i'm working pretty hard lately, but that i'm in this stage where there are lots of unfinished bits and pieces that i'm wading in. it's actually a really interesting part of any creative process, when you've got a bunch of pots of soup, each at the beginning stages of being made, and you are trying to pay equal attention to all the pots, but with the awareness that they won't all get done at the same time, nor all have been given the same amount of attention.
so, regarding data: as of tonight, i've completely "dirty transcribed" all of my interviews and have three left to "clean" before sending them to participants. i also completed three group discussion/descriptive review sessions over the last month -- they went really well and generated lots of interesting discussion, but i have yet to transcribe those recordings. that will be a fun project for april.
at the same time, i've also begun outlining 8 or so of the big emerging themes into little chunks of notes. they're not yet fleshed out enough to talk about here, but it's nice to see the ideas in relationship to each other, and to see various data and things i'm reading kind of talk to each other.
that's all i've got for now... unlike previous years, i seem to be blogging about once a month, but as i've said in earlier posts, that seems to be the nature of being a part-time student working on a dissertation. lots and lots of wading in deep waters and then little moments when you can surface and report. kind of a comfortable place to be at this point, for me at least.
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
researching and reading
since my last post, i've begun conducting interviews for my dissertation. it's been an incredible process. after each interview, listening again to the recordings, i'm learning so much about how to be a better interviewer. the biggest piece has been to step back, allow silences, and allow people to direct the conversation. so far, the interviews have been illuminating. i'm interested both in how people write at my workplace and also how the workplace enables them to construct their identities and make meaning about our workplace and its social and political dynamics. it's amazing how much these issues come up in regular conversation and what a deep awareness people have of the politics. it's also been interesting to listen for power in the conversations, to see it emerge in areas i didn't expect. this work is so exciting. i'd love to spend my life interviewing people about their lives and work, learning about how they think and who they are and where work fits into all that. really, i could do it all day.
outside of that, i should be doing better at reading academic things. i've been wanting to start reading "images of organization," which one of my committee members suggested to me. i did read the introduction and loved it (and looking at the table of contents got me pretty excited about the book) and i can't wait to read more.
but i have to admit, i've been indulging in all kinds of novels instead. the newest one, which i just purchased about a week ago, is called "dreaming in cuban" by cristina garcia--it's her first novel, which she wrote in 1992, and it was recently banned from the curriculum in arizona schools because of what a parent of a 10th grader described as "porn," but could more accurately be described as a few short paragraphs describing sex. in any case, a book being banned somewhere is probably one of the best reasons to purchase it with urgency and read it as soon as possible. that said, and as i've likely written on here before, i have a tendency to have 10-20 books open at once (i would love to know the cure for this), so it takes me a while to really get into and finish a book. i want to try and curb this by finishing up the two or three books that i'm more than halfway through. once that happens, i'll start reading this one (admittedly, i already read the first few pages). anyway, i'll let you know how it goes.
outside of that, i should be doing better at reading academic things. i've been wanting to start reading "images of organization," which one of my committee members suggested to me. i did read the introduction and loved it (and looking at the table of contents got me pretty excited about the book) and i can't wait to read more.
but i have to admit, i've been indulging in all kinds of novels instead. the newest one, which i just purchased about a week ago, is called "dreaming in cuban" by cristina garcia--it's her first novel, which she wrote in 1992, and it was recently banned from the curriculum in arizona schools because of what a parent of a 10th grader described as "porn," but could more accurately be described as a few short paragraphs describing sex. in any case, a book being banned somewhere is probably one of the best reasons to purchase it with urgency and read it as soon as possible. that said, and as i've likely written on here before, i have a tendency to have 10-20 books open at once (i would love to know the cure for this), so it takes me a while to really get into and finish a book. i want to try and curb this by finishing up the two or three books that i'm more than halfway through. once that happens, i'll start reading this one (admittedly, i already read the first few pages). anyway, i'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, September 16, 2013
a post-summer update
last semester ended in a rushed, stress-filled month of anxiety. i got my coursework done, worked my butt off on revising my proposal and preparing for my hearing, and lost lots and lots of sleep in the process. my proposal hearing went really well (i passed!), but it left me feeling completely empty in the strangest way. it would take me a few weeks to realize that my body just can't do all-nighter followed by all-nighter anymore and that i don't process stress and lack of sleep that well.
after my hearing, i got sick again and then it clicked: "oh, i actually can't just keep going on as if i don't have crohn's and uveitis. i have to make room in my life for my illnesses because they aren't going anywhere." so, i took the summer off and spent the time overhauling my health plan. for starters, i switched my specialist doctors to two people who are much more trustworthy and much more open to the idea of my using diet, rather than traditional medicine, as a treatment for my diseases. this shift in doctors has actually helped me to shift my own thinking. having doctors who support my plan enables me to stretch my plan.
now, the semester has started and i'm quite a bit healthier (off most of my meds and eating a really clean, crohn's-friendly diet). though i'm no longer in coursework, i want to approach this semester with a deep level of interest and a commitment to spending time on my dissertation work. equally, i want to give myself some reading homework each week. luckily, my chair has also formed a research group of her advisees, which meets every other way, where we can share our progress, ask questions, and talk about each other's work. that's been pretty helpful so far.
right now, i'm working on getting my IRB protocol done. it's actually been taking way more time than i thought it would and i'm just anxious to get it done. more to update later as i dive into this work!
after my hearing, i got sick again and then it clicked: "oh, i actually can't just keep going on as if i don't have crohn's and uveitis. i have to make room in my life for my illnesses because they aren't going anywhere." so, i took the summer off and spent the time overhauling my health plan. for starters, i switched my specialist doctors to two people who are much more trustworthy and much more open to the idea of my using diet, rather than traditional medicine, as a treatment for my diseases. this shift in doctors has actually helped me to shift my own thinking. having doctors who support my plan enables me to stretch my plan.
now, the semester has started and i'm quite a bit healthier (off most of my meds and eating a really clean, crohn's-friendly diet). though i'm no longer in coursework, i want to approach this semester with a deep level of interest and a commitment to spending time on my dissertation work. equally, i want to give myself some reading homework each week. luckily, my chair has also formed a research group of her advisees, which meets every other way, where we can share our progress, ask questions, and talk about each other's work. that's been pretty helpful so far.
right now, i'm working on getting my IRB protocol done. it's actually been taking way more time than i thought it would and i'm just anxious to get it done. more to update later as i dive into this work!
Friday, February 22, 2013
busy/exciting times, and a diagnosis
well, this has been a pretty intense and interesting week (do i say this every week?). classes are going well. i can't believe that the semester ends in just two and a half months! it's wild how quickly things move. in terms of my advanced research methods class, my group meets again today to have a final talk about next week's presentation. because we got started so early, we ended up having to spend a lot less time working on this project. we split the work out very evenly and gave ourselves the space to make final changes/edits/critique. in today's meeting, we are each bringing the handouts we've worked on and we'll spend some time cleaning each other's work up. i'm excited about this process. it reminds me how amazing collaborative work can be when all parties are willing to be involved.
re: my dissertation proposal, (a) the readings in my advanced research methods class have really informed proposal-writing from a practical point of view (for example, maxwell's book on qual research design and ravitch & riggan's book on conceptual frameworks have been immensely helpful in my thinking about the organization and delivery of my ideas and argument); (b) the classwork for my proposal-writing seminar has been equally helpful, as we have a group of people working together on our projects -- this week, we began sharing quotes and ideas that will contribute to our lit reviews; (c) sara, my lone cohortmate, and i have been reading each others' writing and offering feedback and this has been an excellent way for me to receive feedback and also extend my thinking on my work; and (d) my meetings with my chair amy have been really exciting and beyond helpful in moving me forward and keeping me on a timeline. i have no doubt that i'll have a complete proposal in may. this weekend, i'll be working on a 2-3-pager on my research design. i really can't wait to write it.
so, i've been talking a lot about my health issues and the various tests i've been undergoing. this week, i also finally got a diagnosis: i have crohn's disease. on the one hand, i'm feeling really relieved that i have a diagnosis. for some reason, my husband and i have had a strong feeling since dec/jan that this was crohn's, so its good to just know. and on the other hand, it's kinda scary. my symptoms and inflammation are super mild, so that's good, but i really don't know what the future holds. over the past year, i've begun creating habits (like meditating, running, etc) that i know will help me in the long run, and knowing that i'm a few months away from coursework and might soon have more time to maintain and develop these good habits is also good. but i'm still kinda bummed. i know this sad feeling will pass soon, but for now, i'm kinda just sitting with it.
at the same time, knowing that i have so much support from my coworkers and family and friends helps quite a lot -- in fact, the love and kindness i've received, especially from my husband who is my champion in everything, has been incredible. and being able to finally work on my dissertation proposal also helps -- it's like, i know that no matter what happens with my health, i have this incredible project that i'm working on and that i'm so passionate about, and that really keeps me excited and enthusiastic.
re: my dissertation proposal, (a) the readings in my advanced research methods class have really informed proposal-writing from a practical point of view (for example, maxwell's book on qual research design and ravitch & riggan's book on conceptual frameworks have been immensely helpful in my thinking about the organization and delivery of my ideas and argument); (b) the classwork for my proposal-writing seminar has been equally helpful, as we have a group of people working together on our projects -- this week, we began sharing quotes and ideas that will contribute to our lit reviews; (c) sara, my lone cohortmate, and i have been reading each others' writing and offering feedback and this has been an excellent way for me to receive feedback and also extend my thinking on my work; and (d) my meetings with my chair amy have been really exciting and beyond helpful in moving me forward and keeping me on a timeline. i have no doubt that i'll have a complete proposal in may. this weekend, i'll be working on a 2-3-pager on my research design. i really can't wait to write it.
so, i've been talking a lot about my health issues and the various tests i've been undergoing. this week, i also finally got a diagnosis: i have crohn's disease. on the one hand, i'm feeling really relieved that i have a diagnosis. for some reason, my husband and i have had a strong feeling since dec/jan that this was crohn's, so its good to just know. and on the other hand, it's kinda scary. my symptoms and inflammation are super mild, so that's good, but i really don't know what the future holds. over the past year, i've begun creating habits (like meditating, running, etc) that i know will help me in the long run, and knowing that i'm a few months away from coursework and might soon have more time to maintain and develop these good habits is also good. but i'm still kinda bummed. i know this sad feeling will pass soon, but for now, i'm kinda just sitting with it.
at the same time, knowing that i have so much support from my coworkers and family and friends helps quite a lot -- in fact, the love and kindness i've received, especially from my husband who is my champion in everything, has been incredible. and being able to finally work on my dissertation proposal also helps -- it's like, i know that no matter what happens with my health, i have this incredible project that i'm working on and that i'm so passionate about, and that really keeps me excited and enthusiastic.
Friday, September 30, 2011
a new approach to paper-writing
i took the day off today to work on my "selected questions" paper, which is the second of the two main papers that make up the master's portfolio. i've been working on it a lot this week and especially today but in the process of doing so, i've realized that i have developed something of a new process of writing and it looks kind of like this:
1. table of contents as a working outline
so, i've pretty often used outlines as a good start to writing, but lately, i don't necessarily write in-depth outlines right away. instead, i start by writing a table of contents, which acts as my pg 1 for my document. it's kind of a working outline with notes hear and there, but primarily, with a general sense of the "sections" i'm looking for and approximately how many pages i see each one becoming.
2. "what i already know"
prior to doing a lot of reading i write into each table of contents section with notes and ideas formed by "what i already know." this helps me to flesh out some of the ideas i already have, as well as to ask questions around what i want to learn.
3. journaling throughout the process
i keep a hand-written journal of the process. this includes notes, ideas, questions, and so on. it also includes things that are semi-relevant like, "this paper is annoying me" or "what should i eat for dinner tonight?" in any case, it's kind of living documentation of the work in progress. i also use this journal to take notes of the things i read. as my journal fills out, there are also page reserved for special types of notes. for example, in my SQ paper journal, i've got pages like:
-journals (journals that many of the authors i'm reading publish in that i want to check out or can imagine eventually submitting manuscripts to)
-terminology (words certain scholars use that i want to dig into or question further. for example, i've read quite a few articles by an australian scholar who is writing on work and learning, like i am, but who uses different terms for things than i or other american writers might)
-ongoing questions (questions that this work brings up for me)
-future work (questions and ideas that may or may not be related to the topic at hand, but things i want to come back to)
4. gather literature, read, and take notes
i gather a lot of literature via google scholar, as well as other places. i begin by reading abstracts and conclusions and then dip in and out of the bodies of articles. as i skip through the articles, i note down interesting ideas, questions, and so on into my journal. i also have a somewhat formalized system for my marginal notes. for example, i use stars to point to big ideas; i sometimes underline terms and concepts i want to return to; and i use astrisks for things i want to dig deeper into, namely other authors/works/texts that the authors reference.
5. stop at any point in this process to write into the main paper doc
i stop reading/note-taking somewhat frequently when i feel inspired to add to my main paper document.
i find this current system to be easy but also very organized, so its made paper writing feel a lot more thoughtful, simplified, and inviting. i end up feeling very focused and not scattered, which also helps me to feel closer to the work.
1. table of contents as a working outline
so, i've pretty often used outlines as a good start to writing, but lately, i don't necessarily write in-depth outlines right away. instead, i start by writing a table of contents, which acts as my pg 1 for my document. it's kind of a working outline with notes hear and there, but primarily, with a general sense of the "sections" i'm looking for and approximately how many pages i see each one becoming.
2. "what i already know"
prior to doing a lot of reading i write into each table of contents section with notes and ideas formed by "what i already know." this helps me to flesh out some of the ideas i already have, as well as to ask questions around what i want to learn.
3. journaling throughout the process
i keep a hand-written journal of the process. this includes notes, ideas, questions, and so on. it also includes things that are semi-relevant like, "this paper is annoying me" or "what should i eat for dinner tonight?" in any case, it's kind of living documentation of the work in progress. i also use this journal to take notes of the things i read. as my journal fills out, there are also page reserved for special types of notes. for example, in my SQ paper journal, i've got pages like:
-journals (journals that many of the authors i'm reading publish in that i want to check out or can imagine eventually submitting manuscripts to)
-terminology (words certain scholars use that i want to dig into or question further. for example, i've read quite a few articles by an australian scholar who is writing on work and learning, like i am, but who uses different terms for things than i or other american writers might)
-ongoing questions (questions that this work brings up for me)
-future work (questions and ideas that may or may not be related to the topic at hand, but things i want to come back to)
4. gather literature, read, and take notes
i gather a lot of literature via google scholar, as well as other places. i begin by reading abstracts and conclusions and then dip in and out of the bodies of articles. as i skip through the articles, i note down interesting ideas, questions, and so on into my journal. i also have a somewhat formalized system for my marginal notes. for example, i use stars to point to big ideas; i sometimes underline terms and concepts i want to return to; and i use astrisks for things i want to dig deeper into, namely other authors/works/texts that the authors reference.
5. stop at any point in this process to write into the main paper doc
i stop reading/note-taking somewhat frequently when i feel inspired to add to my main paper document.
i find this current system to be easy but also very organized, so its made paper writing feel a lot more thoughtful, simplified, and inviting. i end up feeling very focused and not scattered, which also helps me to feel closer to the work.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
the rwl master's portfolio and new approaches to writing
wow. so, as usual, i took a 3-month hiatus from blog posting, but as summer session 2 comes to a close, i find that i've got a lot to say, and probably stuff that will span multiple posts. i'd like to talk at least a little bit about summer classes, but i think i'll save that for a later post. for now, i want to say a little bit about writing (and writing as a doctoral student and the ways that my writing strategies have changed and grown.
i may have mentioned last year that i decided to get my master's as a part of my course of study. in order to do that, i've added two master's courses to my roster ("teaching language and literacy to adolescents in secondary schools," which i took last fall, and "forming and reforming the elementary rwl curriculum," which i will take this fall). i will also be completing a master's portfolio, which i am working on now and which i will submit in december.
the master's portfolio has a number of requirements including: a description of my course of study; inclusion of my original entrance essay as well as multiple reflections on this essay; inclusion of a few artifacts/documents from my program of study and some annotations with each; a professional development reflection; and a short essay on how i might turn this portfolio into a professional portfolio. the master's portfolio also includes two longer papers, about 12 pages each: the conceptual territories paper (which asks the writer to examine the four territories of the rwl master's: interdisciplinary, inquiry, diversity, change) and the selected questions paper (which asks the writer to write on/ explore some questions that have sparked his/her interest over the course of the program).
although the portfolio is due in december, the two larger papers are due much earlier. the conceptual territories paper is due on 9/1 and the selected questions paper is due on 10/1. each person is assigned a portfolio advisor who receives these submitted drafts and offers feedback, which the writer can use to revise these drafts prior to turning in the final portfolio. there is also an addition requirement of meeting with and working with a portfolio writing group. these groups are assigned by the portfolio advisor and they are asked to meet once a month at a minimum.
so anyway, working on this portfolio has given me the opportunity to revise some of my writing practices. first, i made a rule that i'd open my portfolio document at least once a day (except saturdays!) and i've been keeping up with this. even if i only write a sentence or two per day, i feel like this portfolio is constantly evolving and growing and you know, becoming something. it feels like a living, breathing document and i really love that. i started the document on august 1 by creating a table of contents, which included each required part and some notes on that part, and then i started chunking out sections and using page breaks to section them out. i also began writing a few of the short reflections and getting my notes down on paper. in that first day of work, i created 14 pages (albeit relatively empty pages, but pages full enough with notes and titles that they implied the existence of unwritten content). so, i've opened the document everyday since then (except for maybe a day or two) and i'm now at 21 pages and many of the short papers within have been developed into full-blown pieces, and others have developed into more than just disjointed notes. it's kind of exciting.
i also started a second rule that i would start a new diary/memo/fieldnotes book in which i could write about writing and i have made an effort to use to to document my writing process, take down my frustrations (not just with the writing but also with the writing group and various other things), note down questions or ongoing lines of thinking to pursue later on, document quotes and ideas from texts i've read, and so on. this has been incredibly fruitful for me, as well as a great way to make note of various wonderings and develop my awareness of my writerly identities. it has also enabled me to take a step back from the computer. sometimes, i read something with the idea that i should immediately want to put it into a document. having a fieldnotes journal has enabled me to put a step between reading and writing; it's like a place to jot down my thinkings.
so, i guess all this is to say that the process of writing the portfolio has enabled me to revise some of my writing practices and that's been really helpful. but also, if you're a master's student or someone thinking about applying to the rwl master's, i hope this helps to demystify the portfolio and make it feel a bit more accessible. and if you have more questions, please ask. i'm no expert, but i'll try my best, and if it comes down to it, i can always touch base with someone who does know the answers.
i may have mentioned last year that i decided to get my master's as a part of my course of study. in order to do that, i've added two master's courses to my roster ("teaching language and literacy to adolescents in secondary schools," which i took last fall, and "forming and reforming the elementary rwl curriculum," which i will take this fall). i will also be completing a master's portfolio, which i am working on now and which i will submit in december.
the master's portfolio has a number of requirements including: a description of my course of study; inclusion of my original entrance essay as well as multiple reflections on this essay; inclusion of a few artifacts/documents from my program of study and some annotations with each; a professional development reflection; and a short essay on how i might turn this portfolio into a professional portfolio. the master's portfolio also includes two longer papers, about 12 pages each: the conceptual territories paper (which asks the writer to examine the four territories of the rwl master's: interdisciplinary, inquiry, diversity, change) and the selected questions paper (which asks the writer to write on/ explore some questions that have sparked his/her interest over the course of the program).
although the portfolio is due in december, the two larger papers are due much earlier. the conceptual territories paper is due on 9/1 and the selected questions paper is due on 10/1. each person is assigned a portfolio advisor who receives these submitted drafts and offers feedback, which the writer can use to revise these drafts prior to turning in the final portfolio. there is also an addition requirement of meeting with and working with a portfolio writing group. these groups are assigned by the portfolio advisor and they are asked to meet once a month at a minimum.
so anyway, working on this portfolio has given me the opportunity to revise some of my writing practices. first, i made a rule that i'd open my portfolio document at least once a day (except saturdays!) and i've been keeping up with this. even if i only write a sentence or two per day, i feel like this portfolio is constantly evolving and growing and you know, becoming something. it feels like a living, breathing document and i really love that. i started the document on august 1 by creating a table of contents, which included each required part and some notes on that part, and then i started chunking out sections and using page breaks to section them out. i also began writing a few of the short reflections and getting my notes down on paper. in that first day of work, i created 14 pages (albeit relatively empty pages, but pages full enough with notes and titles that they implied the existence of unwritten content). so, i've opened the document everyday since then (except for maybe a day or two) and i'm now at 21 pages and many of the short papers within have been developed into full-blown pieces, and others have developed into more than just disjointed notes. it's kind of exciting.
i also started a second rule that i would start a new diary/memo/fieldnotes book in which i could write about writing and i have made an effort to use to to document my writing process, take down my frustrations (not just with the writing but also with the writing group and various other things), note down questions or ongoing lines of thinking to pursue later on, document quotes and ideas from texts i've read, and so on. this has been incredibly fruitful for me, as well as a great way to make note of various wonderings and develop my awareness of my writerly identities. it has also enabled me to take a step back from the computer. sometimes, i read something with the idea that i should immediately want to put it into a document. having a fieldnotes journal has enabled me to put a step between reading and writing; it's like a place to jot down my thinkings.
so, i guess all this is to say that the process of writing the portfolio has enabled me to revise some of my writing practices and that's been really helpful. but also, if you're a master's student or someone thinking about applying to the rwl master's, i hope this helps to demystify the portfolio and make it feel a bit more accessible. and if you have more questions, please ask. i'm no expert, but i'll try my best, and if it comes down to it, i can always touch base with someone who does know the answers.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
how to be an explorer of the world
so, i have been in the midst of holiday shopping for a few weeks now. i like giving lots of fitting gifts, including jewelry, housewares, and most importantly, books. this year, i found a series of really interesting self-experimental books. the one i'm most interested in buying for myself is keri smith's how to be an explorer of the world: portable life museum. keri smith has made a lot of wild, amazing books, such as the following:
wreck this journal
living out loud
mess: the manual of accidents and mistakes
basically, these are books that take an atypical approach to "books." so awesome. her books seem to encourage people to take an inquiry stance on life and on normative notions of how to live (and how to read/interact with books).
the introduction of mess states, "warning: do not try to make something beautiful. do not throw this book out when you dislike a page. do not play it safe. do not worry about legibility. do have fun. do get dirty. do try something you've never tried before." i'm pretty sure that's life advice disguising itself as book advice. in other words, life is the most important text... something like that.
anyway, i'm tempted to get myself how to be an explorer of the world for the holidays. it's a research/fieldwork workbook on life. one of the book's "rules" is to "start with whatever makes you feel a twinge of excitement." that makes me excited.
wreck this journal
living out loud
mess: the manual of accidents and mistakes
basically, these are books that take an atypical approach to "books." so awesome. her books seem to encourage people to take an inquiry stance on life and on normative notions of how to live (and how to read/interact with books).
the introduction of mess states, "warning: do not try to make something beautiful. do not throw this book out when you dislike a page. do not play it safe. do not worry about legibility. do have fun. do get dirty. do try something you've never tried before." i'm pretty sure that's life advice disguising itself as book advice. in other words, life is the most important text... something like that.
anyway, i'm tempted to get myself how to be an explorer of the world for the holidays. it's a research/fieldwork workbook on life. one of the book's "rules" is to "start with whatever makes you feel a twinge of excitement." that makes me excited.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
back in session
school is back in session and i feel excited for the semester. although i'm a doctoral student in RWL, i don't have a master's, so i asked my advisors if it would make sense to get the master's along the way, and they agreed that it's a good idea. so, for the next year, i'll be taking a master's course each semester. i haven't interacted much with RWL master's students, but i know i'll learn a lot from the folks i take classes with this semester. so, here's what fall is looking like for me:
education 629: teaching english/literacy to adolescents in middle and secondary schools w/susan lytle, deb broderick, molly buckley, and sarah hobson
a couple of years ago, i wouldn't have been very interested in this class at all, but now, it's right in line with the out-of-school work i'm doing. this summer, with my friend jonathan, i started a volunteer organization called philadelphia immigrant mentoring collaborative(PIMC). we pair volunteer mentors (mostly undergrad penn students) with local immigrant youth (mostly high schoolers) who are interested in improving their conversational english, working on other school subjects, and learning about navigating school and planning for college. given this work and how little i know about what actually happens in schools, i'm really excited for the opportunity to learn about the ways adolescents in middle and high schools interact with english and literacy in the classroom. there's a possibility that i might be doing my field observations at FACTS charter school, which is just a couple of blocks from my house and has a large asian and asian american population. it would be right in line with the kinds of work i'm doing, though maybe it wouldn't give me as fitting an impression of what immigrant students face in public schools.
education 723: multicultural issues in education w/vivian gadsden, katrina bartow jacobs, melissa hentges, karim mostafa, and myself(!!)
that's right -- i'm also part of a teaching team this semester. we had our first class on monday and we have about two planning meetings a week. so far, i'm really happy with the way the class is going (including our syllabus, our plans for the semester's work, and the small group i'll be working with). the students are excellent and the readings are interesting and compelling. what i didn't expect was to be so comfortable as a TA in a classroom and to feel so excited to work with graduate students. the first day was inspiring and really fun. i've never thought that i'd be that interested in becoming a faculty member at a university or working with graduate students, but now that i'm a part of the teaching team for this class, that possibility has been opened back up for me. i hope i have some opportunities to research my own process of teaching in this class and also to understand more deeply how graduate students experience the classroom. i just can't wait to get to know these students, read their writing, and hear their ideas over the course of this semester.
well, that's all i've got for now. this semester, i'm committed to posting on this blog every wednesday. i hope i stick to it! it's been a strange summer (which i may talk about more later), but i'm surprisingly feeling very rejuvenated to be back in classes this semester. i can't wait to write more.
education 629: teaching english/literacy to adolescents in middle and secondary schools w/susan lytle, deb broderick, molly buckley, and sarah hobson
a couple of years ago, i wouldn't have been very interested in this class at all, but now, it's right in line with the out-of-school work i'm doing. this summer, with my friend jonathan, i started a volunteer organization called philadelphia immigrant mentoring collaborative(PIMC). we pair volunteer mentors (mostly undergrad penn students) with local immigrant youth (mostly high schoolers) who are interested in improving their conversational english, working on other school subjects, and learning about navigating school and planning for college. given this work and how little i know about what actually happens in schools, i'm really excited for the opportunity to learn about the ways adolescents in middle and high schools interact with english and literacy in the classroom. there's a possibility that i might be doing my field observations at FACTS charter school, which is just a couple of blocks from my house and has a large asian and asian american population. it would be right in line with the kinds of work i'm doing, though maybe it wouldn't give me as fitting an impression of what immigrant students face in public schools.
education 723: multicultural issues in education w/vivian gadsden, katrina bartow jacobs, melissa hentges, karim mostafa, and myself(!!)
that's right -- i'm also part of a teaching team this semester. we had our first class on monday and we have about two planning meetings a week. so far, i'm really happy with the way the class is going (including our syllabus, our plans for the semester's work, and the small group i'll be working with). the students are excellent and the readings are interesting and compelling. what i didn't expect was to be so comfortable as a TA in a classroom and to feel so excited to work with graduate students. the first day was inspiring and really fun. i've never thought that i'd be that interested in becoming a faculty member at a university or working with graduate students, but now that i'm a part of the teaching team for this class, that possibility has been opened back up for me. i hope i have some opportunities to research my own process of teaching in this class and also to understand more deeply how graduate students experience the classroom. i just can't wait to get to know these students, read their writing, and hear their ideas over the course of this semester.
well, that's all i've got for now. this semester, i'm committed to posting on this blog every wednesday. i hope i stick to it! it's been a strange summer (which i may talk about more later), but i'm surprisingly feeling very rejuvenated to be back in classes this semester. i can't wait to write more.
Monday, March 8, 2010
learning from the forum
last week, i attended both days of the penn ethnography forum. the forum is run, hosted, and housed by GSE. although i've been a student here for two years, i wasn't able to attend the forum last year, so i was extra excited to be able to attend both days this year.
the forum began early on friday, february 26 and ended on the evening of saturday, february 27. saturday is 'practitioner inquiry' day and most of the sessions were practitioner inquiry panels and presentations. while i did enjoy the forum, i also felt frustrated by many of the logistical elements of it, and that's what i'm going to talk about here.
things that i hope they work on for next year:
1. there were way too many sessions per time slot and this left a lot of session rooms very empty, which is unfortunate. i think it would be better for them to accept fewer presentations and panels and have fewer sessions per time slot next year.
2. most sessions had three paper presentations in one and these were very poorly organized. often, the sessions had little to do with each other, so people might have come in to listen to one but then felt totally not interested in the other two. also, the format of the sessions made it hard to feel immersed in multiple presentations, especially because they were often so different in topic. i think it might help them in organizing to have more specific categories for proposers to check off. that way, they might think about organizing sessions not just on topic, i.e. "immigrant literacies" but also by orientation, i.e. "action research" or "social justice and outreach."
things i learned about presenting:
i was actually kind of alarmed at how difficult it was for me to enjoy and understand what people were talking about. i think that when people are really immersed in their own research (which is to be expected), they often forget how to talk to people about that research. so, presentations tended to be unclear, not well-explained, or clinical in delivery. this is particularly confusing because we know (or many assume) that ethnography demands that a person feel personally close to the stuff they are studying. anyway, so here's my list of things i hope to do when i present my research:
1. be overprepared by practicing my presentation (this includes practicing what i'm going to say, talking along with my ppt slides, and practicing answering questions)
2. spend the first two minutes of my presentation telling the story of my research question and locating myself in the work. i feel this is a crucial step to giving the audience a way in to the work and strangely, most people seem to leave this out.
3. choose a small piece of the larger research to really focus on. it's impossible to share everything and if one attempts to, they are much more likely to lose the audience in all the confusion. not only will the presentation be more clear and digestible if it focuses on one small chunk, but the audience will get more out of it and be able to appreciate the work and ideas more.
4. don't be too focused on giving the right answers. research is messy and practitioner research is even messier, so it's important to remember that things don't need to be tied up in neat little packages because the real life of research isn't that neat. so, it's important to be comfortable sharing the things that didn't work and sharing the messy parts of the project.
so that's where i am right now. hopefully, i'll have a chance to put these ideas to action soon.
the forum began early on friday, february 26 and ended on the evening of saturday, february 27. saturday is 'practitioner inquiry' day and most of the sessions were practitioner inquiry panels and presentations. while i did enjoy the forum, i also felt frustrated by many of the logistical elements of it, and that's what i'm going to talk about here.
things that i hope they work on for next year:
1. there were way too many sessions per time slot and this left a lot of session rooms very empty, which is unfortunate. i think it would be better for them to accept fewer presentations and panels and have fewer sessions per time slot next year.
2. most sessions had three paper presentations in one and these were very poorly organized. often, the sessions had little to do with each other, so people might have come in to listen to one but then felt totally not interested in the other two. also, the format of the sessions made it hard to feel immersed in multiple presentations, especially because they were often so different in topic. i think it might help them in organizing to have more specific categories for proposers to check off. that way, they might think about organizing sessions not just on topic, i.e. "immigrant literacies" but also by orientation, i.e. "action research" or "social justice and outreach."
things i learned about presenting:
i was actually kind of alarmed at how difficult it was for me to enjoy and understand what people were talking about. i think that when people are really immersed in their own research (which is to be expected), they often forget how to talk to people about that research. so, presentations tended to be unclear, not well-explained, or clinical in delivery. this is particularly confusing because we know (or many assume) that ethnography demands that a person feel personally close to the stuff they are studying. anyway, so here's my list of things i hope to do when i present my research:
1. be overprepared by practicing my presentation (this includes practicing what i'm going to say, talking along with my ppt slides, and practicing answering questions)
2. spend the first two minutes of my presentation telling the story of my research question and locating myself in the work. i feel this is a crucial step to giving the audience a way in to the work and strangely, most people seem to leave this out.
3. choose a small piece of the larger research to really focus on. it's impossible to share everything and if one attempts to, they are much more likely to lose the audience in all the confusion. not only will the presentation be more clear and digestible if it focuses on one small chunk, but the audience will get more out of it and be able to appreciate the work and ideas more.
4. don't be too focused on giving the right answers. research is messy and practitioner research is even messier, so it's important to remember that things don't need to be tied up in neat little packages because the real life of research isn't that neat. so, it's important to be comfortable sharing the things that didn't work and sharing the messy parts of the project.
so that's where i am right now. hopefully, i'll have a chance to put these ideas to action soon.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
becoming better
this semester, i'm taking "practitioner inquiry." the course is being taught by susan lytle and matt hartley and being TA-ed by molly buckley. for our first meeting, we were asked to read "better" by atul gawande. the book was an amazing and inspiring way to start the semester, but it was also a surprisingly easy read. gawande writes really beautifully and uses an artful narrative style that plants the reader deep into the stories he tells.
my favorite part of the book was the afterword. in it, gawande encourages his readers to become positive deviants in their practice. this could be any practice, whether you're a student or cashier or scrub nurse or designer. he makes five recommendations to positive deviance:
1. ask an unscripted question -- he explains that this is a great way to get to really know people, including people you work closely with. it makes me think of the idea of "making the familiar strange," the idea that so much of what we know is shaped by our experience. gawande suggests that once you get a person responding to an unscripted question, you should try to keep that conversation going. he writes, "if you ask a question, the machine begins to feel less like a machine" (252). this is especially true when it comes to practice; working in a comfortable space, we sometimes forget that we don't know everything.
2. don't complain -- it's easy to complain about work, about school, about family and it's true that complaining can sometimes bring people together, but why dig ourselves deeper into angry, unhappy feelings? gawande writes, "you don't have to be sunny about everything. just be prepared with something else to discuss..." (253). in other words, try to put life back into work interactions.
3. count something -- according to gawande, "if you count something you find interesting, you will learn something interesting." i have recently adapted this to my own practice as a transcriptionist and i have to say that counting my work has put a completely new spin on it. it's funny sometimes how we do things without really having a sense of the impact and scope of the things we do. and beginning to learn the scope and breadth of my practice is strangely eye-opening; it's a new way of knowing the work i know so well.
4. write something -- blogs are actually a great way to practice this because we aren't being forced to write something interesting necessarily, but only to write what is interesting to us. writing can be therapeutic. it can also be a way to gain insight on ourselves, our practice, and our lives.
5. change -- as gawande suggests, it's always important to find opportunities to change, to talk to people about what they're doing, and to get new ideas about the things we're doing.
i can't wait to talk more this semester about my own practitioner inquiry work and about how i'm applying gawande's suggestions for positive deviance to my work and also to my life.
my favorite part of the book was the afterword. in it, gawande encourages his readers to become positive deviants in their practice. this could be any practice, whether you're a student or cashier or scrub nurse or designer. he makes five recommendations to positive deviance:
1. ask an unscripted question -- he explains that this is a great way to get to really know people, including people you work closely with. it makes me think of the idea of "making the familiar strange," the idea that so much of what we know is shaped by our experience. gawande suggests that once you get a person responding to an unscripted question, you should try to keep that conversation going. he writes, "if you ask a question, the machine begins to feel less like a machine" (252). this is especially true when it comes to practice; working in a comfortable space, we sometimes forget that we don't know everything.
2. don't complain -- it's easy to complain about work, about school, about family and it's true that complaining can sometimes bring people together, but why dig ourselves deeper into angry, unhappy feelings? gawande writes, "you don't have to be sunny about everything. just be prepared with something else to discuss..." (253). in other words, try to put life back into work interactions.
3. count something -- according to gawande, "if you count something you find interesting, you will learn something interesting." i have recently adapted this to my own practice as a transcriptionist and i have to say that counting my work has put a completely new spin on it. it's funny sometimes how we do things without really having a sense of the impact and scope of the things we do. and beginning to learn the scope and breadth of my practice is strangely eye-opening; it's a new way of knowing the work i know so well.
4. write something -- blogs are actually a great way to practice this because we aren't being forced to write something interesting necessarily, but only to write what is interesting to us. writing can be therapeutic. it can also be a way to gain insight on ourselves, our practice, and our lives.
5. change -- as gawande suggests, it's always important to find opportunities to change, to talk to people about what they're doing, and to get new ideas about the things we're doing.
i can't wait to talk more this semester about my own practitioner inquiry work and about how i'm applying gawande's suggestions for positive deviance to my work and also to my life.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
my current research interests and things that i'm thinking about right now
1. as a member of GSE's academic support staff, i've been really fascinated by the intersections of writing, power, identity, and social positioning in the support staff person's experience of the academy. in spring 2009, i did a small study and wrote a paper about a few support staff members' ideas about and experiences of writing at work. looking at workplace writing on a small scale, as well as comparing to my own workplace writing and connecting it to ideas about ownership and power was really interesting work. i hope to do more work on this topic in the future, including further studies and writing. i also plan to teach some writing workshops to GSE staff in spring 2010.
2. i'm also interested in asian pacific american and immigrant identity construction, understandings of social positioning, feelings of othering, and notions of success. i'm still in the beginning stages in this strand of work.
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