Moving Mindsets

How could you adapt or change one of your current class/course policies to reflect a moving mindset? Is this a change you are willing to make? Why or Why not?

As a media specialist, I do not have class/course policies. However, I do collaborate with teachers during research projects. We already do not assign research as homework (1.)  and do not give zeroes (2.) for the project. Students work on the projects at school in computer labs and must complete the project. Completion can be tricky for some students, but the media center is always available for students before school, during lunch, after school, and whenever a teacher sends the student to work.

A shift in mindset that is currently in process is that of going paperless and beginning to use e-books and more digital resources for research. We also began using the learning management system, My Big Campus, to create learning bundles and for file storage. Last fall, I approached our Language Arts teachers about moving in this direction. I truly thought I was going to be lynched by the end of the meeting. However, I had support from our administration and began slowly one teacher and project at a time. By the end of the year, teachers saw the benefits of the shift as time spent on research had been reduced, students were more motivated, and student work was easier to access and read. (No more student handwriting to decipher.)

As we look forward to a new school year, we still have tweaking of the process and each teacher has strengths and areas to improve. One more shift that remains for the majority of teachers is online grading or feedback. English teachers still like to have a printed page in hand to mark with comments and denote errors.

Am I willing to continue with this process of change? Absolutely. We are moving in the right direction for both the teachers and the students. When the first Language Arts department meets this fall, I don’t think lynching will occur. But being “run out of town” might be something to try to avoid!

1. “No-Zero Policy: Students Don’t See Zeroes The Same Way Adults Do” By Heather M. Stocker, TeachThought Intern 
2. “Are You Down With or Done With Homework?” By Lory Hough