About that new Dissertation topic....

As some of you may know, my master's thesis examined parent and student perceptions of differentiated instruction at my charter school site, Blue Heron Middle School. My questions in that study were: Why did the parents/students in my school choose alternative education? What, if anything, was different about the school? and What, if any, impacts do those differences have on their learning throughout the year?

With the increase in emphasis on school choice options for families, the reasons parents/students choose different schools, and the outcomes of those choices, continue to be important. I am currently in an internship at a charter school here in Idaho which emphasizes an Expeditionary learning model. This year they expanded and added over 100 new students. This offered an opportunity to explore why these families chose to enroll at this charter school. However, because the school has been in operation for ten years, it is fairly stable in its curriculum and day-to-day organization, which is a huge plus. These families came into a successful school instead of stepping onto a new boat leaving the dock, like with my school!

My new dissertation topic examines parents' perceptions of how their choice has impacted their child's growth. In my thesis, it was interesting to look at parent/guardian's own elementary school experiences, and how that influenced their perceptions of their child's schooling. This is a big piece of this study, as well. Do parent experiences influence the act of making a choice? Do parent experiences color their perceptions of what school should be like, and their satisfaction with their child's school?

For my pilot study, I'll be talking with five parents/guardians. In the dissertation, I'll be talking to about 30 parents/guardians, as well as the students them selves, to compare perceptions. It's great to have a large population to draw from, because the more interviews I do, the better.


I'm doing good on my time line, so far. Have my project approved, and am submitting the Institutional Review Board paperwork tomorrow. That's the university approval process to make sure my research is safe for human subjects!

Am deep in the review of literature for the study. Best part so far has been finding a researcher in Finland who has spent a lot of time looking at the influence of parents' experiences on their perceptions of education. So my literature review is taking on an international flavor!

Onward and upward, one handhold at a time. :)

(I promise pictures of animals and scenery next time. Sorry for the dense text.)

Belay On!

Here we go! Tomorrow the spring semester officially starts. Over the last two weeks I've been working on reading, doing prep for my dissertation, and started my internship hours at the charter school, but the pedal truly hits the metal tomorrow. As I'm mentioned to a few people, I feel like I'm standing at the bottom of a vertical cliff, looking up. Can't see the top because it's shrouded in clouds. No path. Just a lot of training and experience that I need to put to use, in order to carve new hand and foot-holds in this cliff. The title of this post refers to my friends and family who've been holding the tension on the rope this last year. Hang in with me, five more months! Belay On!

The steps along the way up this cliff are numerous, and I'm trying to do most of them this semester, which is perhaps a little nuts. But then I churned through 2+ years of coursework in a year, so I have a track record for being a little nuts. There's also that black walnut tree outside my window which had a LOT of nuts this year. Maybe it was contagious! At any rate, here's what I have left to do, in order to earn my doctorate and get really great table reservations under "Dr. Gibson"...

Independent Study: 6 units of credit for reading and internship courses, to finish out my credits/experiences.

Graduate Assistantship Research: 20 hours a week of work on research projects with my advisor.

Comprehensive Evaluation: AKA "Comps". This is a project which shows that I am able to conduct research and that I am ready to work on my dissertation. There are three options, but I'm choosing to do the Pilot Study option. This allows me to do a smaller research project, closely related to my dissertation, in order to test out some ideas and further develop my research design. Through a Pilot Study, I also do a literature review, which will feed into my dissertation. I do a proposal for my comps, get that approved, then do the pilot study and write up a "mini" research report.

Defense of Comps: I present my Pilot Study and defend its merits in front of a jury of my professors and peers. They ask me questions. If I am capable at this step, I...

Advance to Candidacy: I am a "legal" candidate for a doctorate in education, and I have free rein to work on my dissertation research.

Dissertation Proposal: I write up a proposal and time line of my dissertation. If approved by my committee, I...

Conduct Dissertation: research, data collection, write up, etc. I hope to collect data before I leave Boise in June. Then I have a year to write my dissertation.

Defend Dissertation: Similar to defending Comps, but even bigger, more public, and more important. If I am successful, I am allowed to graduate. I'm shooting for May, 2011, but I realize that things come up, so I'll be flexible.

I changed my topic for my dissertation. But until it's fully approved and my Pilot Study is completely designed, I'm keeping quiet. Oh, and I'm still doing the Grammar of Schooling study, just as a research project for my graduate assistantship instead of for my dissertation. Needed more flexibility of time for that study than my self-imposed timeline for my dissertation would allow.


Wish me luck, and check in with me from time to time. It means a lot to me. This is the hardest part, and I understand now more fully the desire to walk away from something really hard, rather than trying and risk failing! Coming back to face this semester was tough--you have no idea how close I was to just tossing in the towel and heading home. But I've come so far, so fast, and I can do this. I think I can, at least! I finally started thinking about all my students from the past, and imagining they were all watching me, holding my belay rope. What would I want them to see? What would I model? That lit a fire under me. :)

Off to the races...

Are they Washing Out?

Here are my winter horses. While I was gone for two and a half weeks, my neighbor was feeding them. When I arrived back, he came to tell me that my hay was crap, that it was "washing" them. Which I understand now means it is running right through them. He then informed me that he'd been supplementing my crap grass hay with his alfalfa, and that I could continue to use the outside bales on his stack (which have been rained on and need to get used up, hint, hint). Hmmm.

My grass hay is the same hay they ate all last year. It's mixed grass hay, grown without pesticides, and it is weed free. Beautiful hay in my eye, but I have not had it analyzed, so it could be junk, I guess. There manure looks really good, as well.

Are they being "washed" out? I can't really tell, they look like my horses, and they are both covered in wooly mammoth fur! Horspoor recommended I post some pictures, so here they are... Would like to get anyone's feedback on how they look after almost two months of winter, and three months of eating the hay. Thank you!

Giovanna

Giovanna Berhwood- the draft horse is really showing... Perhaps he'll be the vaulting horse? Berhwood Giovanna- isn't she supposed to be clean where her blanket was, not the opposite? Berhwood

Video Trials- Top and Maisa

Experimenting with uploading video from the video camera.
Here's a clip of Maisa Fahim at pasture last summer, I think.





And here's a video of Top lunging last week.

Back in Idaho

At Kathy and Dick's house in Humboldt.

Made it back to Idaho safe and sound. Arcy is thrilled to be back in her house. She spent half an hour checking everything out, making sure things were still here. lol. Then she ate a huge meal and crashed. She hadn't eaten much for the last two days with the traveling, so it was good to see her eat.

Everything here looks good. There is a (expected) slush pile of muck in the stalls and arena, and I'll be busy for the next few days getting things cleaned up. But the horses look GREAT and seemed pretty pleased to see me. All blinky eyed and smiling. I'm so relieved. Being gone for over 2.5 weeks, I was beginning to worry.

The roads were perfect- I'm glad I waited another day and a half. No ice or snow anywhere, but banked up on the sides. I was quite fortunate. It's going to take me a while to get acclimated here again. I already miss the riding facilities at RA--clearly I will not be riding my horses anytime soon, given the ice in my arena! Bummer. Was having so much fun on Belle and Maisa. I guess I do need to be focusing on my dissertation research and reading, but still...lol.

Happy New Year everyone, and best wishes for whatever your plans are for the coming months!