EdD and course leader events

I have an appointment for my first EdD research interview! I am very pleased to be making a start. I think I have been putting it off.
I visited a student in Greenford this morning. It is a school I used to support in my earlier role as Early Years Consultant, so it was good to see familiar faces and meet up with old colleagues.
The external examiner for my degree visited me today at university. We had a long chat then she looked through the work and gave me feedback. We travelled back some of the way together and talked about our progress on our respective EdDs.

Poems and 1st Year Students

Watery words still sounding
Winter days all gone
Long evenings in the harbour

Thank you to all my EdD Early Childhood Education friends for joining me in some Haiku writing at the last study weekend.

Little boats resting
Quiet in the blue harbour
The sea awaits them

I am tired today. I led a session with my fabulous first year students. They drew pictures to represent their understanding about the Te Whariki approach. They chose a Froebel feature of play to write about with reference to their placement settings.  They will add these to their learning blogs, then post the link on the VLE. They will also post their responses to my Semester 1 feedback (ungraded) before the grades are published. This is all excellent stuff. It is a privilege to be a university tutor, and technology is a useful tool. It can be used to expand, connect and engage.

Paired writing

Today I wrote with my co-researcher on a narrative research project we carried out last year. Writing with another person is very powerful. We write in silence, listening to the click, click, click of the keys or the pencil scribbling. My friend asked me to articulate what I meant in my own words. We help each other, set dates for further writing meetings, re-adjust time scales, talk about our families and health. It is a privilege to be a co-researcher. So much more can be achieved with two than with one.

All this helps me to progress on my EdD in a roundabout way. My confidence increases. I have excellent company. I begin to believe in myself.

A helpful voice

Thank you, Cecile, for taking an interest in my blog. You have always offered your strong support for my work and motivated me to learn new things and develop my career. Your challenge is a good one, to which I have not got an answer. However, it serves as a constant reminder that I must articulate my rationale for adopting an aesthetic approach very clearly. Lorri Neilson has written some excellent work in support of using the arts in research. I will refer to her work and the work of others. I am all in, now. My mind, heart and soul have a part to play. Please keep the challenges coming, Cecile!

Getting ready

I bought a digital recorder from Argos today and am playing with it. I am one step closer to carrying out my empirical research. The next steps are to

- Print and laminate the information sheet

- Prepare a 'help' sheet

- Make appointments with my participants

I have some time in April, after my present job and before my new job. This will be the ideal time to rest and arrange some research encounters.

Another task is to develop a soft language for my research and build up my own terms of reference. 'Data analysis', for example, has a hard tone to it. 'Meaning making' might replace it more closely for the purposes of this study. Verse alone will not earn the project a place in the academic community. My lyric inquiry needs to adhere to a solid framework, with a clearly articulated rationale. Perhaps my first term of reference might be to give the methodological approach a suitable title.

I am going to return a book to the Institute of Education today. I can no longer renew it. The book is an edited edition by J.G. Knowles and A.L. Cole, Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research. My favourite piece is by Carl Leggo, Astonishing Silence: Knowing in Poetry. My favourite quotation from the piece is: 'Poetry acknowledges how the heart and imagination are always integral parts of human knowing. Poetry seeks the truth about human experience.' Does this help you to understand my position? I am quite passionate about poetry as a powerful, resonating tool in research.

I spent a lot of time this weekend tidying up my study, preparing my work space and clearing out unnecessary rubble. I want to access books and papers easily, and have my tools ready, to hand. Aaah, the anticipation.

A beginning

Today I received my ethical clearance letter and can begin to collect my data.  I can now contact my participants and arrange interview sessions.  I need to prepare a pack with my statement, consent form and list of organisations.  I can now purchase a digital recorder.  I am all set to go!  I will try and fit in some of this before I begin my new job at the end of April. This is a wonderful opportunity and huge privilege and I hope I do a good job.  I will certainly do my best.  My new workplace will support me with my research.
Help is at hand from my supervisor.  We can meet at study weekends or at the British Library.