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| Assistant Professor of Teacher Development and Educational Ji-Eun Lee (center) receives the MEEMIC mini-grant from MEEMIC representatives Kristy Mitchell (left) and John Pino. Pino is also School of Education and Human Services RDB chairman. |
Lee said, “Research shows that students at all age levels find great difficulty in understanding algebra concepts. Despite the recent movement toward teaching algebra to young students, relatively little information is reported about what factors should be considered in introducing algebraic concepts at the elementary level or how it should be related to elementary students’ prior knowledge. We will test our module’s success on a small group of students. Based on the results of the pilot study, this project will have potential to be extended to even bigger sized groups/schools.”
Local MEEMIC Insurance agents John and Marie Pino of the Pino Insurance Agency located in Rochester said, “We work with educational employees every day and can appreciate how tricky it has become to find funding for classroom teaching pilot programs like the one proposed by Dr. Lee. We’re proud of our affiliation with the MEEMIC Foundation and happy to know that they’ll continue to support education at the local level.”
Lee is the second Oakland University recipient of the MEEMIC mini-grant award. In 2006, Professor of Education and Chair of Teacher Development and Educational Studies Dyanne Tracy received the mini-grant to start up a beekeeping project. With the MEEMIC grant, Tracy was able to launch the first phase of this project and submit her research results to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a grant to further support development of this beekeeping project.
All educators are eligible to apply for MEEMIC mini-grants to start up research and outreach programs. Contact the School of Educaiton and Human Services Development Office at (248) 370-4233 for more information.