Influencer Strategy

My innovation plan focuses on creating a significant learning environment (CSLE) in the foreign language classroom at a small, private, Catholic school. Before my employment, foreign language instruction at the school was unstructured, with no definite plan for each grade to progress to the next level. The principal hired me to develop a program that would provide students with the necessary skills to move on to high school-level Spanish. Keeping this goal in mind, I proposed creating a blended classroom where students would benefit from personalized instruction and technology to enhance their overall learning experience.

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My desired outcome is to increase student engagement both inside and outside the classroom by measuring their participation in class as well as online platforms like Voces Digital and DuoLingo by May 2025. The goal is to encourage students to take ownership of their own learning through a homework requirement of 15 minutes of DuoLingo participation per week at the onset of the semester.  The required time may increase incrementally as students become familiar with the platform.  The required participation will encourage students to take ownership of their own learning with the  hope to increase student’s level of understanding so that they will feel more comfortable engaging in class discussions. To accomplish this, I also changed the middle school curriculum to Voces Digital, which allows students to work directly on the platform submitting both oral and written assignments for evaluation.  In addition, by using programs like Quizziz, a content gamification site, students will receive instant feedback on their learning and be able to correct mistakes immediately.  The objective is to help students feel successful in completing assignments and to eliminate their fear of participating in class. I will measure student progress over one semester by evaluating three areas: 

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1. Duolingo participation and effectiveness: Duolingo provides statistics on each student’s time spent in the application working in the target language.  It tracks not only time spent working on the target language but also the skill level achieved. Progress will be tracked monthly in the fall semester.  The goal is to achieve 50% participation of the full 60 required minutes in the program within the first month and increase that percentage incrementally until the end of the fall semester where 100% participation is expected. 

2. Comprehension of oral and written assignments on Voces Digital: Student grades on assignments will indicate their level of comprehension of the subject matter introduced. Grades will be reviewed weekly and adjustments made to the lessons as needed.  Grades will be tracked in the fall semester to determine effectiveness of the new platform and of student engagement. The goal on this platform is to achieve 80-90% comprehension within the first month and keep that percentage as students tackle more difficult subject matter.

3. Class participation: Students will be required to make oral presentations at the beginning and end of the semester to chart their growth. The growth should show an increased ease of participating in class discussions and projects in the target language. In addition to weekly oral participation grades, student aptitude in the target language and their comfort level in making oral presentations will be compared from the beginning and end of semester.  Student presentations will be measured with a rubric. 

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I will measure the results of my innovative plan in stages. Duolingo provides weekly and monthly stats for all participating students, allowing me to monitor their progress and commitment. Platforms like Quizziz also provide statistics for each assignment, helping me identify which students need more support. The new curriculum will self-grade non-oral or written composition assignments, with Voces Digital providing progress statistics for each student. Voces Digital also grants access to all texts within its curriculum, enabling me to create individualized plans for students who are either excelling or struggling.

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There are vital behaviors I hope to change and others I wish to encourage. Many foreign language students, compelled by state requirements to take a foreign language, approach language learning with a fixed mindset. Combating this mindset is a priority at the beginning of the semester, with activities designed to bolster confidence in second language acquisition. Additionally, many students fear participating in class, especially when speaking a foreign language for fear of making embarrassing mistakes. I hope to create an environment where mistakes are common and part of the learning process.  Lastly, I want to change the previous norms where little was expected from students in their language learning progress. However, I have observed some students wholeheartedly engage in activities designed to help them achieve language mastery. These students challenge themselves through Duolingo and show significant progress. Instilling a sense of competition among students who work towards earning XPs in Duolingo is one way to encourage and motivate them to work outside the classroom along with healthy class competitions.