Personal and Professional Growth Realized: A Self-Study of Curriculum Design and Implementation in a Secondary Science Classroom

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Improving Science Education Through Self-Study

Abstract

This self-study focuses on the experience of designing and implementing an action research based curriculum in a secondary science classroom. Over the course of a year, we systematically examined ourselves, and we continuously reflected on how the experience enhanced our own personal and professional growth as individuals, teachers and researchers. In this paper, we present a model for how self-study can be used in K-12 education to support the personal and professional development of teachers. Additionally, by providing a critical analysis of both the successes and challenges we experienced in designing and executing a new curriculum, we intend to support other practitioners in K-12 classrooms and help them prepare for challenges they might face in their own practice.

Authors

• Elizabeth Coleman, Loyola University Chicago

• Megan Leider, Loyola University Chicago