Dr. Patricia Hinchey, professor of education at Penn State Worthington Scranton, recently served as inaugural speaker at the annual Teachership Academy sponsored by El Paso Community College.
Each year, the college supports a year-long professional development effort for select faculty. Each faculty member who participates conducts an action research project, which involves a structured study of their own teaching context.
Dr. Hinchey, the author of a popular text on action research and editor of a forthcoming reader on the topic, presented an afternoon workshop to help participants understand what action research is and how they might begin their projects.
This marks the third year she has been invited to provide the first workshop of the series.
The Teachership Academy has garnered the college nationwide recognition for its innovative professional development effort.
A 10-month professional developmental program, it is designed to provide faculty a cohort experience, while focusing on teaching and learning, and providing the opportunity to implement what they have learned through an Action Research Project conducted in their classes as the culmination of the Academy experience.
The goals of this Academy is to enhance teaching skills for participants; enhance the learning of participants' students; and prepare Academy graduates to become mentor teachers who serve to assist other faculty at the college with their instructional and developmental needs.
