The College of Education held the Fall QUEST Teacher Research Symposium on Tuesday, December 6th. Approximately 300 QUEST Teacher Candidates presented the results of their teaching inquiry research studies in poster session format.
I was just wondering . . .
Student teachers were asked to reflect on something they were curious about in their teaching, which became the foundation for their research. Here are some of their wonderings and what they discovered:
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Whitney Glapion wondered how to ensure workstation student learning in a kindergarten classroom. She found that the students needed to be challenged, or they would lose focus. So, she gave them choices. Instead of simply learning their ABCs or numbers, she included problems for students to solve. For example, she asked them how many kernels of popcorn would fill a shape. She found that this method worked especially well for the gifted and talented students in her class. |
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Jennifer Velasquez wondered how to increase positive student behavior in a third grade classroom. From her research and the advice from her cooperating teachers, she tried to be a good role mode in order to teach students to follow the golden rule (treat others how you would like to be treated) and get to know them personally. She found that when she built these positive relationships with her students, they worked harder and wanted to impress her. Velasquez also found that their behavior improved. |
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Chasity Ebow wondered how to create successful lessons that adjust to the needs of individual learners. She assessed each student and found that most are engaged when they are working in individual or small group settings. Since most of her students would rather be working individually, she created technology-based lessons and found that the students were highly engaged and capable of completing the activities. She was pleased that she was able to meet the students at their level without compromising the curriculum. |
QUEST University Supervisor, Richard Lawson.
As the fourth bi-annual symposium, this event has grown to have an impressive impact on the student teachers. “The symposium requires high standards in that student teachers have to do research and gather data so that they can see the outcomes of their topic,” said QUEST University Supervisor Richard Lawson. “It requires deep reflection and analysis which is what we want them to practice on a daily basis. If they learn to go into greater depth to reflect and analyze, they will get used to doing that and will grow continually as teachers.”
Presenters were divided into several presentation groups. While one group of candidates presented their findings, the other groups served as the audience. This gave teacher candidates a chance to share what they have learned about effective teaching. Student teachers agreed that this was the most valuable part of the symposium - sharing their research and learning from others.
The event was well attended by faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students who support teacher research in the college. The QEP-funded undergraduate research initiative presents a major opportunity for professional development for undergraduate students.
The QUEST (Quality Urban Education for Students and Teachers) Program has been recognized by the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) as the Distinguished Program in Teacher Education at the University of Houston. Students in the QUEST Program learn to teach with the latest research-based strategies and modern technologies from a world-class faculty. Future teachers participate in early and continued field experiences in urban schools, doing the real work of real teachers.
