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.