Farewell for now.

You may have noticed that there’s not been much posting activity lately here on Peabloggy…and it’s not for lack of readership – there were a record number of visitors to the site this month!

After much discussion and reflection, it has been decided that Peabloggy will go on hiatus – for how long, at this point, we are not sure.

In the meantime, if you are interested in Peabody College, the programs that are offered, insight on student life & activities and glimpses into what we do here at Peabody, I encourage you explore the links below.

Peabody website:  www.peabody.vanderbilt.edu
Peabody on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47180776197
LPO on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2508031603
Peabody Graduate Student Association on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2236266954

 

Blessings!

 

-April L. Mollerberg

Comps are Over

I made it through comprehensive exams without major incident. The preparation and the exam itself are both intense, and the combination was certainly one of the most challenging and stressful things I have ever done. You would want me to be honest, right? It’s over, though, and I admit that I know more about higher education off the top of my head than I ever have. Barring any unforeseen chance that I fail a section, I am legitimately a third-year Ed.D. student.

It was interesting that while my cohort took the exams on the first floor of Wyatt, the new group (Cohort 2012) met for orientation on the second floor. There we were, in one building, both extremes. Just a moment ago I read the account of my colleague in the second-year cohort after his first weekend of stats. That explains why his group was not around yesterday, on some other floor of Wyatt. My advice- keep up with stats for the next year, because you are going to see it again.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

Maymester

In all the years I’ve been in school, this is the first Maymester in which I have participated. I was always hesitant in undergrad, not only because I wanted a break before summer classes but also because the mere intensity of the courses discouraged me. Although the course load this May was intimidating as I looked at my syllabus the first day of class, it has been a surprisingly  good experience. Peabody mixes the brevity/intensity levels quite well, so I have felt challenged, but not overwhelmed. I have felt a drastic change from being in the midst of a full semester load, and I have felt while also beginning much more work on my thesis and looking into doc programs. All in all, I would give my Maymester experience a big two thumbs up! 

-Kristina DePue

Statistics and the Ecological Fallacy

I will admit that I was DREADING statistics.  I have never taken a statistics course.  The pre-cursor course was so much information in such a short period of time, that I knew I wasn’t able to absorb it all, and I was pretty sure my head was going to blow-up.  So, heading into this course, I was expecting total brain annihilation.

But hey, I actually really enjoyed tonight’s class.  The homework wasn’t too bad.  The information was easy to follow.  And he talked about something I have never heard of before. . .ecological fallacy!

Here it is in short – and don’t trust me because I just learned about it – but it is when we see a state-wide (or large-group) average, and then make assumptions about individuals in that state (or group) that end up being false.

For example, (again – do NOT quote this as accurate) states where there are large numbers of immigrants have higher literacy rates.  Some interpret this to mean that immigrants actually have a better grasp of the English language than native speakers.  *I have actually heard this quote in a training for ESL students, so I know people have done this.*  So you see, they took a state statistic, and then made assumptions about the individuals within that state.  However, a closer look at the data revealed that the immigrants did NOT have higher literacy rates (not to say no immigrants do.  Again, we are talking averages.  Don’t make an ecological fallacy!).  It would appear that states with higher literacy rates have more jobs and attract immigrant populations to the jobs.
I found this whole concept absolutely interesting!  Something to chew on.  Which makes me think again about all those red and blue states I see during election season. . .

-Ted Murcray

Because you asked…

What’s life like as a part-time student at Peabody?

It’s GRAND!!

I get lots of questions from my colleagues (from work and from class) asking me what a typical “day-in-the-life-of” looks like for someone who works full-time (for a large non-profit) while completing graduate work part-time.

Here’s a somewhat regular non-class day for me during the program:
4:30am – wake up
5:30am – leave for work
5:00pm – home from work (phone my parents on the drive home)
5:30pm – order text books for my 2nd summer class (while eating dinner)
7:00pm – watch Dancing with the Stars (while balancing checkbook and paying bills online)
8:00pm – 10:00pm – reading for my 1st summer class

Here’s a somewhat regular class weekend for me during the program:
Friday:
6:00am – wake up
7:00am – leave for work
12 noon – leave work and travel to Nashville
4:00pm – 8:00pm – in class

Saturday:
7:00am – wake up
8:30am – 5:00pm – in class
5:00pm – leave Nashville and head home

Since I take 2 classes (6 hours) per semester, I only have to be in Nashville 6 times a semester (about once every 6 weeks).

Fall and Spring semesters are particularly busy because my work responsibilities really ramp up and I also participate in volunteer work. Summer will be intense because I have 2 classes packed into 2 short months! I’ll be in Nashville almost every weekend from late May to mid July…

I have found my school commitments very challenging and, yet, manageable as long as I multi-task; I very rarely do just one thing at a time when I’m not at work. Right now, I’m blogging and listening to a pre-recorded online webinar (apologies for any typos or grammatical errors!).   :0)  

If you are working full-time and wondering if you’ll ever be able to go back to school – ask around…you just might find it more do-able than you thought!

 

-April L. Mollerberg

What Works in Education?

Did you know about What Works Clearinghouse?  I didn’t until Dr. Goldring showed us.  Apparently it was started in 2002 by the US Department of Education to help educators sift through research.  Follow the link to explore the web site.

Anyway, I discovered that the math program that I was a huge advocate for has been shown by research to have a negative effect on student achievement.  That means kids who receive the math program perform less well than those receiving the base program the school was already offering.  That is not good.  So, I looked up a competing math program that a colleague of mine was suggesting – one that I had immediately dismissed as not being good – only to discover that it was the only math program with positive gains.  

Huh!  This is why we as educators need to have the ability to understand and learn from research.  Until that time, I was SURE that one program was better than the other, just based on what I thought about teaching from my 10 years of experience. 

I am a thankful convert to What Works Clearinghouse.  They don’t have all the information that I want right now because they are being careful to only include research studies that meet a rigorous set of criteria.  However, there is enough information on there to get you thinking.

-Ted Murcray

Thoughts on Comps Prep

At this point in the semester, the 2010 cohort is done with classes and very deep in study for comps, which are less than two weeks away. I should really be brushing up on different organizational theories or the myriad of articles from Social Context, but hey, I needed a break…therefore I blog.

I will offer one piece of advice to all future cohorts: when Dr. Doyle holds a study session on stats, go to every session. I will be the first to say that stats is not my thing, which was more than evident during my first crack at really critiquing an article’s methodology and statistics. The first study session on Friday was gut wrenching because I fully realized my ignorance in the area. The session Sunday was better, and I feel about 200% more confident in that part of comps than I did on Friday. Thanks, Dr. Doyle.

Additionally, Teresa and I have met with a few other local cohort members for study sessions, which has been very beneficial in conceptualizing the vast amount of information we’ve learned over the last two years. I’m sure we’ll all be crossing our fingers and offering up numerous prayers for comps to go well, be over, and most importantly, not have to repeat any questions in August!

-Landon C. Clark

Double Counterpoint

I admit studying for comps has prevented me from responding to my colleague’s counterargument to increasing degree attainment in the United States. I fear even now perhaps my reply may be lacking. However, I would like to address a few thoughtful points from her entry.

First, from my perspective, the master’s degree is the new baccalaureate degree. I think that is a reality already. Now, for the half of the college-going population that start at community colleges, that perception may not indeed be a reality. A master’s degree may seem very far off, if thought of at all. However, once someone graduates with a bachelor’s degree and tries to get a job, a master’s or five years of experience is a common theme. Another is a lack of jobs, so what do you do? You go to graduate school.

Second, I do not think, generally, the current call for more college graduates in our country stems from a primary goal of producing an educated workforce, especially with today’s unemployment rate. (In fact, one could argue, the push for high school graduates and adult learners to go to college is actually to get them out of the job market for four years so that others can have what open jobs still exist.) Part of it, honestly, is probably about being number one in the world, regaining our educational status, which the U.S. educational system realized was an issue after 1983’s A Nation at Risk (and even really, before that, in the  1950s). Part of it is just about democracy and the American Dream. Another part of is is Bordieu’s cultural capital and social reproduction.

I think an employment glut, unprepared students, and the value of a college degree all merit concern, though. I will think on this more and perhaps return with further considerations.

-Teresa Bagamery Clark

Days of rest

So I officially had some rest over the last week. The semester ended with the normal routine of finals, papers, stress, and more stress. But as all the work faded, the smiles and laughs began to surface around campus and in my classrooms. I found myself sitting at home, not having work to do, and not quite knowing what to do with myself. Should I actually go out guilt-free with my friends? I’m kidding, of course; classes are not always stressful, and there are plenty of times for play during the semester. It just happens to be those few tension filled moments (mid-terms and finals) where I, and so many others, happen to forget that moments of play ever existed and begin to wonder, “How did I get here?” But after trudging through, relaxation was wonderful over the past week, and I am officially ready to start May-term tomorrow. Here we go again!

 

-Kristina DePue

Counterpoint: More = better?

This compelling post discusses the goals for increasing the US population’s attainment of college degrees.

The very first thought I had after reading the research was, “College degrees are great – but is granting more of them the solution?”

Here’s a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. I’ve excerpted below:

In the midst of the Asian financial crisis (1998), China’s government decided China needed bold measures. On government orders, China’s universities — most of which are state-controlled — boosted enrollment by up to 30% a year, year after year for most of this decade (In 1998, 3.4 million Chinese attended university. By 2008, the number was 21.5 million.). A more skilled Chinese work force, it was reasoned, would jump-start domestic consumption, helping to wean China’s economy off exports.

China is now suffering from a higher-education equivalent of the global credit bubble. “Objectively there was a need to expand education,” says Yang Dongping, head of a nongovernmental organization dedicated to education reform. “But we’ve just experienced an educational disaster.” The problem: many of the schools turned into diploma mills, churning out poorly qualified students leaving all to wonder “is this education was of any value?”

Here are just a few of my concerns about any similar proposition for the US:

1. Is the goal of increasing college degrees to make people more competitive in the workplace? If so, wouldn’t granting too many bachelor’s degrees dilute the value of all bachelor’s degrees? Will the Master’s degree become the new bachelor’s degree?
2. Is the goal of increasing college degrees to guarantee work for citizens? If so, then urging more to receive college degrees assumes unlimited demand (ie – jobs) and that’s just not a realistic expectation, no matter how good the economy. Only in a Utopian society would a college degree guarantee a job (much less a higher paying job).
3. Is the goal of increasing college degrees to make people better off economically? If so, can we believe that this will disrupt the natural macro-economic equilibrium? For instance, an increase in the minimum wage drives up the cost of labor, which directly translates into an increase in cost of goods & services. So, yes, while workers are earning more, the prices of goods and services are now higher as well. This often results in a net sum zero in overall “better off-ness.”
4. Where will these new students come from? A majority of the students whom colleges admit are grossly underprepared. Only 23 percent of the 1.3 million high-school graduates of 2007 who took the ACT examination were ready for college-level work in the core subjects of English, math, reading, and science.
5. Is forcing an increase in college degrees to increase employability the equivalent of printing more money to pay for a national budget? (Please note that this is not a political statement as every administration has done this – this is why what did cost $1 in 1913 now costs $22.43 in 2008). More dollars chasing fewer goods & services is the definition of inflation, and this always results in the dilution of the value of the dollar…and this leads me back to concern #1.

These are just my personal concerns – and, admittedly, I’ve not seen any documents detailing what the implementation of the goals for attainment would look like. Please post/reply or email me as you come across additional discussions on these important issues – I welcome it!

 

-April L. Mollerberg

 

Sources:

 China Faces a Grad Glut After Boom at Colleges, Wall Street Journal (By IAN JOHNSON) 4/28/09

America’s Most Overrated Product: the Bachelor’s Degree, The Chronicle of Higher Education (By MARTY NEMKO) 5/2/2008