I transferred into this program through the Apple CEI (Coding Educator Initiative) program, thus I did not take the introductory courses 5302, 5303, or 5305. My first experience with COVA was in  5304 and 5317. In those two classes I was at a disadvantage having not experienced the COVA approach before since there was information the instructors assumed I had already reviewed in those previous courses. The instructors let me be in charge of my learning. I focused on the learning system and developing how I would approach the assignments. It was a wonderful experience, the instructors were understanding and reviewed my work each time I needed to resubmit. Genuinely, I had choice, ownership, and voice in the authentic learning. I chose what my project would be based on and I could change my idea. The experience was very personalized.  

Initially when given the freedom and responsibility to choose, I loved the idea! It was so refreshing to focus on what mattered to me. I was overly ready for this due to the fact that I create my own curriculum and have more freedom and responsibility when planning my lessons than most of my colleagues. I had my own problems in that I missed some fine details in the instructions that were never covered by the instructor during the weekly meetings. Those details were already common practice in the previous coursework that I had missed due to transferring in. Lucky, the instructors in the Lamar EDLD program have all been willing to help and have been very supportive. 

To adjust my learning to fix the COVA approach, I developed an organization system to help me stay on top of the different tasks. It took all of the first semester to grow this approach and it has helped me immensely, both in the EDLD program and in my professional life. Experiencing the COVA method made me grow as a person; in ways that have led to authentic growth in more than just my schooling. I believe this is how learning should be. What I learn in one classroom can be applied to another classroom and outside of school. 

Taking control of my voice and growing organizational chances has been a big challenge. As the art teacher, I am often left out of the loop and have little authority on my campus. It became apparent that there is a lot that I don’t know about the ins and outs of the campus. I’ve felt out of place before and now even more so. I went to my principal and pitched a new style of professional development for my team. The style challenged the sit and get method that leaves staff minds numb and focused on a system that is personalized and has support in place. The professional development would help strengthen the team and give up opportunities to learn from each other.

All in all, my attitude towards leading change has strengthened over the past year. After pitching my idea, I was given the opportunity to host campus wide team building art activities during the three remaining professional development days provided by our district calendar. I worked towards incorporating COVA & CSLE in the short amount of time I was given with the staff. After the first workshop, I became more confident since the staff had fun and gave a positive review. We are now working on a ceramic workshop to finish this school year. This led to my principal requesting me to start thinking of activities for next year too! 

Currently, my innovation plan is growing like a tree! I’ve got my dream goal of eportfolios as the trunk and branches grow in several directions. The plans I have created are part of my dream as an educator. I never created something I didn’t want to see happen in real life. The ideas were hopes of a better system for the future. The EDLD program gave me the tools to see my dreams become reality, and then with reflection I realized how my dreams needed to change, adapt, and evolve. Over and over this cycle of reflection helped grow me more branches to my innovation thus creating more layers to my aspirations as an educator. 

The COVA approach and Creating Significant Learning Environments (CSLE) aligns with my learning philosophy in several ways. First off I believe learning happens whether the learner realizes it or not; every experience leads to a greater understanding of the world around us. On top of that everyone learns differently depending on the factors going on in their life. COVA lets personalization happen in the classroom and CSLE lets the classroom fit the learner’s needs. As the learner develops, the learning environment needs to develop too. COVA and CSLE gives teachers and students the opportunity to develop all aspects as growth happens. 

My perspective on learning and my learning philosophy has solidified over the EDLD course. I always believed myself to have the growth mindset, generally I remained positive when faced with challenges and change. Over the COVID teaching years, I embraced these changes that were thrust upon teachers. I loved implementing technology and have developed a blending learning classroom. The process of constructing my ideas and building a new learning classroom environment was fun to me. I still identify as constructivism; I believe I can learn from every new experience and grow from every challenge.