How old is Dr. Martin? He toyed with us during the first thirty minutes of class. He gave us a story of his background in education, life in general as well as his professional career. He is a very accomplished individual. He has been published well over 100 times, written text books, received his Doctorate at the age of 26 and has served on many boards of trustees for associations in relation to grants and funding.
We discussed the course syllabus and basic terminology. We will present a grant proposal in groups of two to a review board. One group will win the grant and be awarded maximum points for the activity. We get to choose our partners.
The class sounds very interesting. Hard to believe that I am excited about a grant writing course, but Dr. Martin just made me feel so comfortable.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
We start again!
We have our first class today with Dr. Martin at Westlake High School. The room is all ready. We have wireless internet but no printer for each of us to print to. I am sure they will get it in soon.
Dr. Martin posted his syllabus and our first assignment on TRACS for each of us to look over before the first class.
I like the idea that our book will be the WWW as Dr. Martin put in his syllabus.
I am looking forward to seeing the PTEP group again.
Dr. Martin posted his syllabus and our first assignment on TRACS for each of us to look over before the first class.
I like the idea that our book will be the WWW as Dr. Martin put in his syllabus.
I am looking forward to seeing the PTEP group again.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Last Week of Summer School
This marks the end of our summer courses. Its hard to believe that we have all accumulated 12 hours in such a short time. There was a lot of work to do but seeing chapters 1, 2, 3, and 6 of my report together in one document really shows how much work we have put in and what all we have learned.
I really appreciate the support from the district and the EEF to get us to this place. I am excited that my summer was spent re-evaluating my philosophy, determining what my foundation is for what I do, and creating an action research project for the year that will benefit my campus and district.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the Fall classes and continuing the path of this master's program. And I hope the rest of the PTEP group feels the same way! Thanks again everyone!!
I really appreciate the support from the district and the EEF to get us to this place. I am excited that my summer was spent re-evaluating my philosophy, determining what my foundation is for what I do, and creating an action research project for the year that will benefit my campus and district.
Anyway, I am looking forward to the Fall classes and continuing the path of this master's program. And I hope the rest of the PTEP group feels the same way! Thanks again everyone!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
An Honest to Goodness Reflection
I posted a comment on the post below this one that I think it would be good to hear from nonPTEP/Perfect 10 participants. I still stand by that one. We would love to hear questions and comments from you all. Especially now when we are all so close to burning ourselves out! We need some encouragement.
I have decided to post a personal reflexive journal item from today's class. Almost every class, we are encouraged to write a personal journal about how our research is going. Its a great idea and I see the benefit to this once the school year starts and our attention is pulled away from these projects. The journals will serve as a reminder of the focus of our research and the passion that began the process. This one is reflexive and honest. It doesn't mean the end of the project or the passion. Its just a reflection of where I am now in the process. I am still excited about the project even without good direction!
07/18/2007 - Entry 5 - What new information about research did you learn today that will help you to complete your action research study? or What decisions are you tentatively considering for your: role as the researcher; participants; setting; data collection; establishment of trustworthiness?
I can't answer this question in the way it is asked. I guess I am having trouble piecing all this together. I feel that my current question is too vague and yet too narrow in some ways. I also don't know why it is so hard for me to formulate a question. I have a lot of questions I would like to research but I also feel that my feelings and biases are worming their way into my questions.
I feel like I am trying to write a question that will convince my campus of my worth. I am not looking forward to going back to work for many reasons but mostly because I don't have an office and this isn't of some alarm to anyone but me. I also know that I will be adding new roles to my job description and not removing any old ones. This will of course lead to a quick and glorious burnout!
In many ways, I feel that I am trying to answer a question that doesn't need to be answered by research. Maybe it can only be answered by therapy. ;)
I don't think this answers the guided question asked for this reflexive blog but this is what I think and feel about my research. I know my role as researcher, my setting, and how to establish trustworthiness and rapport. I can't select my data collection tools yet or my participants because I don't have a good idea of my question yet. I think all I have is a group of subquestions.
I have decided to post a personal reflexive journal item from today's class. Almost every class, we are encouraged to write a personal journal about how our research is going. Its a great idea and I see the benefit to this once the school year starts and our attention is pulled away from these projects. The journals will serve as a reminder of the focus of our research and the passion that began the process. This one is reflexive and honest. It doesn't mean the end of the project or the passion. Its just a reflection of where I am now in the process. I am still excited about the project even without good direction!
07/18/2007 - Entry 5 - What new information about research did you learn today that will help you to complete your action research study? or What decisions are you tentatively considering for your: role as the researcher; participants; setting; data collection; establishment of trustworthiness?
I can't answer this question in the way it is asked. I guess I am having trouble piecing all this together. I feel that my current question is too vague and yet too narrow in some ways. I also don't know why it is so hard for me to formulate a question. I have a lot of questions I would like to research but I also feel that my feelings and biases are worming their way into my questions.
I feel like I am trying to write a question that will convince my campus of my worth. I am not looking forward to going back to work for many reasons but mostly because I don't have an office and this isn't of some alarm to anyone but me. I also know that I will be adding new roles to my job description and not removing any old ones. This will of course lead to a quick and glorious burnout!
In many ways, I feel that I am trying to answer a question that doesn't need to be answered by research. Maybe it can only be answered by therapy. ;)
I don't think this answers the guided question asked for this reflexive blog but this is what I think and feel about my research. I know my role as researcher, my setting, and how to establish trustworthiness and rapport. I can't select my data collection tools yet or my participants because I don't have a good idea of my question yet. I think all I have is a group of subquestions.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Reflection Time
I just wanted to leave a space where any of the PTEP people could post their own "ponderances" about this new week. If you have any comments or ideas to share with everyone, put them here. Is there anything that has really challenged you this week? Have you found something in any lesson that really struck you in some way?
Also, very soon my carpool group will be starting a podcast of our daily talks to and from school. We have such interesting conversations that I think would be a great thing to share as we decompress after each class or homework assignment. I will post a link here once we get the ball rolling.
Post away!
Also, very soon my carpool group will be starting a podcast of our daily talks to and from school. We have such interesting conversations that I think would be a great thing to share as we decompress after each class or homework assignment. I will post a link here once we get the ball rolling.
Post away!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Semester II, Week 1
We wrapped up our presentations last week at Dr. Summer's home. It was really exciting and empowering to see everyone pull their philosophies together with the research questions. The "recital" (I call it that!) was really fun and it was exciting presenting not only to each other but to members of EEF, Eanes ISD, and our new professors.
So, we started fresh this week with 2 new classes and 2 new teachers. Our first class of the day starts with Dr. Bos and is "Strategies and Models for Teachers". This class seems to be a rehash of our undergraduate studies on teaching strategies. It remains to be seen how this class will tie to our research project. Its only day 2 as I post this; but the class is really different than our time with Dr. Summers.
So far, I have learned to outline each chapter according its objectives. This means that the textbook outlines the framework of the class. According to the syllabus for the class, we will go chapter 1 to chapter 2 to chapter 3, so the textbook is the frame for each day's work.
For some in the class, this is a good thing because it is a "blow-off" class. For me, I feel it is a cheat in a way because I can outline a textbook pretty well on my own without having to pay a university for the opportunity. I hope there will be more "meat" in this class and that it isn't a repeat of Foundations for Educators that I took back in 1994 as part of my undergrad degree plan.
On the more positive side, we are learning examples of group strategies through our day-to-day activities. So far it looks like each day's chapter will be taught by Dr. Bos using a different strategy. The first day's strategy was direct instruction. Today's strategy used the Jigsaw II method. Tomorrow....well I will be on pins and needles waiting ;). In a week or two, we will each have to present a lesson using one teaching model. Whee!
So then we all break for an hour lunch before meeting with Dr. Bond for Action Research.
Yesterday we learned about him and he learned about us by using a method to move us around the room. Certain sections of the room were designated as letters A-D and then questions were asked where we had to pick an answer and group ourselves together in that area. For example, the question could be about our favorite type of food: A. American, B. Italian, C. Mexican, D. Other (like Chinese which was my choice). If your answer was A, B, or C - you moved to that location where A, B, or C was located. It was a fun activity and we learned even more about each other in the PTEP program.
Dr. Bond's class is tied to our research problem. He is going to help us with the ACTION part of our research - taking it to the next level and creating the tools and instruments to gather our data. Something in my notes I wrote about this class was Dr. Bond's reassurances that we all need "time to ponder". Teachers aren't given time to read something and then digest that information. He really stressed the need to teachers to ponder and discuss research items.
Key issues in day one were figuring out the purpose of action research and defining what AR really is. Today, we read two articles from action researchers and compared them to readings we did in Dr. Summer's classes. This activity today really soothed everyone by pointing out that not all action research is so scholarly or academic. I think we have all been thinking that our research has to look so professional that we have been stressing out over it all.
Today, we read two different qualitative articles that were completely different. We learned about flexibility in writing and that some action research articles are very personal and not affecting a generalized population. This was exciting to see and discuss. We also discussed the idea of "academia" and how there is a gap between research and classroom practice.
I believe the idea that Dr. Bond discussed about how there are some academians who are interested in bridging the gap between research and practice was very inspiring. It was really good discussion and we defined action research ourselves based on contributions by each class member about what we thought Action Research stood for. I have a definition that lists over 12 different characteristics we used to define how action research looks to us.
Can you say "dichotomy"? Can you see how these two classes are completely different based on just my description? Perhaps other students would like to comment....
I think I have written enough and probably mashed some toes. Classmates, do you have anything to add?
So, we started fresh this week with 2 new classes and 2 new teachers. Our first class of the day starts with Dr. Bos and is "Strategies and Models for Teachers". This class seems to be a rehash of our undergraduate studies on teaching strategies. It remains to be seen how this class will tie to our research project. Its only day 2 as I post this; but the class is really different than our time with Dr. Summers.
So far, I have learned to outline each chapter according its objectives. This means that the textbook outlines the framework of the class. According to the syllabus for the class, we will go chapter 1 to chapter 2 to chapter 3, so the textbook is the frame for each day's work.
For some in the class, this is a good thing because it is a "blow-off" class. For me, I feel it is a cheat in a way because I can outline a textbook pretty well on my own without having to pay a university for the opportunity. I hope there will be more "meat" in this class and that it isn't a repeat of Foundations for Educators that I took back in 1994 as part of my undergrad degree plan.
On the more positive side, we are learning examples of group strategies through our day-to-day activities. So far it looks like each day's chapter will be taught by Dr. Bos using a different strategy. The first day's strategy was direct instruction. Today's strategy used the Jigsaw II method. Tomorrow....well I will be on pins and needles waiting ;). In a week or two, we will each have to present a lesson using one teaching model. Whee!
So then we all break for an hour lunch before meeting with Dr. Bond for Action Research.
Yesterday we learned about him and he learned about us by using a method to move us around the room. Certain sections of the room were designated as letters A-D and then questions were asked where we had to pick an answer and group ourselves together in that area. For example, the question could be about our favorite type of food: A. American, B. Italian, C. Mexican, D. Other (like Chinese which was my choice). If your answer was A, B, or C - you moved to that location where A, B, or C was located. It was a fun activity and we learned even more about each other in the PTEP program.
Dr. Bond's class is tied to our research problem. He is going to help us with the ACTION part of our research - taking it to the next level and creating the tools and instruments to gather our data. Something in my notes I wrote about this class was Dr. Bond's reassurances that we all need "time to ponder". Teachers aren't given time to read something and then digest that information. He really stressed the need to teachers to ponder and discuss research items.
Key issues in day one were figuring out the purpose of action research and defining what AR really is. Today, we read two articles from action researchers and compared them to readings we did in Dr. Summer's classes. This activity today really soothed everyone by pointing out that not all action research is so scholarly or academic. I think we have all been thinking that our research has to look so professional that we have been stressing out over it all.
Today, we read two different qualitative articles that were completely different. We learned about flexibility in writing and that some action research articles are very personal and not affecting a generalized population. This was exciting to see and discuss. We also discussed the idea of "academia" and how there is a gap between research and classroom practice.
I believe the idea that Dr. Bond discussed about how there are some academians who are interested in bridging the gap between research and practice was very inspiring. It was really good discussion and we defined action research ourselves based on contributions by each class member about what we thought Action Research stood for. I have a definition that lists over 12 different characteristics we used to define how action research looks to us.
Can you say "dichotomy"? Can you see how these two classes are completely different based on just my description? Perhaps other students would like to comment....
I think I have written enough and probably mashed some toes. Classmates, do you have anything to add?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Week 3 in Review
This week, we worked a whole lot more on our research topics by incorporating research from the library databases to tie to our questions. Its interesting to see how reverse-engineering articles written by others can help us write better articles. We are dissecting articles to find out about the validity of the claims and how the research background ties to the research question. By weeks' end, we are assigned one on our own to dismantle. Should be fun!
The one thing we did that really stood out was an exercise on Thursday where we all had to write and share our philosophies for instruction. This was very interesting to hear different philosophies and strategies for instruction, classroom management, organization, and planning.
I can't go into what everyone said (perhaps they could post some of their comments here) but personally I felt mine fell short. I related my own classroom experiences to the philosophy I had as a classroom teacher; when I am a CTC now and should have related it to this point in my career.
The only problem there is the issue that I haven't had a chance to do much staff development in my role as CTC. This has been an issue for the past 4 years on the job. While the CTC role has been evolving since I have been onboard; it is still something that is changing. Changing in adding more responsibilities while not decreasing others.
So with this in mind, I am rebuilding my foundation and philosophy for something related more toward staff development. This not only changes my philosophy but my research as well. I look forward to the challenge!
Anyone else want to discuss their philosophy for education? What about your thoughts on Thursday's discussion?
The one thing we did that really stood out was an exercise on Thursday where we all had to write and share our philosophies for instruction. This was very interesting to hear different philosophies and strategies for instruction, classroom management, organization, and planning.
I can't go into what everyone said (perhaps they could post some of their comments here) but personally I felt mine fell short. I related my own classroom experiences to the philosophy I had as a classroom teacher; when I am a CTC now and should have related it to this point in my career.
The only problem there is the issue that I haven't had a chance to do much staff development in my role as CTC. This has been an issue for the past 4 years on the job. While the CTC role has been evolving since I have been onboard; it is still something that is changing. Changing in adding more responsibilities while not decreasing others.
So with this in mind, I am rebuilding my foundation and philosophy for something related more toward staff development. This not only changes my philosophy but my research as well. I look forward to the challenge!
Anyone else want to discuss their philosophy for education? What about your thoughts on Thursday's discussion?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Technology Issues
This is to document a laptop issue so far.
In moving to using the high school campus, we had some problems getting online and in checking email.
For getting online, the proxy settings had to be reset for both Internet Explorer and then on Mozilla Firefox which had to be installed on each laptop. Firefox was installed because the Texas State site recommends we use it over IE for accessing Blackboard. So, for every laptop, we had to set the proxy address to go through the district settings. We also had to train PTEP participants on how to reset the proxy settings when they were home so they could access any other network at home or Starbucks or wherever.
Another issue was not having Groupwise installed on the laptops. This caused a problem because notes sent from Dr. Summers went to our Groupwise accounts and we could not access GW through the web because we were in-district. Joel solved this by installing Groupwise on each laptop during lunch.
This may be against some protocol for IS to install Groupwise, but it did help the PTEP class go more smoothly once we had it. Novell is not installed on the computers so there are no worries about non-Deep Freeze machines getting on the servers.
Anyone else in class have any comments?
I am now testing the Safari browser for Windows on my computer. I will let you know if I notice any issues with the PTEP programs using it.
In moving to using the high school campus, we had some problems getting online and in checking email.
For getting online, the proxy settings had to be reset for both Internet Explorer and then on Mozilla Firefox which had to be installed on each laptop. Firefox was installed because the Texas State site recommends we use it over IE for accessing Blackboard. So, for every laptop, we had to set the proxy address to go through the district settings. We also had to train PTEP participants on how to reset the proxy settings when they were home so they could access any other network at home or Starbucks or wherever.
Another issue was not having Groupwise installed on the laptops. This caused a problem because notes sent from Dr. Summers went to our Groupwise accounts and we could not access GW through the web because we were in-district. Joel solved this by installing Groupwise on each laptop during lunch.
This may be against some protocol for IS to install Groupwise, but it did help the PTEP class go more smoothly once we had it. Novell is not installed on the computers so there are no worries about non-Deep Freeze machines getting on the servers.
Anyone else in class have any comments?
I am now testing the Safari browser for Windows on my computer. I will let you know if I notice any issues with the PTEP programs using it.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
What is your research question?
This is for the rest of the group to post and flesh out your research question so we can share these with each other and our PTEP organizers. Perhaps someone in the district has some ideas for helping us or similar research backgrounds and they would like to share with the group.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Day 3 - June 6
Sorry for not posting yesterday. I had homework!
On Tuesday, our day started answering questions about philosophical shift. They mostly dealt with figuring out when our ideas/paths changed and what events shaped us most. I would share those questions here but there are some things that you should experience on your own. We then took notes and had great discussions about the ways in which we gather information and worked on our philosophical mapping ideas.
Of course, we also worked more on our ideas for our research models. I think most of us were worried about having something to show for today because we had to take these giant Post-it sheets home and brainstorm our ideas there. No one wanted to look like they had no idea on what they were doing. I was scared that my ideas were too "out there". They were though! ha ha
Now for what we did today. Today we each went around the room and shared the general idea for what type of research we were focusing on. I tried to write some brief notes on each person's presentation and got most of them; but a few were interrupted by computer fixing issues.
Kelly's focus was on Math through Literature; self-efficacy issues of boys and girls with math and math identity; teacher self-efficacy in math; and student learning styles.
Vicky's target was on Autism. She mentioned that she had met with Dr. Boutot and that Autism research was something the good doctor was interested in as well. I believe she has invited Vicky to participate in some of the studies she is working on.
Melanie's focus was on Elementary attitudes toward Math. She had these questions on her Post-It: How do perceptions change and/or differ? What is the relationship between attitude and achievement?
Stacey's topic was "Frenemies" (a name from Sex & the City for a Friend/Enemy merge). Her topic involves social groupings about how preteens/elementary age students develop social networks over time. She wants to look into how cliques and bullying form in early elementary and perhaps carry it over several years of following a class.
Norman's topic was about his interactive white board movies. He had notes about subject areas using them; that they are self-directed; and developing a measure for finding success.
Dana's topics included talented readers, phonics (the "f-word", she called it!), spelling, fluency, and she mentioned she was really into Multiple Intelligences.
Jamie's topic got the most gold stars!! I jotted down some info but then had to help fix a laptop so I hope she posts more about hers in the comments section.
Erin's topic was about GT programs. She focused in on parent attitudes and teachers's attitude for qualifying students. Also focused on elementary vs middle school GT programs.
Joel's topics ran the gamut of administration, teachers, and students assessing their attitudes towards use of technology in the schools.
Pam's topics were focused on 21st century technology skills in the science classroom. She had questions about student-based vs. teacher-based instruction on certain topics. Discussion brought about info on studying product vs. process technology use in the classroom.
After we each presented; I believe we all felt relieved that our topics seemed similar in some areas. Some of us have formed groups to design topics to share between multiple members. This is gonna be great!
We then moved into our philosophical course work and had some really good fun. Our job was to observe different situations of interaction between friends, teachers, and students. Several volunteers were given the task of acting in front of the class while the rest observed non-verbal communication.
The real fun to be had came about when some of us were tasked with observing the rest of the group in timed-intervals. We observed a discussion about tragedy turn into a melt-down as Vicky quickly turned from inquisitive student to possible head-case! Her journal writings and drawings turned the role-play skit into a hilarious melt-down.
We learned about observational techniques in a real and hands-on situation today. I think many of us left today with a great appreciation for our teacher Dr. Summers for introducting these concepts in such a fun atmosphere. We really learned a lot and had fun doing so! I know we all are looking forward to more role-play. Keep an eye on that Vicky though.
On Tuesday, our day started answering questions about philosophical shift. They mostly dealt with figuring out when our ideas/paths changed and what events shaped us most. I would share those questions here but there are some things that you should experience on your own. We then took notes and had great discussions about the ways in which we gather information and worked on our philosophical mapping ideas.
Of course, we also worked more on our ideas for our research models. I think most of us were worried about having something to show for today because we had to take these giant Post-it sheets home and brainstorm our ideas there. No one wanted to look like they had no idea on what they were doing. I was scared that my ideas were too "out there". They were though! ha ha
Now for what we did today. Today we each went around the room and shared the general idea for what type of research we were focusing on. I tried to write some brief notes on each person's presentation and got most of them; but a few were interrupted by computer fixing issues.
Kelly's focus was on Math through Literature; self-efficacy issues of boys and girls with math and math identity; teacher self-efficacy in math; and student learning styles.
Vicky's target was on Autism. She mentioned that she had met with Dr. Boutot and that Autism research was something the good doctor was interested in as well. I believe she has invited Vicky to participate in some of the studies she is working on.
Melanie's focus was on Elementary attitudes toward Math. She had these questions on her Post-It: How do perceptions change and/or differ? What is the relationship between attitude and achievement?
Stacey's topic was "Frenemies" (a name from Sex & the City for a Friend/Enemy merge). Her topic involves social groupings about how preteens/elementary age students develop social networks over time. She wants to look into how cliques and bullying form in early elementary and perhaps carry it over several years of following a class.
Norman's topic was about his interactive white board movies. He had notes about subject areas using them; that they are self-directed; and developing a measure for finding success.
Dana's topics included talented readers, phonics (the "f-word", she called it!), spelling, fluency, and she mentioned she was really into Multiple Intelligences.
Jamie's topic got the most gold stars!! I jotted down some info but then had to help fix a laptop so I hope she posts more about hers in the comments section.
Erin's topic was about GT programs. She focused in on parent attitudes and teachers's attitude for qualifying students. Also focused on elementary vs middle school GT programs.
Joel's topics ran the gamut of administration, teachers, and students assessing their attitudes towards use of technology in the schools.
Pam's topics were focused on 21st century technology skills in the science classroom. She had questions about student-based vs. teacher-based instruction on certain topics. Discussion brought about info on studying product vs. process technology use in the classroom.
After we each presented; I believe we all felt relieved that our topics seemed similar in some areas. Some of us have formed groups to design topics to share between multiple members. This is gonna be great!
We then moved into our philosophical course work and had some really good fun. Our job was to observe different situations of interaction between friends, teachers, and students. Several volunteers were given the task of acting in front of the class while the rest observed non-verbal communication.
The real fun to be had came about when some of us were tasked with observing the rest of the group in timed-intervals. We observed a discussion about tragedy turn into a melt-down as Vicky quickly turned from inquisitive student to possible head-case! Her journal writings and drawings turned the role-play skit into a hilarious melt-down.
We learned about observational techniques in a real and hands-on situation today. I think many of us left today with a great appreciation for our teacher Dr. Summers for introducting these concepts in such a fun atmosphere. We really learned a lot and had fun doing so! I know we all are looking forward to more role-play. Keep an eye on that Vicky though.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Day 1 - June 4
Today was a rush of information to all of us. We not only learned more about the syllabus for the course but also about the expectations of our research and subsequent publication of our results.
The purpose of our CI5390 course is to learn the procedures and the resources needed to improve education trhough review, analysis, and synthesis of scholarly research literature. Our major project is to prepare a research paper that responds to a research question. In other words, each of us is to create a relevant research project involving measurement techniques used by the social sciences and present this in an APA format for publication.
Today's class was a foundation to Educational Research which included the different types of research; qualitative vs. quantitative research, and various models for gathering and presenting information. It was mind-blowing to the uninitiated! I am thankful for the classes I took in Psychology in my undergrad program where I learned a bit about statistical analysis and research methodology not normally looked at outside of the social sciences. The phrases and key words brought up in the class really brought back those studies in the undergrad program I was in.
After a short break, we were introduced to the syllabus for our CI5372 class that involves studying the philosophical foundations of education. In this course, we will not only learn about historical educational philosophers; we will also map out contemporary issues in education and present our own philosophies for classroom education. This seems like it will be more discussion based but will tie in great with the research we will be doing in the other course (and vice-versa).
During our working lunch, we presented to Dr. Summers some ideas that each of us would like to begin studying for our research proposal. If you are in the class and are working on some proposals, list them here so we can read them and discuss. Maybe we can all help each other out.
My topics are quite general but they include: staff development in the areas of time spent out of the school day vs. integrated into the school day; hands-on learning vs. presented information, teacher feelings towards technology integration, self-assessment, and teacher attitudes toward professionalism with students. These are all very general topics that I can't go into details yet; but these are the areas I am considering. I am interested in several of these during the course of this program; but others I may look into researching further once I graduate.
The last thing I want to say about this may invite some more discussion from others. Several of us were talking in the breaks about the research we are conducting and its usefulness to the district. One discussion point was figuring out that if each of us produces a valid research product within the district, we are providing valuable information for our district to use. Also, since our last courses involve grant writing, it seems we are doing more work for our district as well.
With this discussion, someone brought up that a reason many of the original 38 who applied for this program dropped (we are now down to 10) is because other graduate programs paid 50-80% of the tuition and did not require action research plans. This brings up many questions from our group members about what we are doing and having to pay.
If you have something to contribute about these discussions or want to discuss your research plans; please comment here.
The purpose of our CI5390 course is to learn the procedures and the resources needed to improve education trhough review, analysis, and synthesis of scholarly research literature. Our major project is to prepare a research paper that responds to a research question. In other words, each of us is to create a relevant research project involving measurement techniques used by the social sciences and present this in an APA format for publication.
Today's class was a foundation to Educational Research which included the different types of research; qualitative vs. quantitative research, and various models for gathering and presenting information. It was mind-blowing to the uninitiated! I am thankful for the classes I took in Psychology in my undergrad program where I learned a bit about statistical analysis and research methodology not normally looked at outside of the social sciences. The phrases and key words brought up in the class really brought back those studies in the undergrad program I was in.
After a short break, we were introduced to the syllabus for our CI5372 class that involves studying the philosophical foundations of education. In this course, we will not only learn about historical educational philosophers; we will also map out contemporary issues in education and present our own philosophies for classroom education. This seems like it will be more discussion based but will tie in great with the research we will be doing in the other course (and vice-versa).
During our working lunch, we presented to Dr. Summers some ideas that each of us would like to begin studying for our research proposal. If you are in the class and are working on some proposals, list them here so we can read them and discuss. Maybe we can all help each other out.
My topics are quite general but they include: staff development in the areas of time spent out of the school day vs. integrated into the school day; hands-on learning vs. presented information, teacher feelings towards technology integration, self-assessment, and teacher attitudes toward professionalism with students. These are all very general topics that I can't go into details yet; but these are the areas I am considering. I am interested in several of these during the course of this program; but others I may look into researching further once I graduate.
The last thing I want to say about this may invite some more discussion from others. Several of us were talking in the breaks about the research we are conducting and its usefulness to the district. One discussion point was figuring out that if each of us produces a valid research product within the district, we are providing valuable information for our district to use. Also, since our last courses involve grant writing, it seems we are doing more work for our district as well.
With this discussion, someone brought up that a reason many of the original 38 who applied for this program dropped (we are now down to 10) is because other graduate programs paid 50-80% of the tuition and did not require action research plans. This brings up many questions from our group members about what we are doing and having to pay.
If you have something to contribute about these discussions or want to discuss your research plans; please comment here.
Web Communications
One of the biggest challenges we found in getting ready to join the PTEP program was the changing information we found in all the email communications our group received. It seemed that each week we would receive a communication from our advisor, followed by a communication from the district PTEP coordinator, and then another email from our Curriculum coordinator. Each of these emails had different information in them.
Examples:
1) March 20 we received an email that said "[we] will receive 100% of [our] scholarship up front" from the EEF. On May 15, we learned that the EEF would fund our 1st Summer Session 100% but that we would need to fund the 2nd Summer Session 100% ourselves. On May 16, we learned from our graduate advisor that the payment for Summer I and II were due on the same day. Our graduate advisor informed us that the University only accepted payments from one source and frowned upon receiving two separate checks from separate sources for payment. On the 17th of May, we were asked to respond to an email asking us if we would like the EEF to pay for both summer sessions or just for one and we provide the second payment. For those requesting for both sessions to be paid for; the rest of the payments for the entire program would be adjusted so we would still pay half of the total cost and EEF pay the other half.
2) Also in the March 20 email, we heard that courses would run Mondays through Fridays and classes would end by mid-day. We were informed half of the classes would be in Eanes and the other half at Texas State in San Marcos. On April 2, we were informed that all classes for summer would be at Texas State in San Marcos.
4) In the March 20 email, the GRE was required to be taken before the first start date of the grad classes. The graduate registration booklet said we could take the GRE between the start of classes through summer. On May 14, we were informed by the graduate advisor that we had to take the GRE before Summer Session 1 in June and that the results had to be sent to the graduate school by June 1. On May 15, our district informed us that the PTEP program required us to get our GRE results done by the end of Summer Session 1. On May 17, we were emailed by our district coordinator that GRE results could be turned in by the end of the summer.
5) On March 22, we were emailed about Financial Aid. We were informed to apply asap so that money could be sent to us quickly. We were told that financial aid was available only for full-time students and that Fall & Spring would allow us 3 hours (not full time) so that we may not get finanical aid. Many of us applied for summer financial aid but never were awarded the aid because we weren't enrolled at the time of applying for financial aid. Many of us are very unsure about financial aid in the future.
Examples:
1) March 20 we received an email that said "[we] will receive 100% of [our] scholarship up front" from the EEF. On May 15, we learned that the EEF would fund our 1st Summer Session 100% but that we would need to fund the 2nd Summer Session 100% ourselves. On May 16, we learned from our graduate advisor that the payment for Summer I and II were due on the same day. Our graduate advisor informed us that the University only accepted payments from one source and frowned upon receiving two separate checks from separate sources for payment. On the 17th of May, we were asked to respond to an email asking us if we would like the EEF to pay for both summer sessions or just for one and we provide the second payment. For those requesting for both sessions to be paid for; the rest of the payments for the entire program would be adjusted so we would still pay half of the total cost and EEF pay the other half.
2) Also in the March 20 email, we heard that courses would run Mondays through Fridays and classes would end by mid-day. We were informed half of the classes would be in Eanes and the other half at Texas State in San Marcos. On April 2, we were informed that all classes for summer would be at Texas State in San Marcos.
4) In the March 20 email, the GRE was required to be taken before the first start date of the grad classes. The graduate registration booklet said we could take the GRE between the start of classes through summer. On May 14, we were informed by the graduate advisor that we had to take the GRE before Summer Session 1 in June and that the results had to be sent to the graduate school by June 1. On May 15, our district informed us that the PTEP program required us to get our GRE results done by the end of Summer Session 1. On May 17, we were emailed by our district coordinator that GRE results could be turned in by the end of the summer.
5) On March 22, we were emailed about Financial Aid. We were informed to apply asap so that money could be sent to us quickly. We were told that financial aid was available only for full-time students and that Fall & Spring would allow us 3 hours (not full time) so that we may not get finanical aid. Many of us applied for summer financial aid but never were awarded the aid because we weren't enrolled at the time of applying for financial aid. Many of us are very unsure about financial aid in the future.
The PTEP Blog - Reason to Exist
This blog is about the Eanes ISD Partnership for Teacher Education Program (PTEP) graduate program. This blog is to document the planning and implementation of the program along with commentary about our courses for future PTEP members. The comments and suggestions held within this blog are in not the views of the Eanes ISD district, the Eanes Education Foundation, or the Texas State University Graduate program. These comments and suggestions are contributions from participating PTEP members who wish to make the program better for future PTEP participants.
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