Blog post for 4.17.13

Blog post for 4.17.13

Workshop Update:

            Our workshop last week went really well.  I had emailed my methodology section to my group members prior to class.  All had read the piece and were prepared to offer me feedback.  They shared what they noticed and were thinking.  There feedback was very useful, and ranged from suggestions about placement of particular sections (for example, the section I had written on trustworthiness felt awkward to them, and they felt it would be better before the methods section) to talk about APA style.  We spent about 30 minutes on the paper.  My group members also emailed me their individual suggestions they had made via track changes.  The conversation was very helpful.  They also asked what you had suggested I change, and I shared your thoughts with them.    We spent the rest of the time looking at data.  I had brought the codes the professor and I had determined.  We discussed those and then I had them code the initial visit descriptive notes.  They found many of the same themes that the professor and I found.  We also talked about not finding some of the themes that were found in other visit notes (“owning”, “questioning”, and “reflecting”) and we talked about why that might be.  We also talked about needing to refine the codes further.  That went really well too, and I was very appreciative of their thoughtful and constructive feedback.   I am looking forward to our workshop time this coming week.  Alicia is bringing transcripts of us to look over.  I believe they are from interviews with women in Uganda.  Should be interesting!

Project Update:

            I typed up descriptive notes from our visit last week on the 9^th.  I will also go back to the site on 4.16 for our 9^th visit this semester.  I will type those notes up and include them in the HU.  I will also upload any emails, documents etc. from this upcoming visit.  This will be the last visit before the end of the semester. 

            I am working on both the data HU and my methodology section, incorporating the suggestions you made and the suggestions my classmates made.   I am going to spend all of this Thursday morning working on those projects.  I am glad I “went” in my workshop group this past week.  I have time before the end of the semester to incorporate all of the suggestions.

Readings:

            The reading from Rice about publication was very helpful.  Honestly, I have not thought enough about this.  Publication was certainly something I have heard a great deal about, but I have not been very focused on it.  When I decided to come back to school to get my Ph.D., I did so in order to become better acquainted with the research in my field and put myself in the position to become a Director in a school system.   Currently, the school system where I work part time has a Director of Curriculum and Instruction who does not have a background in either (Curriculum and Instruction) and is making decisions that are contrary to current research.   This experience has been extremely frustrating for me (working with this former football coach –turned –director) and so I decided to come back to school to put myself in a position to do something about it.  Because I am a woman, don’t know anyone in power, and didn’t coach football, I need an advanced degree to hold that position or a similar position. Allington recently wrote an article for The Reading Teacher.  In the article he says that it takes about 50 years for research to reach practice in education.   So sad, and so true.  I came back to school thinking I might teach classes or that I might go back to a school district and serve in a director capacity.  I didn’t really think very much about publication and conducting research.

            Since coming here, I have become very interested in research.  By nature I am curious and observant, and I think research and I agree pretty well.  This semester I have been in the field a great deal and have enjoyed it.  I would like to find a way to do research and continue to do practical work – to help bridge that 50 year gap between theory and practice.      

More than anything, this article was very helpful in having me think through what I need to do to put myself in a position to get a job at a university if that is what I decide I want.  I’d like to have lots of options available to me, and publishing is part of what I need to do to give myself options.