The 2006-2007 Pilot Teacher Research Project

The will course will examine:

  1. How does primary source analysis deepen student understanding of the curriculum?
  2. How do students use literacy strategies to read, analyze, and interpret primary sources?

Twenty Northern Virginia Educators will participate in a graduate level three-credit course designed for Ambassadors who are new to teacher research and those who would like structured guidance through the teacher research process. This graduate course will lead researchers through the research process towards the final product of publishable research paper and public presentations.

 

The 2007-2008 Inquiry on Primary Source Learning Seminar

The purpose of this seminar is to provide experience and support in using research skills for thoughtful and systematic inquiry into classroom practice that makes use of digital historical documents to deepen students’ understanding of curriculum and develop their literacy skills. Participants will explore questions that are relevant to use of primary source documents in their own classrooms while providing support to one another in a collaborative setting. As they conduct inquiry, teachers develop understanding of their students’ learning and of their own teaching that enables them to make more informed decisions about instruction.

While teachers will shape their own classroom investigations, the following central question, cast three ways, frames the inquiry for the seminar participants:

  • What happens when students use primary sources to learn in my classroom?
  • How does use of historical documents in my teaching affect my students’ learning?
  • What is learning with primary sources?