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Deaf Meetings
Though my signing has improved, the flying hands at DC@PB by some people were too fast for me. I think being the only hearie, other than the little boy present, they were in THEIR world. No complaints because it helps me to understand what it is like for deaf people to be in a hearing world when we are the majority. I should be present at more meetings to improve my signing. At DAC’s picnic 6/4, there were a few more hearies who could sign very well. Everyone was welcoming…
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Mere Mortals
I heard from a friend that a reputable researcher was gravely ill. We came to the same conclusion, “So what is the point of striving?” :) We can say his research will live on and impact the lives of those who follow in his footsteps. Watching a loved one vanish through Alzheimer’s over time taught me how important it is to keep a work-life balance and to see life as a series of cherished experiences. Whatever I spend a lot of time on must be something that matters. As my…
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Stigmatization & Holding Back High Potential Children
I drafted this in March 2011, and meeting someone today who was struggling to get adequate educational support for her high-potential child made me realize I am not alone in wanting to get better support for high-ability children. This is why I’m a member of the National Association for Gifted Children. I believe gifted children (NAGC definition: “Gifted” individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains.) need special provisions just like those with dis-abilities. I have heard too often these labels being used by…
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Different strokes for different folks
Some advice to heed in this PHD journey: Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your situation with others. No two PhD’s are the same. A little competition can be a motivator, but in general try to mix with people who have a positive or helpful attitude. If this is not possible, then find a PhD blog or try to meet with other PhD students at University events. Read more. For myself, I find it particularly helpful to look outward. Being in AERA Div C has been a blessing. It’s…
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Let the freedom bells ring!
A friend’s posting in FaceBook (thank you to Ardyth!) reminded me of this powerful ballad. I’d used this song before to teach my classes about respect for diversity and cross-cultural differences. May the wind of change sweep through us and overcome the limited and limiting thinking we have!
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HLM 7
HLM 7* – Hierarchical Linear Modeling statistics software is a little clunky but not too complicated. My chair had said before, qualitative researchers understand statistics too, you know? I am doing a qualitative research study for my dissertation, but I work with quantitative data everyday at work — lots of Excel spreadsheets, Access data queries, and presenting the data using mainly descriptive statistics. Dr. Bellini had said that some journal editors think descriptive statistics are “inferior”/second-class and this sort of data presentation is not as publishable. However, every data analytic…
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ID and Educator’s Role in Online Learning Part 2
Instructional designers contribute to helping educators operate successfully; they create blueprints for them. Educators, however, must recognize that they create the environment collectively with their students in real life too, and the blueprint is just a blueprint. Ideally, engaged pedagogy, as bell hooks (1994) wrote, is about changing, reinventing and reconceptualizing to adapt to every new teaching experience. Tough act in a classroom filled with different individuals with different abilities and needs. Freire and hooks both inspire and remind me about education as the practice of freedom. They draw me…
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ID and Educator’s Role in Online Learning Part 1
As a certified Quality Matters peer reviewer, I was following the QM thread on online facilitation and teacher engagement in a community board. It brought me back to those days when online learning was just a buzzword. I’d taken ID courses and read quite a bit initially due to my professional interest. I’d even advocated for workshops on facilitating online learning (inspired by a terrific book by Collison et. al) to my boss. Little wonder that I was fascinated by the discussion in the QM community. The debate on TD…
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Roadblocks to PhD attainment
I wrote something nice and it disappeared after I fiddled with it. :( Oh well, here’s what I meant to say, in a less lyrical style. Phillips and Pugh (2002) wrote a book on how to get a PhD and an extract was published online (Guardian News and Media Ltd, 2011). Although written from a British vantage point, several of the barriers to PhD attainment are not foreign. I was informed by the examples they gave on how and why some students withdrew from doctoral programs. Of note is one…
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I’m on the Imagining America website!
OK, tooting my own horn, :). Our Access project was highlighted on the Imagining America site because I had the honor to attend the Arts Think Tank on behalf of our project directors! I was at the Next Step in Arts Think Tank: Using the Arts and Humanities in Community Health, March 17-19, 2011, a regional Imagining America conference, organized with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center on Age & Community, directed by Dr. Anne Basting. The theme was on the intersection of culture and health. Read more. On that page,…
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In Celebration of Last Access Class for Spring 2011
The students had a great time showing off their final products — Ann with her brochure for Deaf patient advocacy; Tara came later but we got to see some awesome video clips starring a few Deaf individuals, and one created by Mj herself. Hers was really funny. We plan to use these videos for Deaf Awareness Week. In this project group, I find humor, intellect, compassion, and many other good stuff. I feel happy to watch researchers enjoy each other’s company, turn goofy sometimes, collaborate and show the way for…
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One element to foster creative thinking
One thing I find some students tend to not do is to venture beyond their disciplines or universities to work with other people. One of the oft-studied components to foster creative thinking and outcomes is multiculturalism, sometimes variously studied under terms like heterogeneity, interdisciplinarity or multiple perspectives. My diss. chair herself recognized that I’m a bridge person and pointed that out to me: I cross cultures frequently and I live at the intersection of cultures. I am used to this; I come from Singapore, a melting pot of cultures. I’m…
