| Welcome to the second volume of the Journal
of Teacher Initiated Research! Seven classroom teachers share
their classroom research and stories. This volume's articles,
incorporating more graphics and even some video, cover a wide
range of classrooms and topics.
Collaboration is a recurring theme for four of our teacher-authors.
Heather Uncapher trained fifth grade students to help her first
grade students with their writing skills. The first graders' writing
skills improved as did their attitudes towards writing. Read this
article for Heather’s tips on managing a Buddy Program with
another class. Sonja Johnson and Staci McCafferty, urban second
grade teachers, collaborated to improve their high achieving students’
work in math. They found that their teaming and resulting techniques
helped students learn independently of the teacher and that the
students were also able to actively assist each other. Heather
VanAlstine found that using literature circles increased her 6th
grade students' participation and personal responsibility for
their learning. One can sense Ms. VanAlstine's enthusiasm for
literature circles when she writes, "My students are visibly
confident in their reading and discussion skills." Collectively
these four teachers found that collaboration empowers both learning
and teaching.
Two other teachers focused their research on reading skills and
literature. Gretchen Dougherty, a high school reading teacher,
was able to create an SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) program for
her 11th and 12th grade English students. Ms. Dougherty found
that her approach reduced off-task behavior and increased literary
engagement among her students. Michelle Fraley used the software
program KidPix to increase meaning-based reading strategies of
her 1st grade ELL (English Language Learners). Ms. Fraley's article
contains techniques as well as many wonderful student products.
Finally, Jenger Schmersal tackled a timely topic for today's
teachers: testing. Her study focused on the effects of teaching
test taking strategies to 3rd graders. In this article one can
both read and watch videos of Ms. Schmersal's productive and successful
study.
We hope you enjoy reading the research results of these talented
and committed teachers. We did!
Patti R.
Albaugh, Ph.D. and Karen S. Robinson, Ph.D., Editors
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