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Graduate Research Project

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As a graduate student at California State University Fullerton, I had the opportunity to complete a research project that centered on the development and application of high teacher expectations for all students.

 

I chose this topic because of the shockingly low teachers' expectations that I observed in the field. I saw first-hand how many educators expect students from non-English households, ethnic minority groups, and specific disability categories to succeed on tasks at much lower rates compared to their peers.

 

These experiences inspired me to spend roughly one year collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data in order to create a teacher- oriented handbook.  This practical resource was designed to help teachers combat low expectations held for their students, while working to design a curriculum that supports high expectation practices. 

Snapshots From The Handbook

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Photos From a Research Presentation in December of 2019

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Other Research Interests

Creating Research-Based, Effective Partnerships with Families and the Community

I am extremely passionate about the power of collaborative partnerships between the home, school and community. When partnerships are mutually created, consist of a shared balance of power, and are formed with common goals, they can completely change a students' experience, both inside and outside the classroom. 

 

Although I plan to create numerous partnerships, with different families, community members, and organizations, I have created a research-based action plan for a teacher-family-student partnership represented in the document below. If you'd like to learn more about my plan for my first classroom, please feel free to explore the goals, assessments, and facets of this partnership.

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Click Here to View the Partnership Action Plan!

Utilizing Technology and Action Research to Raise Teacher Expectations

In my graduate program at CSUF, I was able to create an action research proposal. Although I have not yet carried out this research, I am excited to do so when I have my own classroom. I am passionate about action research because it provides me with the tools I need to measure my own effectiveness and progress as a teacher. I can improve my classroom in anyway that I feel is necessary in order to further benefit my students' schooling experiences. 

 

I invite you to follow the link below to explore how I have proposed to raise teacher expectations through the integration of technology in the classroom. It is my hope that after completing action research, I can create professional development and classroom materials to help improve other students' and teachers' experiences as well. 

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Click Here to View the Proposal!

Fostering Translanguaging and Home Language Usage in the Classroom

I entered the world of education because of the inequities that are present within the field. As an undergraduate sociology student, I discovered my interest in promoting equity and social justice through home language usage. Language is innately tied to family, pride, and thought. Through translanguaging lesson plans, objectives, and supports. This approach allows me to assist students as they develop both their home language and English proficiency, all while raising the status of their home language. 

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The document connected to this link is a translanguaging lesson plan. As I continue to build lesson plans similar to the one below, I will utilize action research techniques to measure their effectiveness. I hope to collaborate with other researchers to further improve the effectiveness of these strategies in order to help even more students feel proud of their heritage, languages, and linguistic journey.

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Click Here to View the Lesson Plan!

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