Innovative Learning
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Living in the center of tradition and innovation is a defining characteristic of Ursuline education.
The Academy continually strives to improve, both as an educational institution and as a center of culture and faith.
Always looking to the future, creating classrooms for tomorrow is a priority in Ursuline’s Strategic Roadmap. The most effective approaches to teaching and learning in the 21st century put the student at the very center.
Most important are the dedicated, talented faculty who are mission-congruent, embrace innovation with a growth mindset, engage in personalized learning, and stay open to new approaches.
Explore Innovative Learning at Ursuline:
Collaborative Teaching
Ursuline Academy's co-taught classes include Engineering Design Innovation, taught by Rachel Clark, science faculty, Kirsten Lindsey Hudak, science faculty, and Danny Poellot, computer science faculty.
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 one class project, students learned how to design and build artificial limbs for pets. Currently the classes are engaged in a special project to develop mock architectural engineering designs for the courtyard of Ursuline's new East Campus, now under construction.
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.
Rachel Clark, Science Teacher
“There are students who might not be as good in math and science, but because they're creative thinkers, they're doing really well as problem solvers. We give them real-world problems. You might fail the first time, but you know what? It's okay. You know this doesn't work. Now, try something else.”
Innovation Time Grants
What is an Innovation Time Grant?
Beginning in 2018-2019, Ursuline has offered up to three Innovation Time Grants per school year. Because time is one commodity that is hard to come by, teachers accepted into the program are given a single “release” period for the school year of their grant. Teaching one less class allows grantees to use that release time to pursue a project that will allow research and development of innovative education practices.
Applicants describe the proposed innovation, demonstrate a clear link to the UA Strategic Roadmap, and offer suggestions for 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 encourage faculty to research and implement shifts in education, specifically toward a more student-driven learning model.
Pedagogy
Teachers teach each other through educator showcases on topics ranging from strategies for a hybrid classroom to learning about learning.
2020-2021 Topics
- Best Practices in Technology
- Teaching about Learning
- Innovation Showcase
2019-2020 Topics
- Creating Meaning E-Days
- Building Student Relationships
2018-2019 Topics
- Providing Feedback
- Building Class Relationships
- Innovation Showcase
2017-2018 Topics
- Creating Opportunity for Reflection
- Effective Teaching Practices
- Student Driven Practices
Technology @ UA
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.
Life Skills Classes
UA Life Skills Classes:
The Freshman Seminar class will take the following units:
- Welcome to UA
- This unit will review daily schedules and lunch periods. What is the Testing Center and how do you use it? What student support is offered at UA - personal counseling, college counseling, and advisor!
- Study Skills
- The class will learn research skills, personal organization, what study habits are best for girls, how to use a planner and UA calendar, etc.
- Interpersonal Communication
- This unit will cover speech, conflict resolution, parent and teacher communication, and more! We really want students to master face to face communication since that is a lost skill in today’s social media and text society.
- Tech Systems
- Ursuline is so fortunate to have numerous technology platforms to offer to our girls! They will review OneNote, Backpack, Teams, Emails, and Mobile Serve.
- Life Balance
- Everyone needs this unit! The girls will cover stress management, mindfulness/yoga practices, and time management.
- Social Awareness
- Students will learn social media responsibility and discuss smart decision making when it comes to drinking, drugs, and vaping. They will hear the biblical and scientific message around sex. They will work on relationship building, conflict resolution, and stewardship in this community.
- Community and Inclusion
- Foundations will be built in cultural competency and students will understand what it means to be an Ursuline student and our expectations to include and welcome all.
The Junior Seminar class will take the following units:
- Personal Safety
- Through self-defense classes and the One Love workshop, our students will learn how to best protect themselves. They will also gain skills to recognize what is and isn’t a healthy relationship.
- Life Hacks
- From car maintenance, to sewing and from cooking to laundry, this unit will teach students the basics of “adulting”!
- Personal Finance
- So many students have asked and requested a class to cover personal finance. This unit will review college financing, student loans, credit, investing, W9s, and budgeting.
- Fierce Communication/Interpersonal Communication
- There are so many topics we will cover in this unit. Overall, the students will gain even more confidence in public speaking, conflict resolution, feedback, collaboration, interview skills, and much more.
- Digital Leadership
- We want our students to learn more than digital citizenship. We want Ursuline students to be digital leaders. This class will give them the tools to have a healthy, safe, and smart digital footprint!
- Self-Care
- We will continue to teach our students how to best take care of themselves through mindfulness, prayer, and other techniques.
- Transition to College
- They are so many topics to cover here, but we hope to discuss finding friends, getting plugged in, relationships, and the freedom and temptations that come with college.
Enthusiasm and Knowledge
Ursuline educators show enthusiasm and knowledge about their subject by:
- Pursuing academic depth while fostering a deep connection to Serviam within a global society
- Teaching with both passion and creativity
- Incorporating innovations from their own and other disciplines
- Creating a culture of high expectations for themselves and their students
May you sustain and carry out vigorously and faithfully the charge laid upon you.
— St. Angela’s Prologue to the Counsels