December 9, 2007

Well, I have finally demolished my writing block. This writing, in fact the whole KA, has been a long process.

I am anxious that it is taking me so long to get through this KA. However, having the luxury to go slower has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and find better ways to work academically. I have learned when and how to read deeply and when and how to read "shallowly". I have established a great practice for reading and taking notes. I use a black and white composition book for my work and school. This way my work and school is symbolically connected. I use one side of the notebook for work and the other for school. When the two sides meet, I get a new notebook! Simple! After taking notes, both June and I have been creating concept maps. These maps we post on our blogs and talk about at mentor meetings. This has been very successful because it allows me to think about the readings 3 times (note taking, concept map, sharing). I feel that I capture the essence of what the author is saying. This was a learning process, slow at first but a practice that is helping me in my writing and a practice that I will use going forward in other KAs.

Writing has been a challenge. I spent a lot of time developing a "meta-concept map" that tied together my readings. I don't feel that the connections are very tight and it seems a little cognitively messy, but it is good enough that the most important ideas that I want to use are on it. It is a good graphic organizer in that sense. I can also, and have, go back to the original concept map of a particular reading for more detail. This has been greatly helpful! Even having a great organizer didn't save me from the dreaded empty page syndrome. I did have a writers block but the good news is that I have overcome that. What helped? Here is my process:

1. Meta-concept map (review concept maps of readings and connect important ideas, themes)
2. Talk through meta-map to develop the connections between ideas and get language around topics ( I used a voice recording device to capture my thoughts)
3. Write resources on paper first
4. Transcribe voice recording onto paper
5. Develop organization (this emerges from the transcription)
6. Read through and write in italics guiding questions that I am responding to.
7. Continuously develop introduction as paper emerges
8.Draft. Note (in blue) where you need additional support
9. Revise. Read for flow, support, extraneous information

I am still in the draft phase, but feel that I am in a good flow now. Work has been very busy, so I haven't had a lot of time to draft. I hope to have a good draft finished by next week and a final in 2 weeks.

Meta Map

Yeah! Here is my best meta map to date. This map includes much of my learning over the past few months in reading and conversation. I started this map by reflecting on the reading I have done and sort of brainstormed all the big ideas I thought were important. Then I read all of my concept maps for big ideas that connected across the reading to try and synthesize these big ideas. Finally, I read through my concept maps again for details and clarity and built up the map to this point. There are clearly more details to some of these bubbles that are in concept maps for single books. I tried to keep the wording the same so that if I want to go back for details, I can find connections by verbage. The pedagogy section is a bit too dense and I had to re-arrange some of the bubbles so that they were not overlapping and the connecting arrows were visible by hand. I don't think Inspiration can handle that level of complexity in arrangement. Anyway, I have it printed on four sheets of 11x17 paper and taped them together so I have a tangible graphic organizer as I begin to write my paper.

Last Concept Map and Meta Map

I read my final book for the overview section of this knowledge area. Below is a concept map for Border Crossings: Cultural Workers and the Politics of Education by Henry Giroux. I don't know why the background is black. I have tried reposting but it still comes up black.

Here is my first pass at a meta-map. I took concepts from maps of all 12 books that I read and identified some chunks of information, themes and connections in the field of structural inequality. This is far from a detailed map but I think provides enough information to map out the field of what I will write about in my Overview paper. This week, I plan to start writing my Overview paper.

October 14, 2007

Well, I am still trying to get through Border Crossings. I am about half way through the book. I just had so little time to read this week. I should have it completed by next week. I am posting some concept maps of books I have already read and didn't have maps for yet. Below is Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire.

And here is a map of Postmodern Education by Stanley Aronowitz

And finally, here is a map for Women's Ways of Knowing by Mary Field Belenky, Blythe Mc Vicker Clinchy, Nancy Rule Goldberger, and Jill Mattuch Tarule.

Next week, I WILL complete my final book, Border Crossings by Henry Giroux

Commitments for Oc. 1-7

This week I plan to read my final book for my Overview study and revise my KA contract.

Readings from Week of September25-Oct. 1

This week I read Empowering Education by Ida Shor. This was a great read for me as it combined by interest in theory and practice. Shor uses Freirian problem-posing education and describes a new way of teaching that starts from what students know and leads them to act on inequalities in society. Here is the map:

Concept Maps from Last week

Last week, I was unable to post concept maps. I am trying again.

Below is Orientalism by Edward Said. This book gives a comprehensive account of Orientalists and the extensive body of knowledge created by them on the Orient. Said argues that Orientalism has shaped Western ideologies and the Orient.

Below is the concept map for The Impact of Inequality:How to Make Sick Societies Healthier by Richard Wilkinson.

Below is a concept map for Power/Knowledge by Michael Foucault:

Finally, below is a map for Stigma by Erving Goffman:

September 25, 2007

Over the past few weeks I hae read, Orientalism by Edward Said, The Impact of Inequality: How to Make Sick Societies Healthier by Richard Wilkinson, Power/Knowledge by Michael Foucault, and Stigma by Erving Goffman.

September 3,2007

This week I read Globalization Unmasked: Imperialism in the 21st Century by James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer and Postcolonial Theory: A Critical Introduction by Leela Gandhi. I found my reading went slow this week and had difficulty getting through Postcolonial Theory. I finally got my new computer so I was able to install Inspiration and do 2 concept maps! This next week, I plan to read at least two more books and perhaps download Endnotes.

Globalization Unmasked: Imperialism in the 21st Century by James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer

Post Colnoial Theory: A Critical Introduction by Leela Gandhi

New Blog New Post

Welcome to my new blog! This is my second attempt at creating a blog. I think I figured out why the last one didn't work. So I hope this one works out!

I will be using this blog to record my thinking during my Fielding experience. I will post conceptual maps to illustrate what I have learned from readings. I will post reflections on personal experiences that relate to my Fielding work and record weekly plans and accomplishments.

Accomplisments: To date I have written my Learning Plan and Knowledge Area contract for Structural Inequality and Diversity. My Learning Plan has been approved. I have read Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Friere.

Plans: I will install Inspiration and End Notes as soon as my new computer arrives.