Tonight's reading is a journal article that speaks about the doctoral program "transforming" you into a researcher/scholar. After reading the first few pages of the article, I began to think about what I should be expecting as the outcome of this doctoral program. I was anticipating gaining knowledge of new tools that serve to explore limits of current knowledge or could be used to help aspiring students I teach to step up to a higher level of understanding.
Reading on...
The article discusses a doctoral candidate as a summation of both the student and the student's human and knowledge network. This I can understand. Many bright people are only so because of how they can tap the knowledge of others and merge them into a new product. Think Bill Gates. If I may be so bold, this also sounds a bit like how a Jedi (Star Wars) is only a Jedi because of the Force - the essence of life and its interactions with everything.
Then I became lost...
I re-read "Inger's story" three times. However, I believe it tried to make comparisons of doctoral (both as an entity and as skills) to ethereal, nearly spiritual, subjects. I suppose the intent is to show how things like her book aren't just the printed knowledge, but also how the book is protected/treated is an aspect of what defines her. It also seems to include daily routines as a defining aspect. This was proven when things didn't go right.
My takeaway from this reading is that I should consider more of my surroundings and routines as part of my doctoral program. It needs attention as well while I spend the next few years "transforming."
Barnacle, R., & Mewburn, I. (2010). Learning networks and the journey of ‘becoming doctor.’ Studies in Higher Education, 35(4), 433–444. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903131214
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