In the state of Texas, students in grades 3-12 must take the STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) at the end of every school year (TEA, n.d.). Teachers feel the stress of teaching to the test, students feel stress to pass the test, and administrators reinforce that stress so their campus gets a B rating, or hopefully the coveted A.
Texas is not the only state caught up in the cycle of standardized testing. The NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act) of 2001 tied standardized testing to federal funding (Kline, 2015). With so much at stake, teachers find themselves on a tight pacing guide to teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
As a student in the Applied Digital Learning program at Lamar University, I was introduced to a philosophy of teaching referred to as CSLE + COVA which is based on educational theories of Constructivists like Jean Piaget, John Dewey, Seymour Papert, and Jerome Bruner (Harapnuik, n.d.) CSLE or Creating Significant Learning Environments is the foundation of learning which I have created my Innovation Plan for Blended Learning using a Station Rotation model. Through creating a significant learning environment my students will be able to have a Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic learning opportunities, also referred to as COVA. Through the implementation of my Learning Goals, teacher will be able to identify blended learning using a station rotation model within the social studies curriculum in a primary classroom.
CSLE + COVA in Action
As a self-contained second grade GT (gifted and talented education) teacher in Texas, my students are required to create a project at the end of each school year in order to receive state funding for the GT program. This project is called the Texas Performance Standards Projects (TPSP). The project comprises a set of performance standards, curricula, and assessments for differentiating instruction and deepening academic learning (TPSP, n.d.) At the end of the day, my students are given time to work on their project. As part of their assignment, they must research their chosen biome, create notes with citations, draw their biome and write a summary describing their biome. They will then create their biome in Minecraft Education. My students will research animals that will survive in their chosen biome and create a newly named hybrid that will live there. Through this project, my students are given a choice over their project, a voice over how they present what they know and ownership over their learning at a pace that allows them to learn on their own through their own research. This gives them an authentic learning opportunity to develop their knowledge. Their response to this project has been amazing. They are having fun, working hard, talking about their projects together, collaborating in groups, and writing amazing research papers. If I had told them this was for a grade and given them a specific topic to write about, I believe the outcome would have been very different.
CSLE + COVA is the learner-centered approach that teachers should embrace. I look forward to someday sharing this innovative approach to learning through my Innovation Plan.
References
TEA-Texas Education Agency (n.d.). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Texas Education Agency. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks/texas-essential-knowledge-and-skills
Kline, A. (2015, April 10). No Child Left Behind: An Overview. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04
Harapnuik, D. (n.d.). Research. It’s About the Learning. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7079
TEA-Texas Education Agency (n.d.). Texas Performance Standards Project. TPSP. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.texaspsp.org/
Blended Elementary 