At the 2023 Practitioner Research Conference, 86 College of Education teacher candidates presented the practice-based research they engaged in throughout the spring semester. With their graduation on the near horizon, the USF College of Education’s goal is to encourage these future teachers to engage in research as a regular aspect of teaching practice throughout their career, beyond their degree completion.
Some of the topics presented at the conference included promoting student engagement, improving writing instruction and building learning communities.
Practitioner Research
Practitioner research or practitioner inquiry is the systematic, intentional study
of one’s practice as a teacher. Teachers encounter many problems of practice while
not only learning to teach but as their career progresses.
For teacher researchers, these problems of practice become opportunities for engaging
in cycles of inquiry that consist of:
1. Naming a wondering or question of practice
2. Collecting data from a variety of stakeholders about that question
3. Analyzing their data
4. Taking action based on the claims they make about that data
5. Sharing their research with others
Collaboration with other Teachers on Research Findings
Sharing is an important aspect of engaging in teacher research. Research findings
can have an impact on fellow teachers, the school administration and the community.
“For example, during one of the sessions, a teacher candidate shared how she was
going to try to use whiteboards as a tool when teaching English language arts after
hearing this idea presented by another teacher candidate, “ said Associate Professor,
and Director of the Office of Clinical Education, Jennifer Jacobs.
An exciting aspect of the USF Practitioner Research Conference is that teacher candidates
from a variety of programs presented their research to each other. This allows for
collaboration among majors and sharing of different perspectives.
“I really enjoyed seeing other programs and their inquiry focuses. It was also really
amazing to have other professional educators involved in my work,” said a student
who participated in the Practitioner Research Conference.
The USF College of Education programs that participated in the 2023 Practitioner Research
Conference included:
- Early childhood
- Elementary education
- Exceptional student education
- Middle grades
- Secondary education
At the Practitioner Research Conference, we also recognized a variety of stakeholders through several awards: exemplary teacher candidate practitioner research, exemplary mentor teacher and partnership award.
“I found great value in viewing others' work. The celebration aspect and awards also was a positive aspect of the conference- this was fun and exciting to celebrate the hard work of teachers!” said a student who participated in the Practitioner Research Conference.
Teacher Candidates
- Meghan Kierce, Early Childhood Education
- Sydney Clark, ESE
- Alexis Majorana, HELIOS
- Anastasia (Vlashi) Nixon, Elementary Education - Cohort 6
- Nichole Churchill, Elementary Education - Cohort 7
- Sarah Drinkwater, Elementary Education - Cohort 8
- April Frazier, Secondary Education, SSE
Mentor Teachers
- Daphaney Brown, Elementary Education, Riverhills IB Magnet Elementary, Hillsborough
- Cynthia Gross, ESE, Sexton Elementary, Pinellas
- Karen Hartman, Elementary Education, Lewis Elementary, Hillsborough
- Rachel Strong, Elementary Education, Sessums Elementary, Hillsborough
- Debra Hodros, Elementary Education, Double Branch Elementary, Pasco
- Anthony Daniel, Secondary Education, Madison Middle, Hillsborough
- Tameka Bishop, HELIOS, Progress Village, Hillsborough
Partnership Award
- Laura Edwards, Elementary Education, Assistant Principal, Hillsborough
- Turner Bartels, K-8, Early Childhood School, Hillsborough
- Tina Herbst, Special Education, District Office, Hillsborough
- Melissa Bidgood, Elementary Education, Principal, Pasco
It was a great night celebrating our teacher candidates who are graduating as well as celebrating their dedication to the PK-12 students who are at the center of their research.