Friday, December 21, 2012

Thesis...Anti-thesis, and so I go on this way

And so, grades are done. I have emptied myself of all university work-related worries and I only have 2 weeks left for the month before my mind gets filled up again with: report cards for Builders School, TP& LP study I plan to do for my ThaiTESOL conference.

These 2 weeks I badly need to reformulate my  topic proposal. I am now back to rethinking about my original topic. Now if only I can get rid of these: anger towards my adviser who did not respond to my first few emails about my topic, and instead told me to go for eLearning Readiness only to say again the I can actually go for curriculum dev for the Open HS and...get rid of anger at myself for having such a muddled brain which can never work for a sustained, and focused study on this thing called thesis.
Thesis work entails a disciplined mind which practically goes against the fiber of how my brain is wired. But because I still believe in the power of the mind and rational thinking, it goes to show that I just need to rewire ME.

I need to find meaning in all these. So what's the plan, aLeTa?
Or what WAS the original plan? Listen here...

If I were to develop curriculum for OpenHS to cater to students coming from nontraditional schools (such as the Builders' School), I already have a layman's formula in mind. These are what I'd do:

A. A Critical Look at Current VHS
-look at  standards and best practices in Virtual HS programs abroad
-examine common issues and challenges in VHS programs
-examine the current state of OpenHS in the Philippines
-analyze gaps/areas of concern
-revisit aims, goals and objectives of OpenHS
-identify gaps and key areas of concern

B. A New Lens for VHS=the OHSP Kind
-reformulate aims and goals of OpenHS programs to be more inclusive of all types of HS learners (not just for students in extraneous circumstances)
-propose a curriculum framework for OpenHS curriculum grounded on a position of online learning  NOT as an alternative but as the norm
-design sample courses which integrates core skills based on learning presence:   learner self regulation and self efficacy skills, independent learning and collaborative learning skills and attitudes, principles of networked learning)
-mount sample courses in blended online platforms: asynchronous and synchronous platforms

C. Laying the Ground for Success
-recommend teacher training and staff development schemes grounded on the COI framework (Communities of Inquiry)
-propose  curriculum management (monitoring and supervision)schemes
-propose management and maintenance of  CMS--knowledge bank of resources for instruction in the subject areas

The above may be valid if this were up to me.

But since I am in this PhD mode, may as well theorize and do a thesis on this. I have a product and process in mind---how to get there using my thesis 2B?!? I can just do this on my own, but then I would be contradicting what I set myself out to do: to develop this curriculum scientifically and systematically because this is what it means to be part of the academe ergo a lover of research.

I need to make full use of my time whether I push for Plan A=stay in my home university or Plan B=go for a university in India.

So starting from scratch all over again, here goes:

Working Outline for Review of Lit:
I. ODeL and Virtual High School Programs
-definition
-current state, best practices and gains

II. Curriculum Issues in ODeL and  Virtual HS
-current issues and challenges
-current issues particularly related to curriculum development, implementation and management esp in developing countries

III. Research into Curriculum Development Models and Course Design  of VHS
-models which have worked
-conditions/context why models and designs work
-gaps in the models
-applicability in other contexts

IV. OHSP of the Philippines
-goals and aims
-needs and areas of concern;
-directions and gaps
-why a framework for curriculum development is needed

Aims:
  • -to develop a framework for curriculum development of Open High School Programs (OHSP) in the Philippines
  • -to design samples/models of online courses for students of OHSP
  • -to draw out schemes to manage and monitor proposed curriculum for the OHSP

Research Questions:
  • Which theory of curriculum development is best suited for Open High School Programs in the Philippines (OHSP)?
  • Which existing model of curriculum in ODeL can be integrated into this theory of curriculum development for OHSP?
  • What framework of curriculum development can be proposed for the OHSP?
  • What sample online courses can be designed based on this framework for OHSP?
  • What curriculum monitoring and supervision can be recommended for the OHSP?


With the above, I am only giving myself 1 month (January) to get myself out of this Anti-theses mode because clearly, I refuse to accept failure when I have not exhausted all possible means to make this f**king theses work. In the end, I cannot blame my adviser, nor the existing body of knowledge...I only have ME to deal with so I AM dealing with this shit, PHD (Piled Higher and Deeper).

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