Graduate Work Portfolio
The collection below relates to my work related to inquiry. I have always believed teaching to be a reflective process in which one continuously reviews the relative success of each lesson or pedagogical choice, honing one's curriculum and craft in order to better meet students' needs. The work I completed at Michigan State reinforced this belief while encouraging me to purposefully engage in teacher-inquiry through intentional research.
Inquiry
Weighing the benefits of a variety of assessment methods, this research project examined the impact of analytical rubrics, holistic rubrics and student-teacher conferencing in assessing student writing. Beyond providing useful information about the ways in which each assessment method gave students feedback and directed revision, this project demonstrated the need to engage critically, with a spirit of inquiry, in the decisions I make when designing lesson plans to best meet student needs.
This paper examines the ways in which biographical inquiry can be used to inform our understanding of how successful learning takes place. The paper posits that by examining the lives of individuals who have demonstrated success, or even genius, in their fields of study, researchers can identify traits, habits of mind, and even core content that helps promote academic success. In turn, curriculum and instruction can be formulated to help students develop the very traits and habits of mind identified as being critical to achievement.
This site details my work using a variety of assessment methods during writing instruction in my high school classroom. The methods explored include multi-peer conferencing, student-led conferencing, and the use of rubrics. Throughout this process, my focus was on minimizing the subjective nature of assessing creative writing and promoting student self-reflection in the writing process.
Education does not merely involve the preparation of students for the world outside of school. Education is a communal enterprise; one in which teachers must also engage in a learning process. In order to be effective, educators must continue to learn and grow, engaging in inquiry regarding their practices, and continually striving for improvement. Effective teachers must demonstrate a unique blend of confidence and humility, recognizing both their individual strengths as educators and presenting a willingness to learn from the strengths and best practices of others.
A teaching career is, at its best, an example of continual experiential education and growth. We are the sum of our experiences, and our attitudes and understandings are continually shaped and shifted. There is no greater danger than stasis in the educational field, and I will strive to adapt and learn, serving my students to the best of my abilities, and willingly learning from them, even as they are learning from me.