College of Education and Human Development
"Teach for America" Teachers Cap Their Mason Studies With Research Colloquium
May 30, 2012
Teach for America (TFA) teachers took part in a research colloquium in May to cap off the completion of their two-year master's degree program at Mason.
The research colloquium brought the teachers together to discuss their research into ways to improve student learning in their classrooms.
Each of the Teach for America teachers was enrolled in the Master of Education (MEd) program in Elementary Education offered by the College of Education & Human Development at George Mason University. Most of the TFA teachers were new to the teaching field and serve in high-needs elementary schools. The master's program provided them with a teaching license and a research-based background in education theory and practice.
For the colloquium, the TFA teachers reported on their in-class, on-the-ground research. Each built on their experiences from their first and second year of teaching to identify desired improvements in student learning. They then created and implemented a plan to help their students achieve success by using interventions based on the latest research in education effectiveness.
"These teacher researchers went beyond just writing an in-depth proposal to actually implementing the planned instructional change and systematically studying its effects on students," said Stephanie Dodman, assistant professor of Elementary Education.
Among the research topics the TFA teachers explored were the following:
- 3rd grade teacher Jamie Dollinger presented her study of how to increase rigor in student centers for greater learning
- 2nd grade teacher Jon Jackson explored how to teach writing effectively in a dual-language model
- 6th grade teacher Lauren Gill studied ways to enhance meaningful student engagement in science
- 5th grade teacher Laure Kohn presented her findings on actively engaging her most reticent students in order to enhance their learning opportunities
- 3rd grade teacher Jackson Klein shared his findings related to using current events to teach writing
- 5th grade teacher Rachel Williams explained how she used the readers theater technique to deepen social studies learning
The teachers' findings were based on the systematic collection and analysis of student learning evidence.
"This was truly job-embedded, professional development in action," said Katy Swalwell, assistant professor of Elementary Education. Also at the colloquium to hear about and learn from the results were an additional 16 TFA teachers just completing their first year of study.
"Drs. Dodman and Swalwell's carefully planned work with the TFA teachers is really an inspiration to us as we think about how we can support new in-service teachers who are working towards licensure in becoming involved in activities that emulate the professionalism of teaching," said Wendy Frazier, acting program coordinator of Elementary Education.
George Mason University's College of Education & Human Development works in partnership with Teach for America to provide teachers in the District of Columbia and Prince George's County, MD, with a teaching certificate as well as an opportunity to pursue a master's degree with a concentration in elementary education. Mason is one of the largest providers of education for TFA teachers in the Washington region.
For additional information:
- View photos from the colloquium on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD
- College of Education & Human Development: cehd.gmu.edu
- Graduate School of Education: gse.gmu.edu
- Elementary Education program: gse.gmu.edu/programs/elementaryed
Follow CEHD on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MasonCEHD or Twitter at @MasonCEHD.