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The Port in Our Storm:Why Teacher Research? Why Now?

Members of the Eastern Michigan Writing Project Teacher Research Group: Jessica DeYoung Kander, Cathy Fleischer, Kris Gedeon, Karen Hoffman, Dave Kangas, Pam McCombs, Sara Primeau, and Susan Schneider

+Teacher Research is…

[an] educational movement, research genre, political and policy critique, challenge to university culture, and lifelong stance on teaching, learning, schooling and educational leadership.”

(Cochran-Smith and Lytle)

+Teacher research is… Teachers asking questions based in their own

contexts, wonderings about how they teach and how their students learn

Teachers collecting data (through observational logs, surveys, interviews, artifacts) to answer those questions

Teachers systematically analyzing and reflecting on their data

Teachers making change in their teaching as a result of their findings

Teachers sharing with others the results of their findings

+Why Is It So Important Right Now?

Our classrooms are under siege. We feel the flames. And, as teachers, we’re afraid our students will become the casualties. We’re bombarded by national educational policies, state assessment mandates, regional curriculum demands, and community competition about competencies and for resources….We need to make our voices speak through the fire and invite the noisy public to listen.

  When we speak as teachers informed by our own research, we can control the fires and inform the noisy public about what works in our classroom. …systematic inquiry is both a form and a method for teacher resistance and teacher agency.

According to well-known teacher researchers Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater and Bonnie Sunstein….

+Eastern Michigan Writing Project Teacher Research Group 15 years and counting!

Who we are: Teachers across grade level: from elementary,

secondary, college Teachers with varying degrees of experience: from

newbies to long-time practitioners Teachers across the subject area: mostly ELA, but

math, too.

Why we come together to meet every month? To learn how to conduct teacher research To get feedback from like-minded teachers on a

similar journey To share with others, to feel our work matters

Why and How our TR matters to usFour groups that you can visit today in roundtable fashion:

Each group will talk about the ways in which TR has helped them.

You can visit 2 groups: 20 minutes in each. Then, we’ll come together and talk.

Topic 1: How teacher research helps us gather a range of data, informs our teaching, and thus gives us the confidence to speak to others (other teachers, administrators, and parents):

Kris Gedeon and Jessica DeYoung Kander

Topic 2: How teacher research helps us create a community of support, different from other professional development (especially for those who don’t have support systems within their schools):

Dave Kangas and Susan Schneider

Topic 3: How teacher research serves as a mentoring model, helping us bring a collaborative approach to other parts of our professional lives:

Pam McCombs

Topic 4: How teacher research helps us in our long-term commitment to the profession, by encouraging a sustainable mindset to our teaching:

Karen Hoffman and Sarah Primeau

+Surviving and Thriving

What ideas have you learned today that you might take back to your own school, district, communities?

How might a teacher researcher approach help you survive and thrive?

What might be your first steps?

+Who we are:Today’s Participants:

Cathy Fleischer: College English education and writing: Eastern Michigan University

Kris Gedeon: High School English, Britton-Macon Community Schools

Karen Hoffman, Middle School ELA, Livonia Emerson

David Kangas: High School English, Wayne Memorial

Jessica DeYoung Kander, Lecturer in Children’s Literature, Eastern Michigan University;

Pam McCombs: College instructor in Children’s Literature and writing, Eastern Michigan University

Sarah Primeau: College writing instructor, Eastern Michigan University

Susan Schneider: High School math, Ann Arbor Huron

Other teacher researchers in our group: Tracy Anderson: High School English and Journalism, Ann Arbor Community, Ellen Daniel: Middle School ELA, Ann Arbor Scarlett, Lisa Eddy: High School English, Adrian

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