Notes and Thoughts

Today in class, DrM noticed a page of scribbles I had in my Baxter Magolda book. Anyhow, yeah, that's what I do. It wasn't really to clarify anything in particular, but a place where I record my thoughts after reading parts of the book. In addition to the thoughts that related directly to the reading (see previous post), here are my scribbles:

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Frustrated. I am still on Ch 1 of our book. I find myself wholly and utterly frustrated by my inability to just sit and read. Sometimes I wish I could just sit and read - just take it in and think about it later. But the more I read things that are connected to something I studied before or to something someone said or to an experience I had, I find my mind straying from the reading and reflecting back. It is frustrating to take entirely too long to read something because your mind keeps bouncing around and you cannot keep up - with your thoughts OR your readings.

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My problem is my mind bounces around too much. I am too affected, too intrigued. I feel pulls in all directions. But I like the connections and feeling strings connecting me to people, ideas, words, and thoughts. --That these "strings" of connections can go both ways are what I find to be most compelling and beautiful.

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motivation --> what is behind motivation - parents, grades, intrinsic learning, etc

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How do you eat knowledge? Do you smell it and hesitantly taste? Do you bite? Do you savor it or quickly consume it waiting for your next fix? Do you swallow right away or chew a bit? Do you ever spit it out because it tastes a little funny and then look at it, maybe pick through it because it tasted a little odd... do you pop it back in your mouth again? Or maybe it is so disgusting you don't even try it? Do you lick your fingers clean? How do you eat your knowledge?

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Children
-uninhibited
-haven't yet learned to stifle their creative imagination

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Active engagement in learning

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We can't generalize from only one perspective...at the same time, we shouldn't deny the value of individual experiences.

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SO...yes. In addition to my previous post (which made sense) these are my random scribbles in my book. Some are indirectly related to the reading while others are...a few tangents removed from the reading. :)

A few other thoughts I had that I didn't write down here was how feminist literature influenced Baxter Magolda. In the second semester of my first year of college I took a great psychology of women class and we read some of the works that Baxter Magolda cites - We read the first part (it was in our reader) of Belenky et al's Women's Ways of Knowing and Hare-Mustin & Maracek's Making a Difference: Psychology and the Construction of Gender.

That psychology of women course was the first time I was introduced constructionism AND...I went back to look at my midterm for that class and believe it or not, I mentioned Perry's "dualism"! Wow. Totally did not remember that AT ALL. (Though I do remember writing it at like...4 am.........) It's an interesting paper. On the first day of class, our prof asked us to write down questions we hoped the class would answer for us and she collected our paper. For our midterm assignment, she handed those papers back to us and we had to answer our questions based on what we had learned in class thus far. I thought it was an amazing assignment. Though the class seemed to have more of a feminist theory background than a "psychological" one, it was my first introduction to feminist theory and constructionism and that was exciting.

Baxter Magolda's Epistemological Reflection Model.....and other thoughts

Baxter Magolda’s Epistemological Reflection Model

Absolute knowing
-Focus is on acquisition
-Knowledge is certain and comes from authorities
-Gender patterns are receiving (females) and mastering (males)
Transitional knowing
-Focus is on understanding and process
-Knowledge is uncertain
-Gender patterns are interpersonal (females) and impersonal (males)
Independent knowing
-Emphasis on open-mindedness
-People are equals in holding their own opinions as valid
-Knowledge is mostly uncertain
-Gender patterns are interindividual (females) and individual (males)
Contextual knowing
-Emphasis on thinking for oneself
-Analyzes existing knowledge and gives weight to context

So I’ve read half the book (and I have read some of this book before) and here are some of my thoughts:
1)Her preface/intro is great. I really like how she brought in the feminist background…I wish it were more of a theme throughout the book.
2)I find myself intrigued by these “within” differences vs. the actual “stages” themselves. I’d like to see more about the progression of the gender-related (but not dictated!) differences.
3)These ways of knowing do seem to follow (at least somewhat) the structure of college curriculum. Freshmen typically start out in large lecture classes and over the course of their time at college, courses get more focused (regarding subject matter) and smaller in size –which is more conducive to discussion. So I’m just curious as to how much this model would differ if students were continually lectured to throughout all four years OR had an overall more discussion-based curriculum. –Or perhaps there was already an awareness of this progression and thus the curriculum style sprung from it? What came first? Chicken or egg?
4)I am curious as to how other constructs such as motivation/caring play a role in this process.

I’ve thought back over the differences of my overall “mindset” from high school to college to graduate school and I think the biggest changes for me have been the shift in hrm…how do I phrase it? Epistemic value or priority perhaps? Prior to high school, my motivation and “care” for school was primarily external. My parents prioritized it, so I did (influence of authority) as well as the “achievement” piece – public recognition and awards. In high school, much of that remained similar, but I’d say somewhere around junior or senior year, it shifted more to “this is for me” – it was still not pure intrinsic motivation, but it wasn’t entirely extrinsic anymore. Then in college, my focus shifted away from being completely self-centered to more open and inclusive of my peers (the first time I saw them as “equals”). I’d say I cared more about learning on a more altruistic level than in high school, but I was still (at least somewhat) motivated by my grades.

After college, I joined the “real world” and that’s when I truly began to appreciate learning the sake of learning - the concept of the “lifelong learner.” I took post-bac classes in a subject I didn’t study in college just for fun. I couldn’t just be a person in a job and here, this is my life. It wasn’t enough. My shift here at that point was to an entirely internalized goal – I wasn’t living for some reward, for a pat on the back, for someone to tell me how great I was. It was entirely and completely for me and nobody else. Now in graduate school I find myself longing to explore connections between not just subject matters but with life -my life and the lives of others I know. This is, after all, the intention of my blog – a piece of personal history, a way for me to take what I’ve learned over the years and reflect and analyze and compare things to what I’m learning now, what’s going on around me, as well as with the people around me.

Today I went to a lecture by Nel Noddings which was thought provoking, especially given my thoughts regarding motivation and achievement. How do we, as a society, create “excited” learners? How can we teach students to grow to find what they love? How do achievement rewards and things like measurements/tests (ie NCLB) hinder this path? How dare we impose quantitative measures on qualitative learning! *sigh*

It’s interesting to see this push for “standards-based” curriculum and testing in the K-12 spectrum (ie NCLB) while more and more colleges and universities are doing away with looking at SAT’s as a measure for entry to college (most recently in California...)

Education, Technology & Globalization

Shame on me for not commenting on Obama's address to Congress in which he included education as one of his top priorities (yay!) Here's the direct transcript from his 2/24/09 speech...well...just the part about education:

The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America.

In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity - it is a pre-requisite.

Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialised nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish.

This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education - from the day they are born to the day they begin a career.

Already, we have made an historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We have dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life. We have made college affordable for nearly seven million more students. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children's progress.

But we know that our schools don't just need more resources. They need more reform. That is why this budget creates new incentives for teacher performance; pathways for advancement, and rewards for success. We'll invest in innovative programmes that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps. And we will expand our commitment to charter schools.

It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country - and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighbourhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country - senator Edward Kennedy.

These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner or turn off the TV, put away the video games and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home.

It is quite a goal but we must start somewhere - and thank you, Mr. President, for point out that it's not just resources, it's reform. Yes, money is great and I'm sure those dollars will be received with gratitude, but if you want change, you can't just throw money at it.

I also wanted to tie a few other things in with the importance of education as a priority. I was recently at a meeting where P-20 initiatives are being discussed (mostly in regard to federal funding). Anyhow, one of the priorities is a better way to track students along their educational paths to try to find out what works and what doesn't. Imagine all the data! (And that's an excited "!")

What about education in the context of an increasingly "global" world? In class today we discussed an article "Wake Up and Smell the Epistemology" and talked about it in relation to positions/stages of Perry's theory. I think the author's perspective is interesting - that due to what he sees as the influence of technology, students are coming into college at a higher (albeit apathetic) level of cognitive development. This quote from a student in the article summed this point up nicely:

It is imperative that someone studying this generation realize that we have the world at our fingertips — and the world has been at our fingertips for our entire lives. I think this access to information seriously undermines this generation's view of authority, especially traditional scholastic authority.

So let's see...so far I've talked about education as a national imperative (regarding both resources and reform) and cognitive levels of students in the "information age." I wanted to bring one more idea into this blog, which is globalization. The world has always been complex within and among disciplines, but when you broaden the scope to include the whole world, and not just the U.S., somewhere, we must account for the rapid pace of globalization include economic, political, financial, and yes, even educational.

I got this link from a friend and I highly recommend taking a look at it - it really puts the technological revolution on a global scale and ties education into it quite nicely: Did you know?

I think when we take a step back and look at the future of education in the realm of a global community, there are many things we need to address. We are ill prepared for the future. A couple of the most salient issues would have to be the current economic crisis as well as climate change. I think other issues include apathy and lack of direction. Do people (including students) really not care? Or do people not care because they feel at a loss of knowing what they can do?

Maybe students are apathetic about what they learn in the classroom - but are they entirely apathetic? Or does it have to do with relevance? How is this relevant to the student - and how is it relevant to the future of society in a technological age of global growth? Furthermore, how can academics become relevant if the teachers cannot relate the relevance of their teachings to our global society? How can educational institutions prepare students for careers in a new globalized and technologically advanced future when the teachers themselves aren't equipped to guide their students in this direction?

I don't have the answers, obviously, but I think there are too many people with closed minds out there that inhibit the possibilities....and much like the Clydesdale article suggests, I don't think the ones with the most closed minds are the students. (!) I love it when I hear teachers, administrators, and professionals I know say things like, "I'm learning so much from my students" or "I love what my students are teaching me!" Yes, thank you!

It's not about "I'm right" or "I know it all" or even "I know much that I would like to share" - it's a step further. The convergence of minds, the idea of synergy, that the most can be achieved when everyone is involved...that when everyone (let's say, in a classroom) works together not just for mutual benefit, but for even more...the sum of what the teacher knows and what the students have to offer is greater than what the students can learn from the teacher alone (or what the teacher can learn from their students alone).

Now, I don't know how we can find out how best to address the current and emergent issues in our society (and around the world), but I know one thing: we are all in this together, and there's no way we can survive without a combination of individual and social responsibility and reliance. Hrm. Does that make sense? That we need to hold ourselves accountable and each-other accocuntable. That we need to keep our minds open, not just for ourselves, but for what can be an even greater benefit.

Now the big question is - how can we achieve this?

Thinking about Thinking (and some of the things I'm thinking)

So we're now moving from the psychosocial models of development and moving on to the cognitive structural models. Now that I didn't love the psychosocial models (because I did), but I am extremely excited about cognitive structural theories - after all, that's kind of my purpose of doing this blog in the first place! I love learning and thinking - it is a hobby and an addiction. I am intrigued by ways of learning and ways of knowing, and how people come to know what they know, how people learn new ideas and concepts, and what they then come to decide is important to them.

I have always loved school, books, and libraries. In the public school system, I was one of the lucky ones. As a little kid, I was identified as someone that should be placed in honors curriculum. In elementary school and middle school, I was on this track and it's true that the "highest" classes tended to have the "best" teachers - and that we were basically like a cohort - those in honors English were the same as those in honors math. It just ended up that way.

In high school I became more aware of these differences and made sure I was getting the best education I possibly could, with attending a mainland college as the motivating factor. If for some reason I wasn't placed what I thought was the course I belonged in, I was the first to grab my Stanford Achievement Test scores and march my way over to the counselors office to complain. But even knowing to do that, my awareness of that, came from a perspective of someone who knew that being in these "honors" classes was truly advantageous. What about all the other students that don't know? I'm not saying there aren't learning differences out there because there are. But what about everyone else? What about the students that weren't hand picked early on? What if they want the best education they can possibly get - the best teachers, the best academic track - shouldn't they be able to pursue it?

For me, the most important factors were: 1) parents that valued education a great deal, 2) excellent teachers that pushed me academically and 3) internal motivation. I'm sure 3 is related to 1 and 2.

I've had great teachers through my life, particularly in middle school which are very critical years in education. I wonder about the teachers that have replaced my teachers that have since retired. Are they pushing (and supporting) their students? Are they as passionate about their field? Can their students tell they care? Being able to think critically, and think outside the box were things I was pushed to do. Knowledge wasn't something these teachers claimed to own - it was something they loved and wanted to share. Learning was symbiotic. They cared just as much about what we thought about what we were learning (qualitatively) as they did about how much we were learning (quantitatively). It does seem to make sense that if one enjoys the process they would be better able to grow and learn. Sometimes I think that if I were to become a middle school teacher, I would be able to make a bigger impact on the world than I would in any of the jobs I've ever had or aspire to have.

Being a college administrator or professor is great and you still play a large role in the life of the students at your institution...but I can't help but think of the students that never make it there. The ones that don't have the opportunity to go to college or have the knowledge of what is necessary to help them get there. The ones that don't get adequate support from their family or their teachers. The ones that don't have the social and culture capital. How can I best help these students? Research? Policy analysis? Maybe the best way to help is to actually be in the trenches with them.....