January 27…On the Nature of a Discipline or Field of Study…Steward of What?
Have you ever thought about the potential for unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise? While one might assume that you see the rewards as worth the risks, this might not be the case, as some of you might be in the program more for the post-credential opportunities than for a genuine desire to become an “expert.” How does all of this relate to your situation and also to the current state of Doctoral Education in Education Golde and Walker (in "Extras" folder)?
I have often felt that the more I have learned over the years the more complicated my teaching practice has become - and I question whether this “disciplinary expertise” has actually been detrimental. Obviously, some of this knowledge and expertise (practical and pedagogical) has been critically important but I have nostalgia for my beginning years as an art teacher when I knew far less than I do now… was I a better teacher then, when my practice felt more genuine and less “educated”? This may also have something to do with the nature of “art” and the struggle to fit into the general education system (be respected) while also maintaining an element of uniqueness.
ReplyDelete20 years ago, after getting my master’s degree, I ditched the goal of doctoral study - I think due to the disconnect in my mind/heart between practice and research and a general dislike for academia… similar to what has been discussed in the readings, including Golde and Walker. Tbh, this hasn’t gone away 100% and I am struggling with it now. The readings were helpful in making this an actual “thing” and not just about me. I do question my intentions in this program. I am here to learn and I really do want to focus on “the purposes of maintaining the best and allowing change to lead to improvement” (Richardson, p. 254). My problem is, I am more comfortable following the lead/collaborating with others vs. generating new knowledge myself. As an introvert, that quality of a “steward,” along with the need to communicate that new knowledge, makes me really nervous - and stirs up the imposter syndrome, big time!
I have always appreciated the concept of moderation, and so will look for opportunities to find the appropriate normative/epistemic balance, as Richardson suggested that Ph.D. degrees should do (p. 252 ).
Kori Mosley
Kori - THANK YOU for putting words to how I feel! I have discovered that the more I learn, the more complicated my teaching practice becomes, and the more I feel I have to justify myself to outsiders. While I feel like I know more, and I am adapting my work to best practices, it also feels as if it is getting harder! -Chelsea
DeleteUntil this question, I have never considered the potential for unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise. Until recent years, I never had a desire to pursue doctoral work and I was explicit about my non-interest in pursuing a Ph.D. because of its "theory" focus when I didn't always see its correlation to practice. Actually, attempting to read research was frustrating for me because it was written for me as a practitioner. My focus as an educator as always been about helping students and I don't have time for anything that isn't going to put me in position to make a positive difference in the lives of children. In my shift from classroom teacher to building-level and division-level leadership, my role shifted. Whereas I once directly impacted students through instruction, my leadership role was focused on directly impacted teachers so that they can directly impact students. Even in my current job at VCU, my work focuses on building the capacity of division and school leadership teams to positively impact student outcomes.
ReplyDeleteAs a new doctoral student in educational psychology, I was surprised to learn that not everyone (students and professors) has been a practitioner. There are those who are really grounded in theory, but cannot converse about its translation to practice beyond what they have read. I've heard some say that they taught for 3-5 years and realized that teaching was not for them; so, they earned a doctorate to teach at the collegiate level. For others, teaching was never their career path. Honestly, this troubles me. The "Doctoral Education in Education" reading resonated with me. While I one of my post-doctoral goals is to teach in a pre-service teacher preparation program at the post-secondary level, my heart is that of a practitioner. I never want to be so far removed from the day-to-day reality of education through the eyes of students, teachers, and administrators that the context of my research and work isn't readily understandable and applicable in context. My purpose for pursuing a doctorate is to help bridge the gap between theory and practice. Golde and Walker point out the lack of a shared core body of knowledge between the different fields in education. To this point, I believe that in order for those of use pursuing disciplinary expertise in education to really make a positive impact in the lives of students and practitioners, we must collaborate across our fields and even with those outside of education whose research and work provide contextual lenses that inform our work. This collaboration will prevent us ("experts" in any discipline/field) from becoming jaded or know-it-alls who feel that our way is the only way.
Correction: ("...was frustrating for me because it wasn't written for me...")
DeleteSherol L. Southerland
ReplyDeleteUntil this question, I have never considered the potential for unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise. Until recent years, I never had a desire to pursue doctoral work and I was explicit about my non-interest in pursuing a Ph.D. because of its "theory" focus when I didn't always see its correlation to practice. Actually, attempting to read research was frustrating for me because it wasn't written for me as a practitioner. My focus as an educator as always been about helping students and I don't have time for anything that isn't going to put me in position to make a positive difference in the lives of children. In my shift from classroom teacher to building-level and division-level leadership, my role shifted. Whereas I once directly impacted students through instruction, my leadership role was focused on directly impacted teachers so that they can directly impact students. Even in my current job at VCU, my work focuses on building the capacity of division and school leadership teams to positively impact student outcomes.
As a new doctoral student in educational psychology, I was surprised to learn that not everyone (students and professors) has been a practitioner. There are those who are really grounded in theory, but cannot converse about its translation to practice beyond what they have read. I've heard some say that they taught for 3-5 years and realized that teaching was not for them; so, they earned a doctorate to teach at the collegiate level. For others, teaching was never their career path. Honestly, this troubles me. The "Doctoral Education in Education" reading resonated with me. While I one of my post-doctoral goals is to teach in a pre-service teacher preparation program at the post-secondary level, my heart is that of a practitioner. I never want to be so far removed from the day-to-day reality of education through the eyes of students, teachers, and administrators that the context of my research and work isn't readily understandable and applicable in context. My purpose for pursuing a doctorate is to help bridge the gap between theory and practice. The reading points out the lack of a shared core body of knowledge between the different fields in education. To this point, I believe that in order for those of use pursuing disciplinary expertise in education to really make a positive impact in the lives of students and practitioners, we must collaborate across our fields and even with those outside of education whose research and work provide contextual lenses that inform our work. This collaboration will prevent us ("experts" in any discipline/field) from becoming jaded or know-it-alls who feel that our way is the only way.
I think a consequence of me getting my Ph.D. will be that I might be seen as an expert by others, and not feel like an expert internally. To consider the unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise in an area assumes one thinks getting a Ph.D. will make them an expert. This being said, I have not thought about becoming an expert in my field. This may be attributed to the combination of my age and gender. Comparing my own personal journey with the current state of Doctoral Education in Education, there seems to be an overlap with gender. Undergraduate degrees have historically been significantly women and doctorate significantly men. Now, two-thirds awarded to women “higher proportion than in any field except psychology” (246). Though there has been this shift, I think it’s important to look at Ph.D.’s in general and consider education within that lens.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, in the What are Academic Disciplines article, educational disciplinary expertise is less respected as it is a soft and applied discipline. As an unintended consequence, research and work in my discipline of counselor education and supervision may not be seen as important as more traditional disciplines. When in fact the complexities of such a special interest field demands analytical and conceptual thinking. I guess I grapple with how I think about becoming an expert and my potential to reach that status. Does anyone else similarly feel intimidated by the idea of becoming an expert in their discipline?
-Aliza
I have not thought about the potential for unintended consequences due to the fact that I have never seen myself acquiring disciplinary expertise. My B.A. is in History, which came after a few major changes during undergrad. My M.Ed is in Sport Leadership, a degree I knew that I needed in order to pursue a career in Student-Athlete Support Services. Looking at it now, I do believe that one unintended consequence could be burn out. I know that it is possible that even though I believe there is a problem, that I may never be able to make the difference that I want to make, and that is an exhausting thought.
ReplyDeleteIn Golde & Walker, there was a paragraph (page 246) that went on to describe three notable differences for doctoral students in Education, and I happen to fit all three. My degree is funded by my employer, I am a part-time student, and I am one of the 1/3 that does not have an undergraduate degree in Education. When the lack of a “core” was mentioned, I feel that every time I sit in a classroom with the other doctoral students. We all come from so many backgrounds, with different experiences and different focuses. I can see that being difficult for departments in order to find a common ground, and a place to start. I know that I began my doctoral studies because of what I see in my daily job, and because I want to find a way to fix the problems that I believe exist on some scale. In order to do so, I will need to become an expert.
I have thought about the unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise, as I'm coming to doctoral studies from a career working in higher ed. I now see things in a different way, though my adult learning framework, and I see adult learning theories and recommendations across the readings for this week. The power of critical reflection is mentioned in Richardson's piece, Krishnan specifically names "learning organizations" and "knowledge management" (adult learning concepts) as solutions to the problems of the life cycle of disciplines, and Golde and Labree both mention that the average age of education doctoral students at time of degree is 44 years old--citing the lived experience of education doctorate students as integral to their studies (again, fundamental to adult learning theory). In my acquisition of disciplinary knowledge and expertise, I'm able to see adult learning theories and practices throughout the works we read. I assume the same is true for my colleagues: our discipline becomes a lens through which we view the world. But because of my training and studies, I'm also aware of my bias, and I frequently read against the texts, questioning author bias as well.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I'm not sure that the rewards of a doctoral degree are worth the risks (money, time, chosen discipline). I don't have any interest in chasing a tenure track faculty position. But I love learning, and I love exploring intellectual ideas with other smart people, and a doctoral degree is a fantastic way to explore that interest for myself.
One thing I did notice was that these articles all explored the idea of teaching as a K12 practitioner primarily, and few acknowledged the lack of pedagogical support of teaching faculty in higher ed, or of learning that happens outside of institutions of learning (on-the-job learning, for example). To explain: I am interested in how adult learning theory shapes faculty development, employee learning, job training, skills growth, behavior modification, etc. My intellectual interest is, to some extent, then: As we learn as adults, how does that change how we see and engage with the world in which we live. And how can an understanding of adult learning theories enhance that perspective for adult learners?
My question for my classmates would be: when reading this, did you connect it to your understanding of your discipline (counselor ed, ed psych, CCC, etc.)? Did that help you read with or read against the text? Did you vacillate between reading with, and reading against the text (as I did)?
I ABSOLUTELY vacillated between reading with and reading against the text. I think if anything these readings have all helped me realize that I do not yet connect with a discipline, but moderately connect with a few (primarily Ed. Psych, Mathematics Ed.).
DeleteI, like you, am pursuing this degree because I love learning and exploring intellectual ideas with other smart people. I am glad that I am not the only one with that mentality, because I have had a few distinct moments so far of "What am I doing here?"
-Chelsea Prue
Chelsea, I'm so glad that we have so much in common! I'm looking forward to getting to know you this semester. :)
DeleteTo be honest, no, I have never thought about the unintended consequences of acquiring disciplinary expertise before doing these readings. These readings really have me thinking about what my discipline will be, and questioning many different directions. I think that my ultimate goal is to become a college teacher/researcher, and I think that I will naturally focus on mathematics education because of my experience and master’s degree. However, I believe that one of the unintended consequences in acquiring disciplinary expertise is pigeon-holing myself into one discipline, even though my interests are quite broad. I assume that over time (and through classes) I will focus my interests enough to direct a dissertation.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Golde and Walker article, I feel a bit comforted by the average time-to-degree of 8.3 years, and that I fit the mould on the three ways we differ from arts-and-sciences colleagues. I have been very surprised to learn (both in person and through these readings) that not many of the doctoral students in education have actually been P-12 teachers. I would be remiss to not articulate my feeling of floundering and thoughts of “what am I really doing here?”
-Chelsea Prue
A lot of the content in these readings about disciplinary expertise feels relevant to the development I have gained in my profession outside of the classroom. My experience as a student affairs practitioner is often VERY different from my colleagues; I chose to enter a professional role after leaving a master's program that was not related to higher education. It's afforded me the opportunity to view a discipline and profession from an "outsider's" lens for a number of years. While that has given me opportunity to stand out among peers with very similar backgrounds and experiences to each other, it also has created somewhat problematic circumstances for me (what I like to call "the Wizard of Oz effect"). I can imagine this issue becoming relevant to any discipline, but especially educational disciplines.
ReplyDeleteThis unintended consequence from my years of experience and promotion throughout my career has resulted in a sense of disillusionment ("Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"). I think the readings this week have highlighted that such an effect is not only possible and likely in doctoral study, but to some extent, required in order to be successful. As we learn to be critically-minded educators, we also are taught to see the problems we are supposed to become passionate about solving. But what happens if the view from the other side of the curtain creates a dispassionate (or even jaded) practitioner? I genuinely don't have any answers for that question, but I hope that some of this course content will help me think more about it before I fall too far down that rabbit hole as a doctoral student.
Meagan R here.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my goals for my doctoral program are difficult to de-tangle. My position has no upward growth, but I continue to learn (and do) more as I continue in our office. As much as I want more opportunities for professional advancement, I want a deep understanding of the field in which I'm working. It feels a little different in medical education, because while we're still evaluation students, learning, and curricula, the outcomes can be different. Ultimately, a successful curriculum will produce "good" doctors, and that affects us all.
I think the unintended consequences of focusing on my career trajectory as a primary driver may be overlooking more nuanced information that will benefit me in the sense of knowledge for the sake of knowledge. It can't always be about clients, or about the utility of knowledge. I worry about that at times. In relation to the article, I am lucky that VCU provides the opportunity for me to attend classes (the idea that a good amount of students are funded by their employer). It's a privilege, and one I try very hard not to take for granted. I feel privileged in general, and I try to remind myself of the things I have done to earn a spot in a PhD program while keeping in mind the things that I did not do. I think it makes sense that education doctorates are a bit of an odd duck, and it's kind of comforting.
I think an honest and important clarification you made is how sometimes in this world we value knowledge more than the clients. I find this a lot in the counseling realm as well and feel like I fight for the client a lot. Also, the more knowledge I gain, I feel a gap growing between me and the client.
Delete-Aliza
Natalie F.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting question. I had never considered there being unintended consequences of receiving a finite degree in education. The reason being is because I view getting a PhD as an honor and recognition for contributing new knowledge to the field of education. I would agree with Richardson's point of view that we are stewards of a field of study and an enterprise of learning. My focus will be to review theories and find new ways to prepare students in interdisciplinary undergraduate programs and employees for critical thinking, problem solving and working in teams. Using workplaces and classrooms as labs supports the idea of the field of education as an enterprise and activity.
I chose the urban services leadership track specifically because it allows me to explore various different lenses to view education from higher education to corporate learning. It is a cross-disciplinary program that will not necessarily deem me an expert in any one space but rather have the ability to investigate practical theories in education. Along this line, I expect I will be viewed as a leader in making recommendations for best practices in organizational learning to create high functioning organizational cultures. If I use this knowledge in the corporate setting, my PhD will most likely not be of significance to colleagues but rather be for my own personal goal of gaining a bank of knowledge to be a respected speaker on this topic. The real advantage of holding a PhD will be to enter into an enterprise of learners whose interest is to continually work to find ways to best learn as an employee in our every changing workforce by teaching at the university level to inspire others to be practitioners in the field of human resource management (organizational learning and culture).
One of the most under-considered aspects of the quest for disciplinary expertise (through the traditional institutional route of acquiring a PhD) is the expectation of self-sufficiency on the part of degree-granting institutions. Expenses are high, and funding is rare, low, and competitive. And even in situations where access to coursework is not a burden, other logistical barriers present themselves. Funding for research and conference expenses frequently work on a reimbursement system, effectively barring students from low-income backgrounds from taking part in these essential tasks of acquiring disciplinary expertise. Numerous fully-funded graduate students have still gone into debt trying to afford the cost of a PhD.
ReplyDeleteMany aspiring graduate students are ably warned of downsides of graduate study -- intensive intellectual labor and poor job prospects among them. I wonder how frequently the out-of-pocket costs for necessary, research-adjacent activities are discussed.
I may have more of an insider's view here, having done graduate work in history before going back to classroom teaching and deciding to pursue a PhD in Education. Being from a relatively privileged background, it was eye-opening to see that graduate students were expected to attend major regional, national, and international(!) conferences, and to foot the bill for these experiences, even if they would be reimbursed at some later date by their institutions.
For educators, I wonder how many of us are trying to balance our careers with this opportunity, and feel that that balance is already unsteady. As our authors note, and several of my colleagues have noted again above, so many Education graduate students come to this space from full-time work, in PK12 teaching, counseling, or higher ed student affairs. This makes Education unique, of course, and may dampen the expectation that we focus the majority of our attention on this endeavor. Nevertheless, there are trade-off costs -- where else could our financial and/or personal resources be going?
Ultimately, I think one of the most overlooked unintended consequences of disciplinary expertise (via graduate study) is the sheer demand it makes on students.
Jonathan Dusenbury
In my opinion, the unintended consequence of becoming a disciplinary expert in any field is that one’s expertise can lead to a narrowed and pigeon-holed perspective on the reality of one’s expertise and its impact on the system. It is difficult, practically impossible, to be an expert in the entire system of education, and I understand this. Still, one has to be aware of the whole system to truly understand how their part of the system deepens the knowledge of the entire system. I am a practitioner in K-12 education, and I believe in an indirect way, I am pursuing my P.h.D to disrupt some of the unintended consequences of a system that was created for a world that we no longer live in and by individuals who have hindered the system with their beliefs and misconceptions of not only of what education is but who education is for and why. I have a thirst for knowledge and a need to deepen my understanding of the system of education to meet better the needs of the people the system serves, particularly the young people and teachers I serve. I am eager to become a steward of education to generate new knowledge, understand the intellectual history of the field, the best practices in the current work, and to share this knowledge with others inside and outside of the field of education. I need this P.h.D program not just for the credential at the end of it, but for the journey towards unlocking the knowledge towards securing the degree.
ReplyDeleteI need to deepen my formal knowledge to broaden my understanding of the inter-workings of the educational system and the policies that created it, sustain, and to research where there is a need for new policies, practices, and procedures to produce a change in the parts of the system that need to be reexamined and redesigned.
As a practitioner, it is imperative for me to create the space to reflect and research the system to truly move the work. It is easy to become consumed by the day-to-day life of being a practitioner, and for me, I needed to carve out the space to become a better educator by furthering my education. I am fueled by my own beliefs and misconceptions, but also the beliefs and misconceptions of those who uphold this current system. I am passionate about developing an understanding of the policies and systems that make up inequities in our field. I want to contribute to the research by examining the educational practices that hinder some learners and fuel the learning outcomes of others. I am humbled by the career field I am in; as educators, we directly impact the future our students have before them - and I do not take this lightly.
Hey All,
ReplyDeleteI was ready for a pretty cut and dry walk through the concept of expertise within a discipline, with the idea that no one is every done learning and (similar to our conversation in class) expertise comes with the responsibility to occasionally ground itself in broader consequences and realities of the communities and knowledge bases around it. Then the whole Foucault concept of discipline came around and hit me in my chest. During the last class I was trying to articulate what my niche/thing might be and I was batting around the idea of Critical Pedagogy. Under the Foucault lens of discipline as restricting the discourse around ideas and limiting subjectivity. I am by absolutely no means an expert on Freire or Foucault, but how does one become an expert while still allowing education to be situated in the lived experience of the student?
Can one be an expert in Liberatory Education? If Social Justice is a principle goal of education (BIG, fat, subjective, choose your own adventure IF on that one) then can there be a discipline expertise for that? AND, if we accept that are we in a big postmodern soup where we relinquish any kind of academic rigor in favor of subjectivity?
As someone who whose social positionality places them squarely within positions of power, maybe the price of discipline expertise is balancing educational scholarship and pedagogy AND centering the experience of marginalized people/thought. To escape fully into "..well, the literature would say" or "...but you can't distill this into research" feels too easy, and maybe the path towards expertise is having the context and content to make an argument but the humility to recognize fallibility?
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that a lot of what I read this week left me a little intimidated, and one of the things I’ve been fighting in academia, especially after moving from a smaller, teaching university to VCU, is the whole imposter syndrome thing (or maybe an extreme fear of know-it-alls). A lot of what I rely on in my day-to-day existence in academia is based on experience as a teacher in the classroom, but I consult with faculty, many of whom are older than me and have PhDs, and I’m supposed to give them advice. It can get awkward; I’ve been called ‘bud,’ more than once, in the same email. So my fix, and it’s not a quick one, is to get a PhD and join the club, so maybe I won’t be referred to as bud by older PhDs. And so a lot this week’s readings assured me that I would be doing things that should earn well-deserved authority, but at the same time it made me feel a little further away from the stuff that I’ve always loved about education, specifically the teaching stuff.
I can see why some researchers want to or have to divest from teaching to be good, effective stewards. Being a good steward seems like two jobs anyway, amassing the knowledge and communicating it well.
And all this is not to say that I’m only here for the degree. I’ve been in my doctoral program for 1 semester and the stuff I’ve done and learned has already had clear, concrete impacts on my abilities in my current job. And I’m curious about everything I’m studying, and even better (and I think this is why I’m really here), is that I’m learning things I didn’t realize I needed to learn.
- Peyton
While there are obvious benefits to becoming an expert in your field, I do agree that there are also some unintended consequences. For example, as you dive into the field, you are constantly reading and processing new information - including differing opinions - and have the job of deciding what you agree and disagree with, understanding others' perspectives which informed their research, and then forming your own conclusions. The onslaught of information can be overwhelming but limiting the new knowledge you're exposed to can be detrimental in its own way. Furthermore, I think become an expert in one, narrowly focused area can actual limit your depth and understanding of a larger picture. In this instance, you may only be able to offer advice, guidance, or commentary on other topics through the lens of your discipline which you've become an expert in.
ReplyDeleteFor me, while I am pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Justice, my background is in both Sociology (undergrad) and teaching. I think that policymakers (or other experts in their field) should have a wide range of experiences which inform their opinion and views in addition to the schooling required to become an "expert".
The entirety of my 16-year higher education career has been that of a practical nature. I found myself pursuing a doctorate in education for the post-credential opportunities. My desire is to teach on the college level. In choosing programs, flexibility and benefit to my work as a practitioner was in the forefront of programs that I applied to. Where my mind differs now, (from the 1st day I started my program), is that I’m no longer interested in research solely for the benefit of my current practice (job). I now desire to research my topic of interest (Leadership Identity) for a variety of different reasons with no set career-related goal in mind. I do wish to someday have my research be read in journals, used in research papers and have a programmatic influence, but I am not choosing to research this topic for the sole purpose of creating a practical guide for my own benefit.
ReplyDeleteI found that table 13.1. Crucial Elements of Scholarly Inquiry and Student Learning, in the Stewards Of A Field, Stewards Of An Enterprise article was very helpful and something that I will save for the duration of my career as a doctoral student. As with any new environment, you must learn to both adapt an proceed in accordance with the expectations. It is important to understand the scholarly competencies and habits to develop. It is my hope that I will be able to identify with things on this list as I go through my scholarly journey. To me, gaining a Doctoral Education in Education means to earn credentialed success by seeking to discover/learn knowledge and practical skills from teaching and research in order to add to body of knowledge for practitioners and other researchers. To educate inclusively and successfully, the teacher must have a wide array of skills and expertise. This is not an easy thing to obtain and perfect. I do believe that there needs to be a balance of theoretical, practical and research centered knowledge obtained. It is my hope that my doctoral journey will lead to research that makes an impact on the field of education, but I also want to learn how to teach others better.