MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

It could be because I have been a math facilitator for three years- who knows why- but today I came up with some mathematical representations for my dissertation. (I have been in a writing slump lately so this is good)

Here is what I think I am sharing during my dissertation presentation tomorrow:

CONTEXT: Today we live in the age of accountability: politicians and business leaders have changed the educational landscape. No Child Left Behind gives us statistical analysis where we illuminate the achievement gap.

Agap = SUM(Igap - Igap’) (The Achievement Gap = sum of student individual gaps)

Igap = PS – CR (Individual gaps = Proficiency by standard minus the individuals current reality)

LO = PM + SV + TL + MM + ST (Learning Organizations = Personal Mastery + Shared Vision + Team Learning + Mental Models + Systems Thinking)

PM = CT (Personal Mastery = Creative Tension)
CT= CRV (Creative Tension = a vector moving from Current Reality towards Vision)
V= SE + A1 (Vision – Self Efficacy + Awareness of possibilities)

SIGNIFICANCE: If a tool can create stronger CR & A1 then we will have a stronger CT and therefore a stronger PM which Senge believes makes an organization stronger and more vital. This tool may increase the personal mastery levels within a learning organization.

NEED FOR STUDY: School systems typically do not provide time or tools for students to use to reflect- teachers bear the majority of the responsibility to analyze data and action plan.

RATIONALE: The data folder system includes activities to raise awareness and to reflect on progress. Students who are aware and can begin to set plans into motion will share the responsibility and progress.

New Title

I believe the title will evolve as I read more and think more about providing a useful study. Here is the latest:

Sources of Personal Mastery in Urban Learning Organizations: Student's Reactions to 2nd Arrow Systems

The emphasis is on the develoment of personal mastery in urban kids.

2nd Arrow is a term created to describe student empowerment. It is easy to find instruction that has a starting point and an arrow that goes from the teacher to the learner. This second arrow describes systems that create a 2 way connection. Systems that involve the student in using data to set their own goals.

If we can find sources of personal mastery (Senge) then we can provide some resources to urban school systems.

Froebel & Blow

"The mind grows by self-revelation... learning begins when consciousness erupts." Friedrich Froebel (the creator of kindergarten)

Do we still have the Factory model in place in schools? The conveyor belt moves an engine block down the assembly line. Components are added- it is cold and mechanical.

Froebel urges us to protect the next generation from "mechanical actions without thought and consideration."
That engine block is not considering much is it... If schools can set up systems that include thought and consideration at the student level will they help us create a more productive educational system?

Froebel had a disciple named Susan E. Blow. She came to St. Louis in 1873 and began the first successful kindergarten in the United States. She had a huge impact on the city as the whole city had kinderarten classes by 1883. I am still looking up quotes from her speaking tours- she trained kinder teachers.

On a final note, something Froebel wrote reminded me of te conceptual model of schools I wrote about earlier.
"Children are like tiny flowers: they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers."
See this image I created and imagine the students as the flowers on the ends of the school organization... The learning oganization

Is it About Awareness?

Lately I have felt a lot of pressure to get this dissertation focused. I am wrestling with a few options and throw in the end of the school year- out of town guest preparation- and job searching and it my time gets squeezed. So I got up 2 hours before the start of the day and wrote a few things.

Could this dissertation be about awareness? Is this concept missing in some schools?

Awareness at the student level- can they tell you what it means to be proficient? Can they tell you where they are personally? Can they tell you about thier strengths? Can they tell you about action steps that will help them?

Glasser writes about how this awareness motivates students to improve.
Marzano writes about how student progress monitoring is part of effective teaching.
Stiggins ties student performance recording to self efficacy.
Senge writes about Personal Mastery.
Covey writes about Personal Victory.

All begins with awareness.
So are students who are in Baldrige or Leader in Me schools more aware than students in other schools?

Methodology Options

This week I have been contemplating options for the study. It is a complex process and I am going to meet with Dr. Brookhart to hash out some of my thinking. I would be interested in some of your thoughts. Here are 2 options I am thinking about:

Option A. Take the data folder system I have designed into several classrooms. Using Bandura's or Stiggin's self efficacy survey I would pre-assess and post-assess the students and teachers. I could gather data by the end of January- analyze and write conclusions by May. I would choose to study classrooms with specific interests in mind:
Leader-in-Me network (A.B. Combs)
Baldrige Model Schools (I.S.S.)
Urban (D.P.S. or NEISD)

Option B. Take the self-efficacy survey to schools in the Leader-in-Me network and find out the impact of this system on mental models.

I will be thinking about this for the next 2 weeks- I have a dissertation design panel meeting me on June 11th at 2pm.

The LEADER in ME Model

Can THE LEADER in ME impact schools in such a way as to impact mental models?
Notes from the book:

"By teaching the skills of self-discipline, self-reliance, and self confidence, the teachers are fostering the opportunity to learn life skills... my children are being educated to open the door to their future rather than waiting for the door to open."

Jennifer Collins a parent at a Leader in Me school

"Everyday I get to see empowered five- and six-year-olds truly caring about our school's learning environment."

Maggie Lozano, Kindergarten Teacher at Stuard Elementary

"We concluded that students who go through the 7 Habits will be planners, they will take responsibility for their own learning..."

Jeanne Paynem Professional Development Coordinator, Decatur City Schools

The intent of this program as Stephen Covey puts it is to,

"teach them (children) how to lead their individual lives and how to succeed in the twenty-first century."

An old proverb reads with the same emphasis on the next generation: "My son, if you accept my words
and store them up within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand …
and find knowledge.

We may have to rally our students to confidently attack their own individual gaps in order to close our achievement gap. Each child has a choice to make about their future- and we might have some tools that can help them.

Bandura

Stiggins directed me to some research by Usher and Pajares. I have been reading,

Sources of Self-Efficacy in School: Critical Review of the Literature and Future Directions.

Now- here are some interesting points made in this research:

"Students who are confident in their academic capabilities monitor their work time more effectively, are more efficient problem solvers, and show more persistence than do equally able peers with low self efficacy. They also work harder, evaluate their progress more frequently, and engage in more self-regulatory strategies that promote success in school."

Albert Bandura first introduced the construct of self-efficacy in 1977. Coincidentally that was the year I repeated 3rd grade...

In this report the recommendations for future research include, "How to foster and nurture a student's budding self belief."

Do this dissertation could be a grounded theory. We can examine the effects of a couple of systems (The Leader in Me & Baldrige) on the mental models (self-efficacy) of students.

Baldrige helps students reflect and create action plans. They also progress monitor. The Leader in Me teaches students about their locus of control, about beginning with the end in mind, and about prioritizing.