Measuring The Construct in Question

Assuming that the construct of Personal Mastery or the Private Victory truly is important, how can we measure a school population's levels of these constructs?

If we can, then perhaps we can begin to put together a case for things that organizations are doing to encourage this development.

This study will try and create an instrument to measure these levels. Once we can measure the levels we can identify strong schools. Once we can identify strong schools we can examine their practice. If we discover practices that are impacting a wide-variety of school populations- then we may find something useful for our school leaders to consider. But even more important, we may find hope for children trapped in systems that are hurting their potential and sufficating their passion to learn.

Notes from the Global Summit Day 1

What a powerful day. So much has happened- so much is going to support my studies. I saw a group of students speak today and they blew me away! They were shining as they spoke of personal vision and their love of school and their dreams.

I met Sean Covey today and told him about my dissertation- he connected me with the director of research who is going to assist me as I study the effets of the Leader in Me. He told me 5 others are doing their dissertations on this topic as well. I was excited to hear that now 250 schools are Leader-in-Me schools and India is going to launch 100 schools next year! All of the high schools in Guatemala are required to use the 7 Habits!

I also ate dinner with David Langford from Langford Learning. He invented the consensusgram. His work with Quality tools is powerful and he had a diagram that represented schooling on a spectrum from external to internal motivation. I will connect with him in the future too.

I also shared the meal with Principal Solome Thomas-El. He is an inspirational speaker- one of his lines that made me laugh was when he said: "I have students that give asprin a headache." He is working on his doctorate and it is focused on Self-Efficacy. He says part of his motivation is to be a role model for children and teachers. He wants to build data folders into his school.

Over and over I felt confirmation that this research is important- we can help this profession move forward by identifying the student levels of the Private Victory in students.

Off To The Global Summit

I am going to meet school leaders who are using the Leader-in-Me framework. I can't wait to see what people are doing to develop the personal mastery levels in students...

Quotations from Connie Moss and Susan Brookhart

From: Advancing Formative Assessment in every Classroom

"Just as a windmill intentionally harness the power of moving air to generate energy, the formative assessment process helps students intentionally harness the workings of their own minds to generate motivation to learn." p. 5

"Propelled by the formative process, students understand and use learning targets, set their own learning goals... and assess their own learning progress. And as students develop into more confident and competent learners, they become motivated to learn, increasingly able to persist during demanding tasks..." p. 5


Three central questions guide the formative assessment process:
1. Where am I going?
2. Where am I now?
3. What strategy can help me get to where I need to go?

This sounds a lot like Personal Mastery...
1. Vision
2. Awareness of one's current reality
3. Taking actions that move us closer to the vision

It sounds like Covey's private victory as well:
1. Begin with the End in mind
2. Be Proactive
3. Putting first things first

"Students are operating in the dark as well (as the teachers). Without the benefit of knowing how to assess and regulate their own learning." p. 9

"Students become self-regulated learners and data-driven decision makers. They learn to gather evidence about their own learning and to use that information to choose from a growing collection of strategies for success." p. 10

to be continued...

Reflective Practice is Missing

Reflective practice is an important discipline- Dr. Korach dedicated one of our whole classes towards this discipline. I remember Dr. Sergiovanni stressing this in our graduate work- we even had assignments to journal through our practicums in undergraduate courses.

So why is it important? What does it take to make time for reflection in our schools? Is it valuable to have students participate in this practice?

In my dissertation we will explore this. Covey, Senge, and Baldrige are all impacting education today and they stress Personal Mastery. Do these systems increase a student's level of Personal Mastery?

Covey developed a Franklin Planner, Baldrige uses data folders, and people like Stiggins and Marzano believe in student-involved recording of formative assessment.

Many great leaders in history write about the power of our thoughts:
"I think therefore, I am."
"As a 'man' thinks in his heart so is he."

What tools are we using in schools to provide opportunity for such thinking to develop? Is there room in the age of accountability for reflection?

LATEST THOUGHTS ON POTENTIAL METHODOLOGY

I could create a student survey that measures Personal Mastery and Covey's Private Victory.

This survey could then be sent to Baldrige, Leader-in-Me, and Traditional Classrooms. I could analyze the results to see if Personal Mastery levels are higher in classrooms where systems are in place that pay attention to Personal Mastery.

After the analysis I could develop interview questions based on the themes that emerged from the survey. I could then identify the sites with the highest levels of Personal Mastery and interview school leaders and teachers there... compile themes and maybe a grounded theory.

I will share this with my advisor then see what happens next...

Attended Donna's Defense

Yesterday a colleague from my cohort invited me to her defense. She ended her coursework a year a head of me to technically I could be in her shoes next year. I am grateful she allowed me to see this event. It was like a huge presentation. She shared her findings and then the professors asked many technical questions about the decisions she made in her research. Everything from the selection of the sample to the selection of her themes.

I felt so proud of her! She is a doctor now!

This experience gave me motivation to keep plugging away.

Methodology Options part2

Talked with Dr. Korach and Dr. Brookhart (2 members of my committee) and we tossed around a few ideas for the study.

Grounded Theory Option: Looking for sources of Personal Mastery in students through interviews, observations, and surveys. The part that is hard for me is giving up the data folders I designed.

Experimental Design Option: Studying the impact of data folders on a few classrooms. Looking specifically for personal mastery. In Leader-in-Me schools they will be following the work of Covey which uses the Covey planner for developing habit 3. This will just be a test of a potential scholastic planner.

Phenomenology Option: Studying the impact of the data folders. This time there is no theory coming into the study- just report the findings after I interview and survey.

Though I would like to already have decided this methodology a long time ago- I am still working on the first chapter which is the introduction- so the timing is OK. I am feeling a stronger sense in my gut to go with options 2 or 3.