Research Purpose Teacher Action Research Project Proposal (310)

By Katie Chock
Research Purpose
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world- Nelson
Mandela.
Nelson Mandela was a revolutionist, philanthropist, politician and an icon. He believed in
institutionalizing racism, poverty, and inequality. He had the utmost respect for education. I
believe it is my responsibility to carry out his vision.
Education as a priority has been instilled into my life. My parents value education for themselves
as well as for their children. They have always believed that the more education you obtain, the
more opportunities you will have in the future. With every degree and certification, a person can
only gain more opportunities. They have always wanted the best for their children, and education
is the key to success and opportunity. Through out my life, my parents have repeatedly stressed
that attending the best schools possible was their priority.
Nelson, my parents, and I firmly believe education is the key to a most promising life.
Unfortunately, not every family, student, or peer I engage with believes this value. Education is
not a priority to them, and when I was growing up, I can understand why this is a common
misconception.
As a child, there were many times when I did not want to continue education or wanted to put in
the effort of going to school. I attended every single SSAT, SAT, ACT preparations class you can
think of, and in the end, I know my parents wanted the best life possible for me. School, learning
and bettering oneself is challenging. It is not an easy task. It takes work and determination. I
could not see it then, but I see it now. They were giving me the opportunity to me to create as
many options in life as possible.
Part of being an educator is motivating others. I want to motivate, encourage and help students to
become life-long learners, and find something they are passionate about in life. My goal to
challenge students to reach their potential, give them courage to ask questions and make
mistakes, and be supportive as well as nurturing when they venture outside of their comfort zone.
I encourage students to stimulate their natural curiosity and facilitate their learning; to promote
self-respect for oneself and each other through a caring community; to inspire lifelong learning. I
want to be part of the incredible educational journey that develops young people into young
adults and give them the tools they need to conquer obstacles presented to them.
My job as an educator also includes being a life long learner. I am a lifelong learner because I
love to learn new things and I want to be the best teacher I can be.
Education is a priority, not a choice!

Research Question
In what ways will my increased content knowledge/pedagogical skills effect my students
achievement?
Sub-questions
1. MIAA 320- How will student discourse positively affect student learning? Will a see a
difference in my classroom with facilitating more discourse?
2. MIAA 330- How will my knowledge of various assessments (informal and formal) help
student achievement?
3. MIAA 340- After I utilize effective assessment practices, how can I further assist and
reassess student needs?
4. MIAA 350- How will my further understanding of mathematics help my students be
more successful in math?
5. MIAA 360/370- How will creating instructional units for each grade span improve
students growth in mathematics? Will it help enhance my teaching?
Data
MIAA 310
Through my Action Research Project I will have an opportunity to work with three different
grade spans. As I familiarize myself with these grade levels, I will create a better foundation of
content knowledge, and teaching strategies with students
MIAA 320
This course will strengthen my abilities to coordinate mathematical discourse. These discussions
will change student outlook and learning. As my discourse strategies improve, students
mentality towards learning math will improve.
MIAA 330
This course will help familiarize myself with a variety of assessment options and strategies.
These strategies will help me modify student assessment, and use instruction to improve student
understanding of mathematics.
MIAA 340
This course will help me interpret data from MIAA 330. I will be able to modify curriculum and
differentiate instruction to all students. I will create targeted instruction for each grade group. I
will improve my ability to accommodate for multiple leaners
MIAA 350
This course will increase my understanding of teaching math most effectively. I will familiarize
myself with new instruction strategies, accommodate curriculum to a variety of students through
rigorous skills.

MIAA 360/370
This course will enable me to utilize all tools and strategies I learned in the MIAA program to aid
student learning. I can execute instructional common core strategies that will enhance student
learning.
Reflection
I want to be a role model for my students; to encourage them to be lifelong learners as well.
These are my reasons for taking this course and conducting research. Education is extremely
important to me, and my beliefs. It is my priority to be a motivator, educator, and to inspire
others.