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How Can You Design an Implementation Plan for ExL in Your Context?Loading...
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By Deborah Ehler-Hansen, M.Ed.August, 2020
This ebook will help you design an implementation plan for ExL in your context that includes detailed information on the stakeholders in your community, pre-identified goals and anticipated outcomes aligned to all active stakeholders, as well as plan for formative check-ins to support the iterative nature of enacting positive systemic change. Please note that the implementation plan design prompts for ExL on pages 2-9 were created by Dr. Kelly Conn of Northeastern University.
Please review the ebook attached below to learn how the design thinking system can help you create systemic change in your teaching and learning context.
Please review the ebook attached below to learn how the design thinking system can help you create systemic change in your teaching and learning context.
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To begin to design your implementation plan you should create a context statement. Please review my context statement below:
In the ebook titled, How Will You Get To Know And Understand Your Students In Order To Create An Experiential Learning Opportunity For Them? I explained the following:
“I examined the community in which I teach and discovered that poverty is an opportunity gap. This was a very important discovery. According to the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) 2019 Free and Reduced Eligibility Report 33-47.24% of the students in the school district live in poverty. Almost half (47.24%) of our students at Fair Haven Graded School live in poverty. The statewide average eligibility is 40.14%. This means that at this school there are 7+% more students living in poverty than the statewide average.
The AOE report states, to be ‘eligible" for the National School Lunch Program, "a student (must have) submitted an application and (must have) been certified as qualifying for free or reduced price benefits based on the Family Size and Income Guidelines published by the United States Department of Agriculture. To be eligible for free meals a family’s income must be at or below 130% of the Federal poverty level, the family/household receives 3SquaresVT or Reach-Up, or children are Directly Certified as free eligible” (ehler-hansen 4).
In the ebook titled, How Will You Get To Know And Understand Your Students In Order To Create An Experiential Learning Opportunity For Them? I explained the following:
“I examined the community in which I teach and discovered that poverty is an opportunity gap. This was a very important discovery. According to the Vermont Agency of Education (AOE) 2019 Free and Reduced Eligibility Report 33-47.24% of the students in the school district live in poverty. Almost half (47.24%) of our students at Fair Haven Graded School live in poverty. The statewide average eligibility is 40.14%. This means that at this school there are 7+% more students living in poverty than the statewide average.
The AOE report states, to be ‘eligible" for the National School Lunch Program, "a student (must have) submitted an application and (must have) been certified as qualifying for free or reduced price benefits based on the Family Size and Income Guidelines published by the United States Department of Agriculture. To be eligible for free meals a family’s income must be at or below 130% of the Federal poverty level, the family/household receives 3SquaresVT or Reach-Up, or children are Directly Certified as free eligible” (ehler-hansen 4).
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Next you will create a Needs & Purpose Statement
Think about...From your perspective, what are the needs of your students? Hence, the purpose of your project, unit, or program?
“Poverty is an opportunity gap at our school that I have identified, which affects nearly half of all our students within our school district. This presents many challenges, not only to our schools, but also for our students...This was a very important discovery. According to Ernest Izard's, PhD. publication titled Teaching Children from Poverty and Trauma , "There are multiple risks to the low SES community that comes from not addressing the stressors from poverty and trauma. Economically, the community will not build a stronger future when students do not graduate or graduate with less than adequate academic, life, and working skills...The intellectual capital loss when students wounded by poverty and trauma do not fulfill the potential of their gifts and talents is tragic. Instead of experiencing a transformation from a vibrant education, the community continues a downward spiral" (ehler-hansen 4) as explained in the ebook, How Will You Develop A Plan For Engaging Stakeholders By Understanding Their Perspectives and Roles In The Community To Bring Them Into The Process Of Enacting Experiential Learning?
Thus, it is critical that the people of the communities in which students are taught, develop an understanding of the needs of their children and young adults, to ensure that their communities, the places in which all stakeholders live, continue to thrive now and in the future.
Think about...From your perspective, what are the needs of your students? Hence, the purpose of your project, unit, or program?
“Poverty is an opportunity gap at our school that I have identified, which affects nearly half of all our students within our school district. This presents many challenges, not only to our schools, but also for our students...This was a very important discovery. According to Ernest Izard's, PhD. publication titled Teaching Children from Poverty and Trauma , "There are multiple risks to the low SES community that comes from not addressing the stressors from poverty and trauma. Economically, the community will not build a stronger future when students do not graduate or graduate with less than adequate academic, life, and working skills...The intellectual capital loss when students wounded by poverty and trauma do not fulfill the potential of their gifts and talents is tragic. Instead of experiencing a transformation from a vibrant education, the community continues a downward spiral" (ehler-hansen 4) as explained in the ebook, How Will You Develop A Plan For Engaging Stakeholders By Understanding Their Perspectives and Roles In The Community To Bring Them Into The Process Of Enacting Experiential Learning?
Thus, it is critical that the people of the communities in which students are taught, develop an understanding of the needs of their children and young adults, to ensure that their communities, the places in which all stakeholders live, continue to thrive now and in the future.
Then...Create Your Project/Unit/Program Plan - Answer the Following Questions - Step by Step
The title of the project is:
Slate Valley Unified School District Engaged: An Experiential, Place-Based Inquiry into the State of Slate in the Slate Valley
What are you planning to have your students do?
Students will ENGAGE with local and global businesses, community members, researchers in Spain and the United States, and the Northeastern University Engineering Department to conduct research using scientific information sources to develop/discover potential new products, and/or processes using new technology(ies) and slate to build our local economy.
Please review the ebook below to learn how to create an ExL project for your students!
The title of the project is:
Slate Valley Unified School District Engaged: An Experiential, Place-Based Inquiry into the State of Slate in the Slate Valley
What are you planning to have your students do?
Students will ENGAGE with local and global businesses, community members, researchers in Spain and the United States, and the Northeastern University Engineering Department to conduct research using scientific information sources to develop/discover potential new products, and/or processes using new technology(ies) and slate to build our local economy.
Please review the ebook below to learn how to create an ExL project for your students!
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Next...determine How will that be “authentically” engaging to them?
Students will engage with global and community members to get the project done, as they:
* Assist the local slate industry by providing current information, in regard to, global product development strategies.
* Assist the local slate industry by researching/discovering the latest technologies which utilize slate.
* Assist local slate manufacturers in building their business(es) to their greatest potential.
* Ultimately create new career opportunities and thus build the workforce of our community.
* Build the economy of our community.
* Ensure that the citizens of our community have additional opportunities to engage themselves within our local community, versus outside of our local community.
This is a real-world project, where they are solving real-world problems, as they consult and work with experts/mentors in their field (the researchers and those who work in the slate industry), while using guided inquiry skills and connecting other content areas to conduct deeper learning experiences. According to CAPS MODULE 1: BUILDING & GROWING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS “Relevance is central to the CAPS model. One of the growing themes of educational reform is the need to make experiences authentic—solving real problems mentored by real employers with real tools leading to real learning” (12).
Students will engage with global and community members to get the project done, as they:
* Assist the local slate industry by providing current information, in regard to, global product development strategies.
* Assist the local slate industry by researching/discovering the latest technologies which utilize slate.
* Assist local slate manufacturers in building their business(es) to their greatest potential.
* Ultimately create new career opportunities and thus build the workforce of our community.
* Build the economy of our community.
* Ensure that the citizens of our community have additional opportunities to engage themselves within our local community, versus outside of our local community.
This is a real-world project, where they are solving real-world problems, as they consult and work with experts/mentors in their field (the researchers and those who work in the slate industry), while using guided inquiry skills and connecting other content areas to conduct deeper learning experiences. According to CAPS MODULE 1: BUILDING & GROWING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS “Relevance is central to the CAPS model. One of the growing themes of educational reform is the need to make experiences authentic—solving real problems mentored by real employers with real tools leading to real learning” (12).
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