Extreme Makeover: Lesson Plan Edition

by | Jun 23, 2011 | Action Research Projects | 0 comments

Spring Grove Area School District

Team Members: Kristen Henning, Jane Ardner, Donald Michael, Jenna Raygor, Mike Holtzapple,
Community: IU-13 Year 1, 2010-2011

Our project focuses on informing our teachers about 21st Century Skills and modeling how these skills can be integrated into their curriculum. We have identified subject-specific tools as well as general tools that could be used during instruction to promote 21st Cenutry Learning. During the district summer professional development, our staff will have the opportunity to take part in a “Lesson Makeover” where they create a lesson plan utilizing the 21st Century Skills within their curriculum. Each participant will create a 21st Century lesson plan that will be shared with staff in order to broaden instructional strategies and tools.

Currently, the staff have varied awareness of and ability to integrate 21st Cenutry Skills in their classrooms.
We would like to build awareness of the 21st Century Skills within the district, as well as increase the integration of these skills into the curriculum. Before the workshop sessions and at the end of the school year, participants will complete a simple survey on their knowledge/use of 21st Century Skills in their classroom. [See Workshop Survey] This will act as a pre and post assessment to measure growth of use of the 21st Century Skills within the classrooms. We hope to see the number of classrooms utilizing the 21st Century Skills double after he 2011-2012 school year.
Summer 2011 – Teachers take part in “Lesson Makeover” sessions to learn about 21st Century Skills and plan how they could be used in their classroom.

2011-2012 School Year – Teachers implement created lessons, search for others that colleagues have created. [End of year survey of participants.]

Summer 2012 – Teachers again take part in “Lesson Makeover” sessions to modify more of their lessons for the coming year.

During this project, our eyes were opened to how powerful instruction that utilizes the 21st Century Skills can become. We witnessed students in the primary grade levels take technologies they have never seen and use them to extend their learning. Our team also realized how important it is for us to share this newfound information with our colleagues to help everyone improve their instruction and therefore student learning. We are excited to be implementing our professional development plan this summer with staff from across our district. We are very excited to work beside the staff as they “Launch Learning into the 21st Century!”
Meeting Notes

Teacher Survey

Workshop Survey

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About Action Research Projects

Action research is a process in which Powerful Learning Team members collaboratively examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully. Action research is:

  • Disciplined inquiry into a problem or possibility within the school or classroom
  • Collaborative and usually takes place in a community of practice
  • Meaningful, positive, and reflective
  • Data-driven, action-based, improvement-focused
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Powerful Learning Practice

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Sheryl is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Powerful Learning Practice. She works with schools and districts from around the world helping them to infuse technology into their curriculums and by leading other digital conversion efforts. Sheryl also consults with governments, educational organizations and non-profits in development of their various professional learning initiatives. Sheryl is a sought-after presenter at national and international events, speaking on topics related to digital and online learning, teacher and educational leadership, online community building, and other educational issues impacting children of poverty. Sheryl served on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Board of Directors for six years. She co-authored The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age with Lani Ritter Hall. Sheryl has four children and four grandsons, Luke, Logan, Levi and Tanner and a trio of dachshunds. You can find out more on her blog and on Twitter @snbeach.
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