Janna Steffan

HTH GSE Conceptual Framework: Leadership

* Serve as effective coaches, mentors, and critical friends to colleagues.
* Work with colleagues to build and sustain adult learning communities focused on improving teaching and learning.
* Share work with colleagues and the larger educational community.


Conversation with a Colleague about Project Based Learning
Introducing a new strategy to colleagues can be a bit uncomfortable.  Although I was nervous to broach a fellow teacher about the topic of project based learning, the conversation proved to be beneficial for both of us.  Through this lunch meeting, I learned the importance of taking a risk to share new ideas in order to continue to improve my practice as well as sharing ideas for future projects.  


Fighting for Proper Funds
As a member of my school's School Governance Team (SGT), we have actively been working to receive the proper funds for our magnet program.  Our school is a very unique environment and so therefore needs to be funded differently from the average school.  Since we are a K-8 school teaching in French, Spanish, and English the need for a wide variety of books is high.  The Language Academy SGT is working to gain adequate funds to purchase proper text books needed in each language as well as not purchasing books required by the district that do not correspond with the language of instruction.  This paper is a reflection of the preparations leading up to the SGT presentation to the district.

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Testing, Testing, and More Testing

In an era of constant testing of all students, a fellow graduate student Samantha Gladwell and I decided to propose an alternative.  This performance based assessment allows for more personalization as well as involving the students' families in writing goals for each student.  Students, teachers and families would benefit from this more developmentally appropriate assessment.