After what has been an incredibly hectic week at work with
little time to think about studying I have just come back to looking at my
inquiry analysis and came to a point this morning where I didn’t really know what
to do! I think from having a week off of studying that I lost my flow and
direction so decided to take another tack.
I have read through the blogs related to the 2nd campus
sessions, I read the side share on Paula's
blog, I also found Simone's
explanation on her blog really good as it included some really useful quotes
from Adesola and Jo's
blog was also great for prompting me to think about the process of beginning
to draft and write things up. Thank you to everyone who posts about campus
sessions it is so valuable when you aren’t able to get there yourself.
So although I’m not sure I am ready to be drafting as I feel
that there is more I should be doing in relation to looking at and analysing
data, and seeking more from literature I have decided that I am going to start
anyway as I feel like I have lost direction and that this may help.
I guess that I will be working backwards in a way. By
starting the draft I will be able to see if there is any content missing, and I
will have the time to go back and look for more information, literature or
review data again. I also think that
perhaps by starting to put everything together rather than analysing each
thing, literature, interviews and observations separately I may see more in my findings.
I know from past experience that when I start to write thing up and put things
together that I get to grips with things, and often I have left this to the
last minute and wish I had more time to work back and fill in some gaps….
How is everyone else getting on with things, I feel like I
have done a lot of different things up until this point but that really as yet
I don’t have much to show for it!?
Hi Danni,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad my blog was helpful, I find viewing this project as a whole very overwhelming! I completely agree with you also, I feel slightly lost in translation with all my analysis and feel that going back to the start will prompt how best to reflect upon my data!
Have you manage to execute what you planned in your proposal? Have you gathered all your data?
Overwhelming is definitely the word here!! I have managed to complete all the practical steps that I had planned and collected the data, I still have more literature to find and review. It's the correlating of facts and findings together and supporting that with literature and the views of others to come up with an overview or come to some form of conclusion that I am struggling with, there is so much to consider and I keep feeling like I am missing something which is making me nervous. I feel like there is so much more to do! which there probably is.
DeleteThe self directed aspect of the course especially in this module I think makes me feel even more uneasy, there aren't a set of tasks to complete and blog which I am finding makes it even harder to bring all the thinking together.
How are you getting on with data collection? have you managed to get all you need and follow your plan?
Hi Danni,
ReplyDeleteSometimes, it's actually good to take a few days off from "active" study, as we are constantly thinking about the process anyway, which means that subconsciously we are collating information and already beginning to analyse (in our minds!).
I too am struggling to write up my analysis into paragraphs. I think this could be because I have not yet completed my interviews and I need to find and read more literature.
I think it's interesting that we are all going through the same process with a slightly different approach to one another. I think this is great because it allows us to consider other methods.
I have recently thought that I need to bring all of my paperwork and my laptop into the lounge and to lay everything out in front of me, so that I can then start to put it into piles / categories etc to understand what is physically missing from my inquiry. The question of "where am I now?" in the practical sense as well as theoretical.
It may help to list / draw / visualise a list or chart of what you have achieved so far and what you still want to achieve? I know it helped me to put everything back into perspective.
Best Wishes,
Jo
Hi Jo.
DeleteI'm not sure about subconsciously analysing, I think I am consciously panicking, especially when I have no time to sit down and actively study.
I think your idea of lists is a good one, and something that I am going to try next, so thank you for that. I remember at the end of the last module (I think) you wrote a blog about writers block, that's where I am now, writing things up was a good plan, but currently I am starting at a blank screen.
How are you getting on with planning your artefact?
Don't worry Danni - I too am 'working backwards' a little bit. I'm aware that I really need to start writing up, but due to inevitable set-backs with participant's availability etc. I too am still conducting interviews.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the advisors would say about this approach, but I think it's fine to begin writing, and treat the what you could up with as a framework. You may gather more data, stumble across more literature, or even just observe something at work that you decide you want to include. I don't see any reason why we can't keep adding until the end - as long as we are clear on the 'big ideas' and themes that we have discovered.
Looking forward to hearing more about how you get on with writing up...
Participant availability and difficulty with getting the data is a problem, I am trying to see the silver lining in each of my set backs, I'm hoping that reflecting on how we may have been able to do things differently may be important in the learning process and improving ongoing practice?
DeleteI never thought about starting the writing as creating a frame work but your right and I think that may be a good way of looking at it, if only I could get the thoughts in my head onto the screen in a sensible order!
I will let you know if working in this way helps. I hope you manage to get your interviews done soon!