Can it be?!?!

It is January 6th and I have one last section to write on my thesis. Well, two if you count the conclusion...{+ the part on metaphors}. I spent the past three days with a headache so I ended up working on it for about six hours today. Those two sections, clean up and cite some sources, expand on further questions this proposes, proof it myself, and voila. I will be ready to re-write it after getting input! (argh)

I have to be done with my first draft by the time classes start this week. If not, I think I will be doomed. I was thinking I was going to be laid off in late January/early February and have the gift of time in Feb/Mar to write this. It looks like that will not be likely now. Ergo, I HAD to be in movement on my paper. I am up to 31 pages. That is 10 pages up from just 2 weeks ago! Woohoo! If I proof by this weekend, I can get it to MGJ and VG for feedback. Then to my advisor and the re-writing can begin.

It seems to be never-ending but really, I just started working on writing it 5- 6 weeks ago.

I dream of the June cruise and reading crap novels!

I love this shot from our trip to Rockport, MA

The fun begins...

Let the games begin!
My proposal was approved on 11/7/07.
I was assigned my facult advisor on 11/15/07.
I have plans to write sections between 12/1/07 and 2/1/08, giving myself various deadlines.

Here is what I am up to the next 2-3 months:

I will investigate how the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates and Plato) have influenced the teaching methods of adults in the 21st century.

I will also explore which methods are still effective in the adult classroom today.
My thesis research study will investigate adult learning theories.

After explaining a few foundational theories in adult education, I will address what teaching methods were used by the Ancient Greeks such as Socrates and Plato.

As a foundation to the ancients, I will also include some information on the pre-Socratics and the poets of the oral tradition.

I will then discuss which of these methods are still alive and well, 2,500 years later in our contemporary day of technology.

If I am not doing these items, then I am not focusing. As my buddy John H. says, "Stay focused on the end game."
Stay tuned!

Almost finished

My thesis proposal is almost done! I gues the third time IS the charm. Currently, my research question is:
"How did the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates and Plato)
influence the teaching methods of the 21st century and which methods are
still effective?"

I may need to tighten the word "influence" to something more likely to prove....stay tuned!

New research question

I attended a Thesis Proposal Writing workshop on Saturday. I was trying to do too much in my last question and I needed to narrow thing down more. If I may try out my new research question:

Which adult learning theories are of the highest impact when we align the teaching methods of the ancients (Socrates & Plato) to the teaching methods of the 21st century?

I am still a bit broad but the areas I had previously were too WAY too big. This way I can bring in some samples of Plato and Paul if I need to and I can focus on only 1-2 adult learning theories.

From AM: The next idea is how we examine these constructs- either in a qualitative way or perhaps a mixed design - very exciting!

Darn it anyway...

All that work and now I need to start over. I submitted my proposal. It was a "great start" but I was trying to do too much. I need to look at what is it that I truly want to try and do with this thesis. I never really wanted to do Paul anyway!

Back to the drawing board......

Refining the questions

After some reading of the literature:

What is the foundational canon of Western higher ed, both oral and written, and how do these converge into a common theme across Plato and St. Paul?

or...

What is the change process for oral teaching to become written teaching, and how do the cases of Plato and St. Paul exhibit the effectiveness, or ineffectiveness, of this phenomenon?

More soon...