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Your Cum Laude is waiting!. Dr. Lindelani Mnguni. Dept. of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. 079 257 3616 @DrLindelaniM lindelani@up.ac.za. Supervisors. Doctor of Philosophy . Terminal degree Latin docere , meaning "to teach" Habilitation degree in.
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Your Cum Laude is waiting! Dr. Lindelani Mnguni Dept. of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education 079 257 3616 @DrLindelaniM lindelani@up.ac.za
Doctor of Philosophy Terminal degree Latin docere, meaning "to teach" Habilitation degree in
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; ... Robert Frost
My journey... Its never been easy
Academic life • Pressures • Academic • Family • Social • Peer • Financial • External & Internal factors Time Identity Tenacity Vision excellence
Tenacity & hope • Imagine: • Mandela’s day 1 in prison – 9855 days before his release + 1460 more to be president • David the shepherd – later King of Israel • Natalie du Toit – soon after accident– multiple Olympic champion • Me and...YOU!!!
Stephen Hawking Never quit & never give up!
Vision & courage • There are no free spirits in academia • Purpose & reason • A vision • realistic • past experiences, the current status and then build the future • logical • strategic
Be a CEO of your life • What is your vision? • Strategic milestones (deliverables)? • Work Breakdown Structure? • Schedule? • Accountability? • Monitoring & evaluation? • Strengths • Weaknesses • Opportunities • Threats Relentlessly pursue your vision!
vision An excellent MEd or PhD Proposal, Ethical clearance, data collection, etc. milestones Attend all support sessions Submit all assignments Regular meetings with supervisor (27, 1hr meetings per year) Read 1 paper daily – (1095 in 3yrs) Write 1 paragraph daily (1095 in 3yrs) One day rest WBS Schedule Daily, weekly, monthly and semester plan Accountability Research group Supervisor Critical friend
Sports fanatic “Yes man” attitude Language Laziness (sleepy head) • Strengths • Weaknesses • Opportunities • Threats Friends & family Supervisor relationship Finances Work
Be a CEO of your life • What is your vision? • Strategic milestones (deliverables)? • Work Breakdown Structure? • Schedule? • Accountability? • Monitoring & evaluation? PERFORMING CEOs GET BONUSES • Strengths • Weaknesses • Opportunities • Threats Paste this on your wall
Excellence A culture of mediocrity
Excellence • Don’t be a Master or Doctor of Excuses • Get your MEd in 2yrs, PhD in 4yrs • Don’t be comfortable in mediocrity • Be a benchmark of quality and excellence • Excellence is not relative – its absolute • Make excellence a habit Be excellent, always!
Research and job opportunities • I don’t know whether you’ll get a job or not, but its cooler on top of the mountain • Loads of funding for science education • Consider working in academia • Go to conferences • Establish networks • Publish while studying • Review journal papers • Be a brand
Finally! Wisdom... Is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom! Time Identity Tenacity Vision Excellence
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveller, long I stood And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth; I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less travelled by,And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost