Summary of Collaborative work
Our team, Next Gen EL Pedagogy, started our initial contacts via email. Then we met via Google Hangouts to develop our Discovery Phase together and designed a comprehensive plan. While we were meeting, all three of us worked on the document. We talked and brainstormed various topics which all related in some way to English Learners. This was a relief to me because my field is Adult ELs. In our Google Doc we identified all the stakeholders (end users) and came up with questions to ask them. We also divided the tasks needed to gather this information. Monica offered to interview an EL expert, David’s assignment is to interview EL teachers/students, and I was to interview parents. We made a plan to meet again to discuss our findings and formulate next steps. We set deadlines to complete these initial tasks and made plans to work together on analyzing the data. My Contribution Since I work exclusively with adult students and do not have easy access to EL students in the K-12 setting, I was tasked with interviewing parents of current EL and former EL students. After conducting 9 interviews, it made sense to me to convert the questions and answers into surveys. I shared the summary of the data with my group in the shared folder. Biggest Challenge The biggest challenge for me at this stage in my Master's work has been time-management. Finding the time to meet was definitely a challenge for our group. It was much easier to send emails here and there and share through Google Drive when it was convenient. However, we knew we had to arrange a time to meet synchronously . So we met on a Saturday morning for 2 hours and 15 minutes via Hangouts. Working in a group we were able to support each other and keep each other accountable to the assignments. How would you apply Design Thinking at your site? There are several aspects of Design Thinking (DT) that appeal to me. I like how it requires consideration of all the end users (stakeholders) and how it breaks down a complex process into smaller, bite-sized tasks. It requires formulating a complete plan before taking action steps. At my site, we are in the midst of a book adoption process. The teachers have examined the sample books, heard the publisher reps tout the supremacy of their textbooks with emphasis on how it supports our standardized testing. There was one group of end users not consulted prior to voting on the best book: the students themselves. If a DT process had been used, we would have clearly identified students as end users. Instead, teachers who have used the books in other settings vouched for them. In the midst of this process, I took a class set of the new textbooks to my classroom to pilot them. The students found the books engaging. But, this should have been the plan from the beginning. Vision Statement and Action Steps If I could create a vision incorporating 21st Century Skills and Design Thinking it would read like this: The vision of School X is to provide technology for each student which will support collaboration and critical thinking skills necessary to be productive global citizens. Through technology, teachers will be able to diversify instruction, spark creativity, and engage learners during and outside of class hours. Action Steps:
What possible changes or advancements would you like to see occur? There are no set systems of sharing technology in our school. While things are moving rapidly to 1:1 Chromebooks in the larger high school district, the use of tech within our school is sparse. We have two classes that use computers. Other classes that rotate and use a lab. Many offsite classes that have no computers at all. I would like to see more support from the District office in sharing technology with the our teachers. I would like all of our teachers to have more of a desire to learn and teach with technology. Recently, some have expressed desire to use mobile devices as a learning tool, so this might be a first step. Lastly, I’d like to see newer teachers be coached and all teachers develop their own PLNs.
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Sheila L. DavisPassionate Adult ESL Instructor and TOSA at Grossmont Adult School. Current Adjunct at San Diego Community College District. Seeking the best ways to utilize technology in the classroom and in professional life. ArchivesCategories |