Use your professional blog to tell the story of how you’re engaging in teacher research

Do you want to become more intentional in your curriculum design and classroom management?  Then consider engaging in teacher research (a.k.a. action research). 

Read this short article (http://www.nea.org/tools/17289.htm) to learn more about what teacher-researchers do and how their findings positively affect their students, their teaching experience, and their school community.

Then, consider how you might engage in teacher research this semester (and this year).  Your professional blog is a great place to share your experience as a teacher-researcher as you …  

·         develop your own questions about teaching and learning,

·         implement research-based strategies in your classroom,

·         analyze the results, and

·         share findings with your mentor teacher, your colleagues, and your students. 

In fact, that’s the whole point of your online reflections assignment this year. 

AND (!!!) this is something you can integrate into your KPTP, which also asks you to …

·         determine a question (i.e., How will I help my students reach learning objectives x, y, z?)

·         implement research-based strategies (i.e., design effective instruction)

·         analyze the results (i.e., How well did students meet the stated learning objectives?  Were some met more effectively than others?); and

·         share your findings in writing—but perhaps also at a larger symposium, like Wichita State University’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum in April (right after your KPTP is due!).