Innovation in Teaching Competition

2017-2018 Innovation in Teaching Competition

The Innovation in Teaching Competition promoted excellence in the classroom by: (a) recognizing and rewarding Georgia’s most effective educators, and (b) making examples of their practices available to Georgia’s teachers and leaders on the Georgia Public Broadcasting website.

The grant competition focused on teachers that excel in one of the following priority areas:

  • Applied Learning & STEAM;
  • Birth to Age Eight Language & Literacy;
  • Blended & Personalized Learning; or
  • Innovative Practice to Close the Achievement Gap.

What did each winner receive?

  • $5,000 stipend for serving as a model educator;
  • $10,000 grant to support innovative practices in his/her school; and
  • Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) filmed his/her classroom and made the video, along with his/her unit plan and supplementary materials, available online for other teachers.

Application Process

Teachers had to be recommended by a principal, assistant principal, instructional coach, district staff member, or GaDOE staff (Teacher and Leader Effectiveness, School Improvement or Curriculum). Based on these recommendations, GOSA invited select teachers to apply. 

Teachers who were invited to apply had to submit material in two phases:

 

If Invited to Participate in Phase One
  • A short application form;
  • A one- to three-day lesson plan that is aligned with one of the Innovation in Teaching Competition priority areas (please see priority area definitions). This lesson plan will have to come from the full unit plan, or a plan similar in content, that the applicant would submit if invited to participate in Phase Two (see below); and
  • A five-minute video of the applicant teaching the lesson plan he/she submitted or a plan similar in content.
If Invited to Participate in Phase Two
  • The full unit plan the originally-submitted lesson plan came from (in Phase One) and supplementary materials;
  • School Grant Plan and School Grant Budget
  • Two years of teacher evaluation results;
  • Recommendation letter from the teacher’s direct supervisor; and
  • Principal Certification Form

 

What was the timeframe for the competition?

August 2nd Recommendation Form Opens
September 4th  Recommendation Form Closes
By September 6th Select Teachers Invited to Apply for Phase One
October 8th Phase One Applications Due
By October 26th Select Teachers Invited to Apply for Phase Two
November 23rd Phase Two Applications Due
Mid-January 2018 Winners Announced

About the Innovation in Teaching Competition

The Innovation in Teaching Competition began as part of Georgia’s Race to the Top plan to create and support highly-effective teachers. The competition promoted excellence in the classroom through two main goals: (a) recognizing and rewarding educators from across our state who are using innovative strategies to advance student achievement, and (b) making videos of the winning teachers, along with their unit plans and supplementary materials, available on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s website. Since 2013, the Innovation in Teaching Competition recognized over 50 educators from across Georgia.