschool families in educating their children. There are currently 15 students enrolled, kindergarten through twelfth grade. The elementary side of the school has no technology use throughout the day. There have been two exceptions to that rule. Those students used Khan Academy to fill gaps and catch up to grade level in math. Once at grade level, the students use books and one on one instruction.
Junior High and High School aged students currently receive instruction using the college model. They report for class on Wednesday and Friday for direct instruction in math and grammar. During the rest of the week, they work on the other subjects (history, science, and literature) using a correspondence style method. The students take the work home, and submit it for grading when they report to class. Graded work is filed into a binder portfolio, which is given to the parent once the grade is completed.
The innovation plan for De Beau Microschool is to transition high school students from a paper/pencil style of instruction to a blended style of instruction. The traditional portfolio will be replaced with an eportfolio of individual and group work. Assignments will be submitted via a learning management system.
A closed Facebook group will be created for group collaboration and peer-to-peer instruction. The closed group will consist of the teacher and the students in the class. The teacher will act as an observer, and post relevant video clips or blog posts. There are many studies that show the power of connection and community created by a closed Facebook group. Emmanuel, Fredy, Leonardo, and Mirella (2015) found that the use of Facebook groups allowed for connections, collaboration, and collective discussions. The researchers also found that students scored higher on assessments after participating in Facebook group discussions.
(You can learn more about my research regarding closed Facebook groups by selecting the Projects tab above.)
In addition to the Facebook group, the students will meet once a week with the teacher for a round table discussion. During the round table discussion, the teacher and students will reflect on what was learned during the previous week and the group collaboration.
Reference:
Emmanuel, A. N., Fredy, F. S., Leonardo Enrique, M. H., & Mirella Cristina, A. B. (2015). Facebook como herramienta educativa en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en el nivel medio superior / Facebook as an educational tool in the teaching-learning process in high school. Zona Próxima, (22), 116.
