Innovation Proposal
To the administration team of Memorial Early College High School,
As a professional educator, this year of my life has been both challenging and rewarding as I have grown in project-based learning. I have noticed that most assignments are given in isolation, and do not build on the principles acquired in others. This is true of all contents and disciplines. As time progresses and education evolves, this practice will become more unacceptable to a broader base of parents. We, as professionals in our field, should take the next evolutionary steps in education to help students clearly develop their interests and career prospects. I believe this evolution will begin on our campus when students create and develop a digital learning portfolio.
The core of this learning portfolio will truly demonstrate the student-centered principles that education claims to value. Students will have a central location where they can post the finished products of their most meaningful projects. This should consist of products they chose to make based on the academic disciplines. If students wish to write a blog of their experiences in English or History, they should do so in their portfolio. Students that have scientific leanings, should be allowed to devise projects that reflect their skill development in that area. Teachers will act as content experts and facilitators to guide students on their journey by helping them acquire and use the information to make the end product. It is important to emphasize that showcasing products is not the goal of these portfolios, but to outline the growth and development of the students' skills. As their interests develop, the combination of the right classes, teachers, and skill development will allow them to show that growth. This is also why classes should not be taught in isolation. For example, art skills would be required to craft plans to build a structure. Knowing how to conduct historical and legal research is essential to knowing where said structure can be erected. Every class, every content, every skill that students master will shape their interests, college majors, career prospects, and life choices.
The methodology, by which students will develop their portfolios, will be done in the following ways:
Students will leverage the district's G-Suite subscription and create a web portfolio of the free Google sites, within the district domain.
Students will develop web content creation skills using the graphic and video design programs provided to them in their CTE classes.
Pages, that are developed as part of group projects, will require students to post/replicate the pages on their own digital portfolios.
Presentations will be done by the creation of digital media, such as videos and podcasts, as Slide decks are antiquated and do not teach new skills.
Teachers will expertly guide students in such a way that they must use skills acquired in other classes. This will require a guiding hand from the Campus Instructional Coaches as school-wide collaboration would be necessary.
It is highly probable that district officials will want to see results before implementing this on an entire campus, or district wide. Long-term benefits of this endeavor will include the following:
Students will have the opportunity for self-examination and exploration of interests.
Students can develop real-life skills in keeping with said interests.
Students will have the ability to showcase their skills to universities and employers.
To show the effectiveness of this style, I propose piloting this in our integrated ELA/Social Studies class. My partner teacher and I are already doing projects; we simply want to give students a chance to show learning and skill. Plans are being made to have students utilize skills gained in other classes, in any way necessary and applicable. We believe this initiative will be ready to implement for the campus by next year, and I believe the results will be positive. I thank you for your consideration and I look forward to getting this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Jacob K. Montag
Humanities Teacher
Memorial Early College High School
Comal ISD