#TigerInnovation for the leaders of our high school classroomsâŠ
Loveland, Ohio – When you are in the business of education, you know continued academic growth is just as important for the students as it is for the professionals who guide them. Right now Loveland High School (LHS) is abuzz with professional development and collaboration opportunities for teachers: a game-changing book study, the Loveland Innovator Academy, and Loveland[x].
Walking the halls, much of the enthusiastic conversation amongst teachers is centered on The Innovatorâs Mindset book study â a gamified class that teachers can take for continuing education credits (CEUs) or graduate credit. It requires teachers to look critically at their own teaching practice, integrate new ideas into their classroom, and share their learning with colleagues.
âThe book makes me think about how teaching is like when you first build a house,â said LHS American Government Teacher Kelen Weathers. âYou spend a lot of time on the foundation, the supports, and filling it with the things you like. And then, for some people, you just live it in without making any changes to it. But at some point, maybe you should remodel the kitchen because your house and your life will be better if you do. As teachers, sometimes we become too comfortable with how we built our âhouse.â We become too comfortable with what we do and how we do it. What we need to do is some remodeling.â
âItâs hard to step outside what you know or what you think is successful,â agreed LHS Academic Lab/APEX Teacher John Hart. âHow do you convince someone that itâs worth changing? I think we have to take a step back and see how things have changed in order to see why we should change. Itâs been 15 years since I went to a college for a reason other than a sporting event, but recently, I attended a college visit. I got to see what the library looks like, what assignments look like, what classes look like, and it turned everything on its ear. What we think we are preparing students for no longer exists. Whatâs out there now, whatâs next for them, is very different from what I experienced.â
Another development opportunity for teachers is the Loveland Innovator Academy designed to foster growth and promote innovation through Innovative Classroom Grants. After undergoing a rigorous application process, grant winners will now participate in collaborative learning and design thinking to revise, hone, and finalize their grant proposals.
[quote_right]LHS Biology teachers Tonya Nkhata and Jaclyn Jones were awarded a grant for digital microscopes[/quote_right].LHS Biology teachers Tonya Nkhata and Jaclyn Jones were awarded a grant for digital microscopes.
âThe Innovator Academy is encouraging us to be game-changers,â said Nkhata. âWe are hearing a message that student-centered learning is our focus, not test scores. When we do that, when we focus on the student, the rest will come. That message empowers me to transform learning for my students.â
âWe will be able to expand the understanding in lab work to every type of learner,â Jones elaborated. âWe are envisioning a digital portfolio where students can demonstrate their growth in both skills and content knowledge. Their learning can be shared with others outside our class, our building, our district, even our state.â
[quote_left]This group of teachers meets monthly after school to discuss, plan, and implement innovation at LHS.[/quote_left]History teacher Alex Wanstrath is also a grant recipient participating in the Innovator Academy as well as the Innovatorâs Mindset book study, and a third opportunity – the Loveland[x] team. This group of teachers meets monthly after school to discuss, plan, and implement innovation at LHS.
âThis year, we have a shift in focus,â Wanstrath said. âWe are looking more closely at how we reach students, how we advance their achievement, and how we encourage their passions. We arenât just focused on what new tools are out there, but rather, how we can apply digital tools, collaborative learning, and student-centered choice in order to foster a deeper understanding in our students.â
âIn the spirit of George Couros â author of The Innovatorâs Mindset â with these opportunities I believe we are experiencing something different as educators so we can create something different for our students,â said Amanda Bimonte, LHS innovative instructional coach. âThis is exactly the mindset we see LHS teachers embracing. Couros would be proud of the many teachers at LHS who are choosing to take risks, make changes, and grow as teachers and learners.â
Nice story; however, I have an LHS sophomore student who went through Common Core math courses in the lower grades, and still doesn’t know his multiplication tables up through 12 times 12. When I was a child, I had memorized this information by third grade, thanks to a teacher who drilled it into my head using a rhyming music tape.
Maybe if modern education was less focused on imprinting certain ideological messages on young minds and more focused on teaching facts and cultivating critical thinking skills, this would not be happening. However, the powers that be in the US know they need a compliant, non-critical citizenry to get away with their perpetual wars, encroaching rules and regulations, and income theft.