The Learning Team

Date: 31 August - 2 September 2012

Venue: UTM Skudai, Pulai Spring Resort

Focus: Nnivo data analysis. Research focus and issues for Qualitative Research. Developing contents for a book based upon a Master's and PhD's work.
 

 
The participants:

There were four plus one on short stay. Target PhD. Five different focus. One vision. To acquire as much as possible from the time spent with the mentor.

The mentor:

A unique individual. Generous, extremely generous with his expertise. Hands-on. Multi-tasker. A view and time for each individual. Purposeful guide and teacher.

Participant 1:

Team leader. Stage 3. Facilitator. Organiser. Binder. Motivator. Understand own strengths and weaknesses. Exploit both to move self and others to the next level. Key to the Mentor. Focus - Counselling

Participant 2:

The technical scaffold. Stage 3. Fast learner. Steadfast supporter. Intense. Deep. Meticulous. Focus - Special Needs

Participant 3:

The moderator. Stage 1. Learning the arts. Exploring the smoother path. Focus - Professional Learning Community

Participant 4:

The supporter - outsider. Stage 1. Explorer. Flexible learner. Clearing the chosen path. Focus - Leading Learning.

Participant 5:

The supporter - insider. Stage 1. The next technical scaffold. Focus - Entrepreurship in the curriculum.


Lesson Learned:

- Do not research policy related issue. You may be stuck when there's policy reversal before completion of your research. Example evaluation research related to Teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

- Develop codes for data analysis systematically. This will enable you to maximise the use of nvivo.

- Triangulation is to support main data (data obtained from main method of data collection). There is no triangulation where there is no data from the main source. Why this reminder? Let's say our main data is collected through observation. Supporting evidence (triangulation) are from interview and document analysis. Then as we work through the supporting data, we discover themes not found in the main data. Then these themes cannot be considered as part of our key or main findings.

- Models as end-results. Implementable, usable models should be our focus.

- Minimise expected barriers. Research where barriers to access is minimum.

- Publishing our work is easy, if we know the correct process. Learn from the master publisher.

- Learning atmosphere - informal, warm and friendly, intense collaboration. emerging gaps. reworking paradigm.

Detailed route:

Day 1: am Arrived PSResort.
Day 1: UTM 3.00pm to Maghrib - P3, P4, P5 - research focus and issue.
Day 2: UTM  9.00am to Zuhr - P1 - Data Cleaning and Consolidation.
Day 2: 3.00pm to Isyak - P2 - Data Cleaning and Consolidation.
Day 3: am Departed PSResort.

Offside:

Bila bertanya direction. And you are told to make a U-turn immediately ahead. Make sure tanya - Nak buat U-turn tu ...

 "HIMPIT KE KIRI atau HIMPIT KEKANAN?"

 Will save you much fuel waste and tense moments.

Next step ...

The Conference

Leading is cool.
Learning is cool.
Leading Learning doubly cool.

Yes!
Next Step ...

Feedback Chapter 1-3: Dr M

Thank you ALHAMDULILLAH.

Today - 24 July 2012 - Had 23 precious minutes of feedback from Dr M on Chapters 1 - 3 submitted end of June.  Most importantly to note:

- flow - ada yang salah parking ... hmm

- wide coverage - need more depth

- repeating - boleh tetapi kembangkan -- ada tempat, baru nak kembang -- kuncup semula -- :)

- instrrument - untuk questionnaire -- in this case kalau buat qualitative tidak perlu ... nak kena telaah Research Methods semula

- baiknya just go dig in, interview mereka and let the data tells the story -- fieldwork - observation -- thick description, grounded theory ...

- to develop and strengthen research methods ...

- develop structure of the chapters and we work from that baseline ...

- next meeting insyaAllah after Ramadhan ...

- memangnya betul kata Dr Neil, "so articulate ... but i don't see this in the writring ... :) "

- Dr M kata ... her supervisor said the same thing ... so baiknya ... you balik ... you talk to yourself and write what you say ... great idea ...!

AlhamduLiLLAH. Solat Syukur.

Next step ...

Let me try

Yes, I know the way now!!

Even with the eyes closed.

The Killer Garden

Saturday, 3rd March 2012. The Professor entered. Greeted. "Assalamualaikum. Welcome to the killer course of your life. Research Methods"

Hmmm... Don't worry ...

Misna's Rule of Thumb ...When in the jungle...

... Stand still - get your bearing
... Listen - to the familiar and unfamiliar sounds
... Look around - mark the knowns and the unknowns 
... Observe - details and outliers
... Explore - possibilities
... Identify - requirements
... Compare - and contrast
... Search - for meaning and applicability
... Clear - enough ground for comfort
... Set - tools and shelter
... Do - the reason why you are in the jungle in the first place
...
...
...
... And hopefully, at the end of the journey, we will have an in-depth understanding of KATAK and KUDA :-)

... One from Bashō who in early 1686 composed one of his best-remembered haiku:

furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto

an ancient pond / a frog jumps in / the splash of water [1686] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsuo_Bash%C5%8D

A New Garden

The garden gate was opened on the 16 February 2012. We entered the old garden at UPSI (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris). Some in the PhD gardens, 4 of us; and some in the Masters gardens. This is no ordinary visitors' garden. It is a piece of land that we ourselves will have to clear, develop, and beautify and fence ... defend :) with thorough understanding of the requirements of the land. We will have to negotiate our way around this surely and bravely. Thick jungle, thorns, tigers and all...
 
The busload of us, referred to as UPSI Kohort1, were there by Allah's SWT grace. This UPSI-IPGRM collaboration was the results of various commitment and untiring effort of, particularly, the leading advisor, Dr Zailah of IPGRM, our team secretariat, Cikgu Miza and Cikgu Mustafa. May Allah SWT reward them all with His infinite blessings. And may Allah SWT ease our learning journey and that each of us complete the journey successfully and briliantly, insyaAllah. Ameen.

Appreciating Now

The search results you will get if you google the following:

^ Moving Forward - 327,000,000 results.

^ Looking Back - 2,450,000,000 results.

^ Appreciating Now - 19,500,000 results.

Hmmm. Curious thing this is. Where most of the world's population live. In the PAST ...

Jane Reichhold on Haiku.

In learning how to read it you have to learn how to build these images.
You are not going to teach anybody anything in Haiku. You are going to show them.

Just need to do it, do it and do it and enjoy it. Enjoying words. Playing around with words, and see what they can do for you.

Your life will change. Because it demands a change in the way you act and live and think.
Connect with the world outside. Things will call out to you. The rolling surf. And the cloud above.


Brief, present tense. Use common words.

The words can sound and be extremely simple. But they can hold vast reservoirs of meaning in their layers.



Extract from Talk: http://fora.tv/2009/04/23/Haiku_of_Master_Basho_Jane_Reichhold#fullprogram

World of Haiku - Continuously Updated

1.  http://www.ahapoetry.com/haiartjr.htm


This site provides a very good introduction to the various aspects and characters of Haiku by Jane Reichhold. Most useful as we move slowly into the amazing world of Haiku. I particularly like the commentary on the lesser known Issa.

Based upon Jane Reichold's elaboration, I can see that I am not diligently following the rules of Haiku writing. No matter. First personal, then general :-) and Jane said its okay. The more you know about the forms. The more you'll learn.

Check her Talk: http://fora.tv/2009/04/23/Haiku_of_Master_Basho_Jane_Reichhold#fullprogram
A most enlightening elaboration on Haiku in particular, and poetry in general.

2. http://haiku-poems.50webs.com/

This was the first site checked when I started searching for Haiku References. Simple Introduction.

3. http://www.kidzone.ws/poetry/haiku.htm

This is an excellent site for Early English Learners. Use of Haiku as part of TESOL and Cognitive skill development. Worksheets included.

But Jane Reichhold said that there's no plural in Haiku. Haiku is Japanese word. Its plural is just like Sheep. That's it.

4. http://guruselamanya.wordpress.com

Not exactly a Haiku site. This is a Bahasa Melayu (BM) site of a Teacher. Excellent for BM Teaching.

Sungai

Bercengkerama,

Dari Tebing Ke Tebing,

Arus Beradu.        


          Kukuh Teguh,

          Aur Berdiri Padu,

          Senyum Bersatu.

Perkenalan

Merenung Malam,

Angin Malu Menyapa,

Hai ... Aku Haiku :-)

Keringat Tua

Panas Membara,

Sawah Menguning Kering,

Keringat Tua

Taman Ku 001

Angin Timur,

Kencang Melintas Lalu,

Bunga-Bunga Gugur.

Haiku

Sometimes, something happened.
And you know not, how to express it.
Gently. Without hurting yourself. Nor others.

I discovered Haiku today.
Short, yet sweet.
Firm , yet flexible.

Analogy or "kiasan" in Bahasa Melayu.
For those things.
That are beyond words.

Perseverance

That caladium,

I thought buried and long gone,

Sprouts in the rain.

Haiku 003

Di Be lai Hai ku

Ba yu Rin du Ka sih U tuh Mu

Ter Le rai Pi lu

Haiku 002

Ma na Mung kin A ku

Di Ti up A ngin Rin du

Ti dak Ter si pu

Haiku 001

Hai ku Di ri Ku

Se nyum Se la lu

Di Pin tu Kal bu