March 2024
It was another successful CPM Teacher Conference for CPM’s Teacher Research Corps!
Preconference: We had our annual midyear meeting during a pre-conference session. Teacher Researchers shared their in-progress findings, gave each other feedback to help push each other’s projects forward, and began workshopping their collaborative end-of-year reports. It was a rejuvenating experience filled with meaningful discussions and truly yummy snack breaks (churros!).
Conference: After our pre-conference day, Teacher Researchers hosted posters on their projects and two groups led full conference sessions. Sharing their findings is an important part of the work of CPM’s Teacher Research Corps because it spreads practice-based knowledge by teachers for teachers!
At the conference’s closure, two Teacher Researchers—Janine Scott and Joe Sebastian—gave Ignite speeches that sent attendees back to their schools feeling inspired.
Featured Team of the Month: Connections & Retention
The Connections and Retention team posed the following question at the TRC institute this past summer:
- How can we help students capture their learning during the unit progression using a variety of note-taking strategies, closure routines, and practice opportunities to build skill transfer, personal connections, and knowledge retention?
When we asked these teachers why they chose to participate in the Teacher Research Corps, this is what they had to say:
Karen Kurcz
Karen is a 32-year teaching veteran. She teaches Core Connections Geometry at a suburban high school with 12% free and reduced-price lunch.
I’m participating in TRC 10.0 because…
I continue to choose TRC because of how it helps me continuously learn and grow and stay current with research. A lot of professional development that we do as teachers is not that meaningful, but the work we do in TRC is important and applicable. I get to study topics that will make my teaching, students, and classroom better all the time. My time in TRC has resulted in increased student learning and enjoyment in doing math. TRC is a network of like-minded teachers from diverse regions, with diverse experiences and perspectives. We are all learners who do more than the bare minimum. We support each other, and that is rejuvenating.
Alexis Reid
Alexis is a 16-year teaching veteran. She teaches Core Connections Geometry at an urban high school with 83% free and reduced-price lunch.
I’m participating in TRC 10.0 because…
I continue to choose CPM’s TRC because of the support systems I have developed there over the last couple of years. I can call up a fellow teacher researcher, bounce a question or idea off of them, and engage in thoughtful conversations that help me grow as a free thinker and grow as a teacher.
Amanda Ethridge
Amanda is a 10-year teaching veteran. She teaches Core Connections Geometry at an urban high school with 83% free and reduced-price lunch.
I’m participating in TRC 10.0 because…
I am starting year 11 of teaching and at this point, it would be easy to “coast,” especially when teaching the same courses each year. TRC, however, is pushing me to learn more, do more, and be better. That is why I keep returning to TRC.
Andie Peterson-Longmore
Andie is a 10-year teaching veteran. She teaches Core Connections Geometry at a suburban high school with 25% free and reduced-price lunch.
I’m participating in TRC 10.0 because…
As a teacher who uses social media and reads, I engage in professional learning on a daily basis. TRC allows me to go beyond the learning that I can do on my own and become a better teacher and leader in my building and in my district. TRC is different from a lot of the professional learning I’ve experienced because it starts with the things I am curious about and so I can focus my energy on ideas that excite me instead of being told what I need to learn.
Will you consider applying for the Teacher Research Corps?
CPM’s Teacher Researchers earn an annual stipend to support the extra work they do during the school year. Their travel and lodging to the TRC Institute are covered by CPM. To learn more, contact TRC’s Program Manager, Mark Coté.
Keep an eye out for insights from Teacher Researchers in CPM’s future newsletters!
