I've just turned in the proposal for my dissertation and am in waiting mode. Although I have a list of chores that would choke a camel--put off while getting my 100-page proposal done--now that it is, I find myself not wanting to jump back into a daily grind. I decided, instead, to do a little reflection on this educational journey on which I've embarked.
Most of us, when we think of education--especially higher education--think about stuffing our heads full of facts, figures, and other bits of knowledge so that we can qualify for better jobs. Few of us see it as a process for growing in all dimensions as human beings. But that's exactly what it is. Or what it can be if one so chooses.
Until I got into my program, I'd thought of coursework, the comprehensive exam, and the dissertation as "hoop-jumping" required to get to the final goal--the degree. But each of these steps has a purpose that benefits the student far more than the accreditation status of the school.
Coursework provides the opportunity to get to know new people--largely through their work--the experiences and ideas expressed through it. Instead of simply doing assigned reading, I've wanted to know the background of the person I'm reading for an understanding of the context of the content. Who influenced the writer? How and why did they end up doing the work they're writing about? Who are they?
A case in point is Elkhonon Goldberg who has written a book about the brain. Being in education, I'm familiar with some of the "seminal" learning theorists like Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. I chose Goldberg's book, The Executive Brain because I was interested in learning more about the "management" function of the brain. Lo and behold, I found that Goldberg's mentor was a guy named Luria, whose name I'd seen referenced. As it turns out, Luria's mentor was none other than Lev Vygotsky. Once I learned that, it became far more interesting to look at Goldberg's work to see how it had been influenced by Vygotsky--almost like a family tree of ideas.
Also, because my school is online and we are required to interact with fellow learners as well as the work of those we are reading, that, too, exposed me to different points of view and ways of looking at the world. Do you see where this is beginning to lead? My coursework helped my world expand as I got to know new people--their backgrounds and ideas.
Once my knowledge database began expanding, so did the number of connections I saw between the this's and that'ses of the world. How fascinating the world is--both the internal one of perception and ideas as well as the external one. I developed a greater and more profound sense of awe at all the world has to offer--there for the taking.
The comprehensive exam provided an opportunity to further pull together what I'd been learning and organize it in a cogent manner so that it didn't simply slip away as much knowledge does. I remember reading a book on the causes of WWI from different perspectives as and undergrad and having to choose one perspective of who was ultimately responsible for the war. I remember having decided that it was Germany, but couldn't tell you my reasons for that decision. (This, BTW, is known as "jist memory"). That knowledge simply slipped away. Comps are a way to help prevent that--at least to remember key knowledge.
The dissertation provides the opportunity to contribute to the knowledge base in a scolarly way, using methods that have been generally agreed upon within the community of scholars, and society at large for that matter, that has credibility and validity. At this point, no longer are we simply learning about what others have said and done, but are becoming one of those others, using the same types of methods they have. It's the difference between learning about and becoming.
When I look back on goals I had 20-plus years ago, one of them was to feel good and positive most of the time. To my amazement, I have. And my doctoral program has helped me do that. It's boosed my self-confidence, opened up a whole new world, enabled me to develop skills I never knew I had, and make a lot of new friends and acquaintances.
Perhaps more interesting, in terms of where I started when beginning this blog, I'm no longer interested in either becoming rich or having a man in my life. Not that I'd turn down either, but my focus is now on how best to use whatever potential I have as a human being to make the world a little bit better of a place for all--including myself!
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