(Video Text & Links)
My Experience with COVA and CSLE
After working through the courses in the DLL program, I had the opportunity to experience the benefits behind creating a significant learning environment (CSLE) and the COVA approach and what that felt like in the eyes of a student. I was able to choose the work I was learning, creating and sharing, and by having that choice it lead me to take ownership of my work. By having ownership of my work I became more engaged in my learning, applying what I had been learning and pushing through with growth mindset and grit to learn, create and share even more. This became the drive and excitement behind my voice/sharing what I was now passionate about on my ePortfolio. The best part is that all of this was done in an Authentic way by creating my innovation plan to share with others, something that I feel proud of and want to continue to work on. I now want to come up with other innovative plans to use within my school. Using the COVA approach and CSLE has helped me to be excited, passionate and engaged with my learning. Isn’t that excitement what we all want to pass on to our own students?
It wasn’t easy starting this change in my learning. When I was first given choice and ownership of my work I felt somewhat confused. There was not a clear path to take. It was up to me to share with my own voice what I was learning. This has been so different than all of schooling has been for me in the past. I have been so used to hearing from the instructor what I need to know, doing what they told me to do and completing the assignment they wanted me to complete in the way they wanted it completed. I had to make a change in my thinking and learning but once I started to feel that difference the way I was learning had changed me as an educator. The COVA approach helped me to be more creative and feel pride with the hard work I have completed from this course.
I first started to feel like I had choice, ownership and voice in the ePortfolio course. This course was authentic because I was creating something that I would be able to use, improve and continue throughout the DLL program. While this is the first hint I had of ownership, as I continued through the each course in the program the professors continued to use the COVA approach and Created significant learning environments for me to gain the confidence that I really did have Choice Ownership and a voice through our class meetings and discussions and through my innovation plan (my authentic learning experience).
I am not the type to be in charge of people or feel like I am the expert in education. I feel like I am always learning and improving myself as an educator so I can’t be an expert. But after experiencing the benefits of the COVA approach and CSLE I feel like I should pass this experience on to my students and my coworkers. By sharing what I have learned I will be able to help to promote a change in many students learning, beyond just my own group of students. I have learned that being a leader does not make you the “expert”. It means modeling the skills, collaborating to go further with learning, sharing learning through effective Professional Learning, and helping others to focus on their why as a motivator in order to promote innovation in education. After completing my courses and experiencing COVA I feel like I can now be a better leader within my organization and help others to promote change!
This program has not only changed how I teach but it has also changed my philosophy about teaching and learning. Before the DLL program, I believed that learning happens when you create a team/community within your classroom, building relationships and by doing hands on, engaging lessons. I still think this is important but even further I have learned how important choice is in learning and motivation to learn. I now believe the COVA approach should be at the heart of all lessons for deep learning and engagement to happen & CSLE is key to learning & educational innovation.
How will I use what I have learned?
I am now working to take what I have learned and apply this to my own class. My school is not totally on board yet but I am still working to make change because this is the heart of why I am a teacher and I want to make a difference in education! I have faced many challenges with implementing the COVA approach and CSLE. This year specifically my school had a bunch of new curriculum where we were told to teach it as is so we can see if this curriculum worked. We have learned that there is much more to teaching than just teaching straight from the book. (Something I already knew.) This was a great challenge for me but it could not have come at a better time. After taking this year to say that I have taught from the book and now have evidence that this strategy did not show the greatest success, I feel as though I can really share my learning about how COVA can change student learning within my own class and share that with administration. I already see teachers that are interested in learning more and making a change in there own classrooms. Now that we have people interested and excited, I think this following year will be a great time to really implement COVA and be intentional about CSLEs within our building.
To CSLE & apply the COVA approach for my students I am going to think about my class and their specific needs as learners as well as their different backgrounds to help me to set BHAGs for them. I will be working with co-workers to align and adapt the activities within our curriculum to provide students Choice in their learning, an opportunity to take ownership of their work and a platform to voice their learning. We will use the content being taught but apply this to an Authentic Learning opportunity that we develop as a team. This will be a challenge for both teachers and students so it will be important for us to teach our students about growth mindset but also as teachers to model our growth mindset, working together to push through the challenges. When trying something new, people get scared and often revert back to what they “know” is working. I think by now having a community of learners (teachers) all working towards a common goal we will have support in making this change within our organization and will really see the benefits of using COVA and CSLE.
My Experience with COVA and CSLE
After working through the courses in the DLL program, I had the opportunity to experience the benefits behind creating a significant learning environment (CSLE) and the COVA approach and what that felt like in the eyes of a student. I was able to choose the work I was learning, creating and sharing, and by having that choice it lead me to take ownership of my work. By having ownership of my work I became more engaged in my learning, applying what I had been learning and pushing through with growth mindset and grit to learn, create and share even more. This became the drive and excitement behind my voice/sharing what I was now passionate about on my ePortfolio. The best part is that all of this was done in an Authentic way by creating my innovation plan to share with others, something that I feel proud of and want to continue to work on. I now want to come up with other innovative plans to use within my school. Using the COVA approach and CSLE has helped me to be excited, passionate and engaged with my learning. Isn’t that excitement what we all want to pass on to our own students?
It wasn’t easy starting this change in my learning. When I was first given choice and ownership of my work I felt somewhat confused. There was not a clear path to take. It was up to me to share with my own voice what I was learning. This has been so different than all of schooling has been for me in the past. I have been so used to hearing from the instructor what I need to know, doing what they told me to do and completing the assignment they wanted me to complete in the way they wanted it completed. I had to make a change in my thinking and learning but once I started to feel that difference the way I was learning had changed me as an educator. The COVA approach helped me to be more creative and feel pride with the hard work I have completed from this course.
I first started to feel like I had choice, ownership and voice in the ePortfolio course. This course was authentic because I was creating something that I would be able to use, improve and continue throughout the DLL program. While this is the first hint I had of ownership, as I continued through the each course in the program the professors continued to use the COVA approach and Created significant learning environments for me to gain the confidence that I really did have Choice Ownership and a voice through our class meetings and discussions and through my innovation plan (my authentic learning experience).
I am not the type to be in charge of people or feel like I am the expert in education. I feel like I am always learning and improving myself as an educator so I can’t be an expert. But after experiencing the benefits of the COVA approach and CSLE I feel like I should pass this experience on to my students and my coworkers. By sharing what I have learned I will be able to help to promote a change in many students learning, beyond just my own group of students. I have learned that being a leader does not make you the “expert”. It means modeling the skills, collaborating to go further with learning, sharing learning through effective Professional Learning, and helping others to focus on their why as a motivator in order to promote innovation in education. After completing my courses and experiencing COVA I feel like I can now be a better leader within my organization and help others to promote change!
This program has not only changed how I teach but it has also changed my philosophy about teaching and learning. Before the DLL program, I believed that learning happens when you create a team/community within your classroom, building relationships and by doing hands on, engaging lessons. I still think this is important but even further I have learned how important choice is in learning and motivation to learn. I now believe the COVA approach should be at the heart of all lessons for deep learning and engagement to happen & CSLE is key to learning & educational innovation.
How will I use what I have learned?
I am now working to take what I have learned and apply this to my own class. My school is not totally on board yet but I am still working to make change because this is the heart of why I am a teacher and I want to make a difference in education! I have faced many challenges with implementing the COVA approach and CSLE. This year specifically my school had a bunch of new curriculum where we were told to teach it as is so we can see if this curriculum worked. We have learned that there is much more to teaching than just teaching straight from the book. (Something I already knew.) This was a great challenge for me but it could not have come at a better time. After taking this year to say that I have taught from the book and now have evidence that this strategy did not show the greatest success, I feel as though I can really share my learning about how COVA can change student learning within my own class and share that with administration. I already see teachers that are interested in learning more and making a change in there own classrooms. Now that we have people interested and excited, I think this following year will be a great time to really implement COVA and be intentional about CSLEs within our building.
To CSLE & apply the COVA approach for my students I am going to think about my class and their specific needs as learners as well as their different backgrounds to help me to set BHAGs for them. I will be working with co-workers to align and adapt the activities within our curriculum to provide students Choice in their learning, an opportunity to take ownership of their work and a platform to voice their learning. We will use the content being taught but apply this to an Authentic Learning opportunity that we develop as a team. This will be a challenge for both teachers and students so it will be important for us to teach our students about growth mindset but also as teachers to model our growth mindset, working together to push through the challenges. When trying something new, people get scared and often revert back to what they “know” is working. I think by now having a community of learners (teachers) all working towards a common goal we will have support in making this change within our organization and will really see the benefits of using COVA and CSLE.
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Harapnuik, D. K., Thibodeaux, T. N., & Cummings, C. D. (2018). Choice, Ownership, and Voice through Authentic Learning Opportnities. http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=7291
Harapnuik, D. (2015). Creating a significant learning environment. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ-c7rz7eT4&feature=youtu.be
Harapnuik, D. (2017) CSLE+COVA. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6988
Harapnuik, D. (2017). What to expect from the digital leading and learning masters program. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqZU2jB3tZI&feature=youtu.be
Harapnuik, D. (2015). Creating a significant learning environment. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ-c7rz7eT4&feature=youtu.be
Harapnuik, D. (2017) CSLE+COVA. Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6988
Harapnuik, D. (2017). What to expect from the digital leading and learning masters program. [Video]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqZU2jB3tZI&feature=youtu.be