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 writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
IRB and getting started
i'm happy to announce that since that post, i have submitted my IRB protocol, received edit recommendations, and submitted a final version. i hope it gets approved soon.
i've also been lucky enough to not really require much by way of recruitment for my dissertation. i'm studying my own workplace (GSE) and there was a glitch in the monitors this past summer, which caused the announcement of my proposal hearing to be displayed for something like two months. in other words, my name and the title of my proposal, "narratives of working lives: academic support staff experiences of literacy, identity, and power in the workplace," flashed before many, many coworkers' eyes over and over and over again, and consequently, many coworkers approached me directly about the study, expressing interest in learning more and possibly participating. and so, quite a good chunk of my participants have already volunteered face-to-face. this will make that process go by pretty quickly.
i'm not as nervous about the actual process of conducting research as i was about the IRB. i have no clue why that threw me for a loop. it took me way longer to actually get started than to do it. i think i did most of the proposal in an afternoon and then created all the supplemental materials on another afternoon. meanwhile, just getting to the point where i felt comfortable starting took easily a few months. i'm not sure if others have this problem, but it's definitely something that's plagued me my whole life. in fact, a coworker noted the other day that i often start things WAY in advance, sometimes months and months. i explained that part of the reason i do this is because in high school, i was a serious procrastinator and it was primarily due to my fear of starting things. so, getting things started, even if it's as simple as creating a title page in september for a paper due in december, is my approach to making sure they get done. lately, it's working for me.
anyway, this post is way more stream-of-consciousness than i'm used to, but it gets the job done. i can't wait to get approval and start reporting on the dissertation process. hopefully, that'll happen soon. to be continued.
i've also been lucky enough to not really require much by way of recruitment for my dissertation. i'm studying my own workplace (GSE) and there was a glitch in the monitors this past summer, which caused the announcement of my proposal hearing to be displayed for something like two months. in other words, my name and the title of my proposal, "narratives of working lives: academic support staff experiences of literacy, identity, and power in the workplace," flashed before many, many coworkers' eyes over and over and over again, and consequently, many coworkers approached me directly about the study, expressing interest in learning more and possibly participating. and so, quite a good chunk of my participants have already volunteered face-to-face. this will make that process go by pretty quickly.
i'm not as nervous about the actual process of conducting research as i was about the IRB. i have no clue why that threw me for a loop. it took me way longer to actually get started than to do it. i think i did most of the proposal in an afternoon and then created all the supplemental materials on another afternoon. meanwhile, just getting to the point where i felt comfortable starting took easily a few months. i'm not sure if others have this problem, but it's definitely something that's plagued me my whole life. in fact, a coworker noted the other day that i often start things WAY in advance, sometimes months and months. i explained that part of the reason i do this is because in high school, i was a serious procrastinator and it was primarily due to my fear of starting things. so, getting things started, even if it's as simple as creating a title page in september for a paper due in december, is my approach to making sure they get done. lately, it's working for me.
anyway, this post is way more stream-of-consciousness than i'm used to, but it gets the job done. i can't wait to get approval and start reporting on the dissertation process. hopefully, that'll happen soon. to be continued.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
pouring your soul in
as you might have imagined, i've spent the past week in the throes of proposal writing/revising/completing and it really took a lot out of me. that said, i think it turned out well. you know that feeling where you've been so inside something you're writing and so absorbed by it that when it's done, you really have no clue how to measure if what you produced is good? that's kind of where i am. my proposal hearing is in a couple weeks, and i'm really hoping that after a few days away from the proposal (and after getting adequate rest), i'll be able to read the damn thing and figure out if it's any good. and of course, this scenario brings with it the possibility that it's horrible and then i'll likely spend the week before my hearing crying hysterically. as you can see, in its high stakes moments, grad school can really illicit all kinds of unexpected and extreme emotions.
at the same time, grad school, for me at least, has also been a journey of struggles and milestones. in a way, it's like high-intensity interval training. you're never really stopping, but you do get those slow-down-and-breathe moments, but only to catch your breath and then you're moving again. so, i guess producing this proposal has been a real milestone moment for me. as one program-mate commented to me, it's different than other projects because those are papers you write that matter to you but then they're over. this is something that is big and thorough like a paper, but in essence, it's like a pre-step to doing the research you want to do. you're arguing that the project you want to do matters and it's really an argument that is tied to the soul. so "pouring your soul into your writing" becomes a very literal, actualized experience. and that's bound to drain a person.
for me, it has been both exhausting and exciting. on the one hand, i have produced this gigantic thing and i feel so done. and on the other, i really do just want to have a catch-my-breath moment and then jump right back into it. i have already created a draft set of proposal hearing slides for my presentation, but i'm sure i'll have a ton of ideas on how to revise it once my head has cleared a little. we'll see. truth be told, despite being exhausted, i can't wait to get started on my dissertation research.
at the same time, grad school, for me at least, has also been a journey of struggles and milestones. in a way, it's like high-intensity interval training. you're never really stopping, but you do get those slow-down-and-breathe moments, but only to catch your breath and then you're moving again. so, i guess producing this proposal has been a real milestone moment for me. as one program-mate commented to me, it's different than other projects because those are papers you write that matter to you but then they're over. this is something that is big and thorough like a paper, but in essence, it's like a pre-step to doing the research you want to do. you're arguing that the project you want to do matters and it's really an argument that is tied to the soul. so "pouring your soul into your writing" becomes a very literal, actualized experience. and that's bound to drain a person.
for me, it has been both exhausting and exciting. on the one hand, i have produced this gigantic thing and i feel so done. and on the other, i really do just want to have a catch-my-breath moment and then jump right back into it. i have already created a draft set of proposal hearing slides for my presentation, but i'm sure i'll have a ton of ideas on how to revise it once my head has cleared a little. we'll see. truth be told, despite being exhausted, i can't wait to get started on my dissertation research.
Monday, April 15, 2013
stress, a lot of it
i'm a couple days late on my weekly post, partly because i got tons of feedback from two of my committee members last week and i've been trying to work on a revised draft. they really liked the proposal but had quite a lot of feedback and suggestions, which i definitely prefer and appreciate, but now my proposal feels like a gigantic mess and i'm just feeling like i might not really be able to get it the way i want it to look in time to send it in.
technically, my hearing is in 3.5 weeks and i guess you're typically supposed to give folks 3 weeks to read. i don't know if i'll make that happen, as this thursday would make 3 weeks and i just am not that prepared. anyway, we'll see. i'm feeling stressed...
technically, my hearing is in 3.5 weeks and i guess you're typically supposed to give folks 3 weeks to read. i don't know if i'll make that happen, as this thursday would make 3 weeks and i just am not that prepared. anyway, we'll see. i'm feeling stressed...
Friday, April 5, 2013
a complete draft proposal!
so, as i mentioned in my last post, i didn't finish my proposal draft by april 1, but i spoke with my professors and they said april 5 was fine. for the past two weeks, i've spent so many nights coming home from work and going straight up to my office to read and write. i haven't slept as much as i usually do, but i'm okay with that because the writing has really been incredible and intense and the best kind of struggle. i don't know if i have ever loved the writing process as much as i have this semester. and working on this proposal has been so illuminating and powerful. so, i guess all that is to say that i'm really happy with this work, not just the final product but the process of writing it. and i can't wait to receive boatloads of feedback and use it to strengthen this proposal even more. it's so exciting. all that said, i'm soooo exhausted, sooo sleepy. and i am so relieved it's friday.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
when life messes spill into neat writing plans
well, this week was a complete mess. i had a nice, neat plan to take thursday and friday off and spend quite a lot of hours working on finishing up my first draft of my dissertation proposal. and then, our water heater exploded and i was off most of the week (tuesday through friday), but spent most of the days either working from home or dealing with contractors and insurance reps and basically 100% not being able to work on my proposal. of course, i had a good chunk written already, as well as lots of notes, but it's still all very haphazard and in need of a lot of rewriting and polishing up.
in any case, i spent a good deal of yesterday afternoon and evening working on my proposal. i had planned on it being about 25-30 pages, but it's already quite a bit longer and i don't even have my lit review section written yet! i hope i'll be able to shorten it all down. my thinking was that the research design section should really be the longest and most thorough, whereas the other sections will be expanded in the dissertation. if my research design were 8-10 pages, this would leave about 5 (or less) pages each for the theoretical framework and intro/conclusions and about 10 (or less) pages for the lit review. however, each section is currently just a few pages longer than these planned guidelines. part of this could be that a good chunk of my already-written introduction contains a lot of material that could potentially fill a lit review. anyway, i hope i can figure it out. once i have everything written, i'll be able to edit out things that are redundant and move things that feel misplaced, i guess.
well, that's my news for now. my original plan was to have a complete first draft done by april 1. it looks like i might have to push that back, at least by a few days. more to come soon!
in any case, i spent a good deal of yesterday afternoon and evening working on my proposal. i had planned on it being about 25-30 pages, but it's already quite a bit longer and i don't even have my lit review section written yet! i hope i'll be able to shorten it all down. my thinking was that the research design section should really be the longest and most thorough, whereas the other sections will be expanded in the dissertation. if my research design were 8-10 pages, this would leave about 5 (or less) pages each for the theoretical framework and intro/conclusions and about 10 (or less) pages for the lit review. however, each section is currently just a few pages longer than these planned guidelines. part of this could be that a good chunk of my already-written introduction contains a lot of material that could potentially fill a lit review. anyway, i hope i can figure it out. once i have everything written, i'll be able to edit out things that are redundant and move things that feel misplaced, i guess.
well, that's my news for now. my original plan was to have a complete first draft done by april 1. it looks like i might have to push that back, at least by a few days. more to come soon!
Friday, March 22, 2013
writing my proposed research design section
this week, i focused most specifically on work on the research design section of my dissertation proposal. i did quite a bit of writing on sunday and came up with a strong first draft of my research design, which my classmates and i talked a lot about on tuesday night. they offered such great and helpful feedback and asked a lot of questions which helped me to deepen my thinking on writing this piece. then, on wednesday, my chair and i talked about the same piece and she helped to push my thinking even further along. all in all, it has been a really excellent process and i look forward to spending more time working on it (and on the rest of my proposal) this weekend.
there were two things that really helped me as i planned to write this piece. the first is something i read in maxwell (2012) in which he describes qualitative research design as having four parts:
second, a couple of weeks ago, sharon talked in class about breaking up one's research questions into concepts/constructs and taking the time to define and better understand those constructs in the context of one's work. this was really helpful to me as i looked back on my questions and their relationship to my research design. around that same time, my chair amy suggested that i create a chart with three columns: research question, data source/s, and data analysis. combining these two ways of thinking about my questions and their relationships to my data really helped me to fill in the gaps between questions and data sources.
for me, these two pieces pushed me quite a bit further in my thinking and writing this past week. i have all of the feedback and notes from my classmates and chair gathered together and i'm really looking forward to sorting them out, really thinking through them, and doing a heavy load of writing this weekend. i can't wait!
there were two things that really helped me as i planned to write this piece. the first is something i read in maxwell (2012) in which he describes qualitative research design as having four parts:
- research relationships
- setting and participant selection
- data collection
- data analysis
second, a couple of weeks ago, sharon talked in class about breaking up one's research questions into concepts/constructs and taking the time to define and better understand those constructs in the context of one's work. this was really helpful to me as i looked back on my questions and their relationship to my research design. around that same time, my chair amy suggested that i create a chart with three columns: research question, data source/s, and data analysis. combining these two ways of thinking about my questions and their relationships to my data really helped me to fill in the gaps between questions and data sources.
for me, these two pieces pushed me quite a bit further in my thinking and writing this past week. i have all of the feedback and notes from my classmates and chair gathered together and i'm really looking forward to sorting them out, really thinking through them, and doing a heavy load of writing this weekend. i can't wait!
Sunday, March 17, 2013
moving forward
well, i should start by saying i got almost no work done over spring break. i mean, i read a lot of fiction and got a mental break, which is good. but i hoped to get more work done and that just didn't happen. the one important thing i did do was take all the bits and pieces i had written in various places and put them together in one dissertation proposal draft document. that has been really helpful in thinking about what parts need to be filled in and what parts i need to do more thinking on.
the most important and amazing thing that happened this week was that i had meetings with susan lytle (my previous advisor) and sharon ravitch about their serving on my dissertation committee and they both said yes and expressed a lot of enthusiasm for my work. i really respect these two and their work so much and i am beyond excited that they have agreed to do this. i'm really looking forward to working with them.
this upcoming tuesday, in my dissertation proposal-writing seminar, we will be looking at a piece of writing i have produced, so i'm spending today writing it. i have a lot of pieces of my proposal already done, but as i mentioned in an earlier post, i've been struggling with writing my research design piece, so that's likely what i'll send them. i'm nervous, but looking forward to the feedback.
have a great week!
the most important and amazing thing that happened this week was that i had meetings with susan lytle (my previous advisor) and sharon ravitch about their serving on my dissertation committee and they both said yes and expressed a lot of enthusiasm for my work. i really respect these two and their work so much and i am beyond excited that they have agreed to do this. i'm really looking forward to working with them.
this upcoming tuesday, in my dissertation proposal-writing seminar, we will be looking at a piece of writing i have produced, so i'm spending today writing it. i have a lot of pieces of my proposal already done, but as i mentioned in an earlier post, i've been struggling with writing my research design piece, so that's likely what i'll send them. i'm nervous, but looking forward to the feedback.
have a great week!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
letting things settle
this week was both awesome and messy. coming down off the crohn's diagnosis and feeling under the weather, i found myself completely unable to do homework over the weekend, so i mostly just kept it low key, hung out with my husband, and read for pleasure. it was a good weekend to do it -- since i had my group presentation on monday, i had read the readings in advance. this was also the first year that i completely missed the ethnography forum. i was pretty sad about it, but in hindsight, i'm really glad i didn't go. i was simply not in the place to be around anyone, so i'm glad i listened to my body.
our presentation on monday went really well, and our professor and TA wrote to us afterwards with lots of positive feedback and enthusiasm about what we did. this meant so much to me, especially coming from people i respect deeply. plus, when you know you've worked hard and it is acknowledged, the rewards are that much greater.
on my dissertation proposal-writing timeline, i had planned to have a good chunk of my research design done this week. however, it didn't happen, partly because i was wrapped up in processing my diagnosis and partly because i couldn't devote the mental energy to research design planning. on wednesday, i was supposed to have a 2-pager written for my chair for our meeting, but i emailed her saying that i just hadn't been able to write it. she suggested that if i found i still didn't have anything written by wednesday morning, we could just talk things out. this felt strange to me because i'm used to having these polished pieces done, but our talk ended up being just the thing i needed. first of all, it helped me to break out of the pattern of having a finished thing to present, and to just sit publicly with my questions and not-fully-formed ideas. second, we had a really good conversation and it really helped me to get a better handle on my plans for my research design. talking things out with my chair gave me an opportunity to ask questions and sort through my own thinking and confusion. it was great.
next week is spring break. of course, i will still be at work everyday, but i'm planning on spending the rest of this week and the weekend reading for pleasure. i won a book called "the gravity of birds" in a goodreads.com giveaway and i want to be prompt in reading and reviewing it. i hope to be done by saturday night so that i can get back into my dissertation proposal-ing and other homework by sunday.
our presentation on monday went really well, and our professor and TA wrote to us afterwards with lots of positive feedback and enthusiasm about what we did. this meant so much to me, especially coming from people i respect deeply. plus, when you know you've worked hard and it is acknowledged, the rewards are that much greater.
on my dissertation proposal-writing timeline, i had planned to have a good chunk of my research design done this week. however, it didn't happen, partly because i was wrapped up in processing my diagnosis and partly because i couldn't devote the mental energy to research design planning. on wednesday, i was supposed to have a 2-pager written for my chair for our meeting, but i emailed her saying that i just hadn't been able to write it. she suggested that if i found i still didn't have anything written by wednesday morning, we could just talk things out. this felt strange to me because i'm used to having these polished pieces done, but our talk ended up being just the thing i needed. first of all, it helped me to break out of the pattern of having a finished thing to present, and to just sit publicly with my questions and not-fully-formed ideas. second, we had a really good conversation and it really helped me to get a better handle on my plans for my research design. talking things out with my chair gave me an opportunity to ask questions and sort through my own thinking and confusion. it was great.
next week is spring break. of course, i will still be at work everyday, but i'm planning on spending the rest of this week and the weekend reading for pleasure. i won a book called "the gravity of birds" in a goodreads.com giveaway and i want to be prompt in reading and reviewing it. i hope to be done by saturday night so that i can get back into my dissertation proposal-ing and other homework by sunday.
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, February 8, 2013
an update
this week felt so long while i was in it, and now it feels like it has just flown by. among the tasks i hoped to get done this week was the writing of a 2-page prospectus toward my dissertation proposal. i have about two pages written, but they are in serious need of revision. i've got a lot of thinking to do on this tonight, as i hope to email the prospectus to my advisor early in the weekend so she has enough time to take a look at it prior to our meeting on wednesday.
for my advanced qual methods class, i met with my group (of two other people) re: a presentation we'll be giving to the class in three weeks. it was really great to meet so far in advance with two other people who are equally enthusiastic about giving a good presentation that we feel will be really helpful to our classmates. we already have a great plan, but now we need to build in some of the details. i'm definitely looking forward to it.
in terms of health, i'm once again a step or two closer to figuring out whatever it is that i have. i had a capsule endoscopy test today and i'll have the results back in a week or two. so, there's that to look forward to.
also, a shameless plug about an upcoming event that i help coordinate:
hope to see you there!
for my advanced qual methods class, i met with my group (of two other people) re: a presentation we'll be giving to the class in three weeks. it was really great to meet so far in advance with two other people who are equally enthusiastic about giving a good presentation that we feel will be really helpful to our classmates. we already have a great plan, but now we need to build in some of the details. i'm definitely looking forward to it.
in terms of health, i'm once again a step or two closer to figuring out whatever it is that i have. i had a capsule endoscopy test today and i'll have the results back in a week or two. so, there's that to look forward to.
also, a shameless plug about an upcoming event that i help coordinate:
the 15th annual clayton lecture, featuring
DR. WILLIAM HITE
superintendent of philadelphia schools
LEADING THROUGH CHANGE
tuesday, february 12
4:30-6:30pm
bodek lounge houston hall
reception to follow
hope to see you there!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
getting to the problem
this was a really intense week, partly because i had to have a colonoscopy done on wednesday as part of my ongoing health situation. so, i couldn't eat anything but jello and broth on tuesday, which gave me that really delightful combo-buzz of delirious and low energy by the time i got to class on tuesday night. that said, we did a really cool activity that helped me to think about my dissertation work. the writing activity was called "getting to the problem" and it's clearly one of those things that you could use for a variety of projects. you start by answering these four questions:
1. topic: i am studying (writing about)...
2. question: because i want to learn more about...
3. rationale: in order to understand...
4. significance: so that we will know more about...
as a second step, you could try to answer these four questions backwards, i.e. from 4 to 1 and see what you come up with. here's what my first try (while under the influence of zero food, so it's not awesome, but i'm sure you're not judging) looked like:
i am studying the kinds of conversations and questions that take place in a series of staff-run and staff-attended writing workshops because i want to learn more about (1) the ways academic support staff think about their work and how they are situated in it and (2) how academic support staff view the power and social demands of the workplace in order to understand the various learning demands of the academic workplace (as seen by those doing the work) so that we [in the field] will know more about (1) power and social positioning as legitimate (though often unacknowledged) learning demands of the workplace and (2) how academic support staff negotiate identity and power at work, and so that we [academic support staff] will (1) know more about ourselves and each other in the context of our work and (2) have a context in which to explore the various ways that we write and the types of writing we want to learn.
whew - that is quite a run-on sentence, but it was a really enjoyable and eye-opening activity that helped me to think about and understand my topic in a different and, in some sense, illuminating way. more on this later, and more on my health later too. as always, thank you for reading.
1. topic: i am studying (writing about)...
2. question: because i want to learn more about...
3. rationale: in order to understand...
4. significance: so that we will know more about...
as a second step, you could try to answer these four questions backwards, i.e. from 4 to 1 and see what you come up with. here's what my first try (while under the influence of zero food, so it's not awesome, but i'm sure you're not judging) looked like:
i am studying the kinds of conversations and questions that take place in a series of staff-run and staff-attended writing workshops because i want to learn more about (1) the ways academic support staff think about their work and how they are situated in it and (2) how academic support staff view the power and social demands of the workplace in order to understand the various learning demands of the academic workplace (as seen by those doing the work) so that we [in the field] will know more about (1) power and social positioning as legitimate (though often unacknowledged) learning demands of the workplace and (2) how academic support staff negotiate identity and power at work, and so that we [academic support staff] will (1) know more about ourselves and each other in the context of our work and (2) have a context in which to explore the various ways that we write and the types of writing we want to learn.
whew - that is quite a run-on sentence, but it was a really enjoyable and eye-opening activity that helped me to think about and understand my topic in a different and, in some sense, illuminating way. more on this later, and more on my health later too. as always, thank you for reading.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
nearing the end of another semester
i guess this is my final post for the semester. the semester, of course, isn't yet done, but we're close! to give an update on my post from last week, my teammates and i did really well on our presentation (i think). if you're interested in seeing it, you can do so by clicking here. i used prezi to create this presentation. i find it super easy to use and manipulate. it's great for illustrating challenging concepts or making connections between multiple ideas. i have also used prezi for note-taking and paper planning. after our presentation, one of my groupmates sent around an email with some notes she took on people's post-presentation questions for us. we used these notes to revise our paper and i handed it in on behalf of the group just yesterday. i'm really happy to be done for multiple reasons: (a) i'm officially done with my fels cert work; (b) it's easier now to focus on my final work for my other class; and (c) it's just nice to complete such a large and challenging project!
so, now i'm working on my final paper for my other class. i have pages and pages of relatively organized notes, but i am still struggling with getting the thing written. one piece of this is that i've picked up and begun reading three new books, two fiction ones and one historical one. i love reading, but sometimes, i get so caught up in a book that i can't seem to do anything else. i need to figure out a way to change this habit. right now, i'm just trying to stay up in my office (away from my kindle) and concentrate on getting some things written. hopefully, i'll accomplish at least SOME of this. maybe i'll even have a chance to update this post with positive news tomorrow. time will tell.
so, now i'm working on my final paper for my other class. i have pages and pages of relatively organized notes, but i am still struggling with getting the thing written. one piece of this is that i've picked up and begun reading three new books, two fiction ones and one historical one. i love reading, but sometimes, i get so caught up in a book that i can't seem to do anything else. i need to figure out a way to change this habit. right now, i'm just trying to stay up in my office (away from my kindle) and concentrate on getting some things written. hopefully, i'll accomplish at least SOME of this. maybe i'll even have a chance to update this post with positive news tomorrow. time will tell.
Friday, November 2, 2012
a hectic but happy week
this past week was so hectic! we've officially moved into the second half of the semester. i know this because my fels course has been broken up into two halves: the accounting half, which we just completed and the budgeting half, which we've just begun. i'm looking forward to the budgeting portion of class, but my one disappointment so far about this unit is that it seems
too heavily focused on government budgeting with no real eye toward
non-profit budgeting. i hope we at least get some taste of the latter
in the next six weeks.
having the beginning of the second part run into the end of the first was more stressful than i expected: we had our first day of our new budgeting class this past saturday and the final for our accounting class due this past sunday. it was hard to think about our new unit and assignments this saturday when we were still working on our final accounting projects, which were group projects. i have a lot to say about group projects, but i think i've said much of this stuff previously -- it gets challenging when only half of a group is committed to responding, communicating, and just plain timeliness, but we worked through it and handed our project in on time. because there were many leader-y personalities in the group, i expected to take a backseat on the group management end, but i ended up becoming the de facto leader at some point, much to my own surprise. anyway, it all worked out and hopefully, we'll have a grade we're happy about.
this week, i also had a team presentation in my discourse analysis class -- my classmate T and i presented on "repertoire and recontextualization" on thursday. the presentation went pretty well and we got a perfect score, so that was good. even though there are six or so weeks left in the semester, i find myself thinking about my final paper and looking forward to at least developing a good outline and beginning my work on it soon. the thing i've missed most this past few months is doing research and writing a good academic paper. i'm really looking forward to it. i emailed my professor with some clarifying questions about the final assignment and once i get a response, i'll get started.
the one really exciting thing about this past week was that i got to spend time with a couple of people from my cohort. last friday, i had coffee with one cohort-mate and we shared tons of news and insights. it's so nice to reconnect. and then just yesterday, another cohort-mate visited me at work for a few minutes. our cohort has so much love for each other, but we don't see each other too much, so it was really lovely getting to hug these folks and listen to their news and chat about school and life things.
anyway, more later... for now, i'm off to work on my first budgeting homework assignment!
having the beginning of the second part run into the end of the first was more stressful than i expected: we had our first day of our new budgeting class this past saturday and the final for our accounting class due this past sunday. it was hard to think about our new unit and assignments this saturday when we were still working on our final accounting projects, which were group projects. i have a lot to say about group projects, but i think i've said much of this stuff previously -- it gets challenging when only half of a group is committed to responding, communicating, and just plain timeliness, but we worked through it and handed our project in on time. because there were many leader-y personalities in the group, i expected to take a backseat on the group management end, but i ended up becoming the de facto leader at some point, much to my own surprise. anyway, it all worked out and hopefully, we'll have a grade we're happy about.
this week, i also had a team presentation in my discourse analysis class -- my classmate T and i presented on "repertoire and recontextualization" on thursday. the presentation went pretty well and we got a perfect score, so that was good. even though there are six or so weeks left in the semester, i find myself thinking about my final paper and looking forward to at least developing a good outline and beginning my work on it soon. the thing i've missed most this past few months is doing research and writing a good academic paper. i'm really looking forward to it. i emailed my professor with some clarifying questions about the final assignment and once i get a response, i'll get started.
the one really exciting thing about this past week was that i got to spend time with a couple of people from my cohort. last friday, i had coffee with one cohort-mate and we shared tons of news and insights. it's so nice to reconnect. and then just yesterday, another cohort-mate visited me at work for a few minutes. our cohort has so much love for each other, but we don't see each other too much, so it was really lovely getting to hug these folks and listen to their news and chat about school and life things.
anyway, more later... for now, i'm off to work on my first budgeting homework assignment!
Friday, October 19, 2012
what is "of substance" anyway?
oops... i just kinda got scolded for not posting on my blog enough and it's true: i quite often miss the "post once a week" mark. part of the reason why is that i find myself wanting to write posts "of substance." for whatever reason, i don't find weekly updates to be "of substance" enough in this particular forum. i think i might be wrong in this thinking and i've decided this post might be a good medium for really interrogating this perspective.
what, in writing, really counts as "of substance?" in fact, what counts as writing? i've found that in my interviews and conversations with coworkers, many of whom write quite a bit for work, they, too, often don't identify as writers, or don't identify certain types of writing as "real writing." when asked why, they often say things like:
what, in writing, really counts as "of substance?" in fact, what counts as writing? i've found that in my interviews and conversations with coworkers, many of whom write quite a bit for work, they, too, often don't identify as writers, or don't identify certain types of writing as "real writing." when asked why, they often say things like:
- this kind of writing doesn't count the way that academic writing might.
- does emailing count as writing?
- much of what i do is regular writing, like everyday writing that everybody does, so i don't think i'm a writer.
- i never really thought of myself as a writer, but you're right... i do write a lot for work, so maybe i am...
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
a fall update
the new semester is in full gear and i'm so excited to be back in classes. i should mention that i've been sick for the past month with an eye illness, so it's made it a little hard to do regular things like write emails and post on my blog, but i'm making it work.
this semester, i'm taking two classes: "discourse analysis" with betsy rymes and "public financial management," which is a fels course focusing on accounting and budgeting. so far, i'm really enjoying the readings for the courses. i'm in the middle of chapter 1 of the first book for dr. rymes' class, which is called discourse: a critical introduction, by jan bloomaert. so far, it does a really good job of giving a lay of the discourse studies land, so to speak. i'm really excited to read more.
although we're reading one somewhat blah textbook for my accounting class, we're also reading an intensely interesting book called uncharitable: how restraints on nonprofits undermine their potential, by dan pallotta. this is one of those can't-put-it-down type books that you want to read on your commute, at quick stops and waits, etc etc. once i've finished it in a couple weeks, i'll probably write another post with a more complete opinion about it.
i should add that i've continued to do some fiction work and i've got a few novel and short-story type things in the works. writing is fun. hope everyone's fall is feeling as rich with promising new possibilities as mine is!
this semester, i'm taking two classes: "discourse analysis" with betsy rymes and "public financial management," which is a fels course focusing on accounting and budgeting. so far, i'm really enjoying the readings for the courses. i'm in the middle of chapter 1 of the first book for dr. rymes' class, which is called discourse: a critical introduction, by jan bloomaert. so far, it does a really good job of giving a lay of the discourse studies land, so to speak. i'm really excited to read more.
although we're reading one somewhat blah textbook for my accounting class, we're also reading an intensely interesting book called uncharitable: how restraints on nonprofits undermine their potential, by dan pallotta. this is one of those can't-put-it-down type books that you want to read on your commute, at quick stops and waits, etc etc. once i've finished it in a couple weeks, i'll probably write another post with a more complete opinion about it.
i should add that i've continued to do some fiction work and i've got a few novel and short-story type things in the works. writing is fun. hope everyone's fall is feeling as rich with promising new possibilities as mine is!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
a creative writing group
i'm not sure if i've mentioned in earlier posts, but for most of my life, i've known that i'd write fiction one day. interestingly enough, i started working on fiction writing again this past spring and ended up coming up with a couple of interesting novel ideas, two on my own and one with a friend/coworker. this summer, my coworker and i (along with a third coworker) have begun a writing group. we had our first meeting last week and plan to meet once a week to write together.
the coworker with whom i'm collaborating on a book and i have been using mindomo (mindomo.com) to map out our novel. we've gotten a lot of initial prewriting and planning done, but we're still working on fleshing out character backstories and a general plot structure. overall, we're both feeling pretty good about it. we're hoping to have a first draft written by the end of the summer. i'm excited about it.
i'll write more later as we continue to work on our book. for now, it's a good project for many reasons. first, i think we're both excited about the content, but it's also a great way to practice collaborative writing. well, more later.
the coworker with whom i'm collaborating on a book and i have been using mindomo (mindomo.com) to map out our novel. we've gotten a lot of initial prewriting and planning done, but we're still working on fleshing out character backstories and a general plot structure. overall, we're both feeling pretty good about it. we're hoping to have a first draft written by the end of the summer. i'm excited about it.
i'll write more later as we continue to work on our book. for now, it's a good project for many reasons. first, i think we're both excited about the content, but it's also a great way to practice collaborative writing. well, more later.
Friday, July 6, 2012
summertime!
clearly, something's been awry because i haven't published a post since march (whoops!). as i likely mentioned in my march post, i won't be in courses again until september. i passed my comps in march (yay), so i've got four courses left, but being near the end of my program, i'm working with fewer and fewer options and there's basically nothing for me to take this summer. that said, i've been keeping busy with lots and lots of summer reading.
among my summer reading is the "song of ice and fire" series, written by george martin. this is the same series that has been turned into the tv show "game of thrones." right now, it looks like each book makes up one season of the show. i'm currently on the second book, "a clash of kings." it's really well-written with interesting and deep characters.
i've also been reading lots of lighter books, including graphic novels, romance novels, fiction in which the main characters are south asian, raw food cookbooks, fashion mags, and the like. i'm trying to do a better job of keeping up with friends' blogs too. that's been a challenge, but i'm hoping the google reader app will help somewhat.
i was pretty disappointed that many of gse's ethnography courses are only offered once a year or once every other year, so i thought about maybe doing my own study by assigning chapters of various books i already own to myself each week, but to be honest, i really can't stop reading the martin series and i just can't be made to read much else (should i really be admitting that? i'm not sure).
in any case, that's a quick update for now, but you should know that i've also downloaded the evernote app to encourage myself to update this blog (and write in general) more regularly. so, i've put together a list of ideas for possible future entries, including some of the following:
-- contractor union issues in my neighborhood
-- the departure/retirement of important long-time faculty members and hiring of a few new faculty
-- my personal views on the practice of generosity and giving and how adopting a practice of giving will improve your life
-- how i put my fels courses to use this spring and helped a friend's non-profit raise $11,000
-- a reflection on the staff-only writing workshop series i hosted at my work this year and what it taught me
those are just some of my ideas. i hope you'll stay tuned as i try to flesh them out this summer.
among my summer reading is the "song of ice and fire" series, written by george martin. this is the same series that has been turned into the tv show "game of thrones." right now, it looks like each book makes up one season of the show. i'm currently on the second book, "a clash of kings." it's really well-written with interesting and deep characters.
i've also been reading lots of lighter books, including graphic novels, romance novels, fiction in which the main characters are south asian, raw food cookbooks, fashion mags, and the like. i'm trying to do a better job of keeping up with friends' blogs too. that's been a challenge, but i'm hoping the google reader app will help somewhat.
i was pretty disappointed that many of gse's ethnography courses are only offered once a year or once every other year, so i thought about maybe doing my own study by assigning chapters of various books i already own to myself each week, but to be honest, i really can't stop reading the martin series and i just can't be made to read much else (should i really be admitting that? i'm not sure).
in any case, that's a quick update for now, but you should know that i've also downloaded the evernote app to encourage myself to update this blog (and write in general) more regularly. so, i've put together a list of ideas for possible future entries, including some of the following:
-- contractor union issues in my neighborhood
-- the departure/retirement of important long-time faculty members and hiring of a few new faculty
-- my personal views on the practice of generosity and giving and how adopting a practice of giving will improve your life
-- how i put my fels courses to use this spring and helped a friend's non-profit raise $11,000
-- a reflection on the staff-only writing workshop series i hosted at my work this year and what it taught me
those are just some of my ideas. i hope you'll stay tuned as i try to flesh them out this summer.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
my winter course has begun!
it's the second to last week of the semester and while many of my colleagues are working on final papers, i have already completed mine (though i do still have to present it on monday) and begun a new semester. that's right -- you're still writing your fall final papers and i'm already in my winter course. part of the reason for this overlap is that gse's semesters extend a couple weeks past those in the school of arts and sciences. since i'm doing a certificate at the fels institute of government (which is in the school of arts and sciences), some of my classes run on a slightly different schedule than my gse ones. my winter fels course(grant writing) is one of those cases.
to be honest, i planned to be exceptionally stressed out about this winter course, especially because i will be studying for my doctoral comps in tandem with this course. the course is comprised of 36 hours over 3 weeks with class sessions ranging from 3 hours (the bulk of sessions) to 8 hours (a couple of sessions run 4, 6, and 8 hours). today is the first day, an 8-hour session, and it has been quite fun and very educational.
the professor has a lot of real-life expertise in writing grant proposals to large foundations. one of the best parts of taking classes at fels is that every professor is a leader in the nonprofit world who brings a lot of real-life experience to their classrooms. our professor has also explained that she has designed this class for working professionals, so there's very little reading, but lots of real, applicable research and writing. i'm excited -- can you tell? even from the first class, i can tell that she's very interested in helping us to get our feet wet. yay.
to be honest, i planned to be exceptionally stressed out about this winter course, especially because i will be studying for my doctoral comps in tandem with this course. the course is comprised of 36 hours over 3 weeks with class sessions ranging from 3 hours (the bulk of sessions) to 8 hours (a couple of sessions run 4, 6, and 8 hours). today is the first day, an 8-hour session, and it has been quite fun and very educational.
the professor has a lot of real-life expertise in writing grant proposals to large foundations. one of the best parts of taking classes at fels is that every professor is a leader in the nonprofit world who brings a lot of real-life experience to their classrooms. our professor has also explained that she has designed this class for working professionals, so there's very little reading, but lots of real, applicable research and writing. i'm excited -- can you tell? even from the first class, i can tell that she's very interested in helping us to get our feet wet. yay.
Friday, November 25, 2011
i haven't written in about a month and that means i'm at that point in the semester where my work feels overwhelming and i am losing track of my responsibilities. it's never a good sign, or maybe it is. in any case, i ended up getting assigned a ton of work in each class this week. for some reason, people think that thanksgiving break means people have more time to do work. let me just straighten that out right now: thanksgiving break does not give students extra time to do work. for starters, it's the exact same amount of time between classes as in any other week and if anything, there's less time because we have to spend time traveling or being with family.
so, to fill you in on what i've been up to since i last posted:
- i handed in my master's portfolio!
- i got my comps questions approved (i'll be taking them in the spring)
- i finished the count of monte cristo (i know, this isn't school-related, but still, it was an awesome book)!
- i'm a presentation and a paper away from having completed my fels course (at which point, i'll be 3 down and 2 to go)
- i'm a final curriculum as inquiry project away from having completed my master's course
- i'm taking a fels winter course on grant writing
i'm excited about how my coursework has shaped up this year. re: this weekend, i am really just going to try and push my way through a lot of work. i read two books for class today and wrote a response paper i'm not even sure how, but i have worked up the energy to write one more short paper tonight. i'll see where i am tomorrow, but i'll hopefully be in a good place so i can do more writing and revising. wish me luck!
so, to fill you in on what i've been up to since i last posted:
- i handed in my master's portfolio!
- i got my comps questions approved (i'll be taking them in the spring)
- i finished the count of monte cristo (i know, this isn't school-related, but still, it was an awesome book)!
- i'm a presentation and a paper away from having completed my fels course (at which point, i'll be 3 down and 2 to go)
- i'm a final curriculum as inquiry project away from having completed my master's course
- i'm taking a fels winter course on grant writing
i'm excited about how my coursework has shaped up this year. re: this weekend, i am really just going to try and push my way through a lot of work. i read two books for class today and wrote a response paper i'm not even sure how, but i have worked up the energy to write one more short paper tonight. i'll see where i am tomorrow, but i'll hopefully be in a good place so i can do more writing and revising. wish me luck!
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