Interested in Participating?
We are seeking 6th-8th grade social studies teachers from Dearborn Public Schools to participate in a professional development and research project focused on supporting students’ reading, thinking, academic language, discussion, and argument writing through inquiry. This project is sponsored by the University of Michigan in partnership with the McDonnell Foundation, and will continue through June 2022.
Opportunities:
- Participate in a summer workshop (date TBD) that introduces goals for student learning and the Read.Inquire.Write. curriculum and inquiry teaching practices. Collaborate with the TRIPSS team to plan professional development that will be embedded at your schools and involve doing the work of teaching together with students and colleagues as well as time to reflect.
- Participate in 9 days of professional development across the school year (during regular school days, dates TBD) where you will work together with other teachers to implement instructional practices that support students’ reading, analytical thinking, academic language, discussion, and argument writing.
- Share your thinking and reflections about implementing an inquiry-oriented social studies curriculum focused on supporting students’ reading, thinking, academic language, discussion, and writing.
- Help develop a PD model that is engaging, useful, and supportive of both teachers’ and students’ learning.
- If you are interested, participate as a host teacher, working with UM researchers to prepare for a Read.Inquire.Write. lesson that will be the focus of part of a PD day. Other Dearborn teachers will be invited to your classroom to co-teach the lesson.
Participation requirements:
- Be a practicing middle school teacher (Grades 6-8) involved with social studies classes in Dearborn middle schools
- Be willing to participate in PD sessions that are video-recorded
- Attend PD days
- Complete questionnaires about your thinking and experiences.
Other participation possibilities (Note – Participation in these additional activities is voluntary and will be compensated).
You may be invited to participate in additional voluntary roles in this research project by:
- Hosting other teachers for PD sessions in your classroom
- Participating in a teacher advisory group which advises UM researchers on the design of the PD
- Participating as a “PD+” teacher, having your teaching observed and recorded and being interviewed by researchers.
