Dr. Harland’s Hangout

I worked on my dissertation from 2003-2005, and was so sick of it, I thought I’d never want to talk about it again. I remember someone telling me that the dissertation process is unique because you have to get excited about such a specific, specialized topic, that MAYBE 5 other people actually care about your results. So you can imagine my excitement, when I got a check from UMI letting me know that several individuals purchased pdf copies and one person bought a soft-bound copy! Wow–am I famous yet?

My dissertation title is “Relationship of Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Learner Participation in Face-to-Face and Asynchronous Classroom Discussions.”

For the rest of the individuals who may care about the study, here is the abstract:

This quantitative/qualitative study used the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) and Bloom’s Taxonomy to see whether students of specific personality types perceive and actually participate differently in face-to-face (f2f) and online discussions. The study also compared how participants viewed sense of classroom community in the two learning environments. Surveys and event recordings of f2f and asynchronous online discussions were used to gather data regarding student participation in courses within an associate business degree program.

The results demonstrated that feeling types preferred to answer difficult questions f2f, while thinking types prefered to answer these questions online. Differences were also noted between the perceiving/judging, sensing/intuitive, and extraversion/introversion dichotomies. No certain MBTI type was more likely to answer questions at the analysis, synthesis and evaluation levels, respond to peers more frequently, or initiate new topics of discussion more frequently in f2f or online discussions. Neither did certain MBTI types perceive classroom community significantly differently f2f versus online. However, significant differences were found between the extraversion/introversion dichotomy in their actual participation and in how they perceived sense of community.

A comparison of data from students who were both a part of the survey and observational groups showed that the perception that most MBTI personality types had of their classroom participation matched their actual participation. The exception to this was the extraversion/introversion dichotomy in regards to peer-peer interaction and initiating new topics.

I’ve recently made the jump from teaching high school to the university and I’ve noticed quite a few differences–some obvious and others not so much. As you will learn about me, I like lists. So here are my observations categorized–as all good thoughts are!

The obvious

• The bells don’t run my life anymore
• Reduced F2f time with students

The less obvious

• I can go to the bathroom when I want
• Maturity level of the students NOT that different
• Camaraderie among the faculty at the university is refreshing

Technology-wise

• Its easy to access all sorts of technology at the university
• My pre-service teachers think they will have access to the same technology they’ve gotten used to at the university (ha)
• Informality of students with their professors. A pet peeve of mine is when individuals email, skype etc.. and use super casual/IM language. Where has our sense of proper grammar gone? Snicker if you like, but still enjoy capitalization and punctuation!

Most surprising to me

• While my student contact hours have drastically been reduced at the university level-the preparation and grading is as much or more than it was at the high school level
• The university student’s belief that instructors should be available 24/7 for questions (that are clearly answered in the syllabus!)
• I feel like a first year teacher all over again, trying to keep my bearings of deadlines, who to contact when etc…

Well, I’m here! I officially have my own professional blog site! I look forward to becoming a member of the ed tech community! I’ve taught biology and English in the Illinois public school system for 12 years. I’ve just recently made the move to the university. I took a year sabbatical from my high school teaching job to teach in the Curriculum and Instruction department at Illinois State University. I was worried that I would miss teaching high school students, but I’ve found working with future teachers quite rewarding. I miss my content area, but love having time to get up to date with the latest technologies.

A San Fransisco Chronicle article published on March 7, 2008 titled, “Homeschoolers’ Setback Sends Shock Waves Through State“, brings up several huge educational issues. California just decided to uphold laws that have been on the books for decades regarding the laws that determine what constitutes a “school.” Apparently, parents in California do NOT have a constitutional right to homeschool their children.

The article says that unions are “pleased with the ruling” which isn’t surprising, because these homeschooled children, who will be considered truant if they don’t attend public or private (accredited) schools, have the potential to bring a lot of money back into the school system, and more jobs for teachers. Some homeschooled students are taught by well-educated parents who act as their teachers, being an active component in their learning. However, other students are taught by outdated distance learning techniques (videos taped in the ’80’s) that leave it to the individual to learn on their own, if they have the motivation. As an educator, I morn the later, wondering how much these students could enjoy the camaraderie of a classroom. As the member of a teacher’s union, I do believe that if parents want to educate their children at home they should be required to have some sort of educational training.

On the other hand, there are enough problems with the public educational system the way it is now, it seems understandable that parents believe that they can do better than what is offered to their children. I have come to believe that although teachers are some of the hardest working people I know, that it as a profession, attracts people who like education the way it is, not individuals who want to change it. For that reason alone, maybe parents, with little educational training can educate their children better than the school system the way it is.

There’s a lot more I could say, but that’s enough for now…