Dear WinkWorld Readers,
This post is for 7th and 8th graders who might like to attend a FREE camp for kids to explore and learn about various career options which await them after high school.
Check it out – click HERE.
Handy (wink)Links for CARE and EQRC
Handy (wink)Links for CARE and EQRC
Dear WinkWorld Readers,
It is not lost on me that my WinkWorld on snakes in the house had way more active, engaged readers with funny responses that my last WinkWorld on the research of three brand-new researchers, armed with their brand-new doctorates: Ana York, Jade Herman, and Dawn Wink. My blog is eclectic, and my readership often seems to represent two different worlds–my two different worlds.
In this post, I will share some of the links we created for the CARE (Conference on Academic Research in Education) and EQRC (Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference).
Click HERE to see a little video, which I created, to introduce our 3 new researchers.
Below I am posting our group poster presentation, in which we share their combined research.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SIZE VERSION.
Ana York’s poster presentation of her own research.
Ana York’s audio link:
Jade Herman’s poster of her research.
Jade Herman’s YouTube of her Dissertation Defense
Dawn Wink
Below is a YouTube link, which Dawn created to share the audio of her research.
Dr. York, Dr. Herman, and Dr. Wink, it is great fun working with you three. Good luck with your research projects and the next ones to follow.
CARE Conference, March 21/22, 2022 (virtual)
CARE Conference, March 21/22, 2022 (virtual)
Photo credit: dbd
3-10-2022
Dear WinkWorld Readers,
OK, I admit: My blog, WinkWorld, is quite eclectic. Last time I wrote about blue racer snakes on the ranch…er, hanging from the ceiling, and this time I am writing about a professional educational conference, CARE, which has been sponsored by UNLV and Clark County School District of Las Vegas.
CARE, Conference on Academic Research in Education
Click HERE to visit the CARE website.
This year the conference will be virtual, and I have the pleasure of introducing three new docs and their research: Dr. York, Dr. Herman, and Dr. Wink. The presentation was initiated last year, when I served on two of these committees (no, not on Dawn’s). I noticed that these three young doc students were having totally different experiences – based on their program, their chair, their university, and who each of them were as researchers. It was fascinating.
This blog post will be longer than my normal, but I need a place to save our CARE materials for the virtual conference….hence, my post today.
Click HERE to watch a little video of my introduction of our poster presentation and the three new doctors.
CARE Conference March 21/22, 2022
TITLE: Theory to Methods: Three Case Studies
Joan Wink, Ana York, Jade Herman, Dawn Wink
3.10.2022
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study, as represented in the poster, is twofold: First, it is to demonstrate distinct research methodologies, as used in three 2021 dissertations; and second, it is to demonstrate how theoretical foundations ground methodologies and inform their distinct research inquiries.
The Introduction of the poster will lay out a broad spectrum of theoretical foundations from multiple points of view, as understood by a senior scholar, Dr. Joan Wink, Professor Emerita of California State University, Stanislaus. All will be available via links in the RESOURCES.
Next, the poster will compare and contrast three very distinct doctoral dissertation methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) representing the broad continuum of research.
Dr. Ana York, Assistant Professor, California State University, Stanislaus, will begin by sharing her research, in which she used quantitative methods.
Dr. Jade Herman, Chief of Staff at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, will follow as she shares her research, in which she used qualitative and a quantitative method.
Dr. Dawn Wink, Associate Professor at Santa Fé Community College will then share her research, in which she used qualitative (Scholarly Personal Narrative) methods.
The participants who view this poster will learn the how-to of each method of the dissertations as the three doctoral scholars paint a portrait of their inquiry, sample size, theoretical foundation, methods, and findings. The Conclusion of the poster will emphasize the why of each of the processes as Dr. Joan Wink makes connections between theory and methodology.
What initiated this poster presentation?
Joan continues:
During 2020-2022, I was on several doctoral committees, and I observed how the experiences of three specific doctoral candidates were vastly different—depending on the program, the university, the chair of each committee, and the candidate herself. As a veteran professor of languages, cultures, and philosophies, I appreciate how important it is for each graduate student or educational professional to understand the broad spectrum of philosophies, be able to articulate each, and to see how these various theories, perspectives, philosophies, turn from theory to practice in schools at all levels.
Meet Ana. Ana’s quantitative dissertation used a quasi-experimental, single-group, pretest-posttest design in her study of meditation.
Meet Jade. Jade’s mixed methods dissertation used intrinsic case study and transcendental phenomenology, plus a chi square test for contextual information in her study of an educational leadership program.
Meet Dawn. Dawn’s qualitative methods used Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN), as she followed the Pre-search, Me-search, Re-search, and We-search methodology in her study of ecolinguistic.
CONCLUSION
In this presentation, we shared three different philosophies of education and how each affected the experiences of these three doctoral candidates and their research. Our over-arching goal is that each viewer of this poster presentation will come away with a deeper understanding of, not only a broad view of the various educational philosophies, but also the ability to name and understand each to a greater degree. Ultimately, we want each of viewers to understand their own philosophical grounding.
RESOURCES, plus a short abstract of each link.
These short stories explaining the theories/philosophies/points-of-view/perspectives will be holistically referred to as the “big ideas” which guide teaching and learning.
There are many ways to think about schools, and there are many philosophies guiding our beliefs about schools. However, for our purpose, we are emphasizing the language which describes two, three, four, and five points-of-view. Different academic areas sometimes use other terms, synonyms, and descriptors for the basic “big ideas” or philosophies. (Joan Wink, 3.10.2022)
100 Years In A 1000 Words
First, A Little History. I have tried to write 100 years of history in a 1000 words. My goal is to tell a story about history.
https://www.joanwink.com/a-little-history/
Two Big Ideas: A Short Narrative by Joan Wink
https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/two-big-ideas-narrative.pdf
Two Big Ideas on Teaching and Learning: A Visual by Jenny Thompson, 2007, CSUS. Of course, there are not just two big ideas. In addition, a binary often limits our thinking. However, qualitative and quantitative are often two methods we have all experienced in one way or another. Frank Smith (1992) used, Classical and Official, to represent these two big ideas. The ‘5 ism’s’ are often used by many foundational texts.
https://joanwink.com/newsletter/2007/perspective1.pdf
A Visual of 2 and 5 Big Ideas created by Natalie den Dulk Merrill while she was in my class in my graduate class, 2007.
https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5isms-visual.pdf
The 5 ISM’s Maaria Thompson had fun summarizing these big ideas.
https://www.joanwink.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/5isms-summary.pdf
Elliot W. Eisner captures the notion of captures the notion of “Two Visions of Education” by using the terms: Formalistic and Romantic. Teachers College Record, Date Published: November 07, 2005.
http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 12234, Date Accessed: 1/18/2006 10:56:19 AM
In Critical Pedagogy: Notes from The Real World, I referred to the three big ideas as transmission, generative, and transformative. Others use the words, constructivist, constructionist, and/or social constructivist when they refer to 4 or even 5 big ideas.
https://www.joanwink.com/critical-pedagogy-4th-ed-the-lesson-of-dayna/
ADDITIONAL LINKS FOR CARE CONFERENCE:
Video Introduction by Joan Wink
Ranch Visitors: Blue Racer Snakes
Ranch Visitors: Blue Racer Snakes
Dear WinkWorld Readers, as you know I usually write a blog post about whatever is on my mind, on my computer desktop, or on my desktop. I rarely write about some ranch-life-realities. However, today I decided to write about Blue Racer snakes, which sometimes come into our house.
A Blue Racer Snake Hanging from the Ceiling of Our New Bedroom
Our ranch was once my grandparents’ homestead, or Grandma Grace’s house. I used to think that it was a castle. But, when we returned to live in her house, circa 1994, we did some measurements and found that the main floor had 900 square feet. Not as large as I remembered. We believe that my grandparents must have moved from the sod hut to this house about the 1920’s.
This house also has half a basement: dirt floors, low ceiling, gorgeous old cedar beams, dangerous, hand-poured concrete steps, and our all-important water pump, with various more important water pipes going to and from the cistern. OK, I will admit it: the basement is more like a cellar, and sometimes it feels like a dungeon. Very scary.
However, snakes (Blue Racers) think that it is a fine place to hibernate. Often during the cold months, a ball of sleeping Blue Racers hang from that low ceiling. When we are in the cellar, we watch carefully, so as not to bump that ball of snakes with our heads. Sometimes one will wake during the winter, and slither up those dangerous steps and sneak into the kitchen to look around. More than once, I have been reading at night at the north kitchen counter, when I noticed an annoying smell. Blue Racers stink. Then I simply “shoo” the snake back down those dangerous steps.
In 2006 we decided to build an addition–new living area and new bedroom for us. This was the year that I was on chemo in CA, so I am only vaguely aware of all that took place during the building process. In retrospect, the builders must have dug into another hibernation site, as the Blue Racers continued to sneak into our new bedroom.
Six years in a row–one snake in the new bedroom each year–always at night–always in the winter–always when I returned from a trip to a cold, dark ranch. Wink was not home for even one of these great snake events, as he was in Pierre for the Jan., Feb., March annual legislative sessions.
The first time this happened, I had just flown back from CA, driven from the Rapid City airport two more hours, and was thrilled to be home safely–even though alone. I hauled my suitcase down the new stairs to our new, gorgeous bedroom, and there stretched out in all of his glory, was a huge snake on our brand-new carpet.
What to do?
Rule #1: Don’t look away – you must know where that snake is. I stood and stared and thought and gathered my courage. I slowly picked up a small wastepaper basket and a pretty, little decorative broom, which were in the bedroom. With one whoosh, I swept the snake into the basket and ran as fast as a I could up the stairs and out into the darkness and tossed the snake out the door. This is basically what I have done with each snake in the bedroom since that time, even though Wink did give me one of those snake catchers, which I have never tried.
My Unused Snake Catcher
However, one time I had just returned from another teaching trip, and I found the snake in the photo, hanging from the ceiling of our new bedroom. This time, a man who was working on the ranch was helping me carry the luggage down the steps. We saw the hanging snake at the same time.
“Oh, no, I don’t do snakes,” he told me seriously.
“Buck up, Big Boy,” I replied, “tonight you do, do snakes.”
I kept my eyes on the snake and asked him to get me a wastepaper basket and the big broom, which he did.
“Now, on the count of three, all you have to do is take the broom handle and pop up that ceiling tile. I will catch the snake with the waste basket,” I told him. And, this is exactly what we did, and then I again ran like crazy to toss the snake outside.
Each time I have had a snake in the house, I knew I could call one of several local ranchers for help, but I knew it would take time for anyone to arrive, and then they would tell stories about the experience. Nope, this is my story.
Reading a Story in a School: Imagine!
Reading a Story in a School: Imagine!
Dear WinkWorld Readers.
Reading a story in your neighborhood school: Imagine how fun. How beneficial. How interesting. Recently, I had this opportunity in our neighborhood school, Atall, which is 50 miles from our ranch. Atall is a small (okay, tiny) rural school on the South Dakota prairies.
The teacher, Missy Urbaniak, read the English version, and I read the Spanish version of “Imagine” and “Imagina” by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Lauren Castillo, translated by Georgina Lázaro, and published by Candlewick Press. Herrera did not speak English when he entered school in the US. He eventually became the Poet Laureate of the US. This story captures parts of his childhood and a peak into a very special day at the Library of Congress.
if you want to hear Dawn and I read this story aloud.
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who reads this will also go to their local school and offer to read to kids?
Atall Emeritus
Some of the former students of Atall School returned in December for the school program. It was wonderful to see all of the students enjoying each other again. Love these kids so much!
A New Dr. Wink
A New Dr. Wink
Dear WinkWorld Readers,
As many of you know, in the past year I have spotlighted several graduates who caught my attention. Some of these students graduated from undergrad programs (Nadifa, Lizzie, and Wynn), one master’s graduate (Katie), and two others completed their doctoral degrees (Ana and Jade). I was honored to serve on the doctoral committees for Ana York from Grand Canyon University and Jade Herman from Creighton University. To read about any of these graduates, just click on the archive at WinkWorld News
With this issue of WinkWorld, we will bring to a close (at least for 2021), this blog series celebrating a few graduates.
Congratulations, Dr. Dawn Wink!
How lucky am I? Those of you who know our daughter, Dawn, know that she just successfully defended her dissertation. Actually, she nailed it. And, I was able to spend a spectacular week celebrating with her. A few pix follow.
First is a screen shot, which a ZOOM student took and sent to us. I had just walked into the room right after her Chair congratulated her.
Next, are the flowers she received from her Chair.
And, these are the flowers which Dawn had delivered to me for my defense (Yes, a tiny bit late–30 years.) How cool is that?!
And, if you look very carefully at the following pix of the two of us, you will see that she is wearing the earrings, which I gave her for her Ph.D., and, yes, she surprised me with a similar pair to celebrate mine. Told you I am lucky!
When I finished in 1991, I remember walking out into the long hallway of Harrington at TX A&M, and 🎼 ‘Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch’ was rocking in celebration. Thank you, Aggies.
Dawn’s blog, Dewdrops. October 21, 2021
After Dawn’s defense, we walked down to the campus of the University of Arizona to celebrate.
Just Books.
Just Books.
Dear WinkWorld Readers,
As you know, I have been highlighting recent graduates–one more left to come this season, and I hope to get it out to you before Christmas. For now, I want to share some of the books I have been reading.
As some of you know, when I was on chemo I spent a lot of time reading about elephants, but I have not read another elephant book until recently. Alexandra Fuller’s book of growing up in the wilds of Africa pulled me back. The following is a previous WinkWorld, in which I write about her books. From running free as a child in Africa, she now lives in a yurt in Wyoming.
Lawrence Anthony
If you are not really a reader, it is only that you have not yet bumped into the right book. This could just be the book which captures you.
Francoise Malby-Anthony
Ranchers often have baby calves in their kitchen in the cold spring storms, but I have never had an elephant in my kitchen.
Thula Thula
If you want to watch more about these two authors, just Google Thula Thula, their home in Africa. Start with thulathula.com, but you will find many links on the web.
Cindy Moss
This book captues the research of Cindy Moss. Each chapter begins with a compelling story, which is then followed by the theory behind the story.
Camino de Santiago
From the elephant books, I dove right into books about The Camino de Santiago. I remember hearing of this in 1961 from my first Spanish teacher, Mrs. Johnson at Mobridge High School. Today, I am not sure if I really want to walk 500 miles. One of my favorite books on this topic is posted below.
Historical Novels about Libraries
From Camino I went into historical novels which are grounded in a true story of one person (or a group) and one library. Oh, how I love this New York City Public Library; I have been lucky enough to visit it twice.
In this page-turning novel of two women (one 1913 and the other 1993), we learn some of the secrets of this famed NYC library, as we see the power of love of literature and of family. The link below is a previous WinkWorld, in which I wrote about the NYC Public Library.
Next, I found myself reading histories of the Spanish Civil War, WW1, and WW2. In these historical novels, I met people (and often one solitary woman) fighting to save books.
For example, The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar is a true story of a woman fighting the Nazis to save the library in this northern coastal town in France. I had no idea of this little town which is eventually overrun and burned. 
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a true story of Bella da Costa Greene, who was born Belle Marion Greener, to a Black family in the late 1800’s. In order to succeed, she lived her life as a White. And, succeed, she did! She became the personal librarian to JP Morgan, and created his treasury of early printing press (1500’s) books and works of art. I had no idea about his private library, which she eventually succeeded in opening to the public. In the late 1800’s, Blacks had hope in the promise of freedom and peace, but by the early 1900’s their hope began to fade. A very compelling history.
Next, I was ready for a new genre, and I read The Christmas Pig, by JK Rowling. I have never been captured by fantasies, but I can pretend like I love these stories if I am reading to young people, but I usually do not get it. However, this new JK Rowling is pure magic. Even for me. If you ever had a soft, cuddly stuffed animal or much-loved blankie, who completely understood you, this is the book for you. I even shed a tear at the end.
From the fantasy of JK Rowling, I was ready for a good mystery novel. I started this new novel last night, and I need to finish this WinkWorld now so I get back to this book, which totally grabbed me from the beginning.
Meet Another Brand-new Doc: Dr. Herman
Meet Another Brand-new Doc: Dr. Herman
Dear WinkWorld Readers.
As you may remember, I have highlighted some recent graduates, and I will repost them at the bottom of this WinkWorld. However for now, I am happy to introduce you to the new Dr. Jade Herman. Jade received her doctoral degree from Creighton University, and I was honored to be on her committee. One more doc celebration to go this fall…
Since finishing her degree, Dr. Herman has been named the Chief of Staff for the President of South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. The focus of her study was on leadership within a specific program at MINES.
From Jade I learned the difference between a case study and an intrinsic case study.
A case study is research of a bounded system, for example a process, activity, individual(s), or an event. Case study is often used to understand what is happening in the context of teaching/learning (pedagogy). Qualitative data are often collected over time from multiple sources. My own understandings are heavily influenced by Creswell & Poth (2018) most recently.
An intrinsic case study is a qualitative research method where the case itself is the primary interest of the researcher (Jade). Stake (1995) posited intrinsic case studies are often appropriate when the aim is to evaluate a program, and there is a need to learn about that program as a specific case. The emphasis is on what the participants experience, and not what the researcher thinks about those experiences..
I also learned the difference between phenomenology and transcendental phenomenology.
Phenomenology is a study of rooted in philosophy and psychology, and is also used in education. This type of research inquires into the lived experiences of participants involved in a specific phenomenon. Interviews of participants over time are common (Creswell, 2014).
Transcendental phenomenology is a research approach that focuses primarily on the experiences of the participants rather than the researcher’s interpretations (Creswell & Poth, 2018; Moustakas, 1994).
Dr. Herman’s Abstract
This qualitative, intrinsic case study analyzed the effectiveness of the Mines Advantage co-curricular leadership development program at South Dakota Mines by exploring ten undergraduate engineering students’ shared experiences in and perceptions of the program. While companies in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields seek to hire individuals with solid technical and leadership skills, engineering universities have historically been ineffective in providing quality opportunities for students to improve their leadership abilities. This study found students perceived Mines Advantage as an effective tool in aiding in their leadership development. Data collected in this study also highlighted a significant relationship between students’ participation in the program and graduation rates that doubled those of non-participants. With its current structure, Mines Advantage is already a valuable method for fostering student success. However, it is recommended the university address the primary challenges the program faces to better accomplish its intended outcomes.
Keywords: Co-curricular leadership development; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); undergraduate students; curriculum development; leadership skills assessment; engineering leadership; student development
A Couple of Tiny Stories
I love playing in data and finding surprises. Remember, this was a study of leadership–diversity, (multiculturalism, globalism, belonging, pluralism) was not the focus. However, the data did reflect the students’ thoughts, and these two items sure caught my eye.
First, majority (mostly White young men) students thought the professional development on diversity sponsored by the leadership program was good. The ethnic minority students disagreed. They thought that the diversity professional development should be improved.
Second, both groups of students asked for more professional development on diversity, as they need to understand others’ perspectives. Students know that this will help them achieve their goal: to be engineers in multinational, global companies.
Allies of The Other: This One is For You
More and more the academic literature indicates that the word, diversity, is antiquated and limiting, as it refers most often to only ethnic minorities. The new and yet emerging term is belong, as in: “We want all people to feel a sense of belonging.”
However, Jade and I did not learn a better way of talking about hard sciences and “soft skills,” as in collaboration, understanding others’ perspectives, communicating in social settings, etc. In the literature these skills are often referred to as “soft skills,” which we find to be pejorative. Turns out that the student leaders in this study also want to also improve in this area. So, what is the emerging and more respectful term, which we can use?
When we know better, we do better.
Maya Angelou
Previously-posted WinkWorlds when we celebrated other graduates are posted below. Thank you, Jade, Ana, Lizzie, and Katie for taking me along on your journey. One more to go…..
If You’re Not From the Prairie…,
If You’re Not From the Prairie…,
Dear WinkWorld Readers.
In this blog post, I am posting two oral readings of one of my all-time favorite books, “If You’re Not From the Prairie, . …” David Bouchard is the author, and he does the first reading. The second reading was created by Dean Wink and me during a blizzard a year or two ago. I am sharing these, as Dawn Wink and I have been talking about her “Meadowlark” book talk, which will take place tonight September 8, 6 p.m. at the Faith Library. Everyone in the audience will be from the prairie, and many will know the context of her novel, “Meadowlark.” Some will even have known and loved Grandma Grace, the heroine of the novel. I knew Grandma Grace well.
First, David Bouchard reads his novel.
And, second, Dean and I read “If You’re Not from the Prairie,….
The Power of Story: Dawn Interviews Joan
The Power of Story: Dawn Interviews Joan
Dear WinkWorld Readers,
Here is a 5-minute video clip, as Dawn interviewed me about “The Power of Story.” Hope you enjoy.
Joan
