Digital Portfolios
Spencer Gooch
- 2013
How can student work to create and maintain a culture of compassion and support within their school?
Viewing the different outlets for student voice within a school can be tricky. Is just a matter of finding student work, or is it more subtle? Is it important to include students in every aspect of the decision-making process, or are there select decisions that need to incorporate students? There is certainly a balance to be found in allowing students to be students and dedicate themselves to their academic success, and helping them develop agency, empowerment, and a sense of ownership over their education. Below are some examples of student voice I found at Da Vinci Design School in Hawthorne CA.
Stacey Lopaz
- 2010
What new teacher supports are most useful, and which are lacking, at the High Tech High Village?
At High Tech High, much of the students’ success in the classroom, especially given the project-based learning environment, is dependent upon the teacher’s ability to effectively facilitate a motivating and engaging learning environment. Usually, It takes several years working at HTH for teachers to really perfect the craft of working in a project-based learning environment. In the past six years working for High Tech High, I have been able to observe many new teachers experience their first year as a teacher in a fast-paced project-based learning environment; from the day that teachers enter our school and take part in a day-long hiring bonanza throughout their first year crash course in things like Digital Portfolios, Presentations of Learning, and daily morning meetings. Though all teachers experience their first year at HTH differently, there tends to be a difficult adjustment period for everyone that involves doubt, growth, feelings of success, and feelings of frustration. I am curious to know how we can best support these teachers.
Stephanie Lytle
- 2013
Owning It: Co-designing the Senior Year Experience
Why are school and life so different? How can I be the kind of teacher that doesn’t just make her students better at school, but invites them to become active participants in the world around them?
Stephanie Roccon
- 2018
"Oral Language Development with Emerging Bilingual Students Website "
High Tech High aims to ensure educational equity for all students, including Emerging Bilingual students, which means that each child receives what he or she needs to develop his or her full academic and social potential. Our schools are intentionally diverse and integrated, and teachers employ a variety of approaches to accommodate diverse learners without academic tracking. If Emerging Bilingual students are below grade level standards in one or more content areas, we must strive to address this issue to ensure we are meeting all of our students’ needs.
Suzanne Walters
- 2017
How do Epstein's domains for family involvement influence family participation and satisfaction?
I am largely indebted to John Dewey for establishing and intellectualizing certain values which compliment my core beliefs. His philosophy as it has emerged in countless books and articles reflects the dominant American tradition of experimentation, frontier thinking, and evolutionary change.
Tara Della Rocca
- 2014
How can I create a culture that cultivates in my students the skill and will to think deeply?
It is assumed that every classroom in America develops the thinking skills of children. Truthfully, more often than not, these environments encourage passive learning: listening, memorizing, following directions, and regurgitating information. To promote active thinking a different culture must be established in which students are taught deep thinking strategies and encouraged to use them.
Taylor Olson
- 2011
How can I design and implement a conflict resolution program that will create a community of problem solvers?
The core of my research has been to create a peaceful community. I wanted my students to get along and be friends. As a teacher, my goal was to bring peace into a world of over-stimulation and chaos. I hoped to provide a supportive, loving environment that was safe and create a place where students were able express themselves without fear of humiliation or persecution. I truly believed that this was possible to do in a classroom of kindergartners. I felt that solving conflicts would come with the development of social skills. They needed to know themselves, work well with others and communicate appropriately.
Teresa Draguicevich
- 2017
Creating a classroom structure that celebrates diversity
In today’s increasingly diverse classrooms, children often need to collaborate with peers who might see the world differently than they do. I found that when I helped my students trust their differences, collaboration improved and we achieved deeper learning.
Teresa Hart
- 2019
Teacher Support and Learning: dELD
Designated English Language Development (dELD) is a protected time of the day where specific language learning skills are being taught. Many teachers struggle with implementing this and my research aims to understand why they struggle and how to support them through three main aspects: Professional Development, Planning, and Feedback.
Tina Chavez
- 2012
How can High Tech High North County become more representative of the community in which it exists?
The Superheroes Among Us. They are in the school hallways, the classrooms and the teacher’s hub. They swoop into our lives and leave us awed and grateful. When there is injustice, they are there. When there are insurmountable challenges, they are there. They are the Superhero leaders among us. They have always existed, but as teachers, we might not always notice them because they don’t wear capes and masks. Instead they use the powers they have for the good of the school community.