Flinn 8th Grader: Plan-Do-Study-Act “increases our willingness to learn”

I went to Flinn Middle School in 6th grade, and I didn’t like it. I transferred out for 7th grade but returned to Flinn this year, and I love it! In my English class at Flinn I have a split block during my 5th and 6th hour, meaning I have two different teachers. And right now we are learning with personal Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. I feel the PDSA process will help us a lot later in life more than anything else we learn in school, because it copies what you do in jobs. I love that we get to pick our own subject and study it on our own. From what I’ve been told this is not something that many kids do, and my school is very lucky to be able to use PDSA cycles.

Ever since we have started using the PDSA process, I have wanted to be more involved in my learning. Before this cycle I wasn’t really engaged. I would zone out extremely easily, and I would get bored easily. 

We usually choose a new subject every week to prove that we are meeting our weekly standards and mastering what was supposed to be done during that week. 

Everyone's topics in my class are very interesting, and students work hard on their presentations. Some presentations that my classmates have presented include if crystals have healing powers, if hot chips are bad for you, and how uniform policies are sexist. I enjoy seeing everyone's projects and the ideas that each person has that may not have come to light without this project. We worked toward getting our work published on RPS 205 VIBE, and will even present at a Rockford School Board Meeting on April 12. 

I believe that the PDSA process gives us the courage to do more and increases our willingness to learn. The process genuinely creates a different, more engaging environment from my other classes. 

Now that our English teachers have started doing the PDSA cycles, we are starting something very similar in Modern American History. I am very excited that my fellow 8th graders and I are starting to use the PDSA cycles even more. We hope this change in learning will continue to positively impact future 8th graders or maybe Flinn as a whole.

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Arianna Garcia-Arellano

Arianna Garcia-Arellano is an 8th grader at Flinn Middle School. She will attend East High School next year. Arianna loves sports. She plays basketball, volleyball, and was on the Flinn swim team. Arianna plans to join the Navy and become a nurse to help others in need.