Post dissertation

It has been a year since I walked the stage to become Dr. Roth.

I'm still exhausted. I learned much... Now what can I do about that- 

Academic Momentum

So I have been busy since my last update. I scheduled a meeting with Dr. Korach and shared the latest update.

She shared with me an exciting dissertation by Danielle Sulick. Her research led her to study the development of Academic Momentum in nontraditional undergraduate female students. Her definition utilized the formula for momentum in physics.

This meeting got me thinking about how my interest in personal mastery was connected. I decided to decrease the emphasis on personal mastery for several reasons. First- I think the response I got from Senge's camp was not helpful. The empirical work around his writing has not been established well- for example... there were no instruments developed to measure personal mastery. I found a few surveys- but they were not standardized. In addition, the term did not fit well with my interest. So I moved towards the term of Academic Hope based on Segiovanni and Andrade-Duncan's work.

Academic Hope- is a construct that has some research history to it. The components of Agency, Goal Orientation, and Pathways Thinking are measurable. Here is why I believe the concepts of Academic Hope development will contribute to the development of the theory of Academic Momentum.

In physics, there are forces that increase velocity. My argument is that the components of Agency, Pathways thinking, and Goal Orientation will increase Academic Momentum.

My physics teacher at Stonington High School was Pierre Luciere. He was tough. He had all of us scared- sarcastic, mean, and he allowed no sloppy work in his class. I remember having to label everything in there. My first quarter grades were low. But by the 4th quarter I had it down! His high expectations led me to a better place. I say all that to say that over 20 years of life have swept away my concepts of velocity and momentum. So I spent time this morning reading up on vector mathematics and velocity.

So Momentum is Mass times Velocity.

Velocity is a vector variable meaning it has magnitude and direction.

Mass has to do with what we are made of- and the resistance an object has to changes in velocity or motion. If an object has greater mass it will have greater resistance to motion and therefore need greater force to make positive work happen (all physics terms I learned from the Virtual Nerd website ).

Velocity is distance measured over time. Using the Cartesian Coordinates we have x and y axis measures. You then can use all that trigonometry we learned in high school (I need to brush up there too). Unless of course you go three dimensional and add the z coordinate.

All this to say- there is room in this mathematical formula for variables like agency, pathways thinking, and goal orientation. As students from African-American families hit schools they face barriers that I might not have- these barriers in physics would be called friction. So developing enough momentum to overcome this friction is key to success.

This excites me today- as the mathematics in physics are guiding my direction. Something in this old math/science coach feels comfort in these laws of physics. Wish me luck as I dig in some more...

FLOW & Research Questions

Today Akash brought me an article by Csikszentmihalyi concerning Flow in Schools. This is a promising article as he has a conceptual framework that can inform my work a little. Image found on http://www.cs.nyu.edu/courses/spring03/G22.2280-001/Flow_Diagram.jpg

Yesterday I was reading Pedro Noguera who said, "There is a need to consult with young people on how the structure and culture of schools contribute to low academic achievement and to enlist their input when interventions to improve student performance are being designed and implemented." p.71 in Educating African-American Males.



And Three of us (Megan, Akash and I) have been wrestling with research questions. We are trying to focus this research to fit the parameters of a dissertation rather than a Magnum Opus. So here is the latest:


What do successful African-American Male students say about developing academic personal mastery?

• What themes emerge?



• What impact does Baldrige have on Academic Personal Mastery?



• What impact do the 7 Habits have on Academic Personal Mastery?



• How does the concept of FLOW fit into all of this?

We have two days left until school is out- I have so much enjoyed working with these two 8th graders... I will miss them and hope they keep in touch.

what is Happening...

Latest thinking:

Life is really crazy but I am working on some thinking right now...

I want to discover if Personal Mastery is all that Senge says it is... I want to see if this construct will help destroy this achievement gap. So I will keep you posted but momentum is swelling. I am gearing up to have my first three chapters done for my proposal this summer. then I can gather research in the fall- analyze things in the winter then defend in the spring in order to graduate next summer...

Akash

As an assistant principal I have had a full plate of things to do. Often I get home and am quite tired. This dissertation is tough to focus on- so I am going to work on it this weekend. However I am going to share something that happened this week that brought some energy to my work.

About 4 months ago I went into the highest math class in our school to test my theory out. I was taking a social construct and attempting to convert it into a mathematical equation. The work was not strong enough for my professors to allow in my dissertation- however the attempt taught me much.

One of the students in that class began to suggest ways we could use the equation to discover other/deeper meanings. He moved variables around and such- it was fascinating.
Four months later and this 8th grader caught me making rounds in the cafeteria to ask if he could meet me at lunch to talk about my dissertation. He said, "I have been thinking about your work on motivation and would like to share some thoughts with you."

I froze- warmly accepted the invitation and continued my rounds. But my thoughts were not on the kid who was playing bowling alley with his milk bottles- it was on the fact that this young man was thinking about my work. I was humbled. I was inspired to pick up the trail where I left off and make some progress.

Akash met me and talked about motivation in the light of peer pressure- and motivation in the light of family expectations. Both topics are very relevant to my work. Both factors are typically not in the favor of African-American boys. I shared that these do typically act against the students I am interested in learning about however, schools can do things to support these kids.

All I can say is how grateful I am to this 8th grader for having the initiative to talk to me.

A Tweak that Brings Hope

I have had some good conversations around my dissertation. My sister Stephanie helped me think through getting logistically clear- what is the end game. Jeff is Texas helped me think about a possible methodology that is more congruent with the end game I am interested in learning about.

So I am thinking about the impact personal mastery has had in the success of African-American boys. Which means I will need to interview and survey successful students in the light of personal mastery and discover if the construct has had any influence on their journey.

This is congruent with the Seek First to Understand principle. It is also congruent with my passion around personal mastery.

I am still figuring out what instrument to use and how to involve Project Voyce. I will keep you posted.

Rough Waters

OK- so today I began working on a new place to work... the basement will now become a dissertation room...

I also looked through my materials from the beginning of the DU journey. It was refreshing to see my dissertation idea consistently popping up.

I am in rough waters right now- do not know how to move the paper along. I am still crafting the right research questions.

The latest attempt: What is Covey's impact on a student's personal mastery, enthusiasm, and ownership?

I do not know of any instruments available to measure this...

Cambourne's Conditions

Brian Cambourne wrote, The Whole Story. In this work he tells about 7 conditions for learning. Since engagement and enthusiasm are at the core of my research, I thought it was interesting that he made the following points:

• Engagement occurs when the learner is convinced that they have the potential to do what is being modeled before them.


• That the teacher is demonstrating something that will further the purposes of his or her life.


• That they can engage without fear of physical or psychological hurt if they answer incorrectly.

He states that the conditions increase the probability for engagement. His conditions are:

• RESPONSIBILITY (Learners need to make their own decisions about when, how, and what 'bits' to learn in an educational task.)


• USE (Learners need time to practice the new skills in realistic contexts)


• EXPECTATION (Learners need to feel our high expectations)


• APPROXIMATION (Learners must understand that mistakes are part of the process)


• RESPONSE (Learners must receive feedback that is timely, appropriate, relevant)


• IMMERSION (Learners must experience the skill fully)


• DEMONSTRATION (Learners need a variety demonstrations)

All in all we have a scholar that is identifying conditions for learning of which he states that these conditions also increase the probability for engagement. Has anyone written about the conditions for engagement?

Is there a tool to measure these conditions?

Chapters Redrafted

I sent my latest edition to a good friend of mine to look over for me. The research quesitons have shifted based on the advice of my professors- I removed several sections. I know I will have more revisions to do but feel things are headed in the right direction.

CORE INVESTIGATION

I am interested in the personal mastery levels of students.

Can we measure their engagement, their enthusiasm, and their capacity to make things happen?

In every classroom there will be a variety of levels yet perhaps there are some school designs that impact students more favorably.

Today I reflected on my progress- I wrote out a new illustration and had some good time to brainstorm potential questions.

But I am still overwhelmed thinking about all the adjustments I have to make to my chapters.

New Focus

This morning I woke up with some thoughts. My professors felt my dissertation was really bigger than one dissertation. They felt I needed to focus on one aspect of Personal Mastery from a student's perspective. They felt that this is an area of need since there is not a lot out there.

I thought focusing in on Personal Mastery was focused until I decomposed this construct into the elements of Awareness of Current Reality, Vision, Trust and Drive. So I want to focus on Drive. It is the key element that turns vision from wishful thinking to reality.

But I can't focus on just DRIVE because when you decompose this (it goes beyond Daniel Pink's work) there is a lot to study. So I will take the professors other suggestion and examine the student's perspective. Ultimately I believe the student possess vital information school leaders need in order to create the conditions that meet their needs. BUT we want more than to meet needs in our schools- we want students to THRIVE. To THRIVE it takes DRIVE.

So here is my newest attempt at a title:

FROM DRIVE TO THRIVE: How students perceive the educational system that surrounds them.

Here is my newest attempt at research questions:

1. What do students find engages them in schools?
2. Do students experience authentic, purposeful, and mastery in schools?
3. Do students trust schools?
4. Do students have hope?
5. Do students have internal locus of control

Well- Today I am going to study other research questions I found yesterday and I am going to read a dissertation about Covey's work and a Dissertation about the 5 Disciplines today.

Work Stoppage

I met with my dissertation committee a couple of weeks ago. It was a good meeting- lots of constructive criticism. I again must trim down the work in order to make it realistic. What was hard was the trimming seems to have an impact on my passion. It has been two weeks since I worked on this. I apologize for the sad tone- when I left the meeting they suggested that I trim out the autobiography section, the mathematical model section, the illustrations of the school system, the Covey/Baldrige section, and 3 out of the 4 elements of Personal Mastery (Trust/Vision/Awareness of Current Reality/Drive).

So I am going to attempt to pick up the work today. I will get some outlines to the committee and see what they think before I begin writing chapters 1-3 again. They would like a strong research question followed by a plan for the research.
So here are some thoughts from this morning:

How does a retained 3rd grader become an academic star?
How does the dumbest kid in class become a world renowned brain
surgeon?

The student in these stories took on more responsibility- their systems
changed because someone developed structures that required more. Someone
intentionally designed more responsibility for these students within their
systems. One at school while the other at home.

Today our country is looking at generations of African-American students
who are suffocating in our systems.

The problem is that our systems are not agile enough to meet the needs of
our children. We expect to have a zoo filled with penguins and can't figure out
why the giraffe's are dying.

How can we design systems that are more responsive to our students? Seek
first to understand. If we listen to them, maybe we can find out what is
missing- maybe we can find out what makes them flourish and thrive.

THRIVE- that is a word I want
to contemplate for a while. This is the essence of my passion. What does it take
to create conditions in which our children thrive...

There are systems that have promise because they intentionally design
systems that give voice to their students. Tools like issue bins, data
notebooks, and PDSA's are all means by which students gain power in educational
systems. These tools were used in business models for years to increase
productivity and ownership. This shift of responsibility is taking place in
schools that use Covey or Baldrige.

So my latest attempt at a research question is:
How do quality tools impact student engagement?

Executive Skills

It is exciting to read professional literature! Although the literature review process has been a little tough going because there is so much to learn, the discoveries I am making are inspiring. The September issue of Educational Leadership is filled with connections to this dissertation. In an article titled, Solving Problems that Count, author Dana Maloney writes about Pink and Senge within two paragraphs of each other! In the Responsibility Breakthrough ReLeah Cossett Lent writes about how a system that puts more responsibility for learning in the student's hands has given dramatic improvements in motivation and achievement! And there was another piece by Peg Dawson on Executive Skills for children. This work ties directly into the literature review section where I am writing about a child's capacity to plan, organize, and act influences their level of personal mastery. Here are some quotations that I like from the first chapter:

"Executive skills are what your child needs to make any of your hopes and dreams for his future- or his own hopes and dreams- come true." p, 13.

"you can't talk children into using skills they don't have... these are the fundamental brain-based skills required to execute tasks: getting organized, planning, initiating work, staying on task, controlling impulses, regulating emotions, being adaptable and resilient..."

"Thinking and doing go hand in hand. Very often we are teaching kids how to use their thoughts to control their behaviors."

"The thinking skills help children create a picture of a goal (vision) and a path to that goal (drive), and they give them the resources they'll need to access along the way to achieve that goal."

"When all goes as planned, we come up with ideas for things we need or want to do, plan or organize the task, squelch thoughts or feelings that interfere with our plans, cheer ourselves on, keep the goal in mind even when obstaclesm distractions, or temptations arise, change course as the situation requires, and persist with our efforts until the goal is achieved." p, 18.

"The frontal brain systems play a key role in the development of executive skills... kids who practice executive skills are not only learning self-management- independence- but in the process developing brain structures that will support their exectutive skills into later adolescence."

"[to teachers and parents] The work you do will always have two components: structuring the environment and directly supervising your child."

"As is the case with almost any set of skills, children have strengths and weaknesses that fall along a continuum."

I tie this into my contruct because I am arguing that peronal mastery depends on skills- and that these skills are at varying levels in our students. Schools can nurture and strenthen these skills.

Finally- the road from vision to reality includes a students capacity to plan, organize and act...

Sergiovanni Weighs In

I can't express how fortunate I am to have had a professor like Thomas Sergiovanni. I remember his passionate lessons on school culture. I remember him climbing up on a desk and pretending to surf- teaching us that sometimes all we can do is ride a school culture and not wipe out. It takes craftiness and wisdom- it takes compassion and honor. He taught us about moral leadership.

As I was reading through files for my dissertation yesterday I came across an article that completely astounded me. It is like the preface to my dissertation. I am so excited because this means his voice will echo in my work. I have been told his health is failing him these days- so this is one way I can honor him.

The article is called, The Virtues of Leadership. In this article he discusses hope, piety, faith and trust. In my work the thoughts around trust and hope are crucial. Earlier in my research I came across an article by Jeffrey M R Duncan-Andrade titles, note to Teachers: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete. In which he distinguishes between hope that is hokey- or false and hope that is audacious or powerful. Dr. Sergiovanni explains how hope is crucial to the construct of personal mastery. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

Perhaps the most important, yet neglected leadership virtue is hope.

Hope can change things for the better.

Facing reality rather than relying on hope is to accept reality. Relying on hope rather than facing reality is to change reality.

He quotes the research of Menninger, Mayman, and Pruyser:

Realistic hope... is based on the attempt to understand the concrete conditions of reality, to see one's own role in it realistically, and to engage in such efforts of thoughtful action as might be expected to bring about hoped-for change. The affect of hope, in this case, has an activating effect. It helps mobilize the energies needed for activity.

The activating effect of hope makes the difference.

Wishful leaders ... take no deliberate action. Hopeful leaders react actively to what they hope for and deliberately strive to turn hopefulness into reality.

WOW- The construct I am working from today involves Personal Mastery being made up of a TRUST a person has in the system connected with a person's AWARENESS of their current academic reality that is different from a person's VISION of what could be all acted upon by a person's DRIVE to move from the current reality towards their vision.
Sergiovanni is arguing that hope is a crucial factor. Although I can see hope fitting in with the Trust section and the Vision section, I believe hope will fit best in the Drive section because that is where efficacy and action capacity factor in. His later thoughts also tie into the Drive section:

Turning hope into reality is a deliberate process that requires answering the following questions:
-What are your goals? Goals are what we hope for.
-What are your pathways? Pathways are the routes we take to realize our hopes.
-How committed are we to agency- to actually doing something to realize our hopes? Agency is the determined and persistent efforts to travel the pathways.
-Is efficacy present in sufficient strength? Efficacy gauges the extent to which we believe that we can make a difference- that our efforts will be successful.

Sergiovanni writes about a commitment to responsibility. Students have choices to make about their levels of commitment. He writes about their confidence in their capabilities. He writes about their ability to set goals and plan action steps. These are all integral parts of the work I have been doing with Senge's personal mastery.

I want to investigate how schools are inspiring hope and personal mastery.

This is getting good people, this is really getting good!

AHA!- Self-Determinedness

Two nights ago I had this AHA moment... I have been reflecting on how Covey's work and Senge's work are around the same construct... being self-determined. My current school has focused on this construct so it was probably on my brain when I began researching this week.

Covey's first three habits are about a person taking responsibility for their lives. The habits teach you how to reflect and develop a personal vision, create a plan for that vision, and prioritize your life to reach that vision. Senge's personal mastery construct are about being aware of where you currently are and being able to develop a vision for where you would like to be. The final piece is moving towards the vision with action.

Update

Though the blog has been quiet, I have been pooring over literature as I build chapter 2. In the past month I have:
- Corresponded with a mathematical modeling expert
- Interviewed the Project Voyce founder (I adjusted my construct after that)
- Met Ben Carson and thought about how his story fits in
- Developed a diagram
- Organized my Literature Review around it
- Reviewed numerous files and research articles for the Literature Review
- Rewrote Chapter 1 and partailly chapter 2
- Found a Sergiovanni article that aligns perfectly (I am adding hope to the construct after that)

I will share more detail in the next blog- just wanted you to update you!

Drive by D. Pink

I was in a faculty meeting the other day working with our teachers around student self assessment, self monitoring, and independence. Well- these goals are awesome and totally linked to the dissertation I am working on. These goals also tie into the Private victory Covey writes about- he believes that one who learns the first three habits begins to have independence.

So in the faculty meeting one teacher (Kim) mentions that there is this book by Pink that addresses motivation. I listened to her (it is a good thing to listen to the voice of your teachers) and look how it benefited this research (thank you Kim)!

Pink writes the following:
"Human Beings have an inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn." p. 8

"Enjoyment-based intrinsic motivation, namely how creative a person feels when working on the project, is the strongest and most pervasive driver."

"For some people work remains routine, unchallenging, and directed by others."

"Goals work. Goals that people set for themselves and that are devoted to attaining mastery are usually healthy. But goals imposed by others can sometimes have dangerous side effects."

Pink writes that there are 3 elements that make up a powerful motivation... Autonomy, purpose, and ta da.... Mastery.

If we define personal mastery as being aware of one's current reality, having a vision for one's future and finally having the DRIVE to move from the former to the later then maybe Pink's work will help flush out my definition on personal mastery. I have written to him today to see what he thinks.

Project Voyce

Tonight I met with Brian, the director of Project Voyce. This organization develops student leaders who go into schools to capture what students are thinking and what students feel about the school. Currently his organization is developing tools that teachers can use to capture student feedback. One of the main products his group has produced is stories from students that have moved from dissengagement to engagement. He says it comes down to three things... 1. Opportunities for student expression. 2. Student Participation in these opportunities. and 3. The Adult responses to these students who participate. Brian said that when students see their ideas making an impact on the systems around them- that they moved into the engaged category.

Exciting! We are going to think about how to work together- one thought I had was to connect him with people I have met that have designed tools. He is going to give me access to student interview video where students are telling their stories of engagement. I want to se if we can develop our survey together too. So here is what I am thinking about the survey:
1. Discuss the construct with the Senge folks and with the Covey folks. Nail down this equation.
2. Look at the questions in surveys Project Voyce has used and questions I found from a Senge school.
3. Create questions that include all the elements in the equation as well as some about the teacher relationship. Include questions that measure the three things mentioned Brian's organization mentioned as well, (opportunities, participation, impact).
4. Run the survey through some student focus groups and Project Voyce panels...
5. Celebrate

Project Voyce inspired me- they are a solid organization with a great vision!

Celebration: Chapters 1-3 Sent In

Lots of effort went into getting a draft of the first three chapters out. I am exhausted. I can't tell you how many pieces of literature I went through- and there are many more that I could not include... i am feeling positive right now because the first three chapters are a major step.

Deadlines and Late Nights

I am falling asleep at the computer. I was hoping to meet a self imposed deadline to have the first three chapters done by September. I rewrote chapter 1 after Dr. Brookhart gave me some solid comments. I have chapter 3 almost done (creating a survey and interview questions has been challenging).

This is tough. But I will keep at it- thanks for your thoughts and encouragement...