Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Grant Proposal
Jacqueline McGhee
Jacqueline.mcghee@hcbe.net
Vanessa Bundrage
Vanessa.bundrage@hcbe.net
Abstract
It is imperative for educators to foster students visual appetite and teach them to be
visually literate. This grant proposal seeks to improve the reading and writing skills of students
in grades 6-8 by providing teachers with skills and strategies in visual literacy through a high-
This professional development proposal involves a 5-day workshop during the summer
followed by 3 follow-up days during the fall and spring for 20 participants. Along with 15
middle grade teachers, there will be two literacy coaches, an instructional coach, and an assistant
principal of instruction. This program will provide application activities that align with the
Georgia Common Core Standards and utilize technologies as instructional tools to teach visual
literacy. The goal of this professional development program is for teachers to develop their
visual literacy skills and incorporate visual literacy practices in classroom instruction to facilitate
learning in reading and writing to improve students ELA Georgia Milestones test scores.
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Teaching Visual Literacy to Improve Reading and Writing
Introduction
academics as well as in life. The abilities to read and write are crucial communication skills to
function in the 21st century. As the digital world evolves, it is imperative that individuals are
visually literate to succeed in this visual media saturated world. The 21st century learner must
master the interconnectedness of images text in order to understand and function in this digital
age (Frey & Fisher, 2008). Preparing digital learners to be effective communicators requires
Professional development in visual literacy aims to support teacher learning and practices
with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement. Since teachers are considered the most
valuable element in student achievement, school reform is based largely on providing educators
teachers content knowledge and improving instructional practices (Opfer & Pedder, 2011).
While many schools and districts may not provide effective professional training for teachers,
research suggests that there is a link between high-quality professional development and
improvement in teacher content knowledge and teaching practices (Levin & Schrum, 2012).
of research that supports the idea that teaching students to be visually literate is preparing them
to be literate in the 21st century. This proposal also provides data that shows the need for the
program. The details of the program goals and objectives, plan of operations, evaluation plan,
partnerships, budget, capacity and data collection instruments are also included in this proposal.
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There may be many factors that may have contributed to students low achievement in
ELA on the Georgia Milestones over the last couple of years. These factors may be physical,
student performance are out of the schools control, there are factors within the schools control.
Therefore, it is imperative that schools hone in on what they can control and work to improve the
Supporting Data
There is cause for alarm when over 60% students statewide scored below proficient in
grades 6-8 on the Georgia Milestone for two consecutive years (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).
2015 GA Milestone
English Language Arts
(% of students who scored below proficient)
80
70
60
50
6th
40
7th
30
8th
20
10
0
GA Houston Co Northside MS
Figure 1. Comparison of percentages of students at the state, county, and school levels who
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2016 GA Milestone
English Language Arts
(% of students who scored below proficient)
90
80
70
60
50 6th
40 7th
30 8th
20
10
0
GA Houston CO Nothside MS
Figure 2. Comparison of percentages of students at the state, county, and school levels who
Figures 1 and 2 also show that Northside Middle School (NMS) has a highest percentage of
students who scored below proficient for 2015 and 2016 when compared to the county and state.
Even more troubling is the fact that the percentages of students in 7th and 8th grades at NMS who
scored below proficient increased from 2015 to 2016. Seventh graders went from 75.7% to
77.6%, and eighth graders jumped from 69.4% to 76.5%. Further reports of the National
Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP, 2015) show that 8th grade students continue to
struggle with reading. The average score for students in Georgia in 2015 was not significantly
different from their average score in 2013. The percentage of students in Georgia who performed
at or above the NAEP proficient level was 30 % in 2015, and 32% in 2013. Although the average
eighth-grade students in Georgia of 262 was not significantly different from the average score of
264 for public school students in the nation, Georgia scored lower than 28 states in 2015(NAEP,
2015). According to the PISA Reading Scale (2015), The United States average score of 497
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places the average literacy rate below 14 other countries. A more concerning fact is that the
United States average score dropped from 500 in 2009 to 497 in 2015. The growing concern for
students low literacy rate has caused many schools to use teacher professional development
Literature Review
The influence of visuals in modern culture is redefining what it means to be literate in the
21st century. Todays society is bombarded with visuals which makes visual imagery a focal
point in this information age (ACRL, 2011). Although 21st century students are living in a
visually saturated world does not mean that youth are visually literate (Pantaleo, 2015).
There is a plethora of research that supports the idea of integrating images with reading
instruction. Pictures are easier to recall and process than words. According to Paivios dual-
coding theory, the brain stores words in long-term memory as a single code, but pictures involve
two codesone visual and the other verbal with each stored in different places. Therefore, dual-
coding allows for two different ways of accessing visual memories, which increases the odds of
remembering one of them (Dewan, 2015). Because visual literacy involves decoding,
comprehending, and analyzing the various elements communicated by images (Baker, 2015), it
is vital for educators to take advantage of the visual medium and incorporate images into the
classroom instruction.
The goal of this professional development program is for teachers to develop their visual
literacy skills and strategies and incorporate visual literacy practices in classroom instruction to
facilitate learning in reading and writing to improve students ELA Georgia Milestones test
scores. Because of the reality that twenty-first century learners are interacting in a visual world
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on a daily bases through magazines, billboards, the internet, television, and video games, it is
imperative that teachers learn how to incorporate visual media in the classroom in a way that
fosters learning.
This professional development program seeks to educate teachers with of visual literacy
pedagogy and help them incorporate these technology-enhanced practices into the classroom
instruction to facilitate learning that impacts student achievement. The instructional materials
provided in this workshop align with the English Language Arts Georgia Standards of
Excellence (ELAGSE). The following goals and objections guided the plan of operations for
Goal #1 Increase in Knowledge: All ELA teachers in grades 6-8 will develop skills and
strategies and incorporate visual literacy practices in instruction to facilitate learning in reading
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Goal #2 Technology Integration: All ELA teachers in grades 6-8 will create a visually enhanced
writing.
Objective 2- Technology Skills: Teachers will create a writing lesson with visual
Objective 3-Technology Skills: Teachers will create a reading lesson with visual
Objective 4- Pedagogical Skills: Teachers will share visual literacy practices with
Plan of Operation
develop technology-rich learning activities. Participants will implement visual strategies using
learning, creativity, and higher-order thinking. Participants will attend a five-day professional
development session that will be held in the schools media center. The program will also consist
of three follow-up sessions to be held in the fall and spring. Effective professional development
requires considerable time along with significant follow-up after the main professional
The summer workshop days will follow an instructional framework that allows for
involved active-learning experiences and provide educators with opportunities to adapt the
practices to their specific content. The activities designed for this visual literacy workshop
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includes visual thinking strategies and skills as well as pedagogical approaches that promote
creativity, reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Participants will also engage in
collaborative discussions to help develop ways to implement visual literacy into classroom
instruction. The activities outlined in this workshop align with the English Language Arts
Georgia Standards of Excellence (ELAGSE), and participants will be given the opportunity to
classroom content (Davis, 2015). The workshop daily schedule is outlined in Table 1.
12:30
12:30 Model Model Model Model Content Post-
Lesson/Technique/We Lesson/Technique/We Lesson/Technique/Web Lesson/Technique/We assessment
1:00 b 2.0 b 2.0 tool(Piktochart) - 2.0 tool (Pic-Lits) Writing b 2.0 tool Teaching Explore other Web 2.0
tool(Symphonical) creating an infographic from Pictures -creative Writing with Visual tools.
Collaborative Concept visual representation writing Literacy and
Attainment Technology Integration
1:00 Work Session- Work Session- Visual Work Session- Creative Work Session- create Model
Illustrating a concept representations using writing from digital images writing lesson using Lesson/Technique/We
2:30 (Symphonical) (Piktochart) using Pic-Lits visual literacy and b 2.0 tool (Voki)
technology integration Animated Reflection
2:30 Explore other Web 2.0 Explore other Web 2.0 Explore other Web 2.0 Explore other Web 2.0 Work Session create
tools. tools. tools. tools. an animated reflection
3:30 Collaborate and share Collaborate and share Collaborate and share Collaborate and share of professional
ideas and lesson ideas and lesson ideas and lesson activities ideas and lesson development Take
activities on Sharepoint activities on Sharepoint on Sharepoint (district activities on Sharepoint Aways
(district network) (district network) network) (district network)
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3:30 Reflection Reflection Reflection Reflection Plan for fall follow-up
4:00
Session Description
Day 1: The morning session will open with a welcome and introductions followed by an
overview of the programs goals, objectives, and agenda. Participants will complete a pre-
assessment based on the ELA content. A video presentation entitled Visual Literacy in the
Classroom will be shown that was created for teachers and depicts students frustration with the
lack of visuals in the classroom. It also highlights the importance of how visual literacy can
enhance learning. The working lunch will allow participants to reflect on the video. The
afternoon session will consist of two activities: 1. Whats Going On in this Picture?(Abud, 2013)
- participants will be shown an interesting image from the New York Times and will be asked to
use claim, evidence, and reasoning to speculate whats happening in the picture. Participants will
use Web 2.0 tool Lino to post their responses. 2. Collaborative Concept Attainment (Abud,
2013)- participants will post pictures on Symphonical wall that has three columns labeled: What
It Is, What It Is Not, and Overall. After posting pictures in each column, participants will
Day 2. The second session will begin with the viewing of two short videos published on the
GaDOE website entitled, What is Visual Literacy? And How does Visual Literacy Connect with
the GSE? Participants will have discussion about videos. The morning session will continue
with participants analyze the messages in advertisements and commercials and have a
collaborative discussion using Nearpod. The afternoon session will involve creating a visual
representation from textual information. Participants will use Piktochart to create an infographic
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Day 3. This session will begin with an opening discussion; after which the objectives, standards,
and agenda are given. The morning activity will have participants engage in Visual Story Telling
(Abud, 2013). Participants will use the Web 2.0 tool Picstitch to select digital images and create
a story. The afternoon session activity, Writing from Pictures, require participant to write
creatively. Participants will use Web 2.0 Pic-Lits to select digital images and write their creative
Day 4. Following the morning routine, the first activity will allow participants to view an
example of a visual literacy sample lesson plan that aligns with several ELA reading standards.
After which, participants will create a reading lesson that integrates visual literacy and
technology. For the afternoon session, participants will be given an example of a visual literacy
sample lesson plan that aligns with an ELA writing standard. Participants will engage in a
discussion and create a writing lesson that integrates visual literacy and technology. Lessons will
be shared on Sharepoint.
Day 5. The final session will begin with the regular morning routine and move into the activity,
Teaching with Graphic Novels. Participants will be presented with several websites that provides
a collection of graphic novel titles and teaching strategies. Participants will choose graphic
novel titles with purpose to teach literary skills (e.g. literary terms, literary techniques, dialogue,
etc). After lunch, participants will complete a post-assessment based on ELA content.
Participants will then use Web 2.0 tool Voki and create an animated reflection about their
professional development Take Aways. After they have animations, they will present them to
fellow participants and workshop facilitators. The session will conclude with plan for follow-up
sessions.
Follow-up Sessions
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It is vital to the effectiveness of professional development to include follow-up sessions
to support teachers during the implementation of visual literacy within the curriculum. These
sessions will give teachers opportunity to share their successes and challenges with
implementing their new found practices (Guskey, 2014). Teachers are encouraged to bring
artifacts from their classroom lessons for feedback and revision. Each session will give teachers
guidance and reassurance with their implementation progress. Data will be collected to gauge
Evaluation Plan
development program (Guskey, 2012). The question that the program evaluation will answer is,
How well did the professional development program meet its goals and objectives? The
External Evaluator
The external evaluator for this project will be The Evaluation Group (TEG). TEG has
more than twenty-five years of experience evaluating various grant programs, with a majority of
their clients in education. TEG responsibilities will in include collecting and analyzing data
throughout the course of the program. TEG will work closely with project personnel when
developing the evaluation process. They will provide process and outcome evaluationsat the
end of the summer session and after the third follow-up session.
The data collection criteria will be driven by the projects goals and objectives. The data
collection for this program will result from participants daily engagement in the workshop.
Participants will complete surveys, questionnaires, pre- and post-content assessments, daily
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reflections. Other data collection will include observations, interviews, lesson plans, and student
Collection Tool
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Process Evaluation
The program will collect qualitative and quantitative data to help determine whether the
program activities have been implemented as intended. Surveys will be used to monitor
participants understanding and comfort level while implementing visual literacy practices in
their classroom. Gathering data after enough time has passed following the program activities
will provide adequate feedback as to the implantation progress (Guskey, 2016). The quantitative
data will include students classroom assessments before and during implementation of visual
literacy instruction. A comparison will be made between students pre- and post-assessments.
Analyzing data from assessments of student learning to drive professional development is best
derived from common formative assessments (Guskey, 2017). Effective formative assessments
should provide meaningful feedback that is used to improve teaching practices and student
Outcome Evaluation
The outcome evaluation will consist of qualitative data from classroom observations.
The observation tool will assess teachers knowledge and pedagogical practices as well as
students engagement. Both classroom observations will occur during the fall with interviews to
follow with predetermined questions to further assess teachers use of knowledge and skills and
implementation concerns. Knowing what most concerns participants will inform follow-up
sessions.
Effective assessment of the professional development program and its impact on teaching
practices is critical in understanding how to better support students in ELA classes. The
partnership of the Houston County School District, NMS staff, and the community is vital to the
success of the project. The collaborative structure will enhance the project and is essential in
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building a teacher need-based professional development program. The partnerships will provide
Partnerships
Visual literacy and the technology integration component of this program require
dedication and the expertise of school leaders, teachers, the community, and other support
personnel. The collaborative efforts of these participants will ensure an effective professional
development program.
Partners
The personnel in charge of planning and operations include the persons at the county and
school levels along with outside partners from the community. The external evaluator will work
with project team to plan the evaluation process and data collection tools. The schools
administration has secured the schools media center for the professional development training.
The district level and schools technologist specialists will ensure the infrastructure is adequate
for the technology component of the program. By partnering with Chick-fil-a, box lunches will
be provided. The collaborative attention by all partners will ensure the success of this project.
Recruitment
The target population of this project is the 6-8 grade ELA teachers at Northside Middle
School (NMS). These teachers consist of regular education, interrelated, and gifted teachers; all
share a concern regarding students low performance on the 2016 Georgia Milestone Test. There
are a total of 15 teachers projected to attend the professional development training. Other
participants in training include two district level literacy coachers, the schools ELA instructional
coach, and the assistant principal of instruction. These persons will beneficial in supporting
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The assistant project director will be in charge of recruiting participants for professional
development program. Potential participants for the visual literacy professional development
program will receive an invitation letter via email three months prior to the schedule summer
session. The letter will give and overview of the programs goals and objectives, curriculum,
timeline, stipend amount, and PLUs. Persons invited will include all 6-8 language arts teachers,
ELA instructional coach, district level literacy coaches, and assistant principal of instruction.
Once potential participants commit to attending, a follow-up confirmation letter will be sent out
Conclusion
teachers are the most valuable element in student achievement. There is abundance research that
supports the idea that teaching students to be visually literate is preparing them to be literate in
the 21st century. The students at NSM have shown low achievement on the Georgia Milestone
Test over the past two years. Offering this professional development training to dedicated
teachers during the summer and throughout the academic year will help develop their teaching
practices and learn new pedagogy to facilitate learning and impact student achievement.
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Appendix B: Budget Narrative
The total cost requested for personnel is $13,100. Jacqueline McGhee will be the project
director where she will oversee the project from start to finish including planning, organizing,
and budgeting. Vanessa Bundrage will work as assistant project manager, and she will work
closely with Mrs. McGhee helping to manage the program from start to finish. She will also be
in charge of recruiting participants to ensure the right people are selected for the professional
development program. The salaries for these two positions total $ 8000Mrs. McGhee will
receive $5000.00 and Mrs. Bundrage will receive $3000. Other personnel include Mrs. Tambra
Singletary, facilitator, who is responsible for creating activities and delivering training sessions
will receive $2700. This salaried amount includes eight workshop sessions paid at $300 per day
and one planning and preparation day at $300. Finally, Mrs. Jennifer Hobbs will work as
technology specialist and assist with facilitating the workshop sessions. She will be
compensated a total of $2400, which includes $300 per day for eight sessions. The total amount
allocated for fringe benefits is $800. Fringe benefits are calculated at 10% of the project director
and assistant project directors salaries. Mrs. Jacqueline McGhee will receive $500 (.10 x
$5000) and Vanessa Bundrage will receive $300 (.10 x $3000) in fringe benefits.
teachers, 4 interrelated teachers, an ELA instructional coach, district literacy coach (6-12),
assistant principal of instruction, and ELA district coordinator (6-12). Each participant will
receive a $500 stipend. The participants are required to attend all program sessions and
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Travel: $3,845
Consortium (GaETC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The total travel expense is $3845, which includes
registration ($950), mileage ($515), lodging ($1,630), & meals ($750). Itemized budget has
breakdown of expenses.
Additional cost includes lunch for eight workshop sessions. Lunch will be catered at $9
per person for eight sessions. Because of the tight scheduled sessions and rigorous activities,
The Evaluation Group will conduct evaluations and provide two evaluation reports. The
reports will be submitted at the end of the 5-day summer workshop sessions and after the final
follow-up meeting in the spring. The external evaluator will coordinate with the project team on
the evaluation process to include process and outcome evaluations, which will include collecting
Supplies: $789
Twenty workshop participants (teachers, ELA coaches, ELA coordinator, and assistant
principal of instruction) will receive a professional book entitled Close Reading the Media:
Literacy Lessons and Activities for Every Month of the Year by Frank Baker ($34.95 x 20
copies). All workshop participants will receive binders ($3.75 x 24) to organize workshop
materials.
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Appendix C: Project Team and Facilities
Project Team
include a program director, assistant project director, facilitator, technology specialist, and an
external evaluator. These persons will coordinate several meetings prior to the start of the
professional development training sessions and are required to attend all training sessions. The
Mrs. McGhee has been in education for 15 years, and currently serves as a school
counselor at Northside Middle School in Houston County. She received her Bachelors and
Masters degree in Middle Grades Education from Fort Valley University. She completed her
Educational Specialist Degree in School Guidance and Psychology from Argosy University in
2006. She taught 6th grade math in Houston County and has been a counselor at Northside
Middle School since 2005. Mrs. McGhee serves as a leader on a nonprofit organization called
Holiday Star where she organizes and solicits assistance for needy families. She was also
instrumental with Northside Middle School receiving two grants including funding for a summer
academy program that ran for 5 years, as well as being awarded an outdoor classroom in 2016.
Mrs. McGhee will be responsible for coordinating the logistical aspects of the program including
Mrs. Bundrage has taught language arts in middle school for the last 19 years, and
currently teaches 8th grade ELA at Northside Middle School in Houston County. She received
her Bachelors degree from Clark Atlanta University in Accounting and her middle grades
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teaching certification from Mercer University. She recently completed her Masters in School
Counseling at Fort Valley State University. Mrs. Bundrage is in her third semester working
towards her Specialist in Instructional Technology. Throughout her career she has served as
team leader, ELA Co-department Chair, and has redelivered professional development training
in technology. Mrs. Bundrage will work closely with the program director with planning
organizing, and budgeting, as well as recruiting participants. She will also work with the
facilitator to assist in creating lessons and activities and assist with training at all sessions.
Mrs. Singletary has been in education for 17 years, and currently serves as the Media
Specialist at Northside Middle School in Houston County. She received her Bachelors and
Masters degree at Georgia Southern and her Educational Specialist Degree in Media at
Kennesaw State University. She taught middle grades SS/ELA for 15 years. She has also served
as team leader, language arts department chair and has facilitated several technology-integration
training sessions at Northside Middle School. Mrs. Singletary will create lessons and activities
Mrs. Hobbs has worked as technologist specialist at Northside Middle School for 6 years.
She provides services for software and hardware, installation and management, and maintenance.
TEG has more than twenty-five years of experience evaluating various grant programs,
with majority of their clients in education. Their evaluation practices include collecting and
analyzing data throughout the course of the program. They are known for their participatory
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design instruments, data collection protocol, and reporting format. This collaborative evaluation
process gives ownership the clients and which may increase the likelihood of that the results will
Facilities
The location for the professional development summer session, project team meetings,
and fall and spring follow-up sessions will be held at Northside Middle School in the media
center. There is adequate space and technology to accommodate projected participants. The
media center is complete with Smartboard projector, desktops/laptops, ipads, and plenty of
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Appendix D: Data Collection Instruments
This survey will provide feedback as to the participants professional development experience.
This survey will obtain information in regards to content and process. The input is crucial to the
formative evaluation of the project.
Please rate each of the following five questions on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the least and 5
being the most. Then, please provide a brief example that supports the rating you selected.
1. Overall, this professional development activity was of high quality i.e., well designed and implemented.
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. This activity provided new information about, or practice with, technology that will improve my own
teaching of ELA.
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. This activity helped me learn to use technology that will improve students performance in ELA.
___________________________________________________________________________________
4. This session helped increase my ability to teach ELA to students of all ability levels.
___________________________________________________________________________________
5. The facilitator(s) for this session added value to the session by bringing with them new knowledge, skills,
or expertise
___________________________________________________________________________________
6. If you have any additional comments on this session, please feel free to enter this information in the space
below:
___________________________________________________________________________________
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Post-Observation Interview Questions
2. How did you integrate visual literacy and technology into the lesson, and what was your thought
process?
4. How has this lesson been taught in the past without incorporating visual literacy and technology?
5. How has the use of visual literacy and technology impacted students engagement?
6. How would you describe your comfort level with integrating visual literacy and technology into your
classroom instruction? How have your teaching practices strengthen? What areas with this new
7. What plans do you have to continue developing your teaching practices to increase student
engagement?
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