Traditionally, each learning community at Mitchell works with identified GT students on their Texas Performance Standards Project within their LC. This year, I am proposing a reorganization of how this work happens. Rather than working in isolation within learning communities, TPSP students will work collaboratively in cohorts that meet weekly in the Mitchell library. Meeting in groups of three LCs at a time, every student will have one regular rotation day per week.
TPSP Cohorts at Mitchell Intermediate by Colby CliffordThe library will provide a consistent meeting location for all TPSP students. The library also has an available computer lab and is centrally located when other chromecarts need to be rolled in. Meeting during enrichment time provides a consistent time for TPSP students.
Facilitating teachers might include those that enjoy the TPSP project and have their 30 GT hours. To alleviate scheduling conflicts, the bulk of homeroom students for facilitating teachers could be comprised of TPSP students.
TPSP students will be encouraged to archive and share their work in the form of ePortfolios. The ePortfolio will allow our students the chance to take ownership over and reflect on their discoveries, students will be encouraged to make meaningful real-world connections to their learning, and be able to take these skills with them as they continue through school and beyond their time here in CISD.
Research shows that reflection and collaboration is beneficial in the learning process. One way to provide a space for students to practice reflection and collaboration is through the use of ePortfolios. Much like regular paper portfolios, an ePortfolio is a collection of student work collected digitally. They will be able to share their learning and opinions with others while showcasing their unique work and experiences.
Each student will be able to take their ePortfolio with them as they continue through their education in CISD. This will allow them to continue to grow and add to their previous knowledge and encourage them to make connections to prior learning. Through the process of building and maintaining their portfolios students will also develop twenty-first century skills and become lifelong learners. Learning within the landscape of an ePortfolio will prepare our Mustangs for a future that we cannot even imagine!
Benefits of ePortfolios:
- Empower student voice and choice
- ePortfolios help students develop digital composition skills
- Students share and reflect on their work themselves
- Research shows that operating an ePortfolio stimulates memory and deepens understanding of past experiences.
- Research shows that the combination of thinking about design and textual content provides higher-impact learning experiences than simply putting words on paper.
- Demonstrate deeper level of personal growth over time
“Activities documented by the ePortfolio appeared to operate as stimuli to memory and elicited rehearsing of concepts in a way that deepened understanding of the past experiences. The ePortfolio method offers a balancing opportunity to regard design and making process in assessment. Despite being based on the pupils’ experiences, the results are relevant and useful for teachers when improving their pedagogical practices.”