My journey in innovative learning has been a period of exploration, and of trial and error. It began when I moved to northern California to be closer to family, and found myself at a new technology middle school. I was excited by all the offerings available for the students to use in the classroom, but I did not have enough training to implement them, and wasn’t sure how best to use these new resources. A friend mentioned the program, and thought it was just what I needed to give my students that technological edge, and to help them develop 21st century skills.

Since entering the program, my knowledge of Google Docs, sheets, slides, and forms has grown, so my students can now present their work using any of these methods. We use the NTN ECHO as a learning management system, and the students can upload their work into the system. This is very useful, as we are no longer carrying crates of papers home with us. I have used ted.ed.com and nearpod.com to flip lessons, and have also found movenote.com and swivl.com to be tools that I am likely to use repeatedly.

I heard about the flipped classroom/blended classroom design just shortly after entering the program, and experimented by offering a few flipped lessons. I was intrigued and inspired, and that adventure spurred me into focusing my action research on combining flipped classroom with inductive/active teaching strategies.

The literature and my data brought further understanding and adjustments, and the concept seems worthy of further investigation on a larger scale, as we want the students to be more engaged and have increased performance. I did a t-test on my pre/post test scores, with an increase of almost 30% in their mean scores. The results of the t-test showed this improvement was extremely significant statistically, with a p-value of .00001.

One area of concern in my math department is that in math, 64% of our students enter the classroom below proficiency. They start out behind, and suffer from gaps in their learning. My department decided to use Khan Academy, and as we entered the 2016 Learnstorm, our school was very excited by our placement on the leaderboards. My students can learn at their own pace, and have 24/7 access to the site. They are proud of their successes, and we are hoping to increase or maintain them. Nothing makes me prouder than seeing students motivated in math, and finding success at their own pace. This is the power that technology has to offer them.

I have been a traditional teacher for 20 years, and these changes reignited my passion for teaching. It is all new and different, but my students are learning more in less time. I had not conducted a project in math, as most of the math departments of my past were very traditional, and the statement that “we don’t have time” was commonly heard across many arenas of teaching. 

By flipping my classroom, it freed some class time to do the unit project, which was cross-curricular with science (including an emphasis on college and career readiness). My students were able to research, collaborate, and present their information, and they found this to be a fun and engaging experience. It also helped them understand that math is the foundation to many STEM careers and majors. I did a student survey of the project, and students reported that they enjoyed it for these reasons:

1. It motivated them to learn math while connecting them to career possibilities that they were not aware of
2. They found the peer-collaboration/peer-instruction to be useful and enjoyable
3. The project gave them a voice (in their presentations) and a choice (of questions) in how to present their information

Technology is changing, and learning new ways to integrate it into my classroom and increase engagement and performance is aligned with the TPACK model, Napa Learns, and my school district and site. This is where my motivation to continue to learn stems from, but also from the success of my students, and the hope to continue finding new ways to help them learn and achieve.

Another area of passion and interest is in gamification, although I have not yet had a chance to explore it as much as I would like to. I believe learning should be fun, and in the traditional model I used various games to help make learning math enjoyable.

Children these days spend a lot time gaming and using social media, so it stands to reason that if we could make math video games more like the ones that keep them from doing their homework, maybe they would do their work and have a blast learning too!I would like to look more deeply into technology-based math games that could be integrated into the common core mathematics curriculum at the middle school level.

My undergraduate degree (from 1995) is in psychology, and I find the latest research fascinating as it pertains to how we learn and create long-term memory by encouraging stronger connections in the brain. It is important to use the different parts of the brain to learn, combined with active-learning strategies.

We use one part of the mind to see, another to speak, another to write, and yet another to think and create. If I introduce a topic to my math students, I want them to see it, then I want them to speak it using the academic vocabulary. I want them to hear it, then write it, and then think and create. When students use more areas of their brains as a result of active learning strategies, it results in more neural connections being created, and a greater likelihood of forming the long-term memories so vital to learning mathematics.

If I were to continue my education, it would be to pursue a Ph.D. in education. I would work to improve the teaching of mathematics to help students develop those neural connections, which might then be further built upon instead of so many students hitting the wall.

Research has shown that passing Algebra II (or higher) is the strongest predictor of a student obtaining a four-year degree in any field: the higher the math taken in high school, the greater the likelihood of obtaining the degree. This statistic explains why there was a push just a few years ago for all students to pass algebra in the 8th grade.

​ In recent years we have drifted from this goal, possibly because math was taught with too much content, and without fostering the strong brain connections for long-term learning. But the predictor remains valid, and achieving it is still vitally important. It makes sense that the focus should now shift to incorporating current brain research into how we teach math, thus increasing the success of a greater number of students.

Students need to be engaged, they need to be creative, and they must feel a connection between what they are learning and the real world. In order for this to happen, a learning revolution needs to take place. The traditional model of education is no longer working, and according to Milton Chen, author of Education Nation, America is losing its stronghold in the top global fields.

Chen states that other countries see education as an investment, not a cost – a sentiment that is echoed by Linda Darling-Hammond in her book The World is Flat. The call for 21st century skills demands a 1:1 ratio of computers to students, as well as reliable internet access. Technology has changed, and is bringing about a change in the way we teach as well.

Recent brain research shows that active learning vs. passive learning yields more positive outcomes.  We need to replace the traditional model, in which the teacher lectures, students take notes, and testing is based on rote memorization, because data has shown us that this method is uninteresting, and results in higher dropout rates.  As a result, children are not learning enough skills to compete in the global economy.

So how do we incorporate 21st century skills and technology into the classroom, keep students engaged, and allow for creativity, innovation, and real-world connections to learning? One approach is by flipping our classrooms.  I have flipped my own classroom, and this experience has been very rewarding for both my students and myself.

In his TED talk, Dan Pink reminds us of the difference caused by intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations through his use of the candle problem. I found that when my students were engaged and creatively solving a problem, their pride and confidence was also positively impacted, which helped to ignite their intrinsic motivation and student agency.

I will continue using the flipped classroom model, and will try to incorporate inquiry-based, problem-based, and project-based activities.  I also see challenge-based projects as important uses of face time with students for increasing engagement, assessment scores, motivation, creativity, and innovation.

I hope to add to the research on this topic through my own contributions, and inspire other teachers to transform their own classrooms. It is a lot of work, but the experience for both the teacher and student is remarkable. I have been a traditional teacher for 20 years, and I will never go back! The flipped model is powerful teaching, with real-world results.

In Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk Bring on the Learning Revolution, he speaks of the need for student ENGAGEMENT.  Students need to be engaged, they need to be creative, and to feel a connection between what they are learning and the real world.

According to Milton Chen, author of Education Nation, the old traditional model is not working, and America is losing its stronghold in many of the top global fields. Chen asserts that other countries view education as an investment, not as a cost - a view that is echoed by Linda Darling-Hammond in her book The World is Flat.

The call for 21st Century Skills demands 1:1 computer and internet access in schools. In Education Nation, Milton Chen says this requirement is becoming the the new civil right for all students. Technology has changed, and is bringing on a change in the way we teach. In addition, brain research is showing us the difference between active learning vs. passive learning, and demonstrating that active learning has greater positive outcomes.

So how do we move away from the traditional model, where the teacher lectures, and students take notes, memorize and take tests? Data is showing us that this approach is boring and leads to higher dropout rates, and that our children are not learning any skills to compete in the Global Economy.

How do we incorporate 21st century skills and technology, engage students, and allow for creativity, innovation, and real-world connections to their learning, as well as to our subject matter? One idea is by flipping our classrooms. What is a flipped a classroom? In short, the lecture, note-taking, and basics are taught through videos or other media, as well as simple tasks completed for homework. In class, students apply their learning in active learning tasks that are more collaborative and rigorous, with guidance from the teacher.

I first heard of the flipped classroom in October of 2015. At the time I did not know the research that supports this model, but it made sense to me that this would be a great way to use technology. For the past 6 weeks I have been flipping my classroom, and this project is also the topic of my action research paper. I thought the flipped classroom idea was exciting, but I wanted to demonstrate that if it were combined with project-based learning and inquiry based learning, the impact might be even stronger. I am currently still collecting data.

Based on my own experience, I see the positive benefits of the flipped classroom model, and I hope to grow into a leadership role to help other teachers transform their classrooms into dynamic learning environments. Before leaving for winter break 2015, my students completed a chapter on fractions using the flipped model. During class time my students worked on their unit projects.

​The project was on Oceanography, a 21st Century career cross-curriculum with science. The unit we completed was on ratios, proportions, and integers. Part 1 was simply discovering what oceanography is:  areas of study, salary, and education to become an oceanographer.

In Part 2, each person in the group was assigned a different question. Topics covered included icebergs, underwater volcanos, coral reefs, and whale comparisons. Each student was to answer their question with a limit of 5 slides, presenting the information in any way they chose, and was allowed to share one “cool thing” that they just had to share with us.

In Part 3, students were to find out why the topics are important to us as a people, why we should care, what groups help the environment, and how (which is also how we can get involved). Part 4 was to reflect on how the mathematics that we find in our textbooks had a practical application in this field. Each group was allowed to choose their method of presenting all of the information, and most chose Google Slides.

 Reflections on Creativity

Creativity is defined as the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.  It also encompasses originality, progressiveness, and imagination.  The need for creativity in modern industry is necessary for continued growth and progress.

According to Shelly H. Carson of Harvard University, creativity is the foundation of imagination and innovation, and there are multiple ways of developing the creative brain. One of The Five Minds of the Future by Howard Gardener is the Creative Mind, and another is the Synthesizing Mind, which people can use to apply their creativity to applications, innovations, and new ideas or problem solving.

Both Laura Masters’ presentation and Sebastian Seung’s I Am My Connectome TED Talk  discussed the neural connections that develop in the brain, and how unique they are based on our experiences. In each individual’s mind, neural pathways die off if not used to develop stronger connections.

Sir Ken Robinson explains in a TED talk entitled How Schools are Killing Creativity that there needs to be a revolution in education, from the 19th century industrial model to the 21st century agricultural model of nourishing and providing experiences for children to create and thrive. He makes a plea for accepting Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory in developing the whole child in an accepting environment of diversity.

John Seeley Brown insists that creativity and flexibility are vital to our children’s future in the constantly changing atmosphere of the modern world.  In his talk entitled A New Culture of Learning, Brown says we cannot imagine what jobs and what the future will be like for our children, but that they need a new set of tools to help them deal with whatever challenges they meet, because information is growing and available at an exponential rate.

This concept links well with Pat Wolfe’s idea of thinking maps and visual learning, helping students connect to the material, grasp information quickly, and learn visually. She posits that we remember pictures more effectively, and some language learning research suggests that we think in pictures as well.  This idea forms the basis of many ESL classes. Wolfe emphasizes that the brain remembers and makes stronger connections when strong emotion is experienced.

All of this research needs to be synthesized in a meaningful way if educators are to provide the learning experiences for their students that lead to creativity. Louis R. Mobley (former director of the IBM Executive School) outlines one approach to answering this question in his article Can Creativity Be Taught and How.  Keep in mind that Mobley works with adults, so one of the techniques he uses is to help them “unlearn” what was previously taught. This is congruent with Howard Gardner’s assertion that “You need to know what is in the box, before you can think outside the box.”

My own experience with these ideas in my middle school mathematics classroom indicates that creativity can be developed by moving flexibly between brain sets (as suggested by Shelly Carson) by solving a mathematical problem, then creating their own problem that has meaning to them, or presenting them with an extension to the problem by offering a “What if” question.

When teaching, I present the lesson visually in order to help my students easily grasp the concepts and steps. Allowing my students to collaborate on an open-ended problem and creatively present their solutions to the class for further discussion is also an effective strategy, and I encourage them to be creative on unit projects where their solutions are shared and tested. According to Mobley and Ken Robinson, failure is part of the process, and allows students to learn from their errors and continue working to find a better solution.

It is important that students feel safe to make mistakes. I tell students the best way to learn math is by getting the answer wrong, finding where they went wrong, and learning how to do better.  Why do we use pencils with erasers, after all?  It’s important to teach the steps, concepts, and procedures in a way that the students connect to on a more personal level. Research shows that problem-based learning and Inquiry-based learning make significant positive gains in conceptual understanding and deeper problem solving, but that the students need to be engaged and actively participating for these methods to be truly effective.

If the multiple intelligences are acknowledged, then the students can choose their own methods of presenting their work. For example, they could create a song, an artistic representation, a dance, a video, or some other digital technology.  This provides the child with a voice in their learning, and the choice to present in their ideal modalities. One of my personal favorites is to have students make their own mathematical models using a problem of their own creation, then having them trade assignments and check each other’s work.

Creativity is fostered by peer-to-peer collaboration and fun. For twenty years, I have worked hard to make learning pre-algebra and algebra enjoyable, by using games that create a fun and positive emotional experience with mathematics. I believe that the ideas from this new research provide educators with more tools to develop or enhance any of their lessons.

As educators, we need to focus on the multiple ways in which human beings learn, and on creating experiences that foster stronger neural connections for greater long term memory – building foundations that help support students in the next levels of learning.  My favorite poster in my classroom says “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”  I combine that with a meme from the internet that says, “Just remember, there is a millionaire walking around out there that created the pool noodle!”

On that note, I’d like to ask the following questions:  Which comes first, creativity or motivation and inspiration? Do we need to be motivated and inspired to create?

Reflection- Closing Chapters

In her book, Linda Darling-Hammond outlines her foundation for educational change.  She focuses on five key categories: 

1. Meaningful learning goals 
2. Intelligent, reciprocal accountability systems
3. Equitable and adequate resources
4. Strong professional standards and supports
5. Schools organized for student and teacher learning
   

Philosopher John Dewey is quoted as saying: “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy.” He believes that educational reform is a moral and ethical imperative, and should be available to all, regardless of status.
 
Although Darling-Hammond has good intentions and is very idealistic, the reforms she supports must be adopted by the federal government and the states, and it is our leaders who make such decisions. Thus it would be beneficial if they could be convinced of the importance of establishing an equitable educational system for our country’s students. I want these ideals for my own students, and work very hard to provide for them the best that I can with the materials at my disposal. But the changes must be codified by our leaders and elected officials, and should be introduced by their constituents and the teacher’s union.
 
One area Darling-Hammond neglects is the issue of parents and student discipline. In the lower socio-economic regions there is a lack of parent involvement, so parents would need to be included in any reform initiatives. There has also been more migration of students to different schools, as parents seek out better work opportunities. Any accountability system would need to account for factors such as absenteeism and a greater population of ELL students before punishing schools with undue funding cuts. Darling-Hammond also does not address the increased discipline problems or gang-related issues that plague some of our lower socio-economic areas, and doesn’t lay out a clear plan for those schools and teachers. 
 
Darling-Hammond emphasizes teacher support and training, but some schools receive a greater share of resources than others, and many teachers are not being adequately trained. If the reforms she is working toward actually take place, the area of resources must be stressed as a critical aspect of their success.
 
Most schools are organized for student learning. Having taught in many districts and schools, however, I have found that each one seems to have their own way of providing content for its students. Should schools have the opportunity to create a culture of learning based on their knowledge of their own communities? Should there be only one method of instruction? Or should schools have more communication with other districts, and share their best ideas and successes with each other?
 
Overall, Darling-Hammond presents a strong argument, and I agree with her ideals. I am confident that change will occur, but it will take time to convince everyone of the objectives she espouses, and to fully put them into place.  Sometimes change is better implemented slowly, on a trial-and-error basis, because this approach can allow for more collaboration and exchange of ideas between educators over time.

Reflections on Chapters 4-7

I have spent two decades in California public schools, so I can definitely identify with the situation that Linda Darling-Hammond details in her books. As  I continued reading, she further outlined the steep decline in the educational system, and echoed my experience to the last detail. Money for supplies and resources was dwindling, and instructors were using personal funds in order to continue teaching. Schools were crumbling as a result of outdated infrastructure, and no repairs seemed to be forthcoming. The only professional development was in Explicit Direct Instruction/See -Say-Do. We had little technology that worked effectively, and the downward spiral continued as wave of pink slips and layoffs followed even deeper budget cuts.

Instead of talking about our lessons, engaging students, and making good use of technology, many mid-level teachers opted for endless discussions of leaving the field, how our profession is not recognized, and how little value is placed on education. In truth, many teachers found themselves running on empty, and trying to have an impact in clearly overcrowded classrooms.  On two occasions I had up to 43 middle school students in one classroom.  Students were wedged in like sardines, sharing limited desk space with barely enough room to move around.  It was hardly an effective learning environment, to put it mildly.

We moved to Sonoma about a year and half ago to be closer to my husband’s family, and I decided to see what was going on at the high school level. Even in a non-Title 1 school in Rhonert Park, teachers were joining forces with their union to plead with the district for a raise. Teachers had not had a pay increase in eight years, and I was hearing still more discussion about leaving the profession. There was only one computer lab for the entire high school to use.

Even though experts like Linda Darling-Hammond have recently produced detailed research that ought to prompt states and policy makers to rethink the educational system, it was apparent that not much has changed. I was given ten-year-old textbooks that were not aligned to the common core, and expected to teach it anyway. I did not have a functioning laptop for the first six weeks, and felt left out of the technological loop. I did not have an LCD projector, computer, or document reader. I had a whiteboard that someone had washed incorrectly, and which would not come clean without serious scrubbing, and a whole pack of dry erase markers. With these incomplete materials, I was expected to teach geometry, which is a very visual subject.

Adequate materials and resources are so vital, and adequate teacher training is highly essential. Higher, more rigorous standards are important, but it is difficult to teach without the basics and further teacher development. Linda Darling-Hammond reiterates this point repeatedly in her book, as well as reinforcing what is working, and offering solutions to the challenges presented by the current educational climate.

After multiple frustrations like the ones I mentioned above, I was ready to give up teaching. My husband's family lives in Hidden Valley, and they said they had heard good things about Napa. With that in mind, I decided to give it one more year. Thankfully, I was hired at an amazing school. I walked into a nice clean classroom with nine Chromebooks, and I was surrounded by teachers excited about their lessons and speaking a new lingo - including Prbl, PBL, PBIS, ECHO, CA MATH, etc.  As far as I was concerned, though, they might as well been speaking Greek. We had all new textbooks. I had a LCD and laptop that worked, and a beautiful whiteboard. I loved it!  The only problem was that I didn’t have any training in the technologies I was supposed to be using. The district did provide me with quite a bit to get started, but I needed more. I finally had what every teacher dreamed of - all the technology I needed, but inadequate training!

As Linda Darling-Hammond points out, it's important to spend money on resources and teacher development, or the outcome will not be successful. As a professional, I am now asking myself what I can do in my classroom to engender 21st century technological skills. Coincidentally, I received the email for this program just as I was having doubts about my ability to be an effective teacher. I needed (and wanted) the opportunity to learn EVERYTHING! Most importantly, how will I fill my own professional learning gap? I am here in the Master’s Degree program to demonstrate my commitment to professional growth, so that I can activate learning and achievement at a higher level for my students.  

At this point in my career development, I feel like a first-year teacher:  everything is fresh and exciting. I have not been this enthusiastic about teaching in years, and I can’t wait to try new and innovative things. We collaborate and share at my school, which is wonderful, but I have found that this new style of teaching has led to some new classroom management situations I am not accustomed to, and which are in need of some better procedures. In this district, they finally seem to be paying attention what my past colleagues have been saying for years, and are really listening to people like Linda Darling-Hammond.  They seem to be making the changes necessary to create truly equitable classrooms, and I hope every district in the nation adopts similar updates.

Darling-Hammond gives examples of effective educational policies in Finland, Korea, and Singapore, and how they benefit those nations.  Even though we may not structure things politically or financially in the same way that these countries do, if we simply focus on providing teachers with adequate resources in the classroom (using policies supported by both local and federal administration), we can make significant gains in closing the achievement gap for students and teachers here in the United States. The benefits would be enormous for the nation as a whole, both now and in the future.

This book really resonated with me, because it read like the history of my life.  It echoed the many reasons why this program needs to be available, and why I want to take advantage of it. It is one thing to read about these issues, but it is very emotional to have lived them. The section about California actually brought tears to my eyes, as I recalled my fellow colleagues and the hardships we endured together, all while  trying to give our students the best we could under the circumstances in which we found ourselves.

Darling-Hammond speaks with a great deal of truth, clarity,and fact-based evidence, so with research like this available, it is hard to believe that California is still lagging behind in the area of technological development in the classroom.  But change is happening, and I am thrilled to be a part of it!  

​

Reflections on Chapters 1-3

Once I started reading this book, I found that I could hardly put it down! It was like reading the story of my life in education. I began kindergarten in 1974, and for most of my student life I was seated at a desk taking notes from the chalkboard. I graduated in 1995 with my B.A. degree, and with only two days of experience as a substitute teacher I was hired to teach math on an emergency credential.
 
I was fortunate that my first assignment was in Valencia, California (a primarily affluent community), but I was given one class of the ELL students as well. The students no one wanted to teach were given to the least qualified teacher, and I was given chalk and chalkboard - by 1995 some long-time tenured teachers even had whiteboardsI The daily curriculum I was to teach consisted of dumbed-down worksheets of drill-and-kill basic skill activities.
 
Everything Darling-Hammond mentions in her book is a reflection of what I experienced and was instructed to do. At the time, I did not realize that this was happening all over the U.S., or the impact it would later have on society. No Child Left Behind was coming up, and after teaching without a credential for many years, It was time to finally get one, as I was still not highly qualified.
 
Next came standardized testing, and teaching to the test was rampant - as well as the deliberate targeting of students that would otherwise bring our scores down. We all knew who the top ten behavioral problems were, as well as the lowest achieving students (these categories often overlapped), and sure enough they were targeted, written up, and suspended far more than other students.
 
When the economic crisis hit, we were urged to do more with less. I recall how angry I was to find out how much was being spent on prisons and corrections, and how little on education. Per-inmate spending at that time was approximately $50,000/year, whereas my district was spending $4,000 per pupil. Correctional officers with a two-year junior college degree were making $20,000 - $40,000 more than a highly qualified first-year teacher! We were contributing more to criminals than to the children who are our future, and if this trend persists, the school-to-prison pipeline will continue to grow.  
 
Reading Linda Darling-Hammond’s book painted a much clearer picture of my experiences and frustrations, and she clarified some of the politics that had exasperated me as well. In the end it is the policy makers who are making our educational decisions, and there is no way that students can have equitable classrooms when schools do not provide adequate resources, qualified teachers, and an attitude that all students can learn and achieve.
 
I taught in a Title 1 school for over seven years. One point from the book that resonated to my very bones was the labeling of teachers and schools as failures. This approach affects teacher morale, and they often depart out of frustration and despair. I left after fifteen years, a math teacher colleague left after ten, a special ed. teacher after nine, and a P.E. teacher after twelve. Once we had all started our new jobs and gotten back in touch with each other, our conversation was all about how nice it was to have paper, supportive administrators, involved parents, and (most importantly) the feeling of being needed and appreciated by our new schools.
 
This book should be assigned to anyone who aspires to be an administrator or superintendent, and by all educational policy makers. As a result of inadequate policies and resources, our former school lost 46 years of combined  teaching experience to four first-year teachers, which hardly seems like an ideal outcome, and one that under different circumstances might have been prevented.
 
To reiterate, Darling-Hammond gave the impression of having followed me throughout my teaching career, but since she never once mentioned my specific school or district, I imagine the situation her research outlines is likely more severe than even she realizes.