Engaged Learning Project
UNCG - ELC 688-01D - Fall 2015
Sedley Abercrombie
Davidson County Schools
Email: sedley1@live.com
Location: 2065 East Holly Grove Road, Lexington, NC, United States
Twitter: @sedley1
The Global Read Aloud
One book to connect the world...
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Meeting the Author
Week 3: www.writeabout.com
Week 4: Skyping
- "Who was your favorite character and why? Would you be their friend in real life?"
- "What is difficult about being the new kid at a new school?"
- "Tell me about a time when you had a Silver Dollar Day?"
- "Why do you think Mr. Daniel's was so patient with Ally when none of her other teachers seemed to be?"
- "What were some of Albert's challenges? How did he handle those?"
- "What are some of Ally's strengths?"
- "Why does Ally feel like a 'waste of space'?"
Week 5: Writing and Sharing
WEEK 6: Mystery Box Activity
As a culminating activity, the media coordinator and I decided to mirror the activity and I brought in 8 shoe boxes with one item in each. There were 8 stations and each students was given a slip of paper numbered 1-8. They were given 2 minutes at each station to guess the contents. At the end, we all came together for the big reveal!
Did this project meet the required criteria?
- Involves students for 10 or more hours of classroom instruction and/or outside class work - this project encompassed 15 hours of classroom instruction
- Models appropriate and innovative uses of technology to support engaged learning, differentiated instruction, multicultural education, problem-based learning and personalized learning using 21st century learning spaces; We planned activities that took into account all types of learning styles: kinesthetic, visual, auditory and tactile. With students, the teachers read aloud a book about a girl with special needs. In the school library, we used a smartboard, youtube, www.writeabout.com. In the last activity, we mirrored an activity found in the book: we placed mystery objects in shoeboxes and students had to take turns guessing what they thought the object was just by listening and feeling the box.
- Utilizes professional learning communities to support teacher growth and development - I used Edmodo, twitter and Google Hangout to engage with other teachers about this project.
- Incorporates transformational leadership coaching for sustainable change - I'm pleased that my new position as district lead librarian allows me the capacity to be an instructional coach that allows me to work with school librarians. I am hopeful that I will be able to help elevate school librarians by providing them resources and support in a timely fashion that is relevant to their instruction.
- Linked to North Carolina Measures of Student Learning (MSL) - the activities in the project didn't necessarily line up with the NC MSL.
- Linked to ISTE NETS-Students, Teachers and Administrators - this lesson meets standards 1, 2 and 3
- Includes assessment strategies/instruments to manage student learning during the learning experience - this was achieved by using www.writeabout.com
- Assesses technology skills students must have to fully participate in the learning experience and includes strategies for teaching those skills in the context of classroom learning - students were able to independently create accounts and manuever through the website with guided instruction. More assistance was given if needed.
- Includes adaptations/adaptive technology resources or students with learning disabilities, limited English Proficiency, and physical disabilities - I used to be an ESL teacher. This activity used skills that involved speaking, listening, reading and writing activities. Activities were participatory, but at the students' level.
- Includes list of instructional resources needed to implement the learning experience, including technology, advice on how the technology should be arranged and why, and tips to manage students/technological resources during the learning experience - We used a laptop, smartboard, projector, an ipad and a computer lab for this project.
- Reflect on teacher perception of experience(s); This engaged learning project I thought went really well, but because I am at the district level now I could only spend limited amounts of time at the school site. This limited my engagement with the teachers and the students, and didn't allow for much flexibility in planning.
- Reflect on the facilitation of 2.0 climate, transformational leadership coaching and sustainable change process; and This project took into account of 2.0 climate by choosing a platform that was secure and designed for classroom use. I think that my new role as a district lead library media coordinator is in essence transformational leadership. In my role, I am able to go into school libraries and act as an instructional coach.
- Reference and cite assigned readings and required texts.
REFERENCES
Allison-Napolitano, E. (2013). Flywheel: Transformational Leadership Coaching for Sustainable Change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: A Sage Company.
Bray, B., & McClaskey, K. (2014). Make Learning Personal. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: A Sage Company.
Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2012). The Global Fourth Way: The Quest for Educational Excellence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: Sage Publications.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2012). School Climate 2.0. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin: A Sage Company.