Running head: BEST PRACTICES LITERATURE REVIEW

Best Practices Literature Review

Johnny Hughes

Capella University

Dr. Salha Jeizan

ED5542 – Masters Capstone in K-12 Studies in Education

October 28, 2018

BEST PRACTICES LITERATURE REVIEW 2

Best Practices Literature Review

Teachers should never settle or assume they no room for improvement. An educator

always should strive to better his or herself with the goal of honing skills to better educate the

students. This essay will name areas I wish to improve in the learning environment in which I

teach.

Use of Technology

The last school I taught at had a robotics-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Math (STEM) lab, I ran that lab and saw the benefits the students reaped due to that

environment. My current school has very little technology, which can hurt the students’

education. The school I teach at is a Title 1 school, and low-income students are less likely to

own computers or have Internet access in their homes (Stanford Graduate School of Education,

2014). This underscores the importance of the school to provide technology to make lessons

more engaging and enjoyable for the students.

If technology were to be used more effectively in the school, the students would be more

prepared for their future careers, collaboration between peers and teachers would increase, and

passive learning would decrease. The teachers would guide the students rather than simply dish

out information (Marco, 2017). This would also allow the school to tap into huge amounts of

online educational resources that are inexpensive or free. Budgetary limitations make this an

invaluable opportunity (Forbes Technology Council, 2018)

Collaboration

Teachers should work together and support each other for the benefit of each other, the

school, and most importantly, the students. Schools report rises in student test scores when

collaboration is used frequently and efficiently. It also decreases the feelings of isolation and
BEST PRACTICES LITERATURE REVIEW 3

allows educators to use each others strengths (Perez, 2015). I plan to continue my efforts to get

teachers to work together at my school. This helps everyone involved, particularly the students.

Conclusion

There is always room for improvement. I have started working on getting more

technology in my school through grants and community donations and am leading team-building

meetings for my group of teachers to increase collaboration in our department. This is just a start,

and I plan to continue my efforts all through my career.

BEST PRACTICES LITERATURE REVIEW 4

References

Campbell, D. M., Melenyzer, B. J., Nettles, D. H., & Wyman, R. M., Jr. (2014). How
to develop a professional portfolio: A manual for teachers (6th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson ISBN: 9780133101171.

Forbes Technology Council, (2018) 8 ways technology can improve education. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/03/22/8-ways-technology-can-
improve-education/#eb2838f7c890

Mareco, D. (2017). 10 reasons today’s students need technology in the classroom. Retrieved
from https://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/10-reasons-today-s-students-need-
technology-in-the-classroom

Perez, J. (2015). Taking the doors of classrooms through collaboration. Retrieved from
https://www.hotchalkeducationnetwork.com/collaboration-with-purpose/

Stanford Graduate School of Education, (2014). Technology can close achievement gaps,
improve learning. Retrieved from https://ed.stanford.edu/news/technology-can-close-
achievement-gaps-and-improve-learning-outcomes