Module 3 is here and with it looms my Inquiry- panic is setting in - time for some SMART planning.
SMART stands for : Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound.I discovered this when following the link in Reader 7 to the following website:
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-management/management/business-studies/planning-project/content-section-7.1.1 .
In my reflective journal I took each of these headings in turn and had a brainstorming session. This is what I came up with:
SPECIFIC
DECIDE ON INQUIRY QUESTION
DONT GET SIDE TRACKED
FOCUS IN ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT - WHAT DO I WANT TO KNOW?
HOW CAN I CONVEY WHAT I WANT TO KNOW?
CLEAR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
MEASURABLE
HOW DO I ASSESS THE INFORMATION?
CONSIDER METHODS OF ANALYSIS-
DATA TRIANGULATION?
OBSERVATIONS- INTERVIEWS- DATA COLLECTION- LITERATURE
ACHIEVABLE
CAN I FIND OUT WHAT I WANT TO KNOW?
WHO CAN HELP ME- SIG- EXTERNAL COLLEAGUES- LITERATURE-
FINANCIAL RESTRAINTS- PLACES FOR OBSERVATION ARE FAR AWAY- PRACTICALITIES OF GETTING THERE- USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ASK ADDITIONAL INFO TO MINIMISE AMOUNT OF VISITS NECESSARY.
ETHICS
PERMISSION
ETHICS
PERMISSION
REALISTIC
DONT HAVE TO FIND AN ANSWER
DONT BE TOO AMBITIOUS
DON’T TRY TO CHANGE THE WORLD!
TIMEBOUND
BE SELECTIVE WITH READING
DO A TIME PLAN FOR THE INQUIRY
BE ORGANISED!
The biggest problem for me will be the time constraints. I tend to get carried away reading and have all these thought buzzing round my head which take ages to sort into some semblance of order. Does anyone else have that same problem?
Once I had identified what SMART planning meant to me I tried to see how I was applying it and wrote down a list in my journal of things I had done and things I still need to do.
INQUIRY
DONE.
NARROWED DOWN INQUIRY QUESTION.
DONE.
NARROWED DOWN INQUIRY QUESTION.
DECIDED INQUIRY TOOLS WILL BE OBSERVATIONS AND INTERVIEWS - NOT GATHERING DATA FROM QUESTIONNAIRES.
READDRESSED THE INSIDER RESEARCHER STANDPOINT AND CONSIDERED ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS
DONE A TIME PLAN
ARRANGED DATES FOR VISITS
USED SOCIAL MEDIA TO MAKE CONTACT WITH EXPERTS IN THE FIELD TO GET THEIR INPUT - SKYPE INTERVIEWS, EMAILS, GOOGLE +, SIG
GATHERED LITERATURE AND IDENTIFIED EXPERTS IN THE FIELD - FOUND SOME QUOTES THAT MIGHT BE USEFUL AND PUT THEM AND OTHER WEB SOURCES IN EVER NOTE
POSTED SOME BLOGS ON INITIAL INQUIRY THOUGHTS
DECIDED UPON IDEA FOR PROFESSIONAL ARTEFACT
TO DO
MAKE AN OBSERVATION CHART TO DECIDE WHAT TO FOCUS ON
CONDUCT OBSERVATIONS
CHOOSE METHOD/S OF ANALYSIS
CONTINUE READING
CONTINUE BLOGGING
CONTINUE GETTING FEEDBACK AND IDEAS FROM SIG, TUTOR, OTHER PROFESSIONALS
WRITE CRITICAL REVIEW
PRODUCE ARTEFACT
PLAN PRESENTATION
WRITE INVITATIONS AND ISSUE TO PARTICIPANTS- DEBRIEF
GIVE PRESENTATION !
I found that the process of organising my thoughts from the brainstorming session into an action plan was very helpful because it made me realise that I had actually made more progress towards my research than I had initially thought I had and this in turn made the task ahead seem less daunting. I am still unsure how best to analyse my findings so am now doing some further reading about observational analysis. I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has chosen this inquiry tool.
Thought for the day:
"If you don't know where you're going you'll end up someplace else" (Berra ,Y http://articles.bplans.com/8-quotes-to-motivate-you-to-make-a-plan-and-stick-to-it/ )
"If you don't know where you're going you'll end up someplace else" (Berra ,Y http://articles.bplans.com/8-quotes-to-motivate-you-to-make-a-plan-and-stick-to-it/ )
Hi Lynne, thank you for this post, I haven't yet been back through reader 7 to look at this part of the module but think this will be a great way to prepare for our last stint of this course!
ReplyDeleteI too have the issue of time, due to juggling four different jobs hence a huge amount of constant lesson planning. And although I think this type of planning will be crucial for my progress, I think it will also highlight how much I still need to do and therefore increase my current anxiety about getting it all done.
As I am in a situation of re-thinking my inquiry question, I feel like I am at a standstill to start planning the use of my inquiry tools. Therefore I think my best friend will be literature at this current time to finalise exactly what it is I would like to know!
Good luck with your planning Lynne!
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI began by reading everything I could get my hands on and ended up with so much information that it actually ended up confusing me because I found that I kept changing my mind about the focus of my inquiry as I discovered more and more information and new strands of thought to explore. In the end I saw a video on Youtube which said that it was a good idea to just start writing about your topic and you would soon find a direction and from there discover what you needed to find out more about. It was a lightbulb moment for me. You have to find a way that works best for you. I can send you the link to the video if you think it will be of any help. Good luck with your inquiry.