A REPORT ON THE MITEP PROGRAM AND ITS IMPACT ON MY TEACHING

This report has two major objectives. First, the results of an action research project conducted at my high school concerning the use of graphic organizers and their effects on students' written expression abilities. The findings from this action research project indicate that the use of graphic organizers can prove beneficial to students. The second major objective of this report is to provide a reflection and evaluation of my experiences as a participant in the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP). This program provided middle and high school science teachers with an opportunity to develop research based pedagogy techniques and develop the skill necessary to serve as leaders within the public school science community. The action research project described in the first chapter of this report was a collaborative project I participated in during my enrollment in ED 5705 at Michigan Technological University. I worked closely with two other teachers in my building - Brytt Ergang and James Wright. We met several times to develop a research question, and a procedure for testing our question. Each of us investigated how the use of graphic organizers by students in our classroom might impact their performance on writing assessments. We each collected data from several of our classes. In my case I collected data from 2 different classes over 2 different assignments. Our data was collected and the results analyzed separately from classroom to classroom. After the individual classroom data and corresponding analysis was compiled my fellow collaborators and I got together to discuss our findings. We worked together to write a conclusion based on our combined results in all of our classes.

MICHIGAN TEACHER EXCELLENCE PROGRAM: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND IMPACT

This report is a summary of the effects of the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MITEP) on me as a science educator. The first chapter is a report of an action research project jointly authored with two other science teachers participating in the MITEP program titled “Station Activities and Misconceptions in the Chemistry Classroom.” The second chapter is a reflective essay evaluating the impacts of the MITEP experience on my teaching skills and practice, knowledge of science education and science education research, and leadership skills. The most significant impacts were a dramatic increase in my earth science content knowledge, a deeper understanding of inquiry-based teaching methods, and an expanded professional network of science educators.

MICHIGAN TEACHER EXCELLENCE PROGRAM: A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE

The first chapter consists of an action research report submitted by Rebecca Joyce, Kari Luckett, and Claudia Witt as part of the Action Research class taken through the Michigan Teacher Excellence Program (MiTEP) during the winter of 2013. The research involved the use of stations to address student misconceptions in urban high school chemistry classrooms. Chapter two contains a personal reflection on the MiTEP program and how it has affected teaching strategies/practices, personal confidence, and professional relationships.