Kevin Jonson

June 1, 2006

I. "MY SYNTHESIS PRODUCT SHOWS THAT..."

A. I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose).

I reached out to those involved in the field and not just those in my program and schools. It was important to me to get a diversified view of what is going on in the special education community in regards to transition planning.

There were times when I became hesitant to discuss my idea(s) with others. Not out of fear of rejection or embarrassment but out of respect for others time. As I have worked in schools throughout Boston I know that time is a valuable commodity when you have 25-35 kids in front of you for 7 hours a day. I probably could have asked for set time before or after school to do much of this and in the future need to develop better ways of asking for that time.




B. I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now.

I managed to get some good information regarding the unofficial transition planning protocol in the Boston school system. Much of this information informed me that there really wasn’t an organized method for facilitating transition planning. This is information that I probably wouldn’t have gotten in my day-to-day work with Project REACH because I never would have asked these types of questions?

In research you can never know enough. I guess I wish I could have been more organized about what I researched and when. This project challenged me to actively research while I was writing and thinking about the topic and this was a skill I thought I had developed but now seems as if I need more work in this area.




C. I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide the most important direction.

I definitely have thought more about future possibilities associated with this project because it is a work-in-progress. I envision many possibilities all of which seem possible.

I really need to focus more on the most important direction and go with that.




D. I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.

I know and understand both sides of my argument. My premise is very simply that the current system isn’t working. I think I developed my solution by looking at the reality of the situation and I tried to look at the issues faced not just by students but also by parents, teachers, guidance, etc. My theory is that in order for the process to work effectively all parties must be actively communicating and engaging one another. The development of The Transition Portal is an attempt to create a platform for doing this.

I intend to get more input from the direct users. This is an important next step and something that if I had the template available before writing I could have utilize some of this info for the writing process.



E. I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence (with realistic deadlines) to realize these objectives.

I have come to realize that this project is much larger than I first anticipated and thus have had to constantly clarify my objectives and focus on maintaining some form of momentum. This hasn’t been easy for numerous reasons. More recently I have taken some clear steps such as, putting together an advisory board to help make recommendations and provide some oversight. This is a step that I think I really needed and will be helpful for managing the future development of this program.

As I said this is an area that I need some work on. I have found it difficult to arrange this project and definitely to set realistic deadlines. This is an area that I am working on and I think I have made a good start by developing future steps to take after this phase of the project is complete.



F. I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources.

My past experience within this area has given me access to information, experience and sources that are not easily accessible. I found ways of incorporating this information into the project and using this information to make decisions about its direction.

I didn’t necessarily incorporate actual transition models into this phase of the project though I did manage to focus on the approaches that provide successful outcomes such as encouraging students to take on those responsibilities that they feel comfortable with.



G. I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports.

I have clarified the progression of this project and its underlying argument. I explained how I came to the idea and how my experience with Project REACH and CCT came together to help create this idea. My hope is that in the near future I will be able to take further steps in the progression of this project.

There is more work to be done to develop this project. My hope is that I can further clarify the progression and argument when I take the project on further.



H. My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to.

Some aspects of my writing and The Transition Portal work in grabbing the attention of readers/audience. The use of dire statistics and the template itself have managed to grab attention. The orienting section and steps could use some reworking but this is part of the natural progression of this project. I think the audience can appreciate what I’m trying to do and if not w/ future work on this project they hopefully will in time.





I. I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.

With the next steps I will be able to take this project into the classroom, my work place and the public. I have managed to present some of this content in one form or other to my CCT colleagues and professors and to my colleagues at Project REACH and within the Boston Public schools. I would like to be able to continue to present this material at conferences and trainings.



J. To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing.

This entire process has truly enlightened my future educational and career goals. I look forward to continuing my learning beyond the CCT program and this project. The development of this project has been an invaluable learning experience and the CCT program has made me want to work toward improving my research and writing skills.

I need to be more disciplined and patient with my work. I learned to be patient with this project and despite the years that it has taken me to get to this point I am not disappointed or embarrassed that it has taken this long. I think it was a more natural progression of me coming to terms with what I could do under my circumstances.

II. DEVELOPING AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER, INCLUDING TAKING INITIATIVE IN AND THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS

1. I have integrated knowledge and perspectives from CCT and other courses into my own inquiry and engagement in social and/or educational change.


I did integrate knowledge from my CCT experience. I utilized the development of skills that came about because of my interest in the CCT program. In the beginning it was difficult for me to see how the CCT skills that I had been learning related to this project. I came to realize that CCT relates to everything and that it was my job to use those skills in ways that would help me to further the progression of this project. One of my hopes for this project was to help create social change in the way students with disabilities are seen in our society and educational settings.




2. I have also integrated into my own inquiry and engagement the processes, experiences, and struggles of previous courses.

The use of web technology was an example of me integrating experience from past courses. I don’t think I began to have any struggles in CCT until I neared the end of the program. This is something I have given much thought to and I think stems in part from the fact that neither of my parents completed their graduate work it became a kind of psychological hurdle that I am glad to say I think I am overcoming?





3. I have developed efficient ways to organize my time, research materials, computer access, bibliographies, etc.

This is an area that I think I will always have some difficulty. Though I also think that I began to create ways to set aside time to research and write. Computer access is never a problem in the sense that I have 4 working computers at home. The problem is I tend to do work other than the schoolwork I should be doing when on a computer.




4. I have experimented with new tools and experiences, even if not every one became part of my toolkit as a learner, teacher/facilitator of others, and reflective practitioner.

I began to better utilize the tools in Microsoft Word. There are a lot of functions that I hadn’t really used in the past such as ‘auto summarize’ and ‘track changes’ functions, which have become very important to my writing and research.





5. I have paid attention to the emotional dimensions of undertaking my own project but have found ways to clear away distractions from other sources (present & past) and not get blocked, turning apparent obstacles into opportunities to move into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory.

You could probably write a dissertation about my personal demons in this area. I definitely came to realize that I was the only one responsible for whether this project ever was completed. I know that I need to set realistic goals for myself and find support to stick to them. This project reminded me that it is important to persevere and in the end it will all work out.




6. I have developed peer and other horizontal relationships. I have sought support and advice from peers, and have given support and advice to them when asked for.

This is another area that I need to work on. I have no problem reaching out when I need to but often I don’t feel as if I need help or support. I am very comfortable and even prefer to work on my own but this is not always the best way to approach things and with this project I was reminded of this by my good friend and editor Rico Cleffi. He was instrumental in kicking me in the butt to ensure that I finished this project. He made me realize that no one writes anything by himself or herself and for this I am grateful.


7. I have taken the lead, not dragged my feet, in dialogue with my advisor and other readers. I didn't wait for the them to tell me how to solve an expository problem, what must be read and covered in a literature review, or what was meant by some comment I didn't understand. I didn't put off giving my writing to my advisor and other readers or avoid talking to them because I thought that they didn't see things the same way as I do.

I cannot say that I did any of these things until late in the game. I’m not sure why this is? But I have continued working on it and tried to ensure that I didn’t give up. Something I honestly considered doing on more than one occasion.





8. I have revised seriously, which involved responding to the comments of others. I came to see this not as bowing down to the views of others, but taking them in and working them into my own reflective inquiry until I could convey more powerfully to others what I'm about (which may have changed as a result of the reflective inquiry).

I had to revise seriously in order to get to this point. I eventually did come to see that it was important to take other folks perspectives and utilize them. I did feel a little ineffective at first taking the criticism of others as well as their suggestions but I have learned to swallow my pride and listen more.

I still need work in this area but I have realized through this project that this is important.




9. I have inquired and negotiated about formal standards, but gone on to develop and internalize my own criteria for doing work—criteria other than jumping through hoops set by the professor so I get a good grade.

I have never been that concerned with grades. If you look at my CCT transcripts you can see this. I do however value learning and this is the only reason I enrolled in the CCT program. A lot of folks get a masters degree to make more money or get a better job. I never so much as considered these things, though they are certainly a possibility. I truly was interested in the multi-disciplinary composition of the program and this is what really excited me about the program. I really worked (particularly in the last 3 months) to complete this project because I saw a lot of other CCT students with less skills and experience than myself complete it and this drove me to complete this project.




10. I have approached the CCT synthesis course and the CCT program as works-in-progress, which means that, instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the fact, I have found opportunities to affirm what is working well and to suggest directions for further development.

I only in the past few weeks have come to the realization that the CCT and life in general is a work-in-progress. I now have a renewed interest in academic inquiry and am considering taking a photography and Japanese class in the near future. I have always loved taking photos and was serious about it as a young man (middle school). I have studied Japanese on my own for the past 2 years but would like to take a formal class to gain more skills and a command of the language.

CCT has been a very meaningful 5 years in my life. I hope to continue working with the program to help recruit more students of color and possibly help to find funds to help grow the program for it has truly been a rewarding experience and I think it has helped me to grow personally and professionally.