Connected Writing Post on Provision of Resources by Policymakers
What struck me when I read Stephen Raudenbush's article* was what he wrote about how policymakers try to "influence teaching and learning indirectly by providing resources, increasing accountability, and transforming school governance" (p. 26).
Case in point: a large chunk of the report on the work done by the committee formed for Raising the Quality of Primary Education was devoted to "More resources for primary schools". This is not unique to just our local context; the same holds true elsewhere too. The US Department of Education website lists links to grants and educational resources at the top of its quick-links.
I suppose that policymakers provide resources as this is one lever they can and know how to operate - levers believed to have a large turning effect for national concerns such as education.
Perhaps it is because I'm studying teacher knowledge so sentences that contain the word "knowledge" in it cause me to pause and read it a little closer. Well, Raudenbush wrote that "resources, by themselves, do not improve teaching and learning...knowledge about how to use resources in instruction is key, yet woefully lacking" (p. 26).
My first reading of Radenbush had me questioning what "What are the policymakers doing about it? Resources aren't enough!" and then later on I realised "Oh, wait a minute, the ball is now in the educators' court... what are WE doing with all those resources? and why is our knowledge being described as woefully lacking?"
Somebody once remarked that if I want to do a PhD study, I need to break new ground. I can't say I can do that; I'm still feeling my way around. But I do hope that my studying teacher knowledge will help someone someday.
*Raudenbush, S. W. (2005). Learning from attempts to improve schooling: The contribution of methodological diversity. Educational Researcher, 34(5), 25-31.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
TPCK...
...Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge
That was the topic that I have been reading up on ever since I embarked on this journey at the beginning of this year.
Here's a link to the TPCK wiki put up by the key scholars who first coined the term: Matthew Koehler and Punya Mishra. The construct is an attempt to articulate the bodies of knowledge that teachers draw upon as they design learning experiences for their learners. Looking at the construct, I have a growing sense that there is something lurking beneath the neat and intersecting circles that hints at something more complex and nebulous that looses its very essence once someone attempts to reduce it to its core constituents. Dear reader who has just chanced upon this blog entry...what do you think? Am I worrying too much?
When I first heard about this construct, I was told that there were only a small handful of papers published about it. But as I searched and read and searched, I realised that I was perching on the tip of an iceberg. There were four dissertations completed on the topic in the year 2008 alone. Well, speaking about dissertations, will I ever come to the stage when I get mine done? That seems so very distant right now. Ah, long Arctic day, remember?
So I'm finding more and more studies done on the topic and at least two blogs dedicated to it. I read the papers published, I'm thankful that we live in a world connected by email, blogs and delicious etc because these are tools I may enlist to ask clarifying questions and to engage in discussions. Now, I just need to pluck up my courage and take that first baby step to enter into their community. :-)
That was the topic that I have been reading up on ever since I embarked on this journey at the beginning of this year.
Here's a link to the TPCK wiki put up by the key scholars who first coined the term: Matthew Koehler and Punya Mishra. The construct is an attempt to articulate the bodies of knowledge that teachers draw upon as they design learning experiences for their learners. Looking at the construct, I have a growing sense that there is something lurking beneath the neat and intersecting circles that hints at something more complex and nebulous that looses its very essence once someone attempts to reduce it to its core constituents. Dear reader who has just chanced upon this blog entry...what do you think? Am I worrying too much?
When I first heard about this construct, I was told that there were only a small handful of papers published about it. But as I searched and read and searched, I realised that I was perching on the tip of an iceberg. There were four dissertations completed on the topic in the year 2008 alone. Well, speaking about dissertations, will I ever come to the stage when I get mine done? That seems so very distant right now. Ah, long Arctic day, remember?
So I'm finding more and more studies done on the topic and at least two blogs dedicated to it. I read the papers published, I'm thankful that we live in a world connected by email, blogs and delicious etc because these are tools I may enlist to ask clarifying questions and to engage in discussions. Now, I just need to pluck up my courage and take that first baby step to enter into their community. :-)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
long Arctic day
It was March 10 and I was coming down with a cold. I was reading one of the dissertations I downloaded when a thought struck me - "oh dear, I think the construct that I have been reading up on so far has a serious problem! Oh no, what have I gotten myself into?"
I think it could have been because of the cold but everything seemed pretty dark after that.
I felt a little depressed but told myself that I have got to get through this week's readings! ;-) Comfort can come from the strangest of places. My mood started to lighten up a bit as I began to read Paul Rock's chapter on Symbolic Interactionism and Ethnography. He pointed out certain challenges that ethnographers (and by my own extension, researchers) face, and did it with such humour that reminded me not to be too morose over the problem I encountered. I like what he wrote in the following passage:
"One must be prepared to live with uncertainty for long periods. One may have a dawning sense that things are becoming clear but the owl of Minerva, Hegel told us, flies at twilight. Resign oneself to living through a long Arctic day where nothing is clear and everything is distorted."
So, let's soldier on. I'm glad I have friends to walk the journey with.
:-)
I think it could have been because of the cold but everything seemed pretty dark after that.
I felt a little depressed but told myself that I have got to get through this week's readings! ;-) Comfort can come from the strangest of places. My mood started to lighten up a bit as I began to read Paul Rock's chapter on Symbolic Interactionism and Ethnography. He pointed out certain challenges that ethnographers (and by my own extension, researchers) face, and did it with such humour that reminded me not to be too morose over the problem I encountered. I like what he wrote in the following passage:
"One must be prepared to live with uncertainty for long periods. One may have a dawning sense that things are becoming clear but the owl of Minerva, Hegel told us, flies at twilight. Resign oneself to living through a long Arctic day where nothing is clear and everything is distorted."
So, let's soldier on. I'm glad I have friends to walk the journey with.
:-)
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