Friday, March 14, 2008
As it turned out
As it turned out, March was the month when I was able to continue working with my dissertation data. January and February were extremely busy and the dissertation was pushed down on my list of priorities. I kept thinking of it, but could not find the time to work with it.
So here I am again, working with my data every week. I have separated Friday’s to do dissertation work and push myself to complete at least one more story each week. With one more to go, I’ll be able to write Chapter 6. This chapter will follow Chapter 5’s structure since both include data analysis work.
Next week is like Spring Break at the UIPR and we have the week off. During this time I’ll be writing and hopefully by the end of the month (or earlier) I will have this chapter done.
After this, one more chapter of data analysis, and then the last chapter: Conclusions, limitations, and so. I am moving slowly, but I keep working, and little by little I should be done by summer!
So here I am again, working with my data every week. I have separated Friday’s to do dissertation work and push myself to complete at least one more story each week. With one more to go, I’ll be able to write Chapter 6. This chapter will follow Chapter 5’s structure since both include data analysis work.
Next week is like Spring Break at the UIPR and we have the week off. During this time I’ll be writing and hopefully by the end of the month (or earlier) I will have this chapter done.
After this, one more chapter of data analysis, and then the last chapter: Conclusions, limitations, and so. I am moving slowly, but I keep working, and little by little I should be done by summer!
Labels: data analysis, time management
Friday, September 21, 2007
A new draft
I took me a lot longer than what I initially though to complete the new revisions of Chapter 2. I had made the readings and was clear about organizing my ideas with an outline, but I was not able to go back to it. We usually say time is a factor, but I think it is more about taking the time, and making a conscious decision of writing whatever came to mind, using your notes to support your ideas.
Also, there is that sense of not being able to do the “right” thing. I was unsure if I had read enough or if I was able to organize my readings in a novel way. I did not want to repeat what others had said, I wanted to contribute to the literature and present my ideas in a different way. We’ll see how it worked.
So now I am going back to my data set, to continue analyzing and interpreting the data. Writing a dissertation is a slow process, but in general you just need to keep at it. :)
Also, there is that sense of not being able to do the “right” thing. I was unsure if I had read enough or if I was able to organize my readings in a novel way. I did not want to repeat what others had said, I wanted to contribute to the literature and present my ideas in a different way. We’ll see how it worked.
So now I am going back to my data set, to continue analyzing and interpreting the data. Writing a dissertation is a slow process, but in general you just need to keep at it. :)
Labels: perseverance, review of literature, time management
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
One step further ...
Writing a general outline and adding the authors related to each subtopic allowed me to organize what I have read about 'writing in mathematics.' This also showed me I had too many articles about practices and too little research articles. So, I had to go back to the library and get a few more. Journals such as School Science and Mathematics and Educational Studies in Mathematics included research articles about this topic up to 2005. This is promising, since most of what I had before was from the eighties and nineties.
On Monday I started writing. I decided to read in the mornings and write in the afternoons. In this way, if I need to read something new to clarify my ideas I can work on that in the morning, while I keep writing the revisions of Chapter 2 in the afternoon. During the evening I can dig up an old article to clarify an author's idea or work on a specific recommendation. At first, I though I had to rewrite the whole chapter, but then I realized I can add a new section and insert references to it along the chapter. I don't know yet if this will work, but I am working on it!!
To push myself I am going to the library during the day and working on periods of time of two to three hours each. If I think I am done before my time schedule, I try to do something else until the clock tells me its time to go. Little by little ...
References:
Clark, D., & Waywood, A. (1993, October). Probing the structure of mathematics writing. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 25(3), 235-250.
Mason, R. & McFeetors, P. (2002, October). Interactive writing in mathematics class: Getting started. Mathematics Teacher, 95(7), 532-536.
Pugalee, D. K. (2001, May). Writing, mathematics, and metacognition: Looking for connections through student's work in mathematical problem solving. School Science & Mathematics, 101(5), 236-245.
Stonewater, J. (2002, November). The mathematics writer's checklist: the development of a preliminary assessment tool for writing in mathematics. School Science & Mathematics, 102(3), 324-334.
Stonewater, J. (2005, January). Inquiry teaching and learning: The best math class study. School Science & Mathematics, 105(1), 36-47.
On Monday I started writing. I decided to read in the mornings and write in the afternoons. In this way, if I need to read something new to clarify my ideas I can work on that in the morning, while I keep writing the revisions of Chapter 2 in the afternoon. During the evening I can dig up an old article to clarify an author's idea or work on a specific recommendation. At first, I though I had to rewrite the whole chapter, but then I realized I can add a new section and insert references to it along the chapter. I don't know yet if this will work, but I am working on it!!
To push myself I am going to the library during the day and working on periods of time of two to three hours each. If I think I am done before my time schedule, I try to do something else until the clock tells me its time to go. Little by little ...
References:
Clark, D., & Waywood, A. (1993, October). Probing the structure of mathematics writing. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 25(3), 235-250.
Mason, R. & McFeetors, P. (2002, October). Interactive writing in mathematics class: Getting started. Mathematics Teacher, 95(7), 532-536.
Pugalee, D. K. (2001, May). Writing, mathematics, and metacognition: Looking for connections through student's work in mathematical problem solving. School Science & Mathematics, 101(5), 236-245.
Stonewater, J. (2002, November). The mathematics writer's checklist: the development of a preliminary assessment tool for writing in mathematics. School Science & Mathematics, 102(3), 324-334.
Stonewater, J. (2005, January). Inquiry teaching and learning: The best math class study. School Science & Mathematics, 105(1), 36-47.
Labels: dissertation, mathematics, review of literature, time management, writing in math
