Goals Evaluation:
This project was touch and go at times. I am not directly affiliated with a school, and finding a teacher to coach was challenging. When the first group bowed out, I had to scramble to find someone to work with. Mary is a former colleague of mine, and I found out about her transferring to middle school where she struggled. Once it she agreed to coaching, things went much smoother. She was hesitant about using blogs, as she was nervous about introducing technology, and felt the students would act out more. We agreed to do a one week run to start. It was not as full of implementation as I had hoped, but it was a start.
The students performed great. Once the blogs were implemented, they responded with enthusiasm and were more on task for the duration of class. As my research suggested, they felt more attached to the class and more invested in the outcomes. The teacher was very nervous, as she had had many behavior problems, but found this encouraging. We continued to meet periodically, and she continues to use blogging and is more comfortable with decentralizing her instruction. Next year she wants to hit the ground running with blogs and learn more progressive teaching techniques for her class.
Work Samples. Click to Enlarge
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 Student Accounts |
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