A firecracker start to July

Hmmm, interesting karma in the room today…
Triple digit heat and low energy makes us thankful for cool grass and deep shade.
Double-morning snacks and peanut butter M&Ms kick the diet out the window.
Hamburger buns masquerading as bagels signal a fuzzy brain.
Earth shoes and new hair set the style scene.

Welcome to CSUWPAI July2nd, 2007

Morning Pages Rebecca taught us the meaning of “punt” when she mixed up her snack and morning page assignment. Looking at personal reflection and asking for group input the following ‘themes’ emerged.

• Timelines are important
  Defining terms for a common vocabulary
  Checking out search engines for research
  Time, time, time – get more done, can’t sleep, too much to do
  Revisit and re-analyze data
  What would we write in the margins
  Resources are elusive for many
  Designing the data collection
  Resetting the research, rebuilding the blog
  What DO expectations look like
  Proposals for presentations, publications, grants, oh my
  Feedback and book selection
  Primary data looks good, is it time for that secondary research
  

Public Writing Planning & Research Review
Referred to the Sarah Capitelli web page. Look at the AERA paper on her website. Products = 1) public writing and 2) demo to be presented at CSUWP conference. Be realistic and manageable in setting your goals.

Public writing is about making sense of your work and can show just a slice of your work. Documentation is needed for the NWP. Demo to be presented at the CSUWP Conference – which now has a date and a format (more later)!

What happens after the SI?
CSUWPAI participants need to prepare a school-year timeline for their research before this Thursday (eek, 3 days away!), submit via email to Cindy. Can be as informal as a list.
Post institute “work in progress” meeting will be 9/15/07 at MUGS from 9-2:30. Planning for the writing conference and working on your demo - come with an idea and an outline.

CSUWP Writing Conference. 1/26/08, half-day at CSU (Eddy?). Plan for two sessions of 5 – 75 minute workshops. Open to all teachers, some CSUWP Fellows will be invited to present alongside the CSUWPAI participants. Remember the research connection and organize the demo around FAQs related to your practice. Your research question may be the FAQ and the meat of the demo would be workable strategies that include student samples (better know as data). An administrator session is a great idea – can it be accommodated?

Tentative outline
8:00-8:30 - registration
8:30-9:00 opening remarks
9-10:30 – session 1
10:30-10:45 – break
10:45-12:15 – session 2 and summer program recruiting

Ten presenters will be paid a $150 stipend, and $250 is estimated for office expenses (mailing & stuff). 42 conference participants paying $50 each would be needed to break even (breaking even is making expenses + 20% to be recycled into future programs) –

Open Activity with E. Jason & Steph
How to write a research paper … pre-writing based on assumption that if you just write about the subject and then see what you think after you’ve done this – sometimes the free-writing helps if you’re not sure of the process.
research questions
primary data (first pass)
*secondary data
design experiment
What do I need to know/show?
Order of operations (preliminary data?)

The process was useful causing some of us to question our research question again; review the logistics of what is needed for baseline data; verbalized concerns over finding secondary research data; and a re-evaluation of the cognitive connections.

Researcher’s Chair – Renee’s turn in the hot seat. Here comprehensive list of questions provided fertile ground for commentary. Volumes of discussion seemed doomed to semantics – as the issue of a common vocabulary was revisited. Efficient or streamlined – the question isn’t so much the correct word as defining what you want from the kids.

In an effort to keep us all on track Cindy encouraged us to metaphorically “write your side questions in the margins – so you can keep them in mind but not lose the focus.”

A monumental effort to keep the focus today – well done!