-Shay's Road to a Completed Dissertation-

5/12/11

2011-05-12T10:03:00.000-10:00

It's been FOREVER since my last update. I don't know...but something just hit me and told me I should update this blog...even though I know people don't really read this.

So, let's do a fast recap. I was at the first school collecting data from September to December. I spent over 200 hours there. I was at the second school from January to March...until the tragedy happened in Japan. I spent 150 hours there and had to make the executive decision to pull out of the country because of the uncertain living situations and continue my research in Portland, Oregon.

So, now I'm at the third and final school for data collection in Portland, Oregon. I've spent over 100 hours thus far and scheduled to be here until June.

I've heard back from a few conferences, but I had to turn some of them down because of the unexpected transition. I'll be going to Colorado for one of the conferences though.

Life's been pretty hectic, but last I talked to my advisor, we're shooting for a Spring 2012 graduation. We'll see...

12/4/10

2010-12-03T23:05:00.002-10:00

Just submitted my first abstract for a conference. If accepted, I'll be presenting my preliminary findings at a conference! w00t! That's pretty nerve wreaking. My advisor said that when I'm done with the dissertation I should even try for AERA. AERA is the real deals...I can always apply but who know what will happen?

Anyways, I've spent over 200 hours in the classroom collecting data for my research. I can't believe I only have 2 more weeks in the first school. Time is passing by so fast. Before I know it, it'll be January and I'll be at the second site collecting data.

10/28/10

2010-10-28T01:56:00.003-10:00

WoW! It's been over a month since my last update? Time flies when you're having fun. Oops, did I just mention fun on my "boring blog"?

Anyways, here goes the update.

I have made my 100 hours in the classroom mark. Yes, I have observed this one class for over 100 hours. WoW. I wrote up my report and have yet to hear back from my advisor, but the teachers and headmaster at the school have read my report. They had some concerns so I was pulled into the office once again. Basically, the headmaster was a bit concerned about the things I was observing because it "shouldn't" be how I explained it. *shrugs* I mean, I wrote what I saw...what can I say? Hopefully things will work itself out soon.

Oh, and why have I been busy? Hm...events after events after events, perhaps. So I had my University of Tokyo Graduate School of Education's Foreign Student Overnight School Trip. Then I participated in Nikkei Youth Exchange (NYN) Summit Japan 2010, which was also an overnight event. Then I participated in a Foreign Student Cultural Experience Trip that my scholarship sponsored. *whew*

As for University of Tokyo, it's been awesome. I got accepted into the Japanese language program. So along side all my data collection, reading, and writing, I can work on improving my Japanese as well. This is a total bonus since I really wasn't planning on taking a class.

All-n-all, I'm loving my time here. Too bad I didn't think ahead and ask for the 2 year scholarship rather than just 1 year. I guess after I graduate, I can always come back to Japan. ^__^

9/24/10

2010-09-24T01:08:00.003-10:00

Update Update Update! Read all about it!

Housing - I moved into my hole in the wall on 9/16. It's only for a year, so I think I can manage. It's nice and cozy, but it was a like a puzzle putting things away because there's no space! LoL. I ended up putting my shoes, books, and dry foods all in the shoe rack/box/closet. LoL

Certificate of Alien Registration Card - Picked up my card on 9/15, opened up a bank account, deposited my money to keep it safe, and paid the school's tuition. Oh, and along with my Certificate of Alien Registration Card, I also got health insurance too.

University of Tokyo - My first meeting with my advisor here is on 9/30. I'm a bit nervous.

Now, for the good stuff.

Week 1 of observation at the first school is done. How many more? 12? How did it go? Well, I thought it went quite well. I got to meet the teachers, and the students and spend the entire day with them. But I did run into a little bump in the road. One (or more, who knows?) didn't agree with my research question. Great...after ALL that work. *hrmph* So basically, after talking to my advisor, I had to ex-nay the part where they felt as those I was evaluating the school/teacher. That's fine. Less work for me.

Gotta stay strong and pull through. Tough times are there to make you a better, stronger person in the end. I believe.

9/5/10

2010-09-04T14:21:00.005-10:00

w00t! I'm writing this in Tokyo, Japan! I made it over! Here's a quick run down of what happened so far.

Student Visa - After waiting for nearly 2 month, I took my Certificate of Eligibility to the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu to apply for a student visa. This process usually takes 4 days. However, with some connection and push, I expedited the process to 1 day. So I pick up my student visa the next day and flew out to Japan! (Literally, the day I picked up my visa was the day I flew out!)

Housing - It took 10 days, but I FINALLY found a place to live for the year. Finding a place isn't easy, but it's even harder when you're a foreigner. They don't trust you. I don't blame them...but c'mon. With the help of Nippon Keidanren, I locked down a place. It's super duper uber small. There's a bed, and a desk. That's pretty much it. LoL. But it's fully furnished down to the sheets and towel, and electricity and water is included. Sweet deal!

Certificate of Alien Registration Card - Now that I have an address, I went down to the Ward Office to apply for this card. It takes 2 weeks for it to process. Without this card I can't open a bank account and/or pay for the school's tuition. The law requires the bank to confirm the person's address...without the Alien Registration Card, I have no proof.

School Observation 1 - I visited the first school I'll be observing. I thought I could start right away, but the school needs to inform their parents that I'll be around campus and I also need parent/student signatures approving me to observe. Hopefully by mid September I can start collecting data.

University of Tokyo - I visited the school and met a few important people in charge of the education department. They were all very nice and made me feel welcomed. They even have a "camp" for incoming foreign students that I will be joining! So excited!

So basically, I'm playing the waiting game at the moment. Waiting for the Alien Registration Card so I can open up a bank account and pay for school; Waiting for the school to notify and get parent/student signatures; Waiting for the university to start.

8/21/10

2010-08-21T20:01:00.002-10:00

Initially I didn't think I'd still be around for COEDSA's orientation, so I didn't sign up to help with anything...but I'm still here! So I decided to go help the orientation. I ended up being on the student panel to share my journey so far with the new incoming phd students.

Two most important thing I can share:
1) Take breaks to do what you enjoy.
2) Research what you REALLY want to do.

When I first began this journey...somewhere along the lines...someone told me I shouldn't REALLY do what I am interested in since I'll get burnt out and lose interest. So I decided on the whole "humor in the classroom" theme. Well, that didn't go very well. My advice, stick to what you really want to research.

Oh, and after speaking, one guy, Jesse, even came up to me after to ask further about my studies and plan. It was nice to know that someone actually cared enough to follow up on what I said. ^__^

As for when I'm leaving to go to Japan, still no date.

8/16/10

2010-08-16T22:06:00.002-10:00

So I was suppose to leave on 8/18/10, but that won't be happening anymore. I will be needing my visa so I'm waiting on that. As soon as I get the visa I'll be on my way.

Today I met up with some other Ph.D students for dinner and one of them said that she's planning on graduating in Fall 2011. She said that she'd want me to graduate with her then. Seriously? I don't know if I can do that...I'd have to really concentrate on school and write my dissertation while I collect data. We'll see.

8/7/10

2010-08-07T18:53:00.002-10:00

Here's an update. I rewrote my research questions:

Dual Language Education:
Main: What are the mission, purposes, structure, and program characteristics of dual language education in international schools in Japan?
Sub: What are the characteristics of the school setting, features of the program, personnel and participants involved? How is the curriculum and instruction organized?

Within Students' General Education:
Main: What are the essential educational experiences that underlie students' learning within these types of dual language education programs in international schools?
Sub: How do students understand these experiences? What parent processes (i.e., values, goals, behavior) underlie the roles parents play in supporting student learning? How do teachers structure and influence student learning activities in the classroom? What other features of schools appear to support the learning process in these types of schools?

Ethnography:
Main: Are there any discrepancies between the schools' mission and values and what students actually experience?
Sub: What meanings do participants (e.g., students, teachers, and parents) attach to those discrepancies?

So, a little birdy named, Fred, told me I don't need my Visa. muahahaha. So, I booked my flight and getting ready to leave for Japan. (Fred is a made up character in my world.) I've been saying my goodbyes and slowly packing, while attempting to rewrite my first chapter.

I also got my first scholarship check in the mail today! $10,000 to my name! I'm excited.

7/26/10

2010-07-27T01:11:00.003-10:00

Today was my dissertation proposal defense. In order to prepare for this day, of course I practiced my 20 presentation, but I also cut a few veggies, made dip, and had water ready for the professors...you know, to relieve any anxiety.

Well, the proposal defense consisted of a 20 minute presentation and 1 hour of question and answers. After that, I was kicked out of the room so they could talk amongst themselves my destiny. I returned to the room to find out that I need to revamp my research questions, and do more reading, and more researching on the "elite" dual language education field.

So...yes, it is a relief to have this step done. However, at the same time, A LOT more works needs to be done. I just checked my email and my advisor just sent me a 4 pages-single-spaced notes on today's event. Not to mention my exploratory case study has now changed into an ethnographic study.

On that note, I must say, I love my advisor. I really, really, really do. Without his help and guidance, I would not have been able to get to where I am now. It is because of him, and his hard work, and his faith in me, that I am where I am.

I am very happy that my committee is strict, but at the same time very supportive of my research and ideas. They are a great bunch of people and I am happy to be working with them.

It's going to be a tough road ahead, but well worth it in the end...I know.

7/17/10

2010-07-17T11:09:00.002-10:00

Date, Time and Place has been set for the dissertation proposal defense! Now, I'm scrambling to create a 20 minute Powerpoint presentation. Hopefully I can get it done by Wednesday, so that there's more than enough time for my advisor to look it over before my presentation on July 26! So close! So excited! So nervous.

Visa...well, nothing yet.

Housing? Well...nothing yet either.

7/10/10

2010-07-10T08:21:00.003-10:00

So I've sent my dissertation research proposal to my committee. There's 2 things that I need to hope for at the moment. 1) That all 5 committee members agree on a date and time to meet 2) That they approve my study.

Of course I still have visa to tackle.

Now that the paper is in their hands, I need to start working on my Powerpoint presentation. It needs to be about 20 minutes or so. After that, I'm questioned for about an hour. That's the proposal defense. Yikes, right?

7/6/10

2010-07-06T12:26:00.003-10:00

So close yet it still feels so far! I just got word this morning that my committee has been approved by the graduate division at UH! Now only 2 more steps!

1) Committee approves of study
2) Visa

...and then it's off to go to Japan! I can taste Japan.

Looking to submit my research proposal to the committee by the 10th. They need 2 weeks to read/review my research and then I must meet with them to defend my proposal. That's nerve wreaking. Really....they're gonna ask everything and anything about why my research SHOULD be conducted and what GOOD will it do. *rawr* I better start preparing.

7/1/10

2010-07-01T22:29:00.003-10:00

Another great news! My study was approved by Human Studies! IRB approval!

It took 3 times, but I did it. I just kept revising and resubmitting until I got it just right. I was getting a bit worried because I haven't heard from them, but I guess that was good news!

Just a few more things on my list to do, before I leave for Japan.

-Committee approved
-Committee approves dissertation research proposal
-Visa

Hopefully everything falls into place soon! I'm getting excited!

6/29/10

2010-06-29T15:58:00.003-10:00

Yet another milestone in my "road to a completed dissertation"!

I am looking at the acceptance letter from Tokyo University! Yes, Tokyo University. Although I did receive a scholarship to go study in Japan for a year, that did not come with a "free" entry into a university. I needed to apply to see which university would accept me as a research student to conduct my research. I was looking to return to Keio University, where I attended for undergraduate, but I thought why go back when I can get another "brand" name attached to my name. How about Tokyo University?...THE number ONE university in Japan. Why not? Let's give it a shot...was my thoughts.

To my surprise, I have been accepted and will be going to Tokyo University for a year to conduct my research. Words can't express how happy I am. It's like being 2nd/3rd tier your entire life and all of a sudden you reach 1st tier. That kind of feeling? You get my point.

Still have lots to tackle though. Here is the list:
-Dissertation committee approved
-Dissertation proposal accepted by committee members
-Research approved by University of Hawaii
-Visa

Alright. I did my happy dance. It's crunch time. Back to my desk.

6/7/10

2010-06-07T13:36:00.003-10:00

Dissertation Committee Members Set!

Yes, after all the rejections, I have finally gathered 5 professors who will determine my faith. In the end, I'll be needing 3 of the 5 to agree that whatever research I did "adds to the body of knowledge" and that I should graduate.

So, obviously this is a big step. So when the last professor agreed to serve on my committee naturally I got teary eyed. I'm so thrilled I don't even know where to begin.

Shay's Dissertation Committee Members
R.H. - Chair
S.R.
P.S.
T.H.
D.E.

Preparing for Japanese summer school has taken time away from the proposal and IRB papers, but I must get back to them. Oh, should I mention that IRB has denied me twice already...I wonder how many rejections this is going to take until they finally accept. Hm...

5/4/10

2010-05-04T09:13:00.002-10:00

Yesterday marked THE last class. Yes, THE last class I need to take for my Ph.D. Of course I still need to do comps and write the dissertation, but NO more course work. What a relief, yet a hint of sadness.

But I see it as, this is where the REAL work begins. Up until now, I had a professor that told me read this by next week, write this by the following, etc. Now, I'm the BOSS! I decide what I need to read and when I should have things written by. This requires LOADS of self discipline. Thank goodness I have some. ...enough to get a black belt in karate that is. LoL.

So, now that the real work begins...am I no longer a graduate student, but a researcher? LoL.

Good luck to me!

Oh, and a side note. A special someone got me an iPad as a congrats-for-finishing-course-work. Of course I needed it to sound like an iPad is a tool I NEED in order to conduct my research. LoL.

Happy studying!

4/27/10

2010-04-27T17:09:00.008-10:00

A lot has happened in the past few weeks I thought I'd write an update. (I make this sound like I shouldn't be doing this everyday. LoL. In reality, I SHOULD do it daily. So much for that idea.)

1) Dissertation Proposal is now at 30 pages. I turned it into my advisor on Monday with a feeling of accomplishment. Of course it still needs LOTS of work, but just turning it into him was a relief. That moment of relief should've been cherished because the next morning, my inbox had my paper with comments and suggestions, and sections of the paper that must be re-worked. No time to breath is probably life of a phd student, right?

2) Working Title! Yes, I have, or shall I say, we have a working title! (I say, we, because I'm working on this with my advisor.) It is Educating Children in Two Languages: A Multiple-Case Study of Dual Language Instruction in Japan. Of course, it is a working title meaning it WILL change. See, I even used the word WILL, instead of MIGHT. LoL.

3) Destination Japan. So, I'm looking at different schools to apply to as a research student in Japan. You know, to fulfill my scholarship opportunity of $45,000. I was initially looking into Keio University, my alma mater, but I also have my eye on Tokyo University. Why? Well, not that it really matters to me since I live my life in America, but in Japan it's all about the brand. I already have the Keio University brand attached to my name, why not also get a Tokyo University brand? LoL, simple as that. (For those reading thinking what's so special about these schools, it's like Yale, Harvard level. Why not get both attached, right?)

4) IRB. Institutional Review Board is a hurdle that all research students much overcome. It is a board that oversees all research done at the university to ensure that we're not harming humans. There are three levels, full, expedited, exempt. Most education related research is exempt because it's not like we're poking anyone with meds. However, if you do work with students under the age of 18, minors, then you'd need to submit a expedited full review. So, in my case, since I will be observing students who are minors, I must go through the expedited review. Basically, I need to turn in a bunch of paper work saying I will not harm the people I decide to observe.

5) Comprehensive Exam. I thought I needed to take this exam BEFORE I left for Japan in August, but I have been since notified that I may take this WHILE in Japan. Sweet. This exam is basically 3 super-duper-long essays. You're given 10 days or so to complete all 3 essays, each being anywhere between 15 to 20 pages. Oh my, not looking forward to that.

6) Now what? The class I'm currently taking marks my LAST course required for my degree. Yay! On to taking Independent Study with my advisor. It's called the 699 course where you register for 1 credit just so that you can "stay in the system".

Whew. What an update. There's probably more, but this is all I could think of as of now. I will attempt to write more often. No promises. LoL.

3/7/10

2010-03-08T01:02:00.002-10:00

So a friend of mine gave me a copy of The New York Times Magazine today. The title read, "Building a Better Teacher" with small text underneath saying "Can educators be educated about how to educate? By Elizabeth Green".

So I started to read the article and came across this:

"Among the factors that do not predict whether a teacher will succeed: a graduate school degree, a high score on the SAT, an extroverted personality, politeness, confidence, warmth, enthusiasm and having passed the teacher certification exam on the first try."

Seriously? Then what's all this schooling for?!? Wait, what are the factors that predict whether a teacher will succeed? Apparently Lemov's Taxonomy helps..."Teach like a champion: The 49 techniques that put students on the path to college". Wait, is putting them on the path to college the ultimate goal for every student? Ah, all the questions...

3/1/10

2010-03-01T12:24:00.005-10:00

It's been 11 days since I've got my paper back from my advisor. Am I anywhere near done? No.

The two-page proposal that we've been working on has now become a "short" proposal. It's 8 pages long now. (It's supposedly suppose to be 50 to 60 or so by the time I'm done.) Right now, I'm focusing on other countries, other than the United States that have had experience with dual language education. Also, I'm looking for previous research on different program features. And of course, I need to tie this all back to the setting of the research, Japan. Oh, not to mention, I need to solidify which method of research I'll be conducting as well.

So far, I've borrowed 2 books from the library, purchased many books online, and have printed numerous articles related to my study. (I'm so lucky to have found a printer that I'm able to print from for FREE. 100 pages? No problem! LoL.)

Hopefully I will get this paper out of my hand and back to my advisor by the end of the week. Wish me luck. Oh wait...that connects to the previous post! LoL.

3/1/10

2010-03-01T12:14:00.002-10:00

Reading my textbook from my EDCS 768: Seminar in Curriculum & Instruction Theories, and I come across this:

While girls are more likely to attribute their success to luck, boys are more likely to attribute their success to ability. As a result of these different causal attributions, boys are more likely to feel mastery and control over academic challenges, while girls are more likely to feel powerless in academic situations. (P. Campbell and J. Wirtenberg, "How Books Influence Children: What the Research Shows," Interracial Books for Children Bulletin 11, no.6 (1980):3-6.)

Reflecting on my thoughts and how I'm currently pursuing this degree, I find this oddly true. I'm not terribly smart, I think I just have perseverance and luck. So yes, I naturally think that I'm a bit powerless in academic situations...but perhaps that's just my personality too? Who knows?

2/7/10

2010-02-07T19:42:00.007-10:00

I made the last minute decision to go to Denver, Colorado to attend the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) conference. It was the greatest decision I have ever made so far in regards to a completed dissertation. The conference was filled with information that helped me get a better understanding of the bilingual education field. Not only that, I was able to meet the people who conducted major studies that I have been reading about. You're Dr. Gomez from Gomez and Gomez?

Apparently I have had the wrong understanding about bilingual education. "One-way" and "Two-way" refers to the population being educated. That is, in a "one-way" dual language program, all the students speak the same native language and are learning to become bilingual/biliterate. In a "two-way" dual language program, half the students speak one language, and the other half, a different language, and the goal is to become bilingual/biliterate in both those languages.

It has been shown, through research, that in the long haul, students in a two-way dual language program out perform students in a monolingual program.

Furthermore, I was aware of the 90:10 model and the 50:50 model, but had the wrong understanding about the 90:10 model. I thought that if the student's first language was English and they wanted to learn and become bilingual/biliterate in Japanese and English, then in the 90:10 model the student would have 90% Japanese and 10% English classes. However, the research shows that literacy knowledge and skills transfers from L1 to L2, and further stating that a strong understanding in their L1 will contribute to L2 success. Which means that in a 90:10 model, an English dominant student would start with 90% English and 10% Japanese!

There were approximately 1,600+ people in attendance, and I was surprised by the support people are willing to give. I introduced myself and said I was "new to the field" and they were more than happy to keep in touch and answer any questions that I may have regarding dual language education. Sweet!

1/28/10

2010-01-28T17:18:00.003-10:00

So, here I am staring at the same paper for the past 5 days. It's the two page proposal that I wrote to my advisor with all his comments. I'm suppose to revise, edit, and resubmit...ASAP. Sounds unthreatening since it's only TWO pages, but that hasn't been the case.

What I think I'm having an issue is with framing the whole situation. I tend to look into all the political debate other bilingual education and then start thinking to myself, my research isn't remotely related to public education... Then I start to realize that every article defines "bilingual education", "immersion education", "dual language education", etc. all differently so it's a pain to figure out what they are actually referring to.

Anyway, here are some preliminary research questions.

What are the main features in program models that deliver English and Japanese bilingual education in Japan?

What academic achievement differences exist between program models in the early dual language phase of language acquisition of English and Japanese in Japan?

1/12/10

2010-01-12T23:10:00.004-10:00

It is a new year with many new beginning! This is it! Or so I would like to think.

So, what happened between then and now? Well, I was awarded a scholarship. The scholarship is for a year study in Japan along with $45,000! WoW! So, how am I going to use all that money? Well, I'm thinking of using it as an opportunity to collect data for my dissertation. Grand idea.

Grand idea and all, but it entails loads of work. What kind of work?

*Finish last course work EDCS 768

*Field Study

*Gather 4 more professors for my committee

*Write my dissertation proposal

*Get my proposal approved by my committee

*IRB approval

*Comprehensive Exam

...all before I leave to Japan in August. Possible? Well, it's not a matter of possible. It's a matter of it MUST be done.

So, here is my preliminary research question.

What are the perceptions of parents and students towards whether or not the program goals and expectations are being met at English-Japanese two-way immersion schools in Japan?

Reasonable? Understandable? I know it needs work, but it's a start!

11/9/09

2009-11-09T19:42:00.002-10:00

Possibility of an advisor!? Nothing set in stone, yet. However, I might have just found an advisor! How did this come about? Well, I took a quantitative research method class from him this past spring. He is an awesome teacher that helped me to understand quantitative research methods even though I probably won't be using quantitative research methods. I ran the idea by him that I might have the opportunity to teach a summer school class at a local elementary school, and I took up the offer after taking his advice. Furthermore, I asked him to write a recommendation letter for the scholarship that I'm applying for and he gladly agreed!

Although he is not a Curriculum and Instruction professor, as long as I clear it with the chair of my department, it's a good to go! I'm very excited as this is the next big step in the whole doctoral process. *crosses fingers*

10/30/09

2009-10-30T14:36:00.002-10:00

Ok, so I haven't been keeping up with writing in this blog. *bad* I shouldn't make excuses, but I'm going go to make them anyways. This semester I registered for three classes, EDCS 653B - Math in Schools: Number and Operation, EDCS 767 - Issues and Trends in Curriculum, and EDCS 769 - Curriculum Evaluation. On top of taking three classes, I volunteer my time in a 1st grade classroom during the days. So yes, my days have been busy. Not to mention, I'm applying for a scholarship. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy every part of it.

Alright, that being said and done. I just wanted to say that I'm at the right place at the right time. That just seems to be how my life unfolds. More on that hopefully sooner than later. For now, I would like to add a few links that were suggested to me.

Evernote - Use Evernote to save your ideas, things you see, and things you like. Then find them all on any computer or phone. For free.

Mind Meister - MindMeister brings the concept of mind mapping to the web, using its facilities for real-time collaboration to allow truly global brainstorming sessions. Users can create, manage and share mind maps online and access them anytime, from anywhere.

Posterous - Posterous is the dead simple way to put anything online using email

I'm still testing these out, but so far so good.

6/21/09

2009-06-21T23:08:00.003-10:00

Happy Father's Day!

Ok. So the Spring 2009 semester ended and I successfully completed my Educational Statistics class...somehow. I would like to believe that I have gained enough knowledge to understand the basic in educational statistics, but of course far from being an expert in the field.

I have also completed my student teaching requirements for my state DOE teaching licensure program. After the completion of my application, I'll officially be a licensed teacher in the state of Hawaii. Yay!

Now on to summer school. Summer school for the kids, and summer school for me. When I say kids, I'm referring to the 27 second graders in my class. Yes, I'm teaching a post 2nd grade class for four weeks. Yikes! And summer school for me...a Qualitative Research class and a Mixed Methods class. It's taught by the same professor and the final assignment is the dissertation proposal. Hey, that's great and all...but WHAT IS MY TOPIC!?!?!

I'm STILL juggling different topics. What ever happened to the "I'll have my dissertation topic decided by December 2008"? Oh wells. So here are the ideas that are bouncing around in my head:

* Humor and Learning
* International Schools
* Finland Method
* Karate Training and transfer of skill

Humor is a good topic to do an exploratory case study. There's some literature on humor in the classroom and some empirical studies, but nothing major. I was thinking to do a case study on a teacher who uses humor in the classroom and see what comes up. Maybe even do a case study on my karate sensei? I don't know.

I was thinking International School because that's the whole idea behind me getting my doctorate. I was to eventually create an international school of some sort, so why not do research on it?

That's what got me into the whole Finland Method. Finland is doing something right. I'd like to know what it is. So I was thinking of just looking at the math curriculum in Finland. That'd require me to go to Finland, which is interesting, but would it be feasible?

Finally since I'm a black belt in karate, my classmate, colleague?, suggested I'd do something related to that. Which then turned into an idea of "Are students able to transfer martial arts training knowledge into an education setting?" This would be a case study as well and I would probably interview students and see what they have to say about it.

So...which topic? I better decide PRONTO. The sooner I decide, the sooner I can focus my readings and layout this dissertation proposal.

On a side not, I got a Kindle. It's great. I wish they'd put all my textbooks on Kindle. Then I wouldn't have to lug around 10 pounds of paper~

2/11/09

2009-02-11T22:12:00.003-10:00

Yay! I passed! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! No more Praxis for me. I'm done dilly! All I need to do now is survive student teaching. Then I'll be done with state licesure and I can focus on writing my dissertation. *whew*

Stats class has been interesting. It's a class that teaches me how I can use statistics in my dissertation. It's quite interesting, but at the same time a little scary. You can make your statistics say basically anything you want it to say...it's a matter of how you tweak your data. Very trippy!

1/26/09

2009-01-26T20:07:00.003-10:00

I pray that I passed my Praxis, even though I realized I wrote the answer to #19 in the space for #20 when there was less than 10 minutes left in the exam...leaving me with no choice but leaving my answer for #19 for #20 and copying what I wrote over to the space for #19. Er* Please pass me...

Anyways, yes, it's been a while since I wrote anything...again. Since classes at UH started and my student teaching at Chaminade has officially kicked into full gear...hopefully I'll have more academic things on my mind. Which will in turn get me to write more in this blog. Which in turn will get me to think about my dissertation more. *hopeful*

Today in my EDEA 629 Educational Statistics class, I told the professor about my idea about doing my research on humor in the classroom...kind of like a case study. So he replied that I would need to incorporate classroom observational data in which I use some sort of coding system. (Yes = 1, No = 0) Is the humor spontaneous? Is it intentional? Is it student initiated? Is it teacher initiated? He pointed me in the direction of looking at different types of data collection technique such as on task / off task, or even questioning strategies in order to adopt it to fit my needs.

As for now, it looks as though I'll be trying out this 'humor in the classroom' as a topic. I'll narrow it down when the time comes.

I'm student teaching as I do all of this thinking...Good thing I'm only taking one class at UH this semester. It is very stressful / nerve wreaking to know that I'm being graded on how well, or in some cases how badly, I'm teaching. I guess overall my first observation didn't go so bad. Next will be a longer period. Hopefully I'll do better!

1/3/09

2009-01-03T02:05:00.004-10:00

It's January 3, 2009....around 2AM in the morning...and guess what, no dissertation topic. I need to set a different date as my goal for deciding my dissertation topic. Hm...how about June 1, 2009. That gives me enough time, right? Another semester to think things over.

And yes, I've been slacking recently because of the whole holiday season. Finals ended, then it was Christmas, then New Years...and now I must study for my final Praxis Exam. Hopefully this will be the last and final exam. (Meaning, I'll pass and won't have to re-take it.)

Ok, so it's waaaaay beyond my bedtime. Must get my beauty sleep. Goodnight world.

OH! I know, how about my New Years Resolution? no...Goal...is to get my dissertation topic, and write at least a chapter or two by the end of the year! That's a good one....right? Oh, I'll give it more thought later. For now, I must go to sleep.

11/28/08

2008-11-28T21:29:00.002-10:00

My goal is to have a topic by December 31, 2008. At this rate, I don't know if I'll be able to make that goal. Hopefully after finals, I'll have more time to think about this.

11/10/08

2008-11-10T10:20:00.006-10:00

Argh! I haven't written for a very long time. I think about my dissertation everyday, but I just can't seem to think of anything NEW everyday. Anyways...

I went to another one of COEDSA's 1st PhriDay events. This time the topic was Types of Research Methodology. The three speakers spoke about qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research. I always like to go to these events because I get to talk to people about my thoughts about my topic, and they give me insights. I talked to this one person and they suggested that I ask if I could do my dissertation on the process of creating and getting approval of a DIP (Detailed Implementation Plan) in order to create a charter school. I thought that was a great idea since I want to create a school in the end anyways. (I don't know if a charter school is the way to go though....*shrugs*) Well, it's worth asking my advisor what she thinks.

I took notes during the workshop too.
-defining a topic
-framing the problem: How am I thinking about the problem? Why something works in one situation and not in another?
-developing research questions
-deciding data and method: What do I need? What can I get?
-What do you want to study and how? Write within 2 pages.
-positionality in qualitative research: What is unique about me? You need familiarity to the community.
-ethical concerns: You must have something to offer them. Beyond IRB, ensure that people are ethically treated.
-ethical concerns: state own bias, systematically through method.
-messiness: it's ok to tweak the research question to fit
-expect to be a different person after the process
-create a 12 page proposal with a concept map and time line in order to get a committee

10/29/08

2008-10-29T19:12:00.001-10:00

So I was debating whether or not to do the summer program. But I just received an email from my interim advisor and it said:

I'm paraphrasing below some info from our program's graduate chair.

EDUC 740 is an individually designed requirement done with an advisor. Usually, a student waits until the end of their coursework to fulfill this requirement. If a student has not had much varied professional experience, some sort of internship could be established in that area. For example, a student in policy studies might work with the state legislature or in other areas might attend an institute on the mainland. As for the latter, one of my students, a community college professor, attended a high powered assessment in higher education institute and wrote up a report about it for her 740. Another doctoral student wrote most of the ESL framework for the DOE. Another did a pilot study as preliminary to her dissertation. Others have worked as volunteer research assistants to a professor on a project and thereby have learned more about actually doing research. So there are lots of possibilities.

So I thinking maybe I'll do a pilot study to fulfill the requirement of EDUC 740? A pilot study of what? I'm not sure...

10/24/08

2008-10-24T22:11:00.003-10:00

A colleague of mine recommended that I do this summer program. (http://www.hawaiiqbprogram.com/) She said that it was a great experience and it fulfills the requirements for the three credits needed for field study. The deadline to apply for the program is October 31st, but I don't know if I should apply or not. Maybe I should apply, and if I get in, then it means I was meant to do the program?

By the way, I substituted again today. It was for one of the other 4th grade classes. Today, they went on a field trip to a fish pond located in Kaneohe. Each station seemed rushed, but overall I think it was a great learning experience for the students. The most exciting part was when they allowed the students to fish for crab. They had long sticks with strings attached to them. At the end was a paperclip with part of a fish as bait. The students would dangle it near the edge of the fish pond and crabs would attack it. I was amazed at how big the crabs were...4 inches or so wide!

10/22/08

2008-10-22T23:16:00.003-10:00

I just bought a new book titled The Geography of Thought by Richard E. Nisbett. It was recommended to me by my professor at Chaminade. He said that if I wanted to do my dissertation on comparing the U.S. curriculum with the Japan curriculum, then I'd need to read this book. However, I have chapters after chapters to read for school, therefore I will need to make an extreme effort in making time to read this.

I substituted again today. It was for another fourth grade class. The teacher made it so easy for me to substitute. Most of it was basically supervising the students. It wasn't as stressful as my first substituting job. In fact, I'd love to substitute for her anytime. Her students worked diligently and were honest in what the procedures were for the classroom. Except for one student. He needed my attention 24/7. Crazy kid.

One of the tasks was to proctor a math test. As I was walking around I noticed that many students didn't have labels for their answers. So I told them that they should make sure that they have labels for their answers. It's amazing because some students didn't know what a label was. So I had to give them an example. 12, what? 12 monkeys? 12 bananas? 12 dollars? What is it? I think some of the students caught on, but some were still clueless as to what they were suppose to do.

Today in my EDCS 653D class a student did a project on the Mobius Strip, an object with one surface and one edge. I was totally amazed at the presentation. Do you know what you'd get if you cut the Mobius Strip in half down the middle the long way? You should try it out. You'd be amazed, too. Another presentation was about the Fibonacci sequence represented through geometry. I knew of the Fibonacci sequence, but I didn't know that it could be represented as the Golden Rectangle. Pretty interesting things.

10/20/08

2008-10-20T20:52:00.003-10:00

Clarify, clarify, clarify!

I went to a dissertation defense today. The title was "Evaluation and Development of a University English Reading Program in Korea". It was a great learning experience. I think the panel consisted of five professors. They each had a stack of paper (the dissertation) that was almost 3 inches thick! That's crazy!

The student did a brief presentation about her study. Then the panel discussed the dissertation chapter by chapter. The following are some of the notes that I took during the whole thing.

-Why is your study important out side of ***** University?
-Why is this important?
-Terms: Confusing, need to clarify.
-Include graphic organizer in chapter 1 to help the reader understand.
-Include examples of program development so it illustrates and show how it applies
-Need time line in order to help reader understand if the study involves the same students and when it occurred
-Need to explain how data was analyzed. The steps.
-Don't use the passive voice
-Explain why you chose to focus on an aspect. Why the priority?
-Include reference names in the paragraph for it to be a strong back up instead of adding it in parenthesis a the end of paragraph
-Sometimes the word "paper" can be replaced with the word "chapter"
-Lesson plans, activities, materials should be boxed off, italicized, or in a different font to clarify it is different from the text
-Clarify how everything is related to each section, and transition between chapters
-In the last chapter, start by summarizing, and then including the limitations of the study in the last paragraph.

10/18/08

2008-10-18T18:02:00.003-10:00

Sente it is. I'll be using Sente to manage my PDF files and bibliography information. I tried EndNote, hated it. I tried BoodEnds, Zotero, JabRef, LaTex/BibDesk, Papers, etc. Nothing does what I want it to do better than Sente. So, it's MS Word and Sente for me. I hope I can compete my dissertation with ease now.

10/17/08

2008-10-17T18:56:00.003-10:00

So I have a lead for Hanahauoli School. One of the student's mom from karate said that she has a friend that send three of her kids to Hanahauoli and is more than willing to help me "get my foot in the door" with observing. I definitely want to go and observe and see what it's like there. Then I can seriously think about evaluating their curriculum for my dissertation or not.

On a side note, I talked to my ED 631 professor at Chaminade yesterday. He gave me some pointers, but basically he was saying that I have to read, read, and read. Some people use EndNote to organize their articles. However, I've been using EndNote, and I'm not liking it so far. It's not very user friendly. I might just end up organizing my articles in an Excel file. I just downloaded BookEnds. Which program is going to do help keep what I read organized? Sente? BibDesk? Papers? I'm lost.

10/15/08

2008-10-15T19:22:00.003-10:00

Is my specialization math? I was told today by a mother of a child that I tutor that my specialization is math. Hm. Well, I did teach 5th grade math last year. I do enjoy teaching math rather than language arts. I feel much more confident teaching math than language arts. I guess so.

If that's the case, then I should do something related to math for my dissertation. How about I evaluate the mathematics curriculum in a specific school? What about an elementary school in Japan? Would this topic last me my entire dissertation, or would it be too short? I'm still searching.

My goal is to decide on my dissertation topic by December 31, 2008. I will have my dissertation topic by December 31, 2008.

10/13/08

2008-10-13T08:48:00.003-10:00

Data for the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) shows that in the year 2003, 15-year-olds in Finland, scored 1st in reading comprehension, 1st in science, and 2nd in math. (In 2006, they ranked 1st in science, 2nd in reading comprehension, and 2nd math.) What are they doing in Finland that is so special? I've been reading books in Japanese about the "Finland Method". The "Finland Method" focuses on five specific abilities; the ability to come up with an idea, the ability to be logical, the ability to express one self, the ability to think critically, and the ability to communicate.

I'd like to go to Finland and investigate more. But what's the fesibility of reseraching Finland for my dissertation?

10/11/08

2008-10-11T12:00:00.003-10:00

I was thinking, perhaps evaluating Keio Academy would be more possible because I actually went to that school. I have no connection to Hanahauoli School, so I don't know how feasible it would be to evaluate their curriculum/school. Then again, Keio Academy is a high school, and I'm not interested in high school, so I'd have to find a way to get permission to evaluate the Keio elementary school in Japan. I just tried a real brief search to see if I could find articles related to Keio and I couldn't find any. Maybe I'll be the first? Of course there are probably a zillion already written about it in Japanese.

10/10/08

2008-10-10T12:00:00.003-10:00

Is evaluating a curriculum/school a legitimate dissertation topic? I was thinking Keio Academy, but that would cost a lot. What about Hanahauoli School?

I think Hanahauoli School would be great. Montessori has been documented, Waldolf is documented, but Hanahauoli School hasn't, right?

10/9/08

2008-10-09T12:00:00.003-10:00

I talked to my mom about Ed Admin, and she said whatever is easier and faster. She said I can always go back and take Ed Admin classes if I really want to. So I guess I'm staying in curriculum studies for now.

Today I visited Ms. ****** at Punahou School. She teaches 6th grade math and science. Each 6th grade class (12 total) are team taught. One teacher teaches math and science and the other teacher does language arts and social studies (humanities). Their classrooms are partitioned by a think sliding door. Each student has a MacBook. (They are individually given a computer from 4th grade.)

The math curriculum that they use is called Impact Math. The text describes math using lots of words instead of numbers. Today they were learning about factors. The teacher taught the lesson and supplemented it with a factor game found online. Students worked in pairs or individually. Students take notes in their composition book. They use the composition book to do classrook as well. Homework is completed on folder paper and graded on a scale of 1 - 4. 4 being the highest grade.

In science, they were learning about about the ocean floor. No textbook is currently being used. They just finished a unit on the scientific method. The teacher asked, "What geologic structures would you find on the ocean floor?" Students were given 10 minutes to search the internet with their computer. After, students were to recreate the ocean floor using clay. Later, they will be using a chopstick as their "sonar" to explore their ocean floor.

The humanities class started by correcting Wordly Wise Book 7 Lesson 4 Part E. Students were given guidelines as to what is acceptable and what isn't. Then they moved on to discusssing in pairs their ideas for their Nat Turner essa. The teacher (Mr. ***) already had them write about each side of the story. Now, they were to pick a side and write about it.

Overall, it was a great experience to observe a class at Punahou. The students seemed to be discipline. I'd love to teach there one day.

10/8/08

2008-10-08T12:00:00.003-10:00

Being a first year student in the COE (college of education), I'm not too familiar with the different programs. However, if I'm interested in creating, owning, and operating a school, shouldn't I be in Ed Admin?

For me EDEF 678 class interview my theme is classroom management. I'll be interviewing Mrs. Ikehara to understand her ideas behind classroom management.

I've pulled up several recent literature about classroom management. One article talked about general guidelines. Another talked about how the NCLB legislation has schools cutting down P.E., art, music and recess time in order to meet the legislation's mandates. However, the article stressed the importance of physical activities and other activities in order to develop the "whole child."

This makes me think about schoosl like Punahou where students spend hours and hours a week on P.E., music and art. Yet they still produce smart students. I'll be visiting Ms. ****** at Punahou tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to find out more.

Anyways, the other articles that I pulled up were about the effects of parent-teacher communication on students, effective use of time-out, and the use of humor in the classroom.

One of the main points in the time-out article, which makes sense now that I think about it, is that the most effective type of time-out is the exclusion time-out where the student is removed from the instructional setting in which the student wants to stay in.

The humor article said that humor is good for retention and recall.

The interesting thing I read about today in my language arts book was referring to "speaking" as "talking". Aslo, language arts is 6-tiered; reading, writing, listening, talking, viewing, and visual representation.

Today, I found out that one of the karate students got diagnosed with ADHD. I was shocked because ****'s a kid that is intelligent. However the recent problems seem to be that he can't control himself to concentrate for long periods of time, and he day dreams. I talked to Travis about it and he made me think that there's probably many people who are/were ADD or ADHD but learned to cope in one way or another and are well-rounded adults now.

10/7/08

2008-10-07T12:00:00.000-10:00

...Oops... I missed A LOT! (>___<)'

Ed Admin?

9/9/08

2008-09-09T12:00:00.003-10:00

Ok, so I slacked a few days...or a week.

Today for my ED 678 class we needed to decide who we'll be interviewing for our Final Project. I wrote that I wanted to interview Mrs. Ikehara, but I don't know how it's going to relate to my dissertation. Actually, I don't know what my dissertation is going to be about so how would it relate? Maybe through this interview I can come up with a theme that'll interest me.

In class we discussed the book "Sticking to the Union" by Polishuk. I really didn't know what the book was about until the students in class talked about their views. The professor said it's hard to be indifferent about this book and usually people like it or hate it, but I'm on the fence about it. Mostly because I didn't understand it though...

9/2/08

2008-09-02T12:00:00.002-10:00

I better write something since I missed yesterday.

Today in my ED 678 class I learned more about the difference between qualitative and quantitative methods. Basically qualitative is more personal. My research would definitely be qualitative.

8/31/08

2008-08-31T12:00:00.002-10:00

I was reading a "what is qualitative research" handout from EDEF 678. It stated the three orientations to research. Positivist, interpretive, and critical. The characteristics of a qualitative research is ...

8/30/08

2008-08-30T12:00:00.003-10:00

Oops. I forgot to write yesterday. I was really tired.

Today my karate sensei said something very interesting. The more someone is able to concentrate, the more they can enjoy the fun things. He was saying that if someone can really concentrate on school, work, TV, etc. then they are able to enjoy is more.

8/28/08

2008-08-28T12:00:00.004-10:00

I thought I was going to miss a day because I had a paper due tomorrow. But I finished it. It was a terrible paper. The title, "Using Reflection as a Tool to Increase Homework Completion." Blah.

Too bad I'm not in Educational Administration. If I was I'd write my dissertation on about how bad ********'s administration is.

Yesterday I substituted for a SPED teacher. It was upper elementary. So I wasn't too worried. However, once I knew I had to teach this one extremely SPED kid reading, I got nervous. This kid does raspberries randomly, verbalizes random things, etc. I don't know exactly what I did but, he didn't have any outbursts while working with me! He even showed extreme concentration when I was reading. I was amazed. I don't think I'm fit to be teaching SPED though...

I was once told by a parent of twins I used to tutor that I should document my teaching style, but it's hard. Maybe I can hire someone to observe me and decipher what exactly it is that I do. I sometimes feel I have a gift in making a connection with students.

Maybe I can write my dissertation about discipline strategies used in my karate class that can be used in the classroom. Or the effects of karate on a student's academic achievement, concentration, and motivation. I read that in Switzerland, students concentrate on school while they are there, but once they leave school, Swiss people don't think about or deal with academics. Maybe I can investigate the skill of concentration when you need to and relaxing between sessions to enhance the amount retained or academic achievement when concentrating in chunks.

8/27/08

2008-08-27T12:00:00.003-10:00

Today, I went to my EDCS 653D class. This class deals with geometry and measurement. It sounds like an interesting class. I know I would like it because the professor is good (Dr. Dawson). I had professor Dawson last semester and I enjoyed his course.

However, I stayed after class to tell him that depending on my Chaminade schedule, I might drop the class. He asked me what I was interested in, and I told him about combining SLS and math; how can we best support students learning math when their first language isn't English. He said, "That's a language problem, not a math problem." I guess that's true. Back to the drawing board.

8/26/08

2008-08-26T12:00:00.003-10:00

Ok, so I might not be writing a lot but at least I'm writing everyday. Second day at substitute teaching today. I think it went well. The students seem to be focused.

Anyways, yesterday the EDCS 767 class was very interesting. The title of the class is Issues and Trends in Curriculum. In class we talked about the hidden curriculum. What is it that the teacher are teaching their students without explicitly saying so? We also talked about curriculum alignment. Curriculum alignment checks to see if what the teacher is planning to teach matches with assessment.

8/25/08

2008-08-25T12:00:00.002-10:00

First day at substitute teaching. Overall, I think it went better than I thought. One more day tomorrow.

It was fun teaching first grade math. Today they were reviewing what number comes before, after, and in between. Most students were able to do it. However, there were about three students who couldn't. Other students would get it wrong independently, but when prompted with a question, they immediately knew their mistake. No one in the class seem to be struggling from not understanding English.

8/24/08

2008-08-24T12:00:00.000-10:00

Got busy today because a classmate from high school is in town.

I need to write a Review of Literature for my Chaminade ED 604 class. I chose to write about "reflection" as a means to improve homework completion. A handful of students in the 4th grade class I'm currently observing don't turn in their homework. I'm thinking that through reflection, students will complete more assignments.

8/23/08

2008-08-23T12:00:00.004-10:00

PhD orientation from 9AM. It was informative and helpful. I spoke with Dr. Slaughter too. I don't think she remembers speaking with me...which actually might be a good thing.

Anyways, I talked to Dr. Slaughter and she recommended that I use my SLS credits toward my Cognate classes and take math classes for my Emphasis classes.

I just got the APA Manual. The dissertation is suppose to be in APA format, right?

Thinking about the topic...
-On supporting English Language Learners in elementary mathematics
-What type of instruction/curriculum is needed for ELL students learning math?
-How do previous notions of math affect learning math in English?
-On understanding the different methods to teach math in Japan and America
-On mathematic learning centers in schools
-Struggling children in mathematics: A case study
-Individual differences in problem solving
-Elementary math problem solving: An error analysis study

8/22/08

2008-08-22T12:00:00.001-10:00

What is a dissertation? According to the American Heritage Dictionary it is a length and formal treatise or discourse, especially one written by a candidate for the doctoral degree at a university; thesis. Basically, it's an original research that is really long.

*note: Answer questions on page 42 and 43 of Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day.

Original research means no one has done it before, right? What sort of research do I want to do? What am I passionate about? It needs to be something I can stick with for a few years. Is it second language acquisition in the early years? Is it going to be on bilingual studies? Is it going to be on elementary math? What about classroom discipline? Regular academic discipline? The program I entered is titled "Curriculum Studies". Does that mean that it has to do with studying a type of curriculum? Does that mean I'm coming up with my own curriculum? Am I analyzing curriculum? Comparing and contrasting curriculum? I really don't know. Maybe I can choose a topic and if it doesn't fit, I can switch programs? Is that a lot of hassle? Is that possible? Does an original research require money? For travel? Data collection? I think I need to re-read what exactly curriculum study is about first.

Ok, so specialization in curriculum and instruction is a specialization in developing educational leaders in curriculum development, teaching, curriculum evaluation and/or teacher education and professional development.

*-Shay's Road to a Completed Dissertation-*

5/12/11

12/4/10

10/28/10

9/24/10

9/5/10

8/21/10

8/16/10

8/7/10

7/26/10

7/17/10

7/10/10

7/6/10

7/1/10

6/29/10

6/7/10

5/4/10

4/27/10

3/7/10

3/1/10

3/1/10

2/7/10

1/28/10

1/12/10

11/9/09

10/30/09

6/21/09

2/11/09

1/26/09

1/3/09

11/28/08

11/10/08

10/29/08

10/24/08

10/22/08

10/20/08

10/18/08

10/17/08

10/15/08

10/13/08

10/11/08

10/10/08

10/9/08

10/8/08

10/7/08

9/9/08

9/2/08

8/31/08

8/30/08

8/28/08

8/27/08

8/26/08

8/25/08

8/24/08

8/23/08

8/22/08

-Shay's Road to a Completed Dissertation-