Ursuline introduced Innovation Time Grants in the 2018-2019 school year, providing up to three grants annually.

Acknowledging that “time” is a commodity hard to come by, selected teachers are granted a "release" period during the school year to pursue innovative educational projects.

Applicants describe the proposed innovation, demonstrate a clear link to the UA strategic roadmap, and offer suggestions as to how the idea or project could be shared with other teachers in their department and beyond to benefit even more students. Applicants must also identify how they will evaluate their success.

Innovative Time Grants are unique to UA—it is time set aside for teachers to research and develop a particular innovative idea. The time grants focus on innovative practices, and many of these have been linked with student-centered/driven learning. The grants are great because they give faculty time to research and implement shifts in education, specifically toward a more student-driven learning model.

Examples of Topics:

English teacher Kate Schenck
Teaching Writing with Student Wellbeing Competencies

• Began as an exploration of what it would mean to have a competency-based learning classroom... and how to assess competency-based learning.
• Can you explicitly teach wellness in an English classroom?
• Explore how to make student wellness tangible and link it to instruction and assessment.
• How has COVID-19 further reinforced the importance of resilience, empathy, self-expression, and a growth mindset in the learning process?
• Follow her work on writing and wellness: https://www.hervoiceatthetable.com/

Theology teacher Angela Jakubik
Best Practices in Catholic High Schools: Accompanying Students on their Journeys of Faith

• Research Questions:
  • The first item in an Ursuline Portrait of a Graduate is that an Ursuline graduate is “a woman of faith and reflection." So, what does this look like? What might we do to foster this?
  • What could a Catholic high school theology classroom look like if the pedagogical approach shifted to faith formation and spiritual development?
  • How might we blend personalized learning approaches with best practices of sharing the Catholic faith in order to better accompany our students, meeting each girl where she is on her journey of faith?
  • This would also further Ursuline Academy’s work towards our second strategic imperative, a student-centered focus, thus helping to foster students’ values and strengthen their virtues.

Engineering Design Innovation is taught by Computer Science teachers Eve Juarez and Ojani Eguia.

Each time a team taught class meets, all teachers are in the classroom. Students see the 21st-century skills of collaboration, creativity, and communication in action. And with the freedom to follow a creative format, teachers find new pathways for educating the whole student.

Projects can become more innovative. In Engineering Design Innovation, for example, coursework combines computer science, science, and math. In co-taught classes, each teacher plays to his or her strength, and the unique collaboration offers a one-of-a-kind benefit for every kind of student.

Teachers teach each other through educator showcases on topics ranging from strategies for a hybrid classroom to learning about learning.

Past topics included:

• Best Practices in Technology
• Building Class Relationships
• Creating Opportunity for Reflection

Ursuline Academy is a school with a technology focus.

It embodies this focus through the meaningful integration of technology into the academic curriculum and in the active shaping of its students as digital citizens. Students and employees are educated in the appropriate use of technology and principles of responsible digital citizenship are reinforced through school policies. With a strong commitment to technology training for all teachers, Ursuline encourages creative and innovative uses of digital resources in the classroom.

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