Innovation Outline


Project Title: Flipping the Script: Launching New Teachers with Blended Learning

Project Description: Establish a Blended learning environment that boosts new teachers' growth in the classroom, which will benefit students.  

Goals: Establish a learner-centered learning culture that targets new teachers' needs throughout the school year. 

Partnerships: To ensure the effectiveness of all our new teachers across the district, we will partner with the Administration, the Academic Director, and the teaching and learning team. 

    Phase 1: Months 1-2
Research:
  • Gather research and create a literature review on the benefits of creating a culture of Blended Learning.
  • Establish a way to start implementing the blended learning model in the B.E.S.T Academy, allowing new teachers to have choice and ownership(COVA) (Harapnuik, 2018) of their guidance and instruction. 
  • Review Case Studies for blended learning. 
        Proposal:
  • Share the innovation proposal with the Director of Academics
  • Create Goals for the new teachers
  • Create ePortfolio to help display my research with the director and other leaders who facilitate B.E.S.T

    
Phase 2: Months 3-6
        Planning:
  • I will discuss this idea with the teaching and learning team that helps me facilitate the B.E.S.T Academy program and gather their ideas.
  • Share my progress with the research that I have gathered on my e-portfolio.
  • Allow time for my team to share ideas and concerns that they may have regarding the transition. 
  • Set the goals that we would like to accomplish for our new teachers in the coming year. 
  • Identify the content we want to combine to display on the blended learning platform.
  • Discuss what content we already use that we would like to roll over into the platform and what new ideas we would like to utilize. 
  • Make a plan for utilization throughout the year that blends with a schedule that has already been created. 
Beginning of Program: 
  • B.E.S.T Academy will begin for new teachers coming into our district. 
  • Provide professional development on the blended learning culture and journey throughout this year as they are in our program. 
  • Share ePorfolio and mission statement 
  • Start blended learning and set a goal with new teachers on what we would like them to try in the classroom. 
    
Phase 3: Months 7-11
        Progress Check:
  • Continue blended learning rotations with new teachers. 
  • Check-in with teachers at our in-person B.E.S.T Academy meeting to see what is and is not working. 
  • Complete walk-throughs in the teacher's classrooms and see how the implementation of goals works. 
  • See where we can coach up with new teachers on the struggles they are facing. 
  • Video modeling lessons and posting them on the platform for teachers to reflect on and implement. 
  • Share progress on ePortfolio 

    Phase 4: Months 12-13
        Results and Next Steps:
  • Have teachers reflect on their goals and evaluate student growth due to strategy implementation
  • Discuss the next steps with new teachers as they move to a new cohort level in the program
  • Outline a plan for the following year's blended learning expectations with teachers. 
  • Set goals for the next year and plan routine check-ins for set dates to check on goal implementation. 

    Phase 5: Months 14-17
        Begin a new cycle of a new teacher academy: 
  • Continue to add documents to ePortfolio
  • B.E.S.T will start for new teachers in the district. 
  • Cohort 2 will start for teachers entering the program for the second year.
  • Review goals set from the previous year.
  • Set up Blended learning expectations 
  • Talk about what works and does not work for the previous year. 
  • Talk about the implementation of the blended learning structure into their classrooms. 
  • Cohort 1 will begin for brand-new teachers in the district
  • Set up blended learning goals and expectations.
  • Present professional development for what blended learning looks like in our academy
  • Share ePortfolio and mission statement.
  • Set up dates for rotations to meet the goals set in blended learning sessions 

Phase 6: Months 18-24
Progress Check:
  • Continue to add documents to ePortfolio
  • Continue Blended learning with new teachers in Cohort 1 and Cohort 2
  • Check-in with teachers at our in-person B.E.S.T Academy meeting to see what is and is not working. 
  • Complete walk-throughs in the teacher's classrooms and see how the implementation of goals works. 
  • See where we can coach up with new teachers on the struggles they are facing. 
  • Video modeling lessons and posting them on the platform for teachers to reflect on and implement. 
  • With Cohort 2: help model and implement blended learning into their classroom. 

    Phase 7: Months 22-24
        Results and next steps:
  • Record the progress and growth of the new teachers in both cohorts
  • Add all documentation to eportfolio 
  • Report what is working and what needs to be changed to the principals, director or academics, and the teaching and learning team. 
  • Decide if blended learning in the new teacher program should be continued the way it is being implemented or if revisions or additions to the program need to be added. 

Conclusion: The B.E.S.T. academy's blended learning structure helps combat the challenges new teachers face, creating an engaging culture of learning. This outline shifts the focus from the teacher being the source of learning to the student being the driver of their education.