Short Analysis Assignment & Features of talk

Short analysis Assignment sheet

Tips for analyzing features of talk in stories

3.5 Setting up for the short analysis project

Short anlaysis projectClass today was focused on the kind of data-focused analysis you will need to do for your short analysis project.  In this assignment you will choose on of the 5 data sets we have created/explored together as a class:

Data set 1: Shaggy Dog Stories
Data set 2: In-class ethnographic notes
Data set 3: Survey analysis posts = responses to, comments onthe survey for the writing option major
Data set 4: Sample papers with teacher comments
Data set 5: transcripts from interviews (chat rooms + gamer)

You will then ask a research question (usually it is a set of questions) of your data set, and use detailed analysis of the data as "evidence"  for an answer to those questions.  The concepts and langauge from Gee are about helping you figure out which features of language you should be noticing.

Analyzing Teacher comments.
We started class by analyzing Sample Paper 1 in ligh tof the following question.

What are the difference between language in the beginning/end comments, and the language in the side comments? What does each form for commenting accomplish? How do these differences cause students to "use" these two different patterns for commenting? And how do (or don't) these two different forms work together?

We started by characterizing the two language sets: side comments and beginning/end comments. This is "coding" => naming the features of the language (or whatever) you are studying. I don't have all of my original notes from the board - this is what I remember


Side comments
This is good/but = form of the comments
many questions
complements/validations
interpretations=> say back what the teacher thinks the writer is saying
make specific references to particular pieces of language in the text=> draws student's attention to particular points in the essay
not a coherent story
the language is indirect = doesn't tell the student to make specific changes
refers to other comments
Beginning/end commentshave a beginning/middle/and an ending
beginning= positive statements/validation about what the student has done well, words like "solid framework" and "definitely steps students have to follow" indicate the project is on the right track
middle = but or however statement that idendifies particular points for the student to work on (needs a "particular view of argument" = key term in the assignment. In the Argument essay, the end comment directed the student back to conversations from class => and then pointed out 3 steps the writer should take to use the theoretical definition to develop the definition of the "concept" she would use in her paper. The last point points out (another point from the assignment sheet) that the student needs to point out how the "writing studies" view of argument clashes with the popular view.
ending
confirmation = student is on the right track "you've got the right form here"
re-statement of overall focus for revision
=> overall the beg/end comments point out what "big moves" the student needs to make to revise the essay

The above naming and characterizing of the data (with partiuclar references to language from the data you are analyzing) is what I was looking for in terms of  "coding."  These codes/names for what the language in your data is doing allow you to make a set of points to answer your question.

For example, we noticed that while the side comments drew writers' attention to particular points in the text, they did not make direct suggestions.  Rather, they engaged the writer in thinking about what they might need to work on, and provided specific connections to points in the text that needed attention.  In contrast, the end-note gave specific tasks (4 of them) for the writer to accomplish.  Both the end-note and the side comments gave students motivation and encouragement. They worked together first to get the student to see how her text work and to notice that specific points were missing, and then the end comment stated more directly how to work on the problems noted in the side comments.  As you pointed out, the end note would be less easy to follow without first reading through the side notes.

OF course - commenting is more complicated that it might seem at first glance.  Some of you said you read straight through (side comments first - then end not), but some of you said your end the end note first.  And some of you start "fixing" the essay, comment by comment before you even read the end note.  So = it sounds like teachers and students need to talk about what comments are for and how to use them - and like they ought to have a conversation where they figure out how they want feedback to be presented!  

Analysis of Chat room transcript.

Even though we didn't really use it much, I put on the board a frame for a  preliminary analysis of the two excerpts presented in the chat transcript in terms of:

• the big "C" Conversations it connects to (children online, protecting children from internet predators, the internet as a dangerous place, particularly for girls, limiting access as a way to protect children, etc),
• "Figured worlds" or cultural stories within those conversations(the assumptions=internet is dangerous, it is also frivolous and you won't meet "good" people there, values=the dangers and lack of "important learning" associated with chat make it "a waste of time" => generally, not something you will be proud about talking about unless you are a teenager) etc
• and the persona for A in each of the two stories.

We spent some time analyzing the language in the first excerpt in terms of how A presented herself.

As we read the first excerpt, we watched how A moved from we, to you in the story set up, and into I when she was in the story itself. We notice how the story was set up in past tense, but the events themselves unfolded in the present. We noticed repeated words (dangerous, scary) and we noticed the difference in the care and tentativeness in reporting the experience (I think. . .) and the directness of her statements about how she changed (I am => and other direct declarations of how she is + what she does=no "I think").

We also noticed how she seemed to want to "explain" or "defend" herself to/from Sally in the first excerpt - but that she was much more comfortable in the second story (and we pointed to particular language moves that indicated her comfort/discomfort = including her choice of pronouns.

Good job on this!

For next class:

Blog 12: Look through the data sets and begin to think which data you want to analyze for your short analysis project. Post some questions you might ask of the data set you are most interested in.

Re-read Gee.

In class, we will begin by creating an assignment sheet for the short analysis project. This assignment sheet will identify the purpose of the assignment, what you need to d o to complete it, and the criteria for a grade. You will then work on your research question and begin to set up your analysis. By the end of class you should be prepared to work on your draft for this project.

The draft for the short analysis project is due Tuesday, March 26

NOTE: if you want written comments from me (in addition to conferencing/in-class peer comments) you will need to turn in your draft no later than midnight, Saturday, March 23.

Analyzing Data set 4

Your group assignment was to ask a question of Data Set 4, and set up the analysis you might do to develop a research essay based on that question.  This was our first shot at working on real-world language and the way it is used. We are starting class by talking through how we might look at Data from Sample 4 in light of a particular question.

Question:
What are the difference between language in the beginning/end comments, and the language in the side comments? What does each form for commenting accomplish? How do these differences cause students to "use" these two different patterns for commenting? And how do (or don't) these two different forms work together?

Chandler sick today - class cancelled

I'm sorry for the short notice but that is the way it goes.

I will give you feedback on your blogs over the weekend - on the set up for the analysis of the commenting papers.

If you had a conference scheduled for today - please be in touch by email so we can re-schedule.

Again - I am sorry, but you don't want to be in class with me.

For Tuesday:
Read: Gee, chapters 5-7

NO NEW BLOG POST

2.26 Teeacher comments on student writing & more on analysis

Where we've beenm where we are going. We started class with a review of where we have been and an overview of where we are going. So far, we have checked out two methods for collecting data = ethnographic participant observation, and surveys; and two methods for analyzing language data = discourse analysis (looking a connections among what language says, does and allows us to be through the use of Gee's tool), and textual analysis = which is a form of discourse of analysis, but is usually more focused on some of the textual genres you have had experience writing about for literature courses. We also noted some of the specialized "jargon" you are learning that is used by writing studies researchers.

We looked at the calendar and noted that we will be digging deeper into discourse analysis (reading more Gee), and that you will be working on a "Short analysis project". This project will require you to analyze one of the data sets we have looked at as a class. It is your chance to practice and receive feedback on your analytic process. We will set up this project next week.

I also noted that I have emailed you feedback on your research plans for your projects - and that we will be working in more detail on this project after break. If you are not clear on your plan - your question, your references, and how you will collect your data - we should talk. You should be reading your references (because that may take some time) to make sure you have the right essays for the literature review in your project.

Martin's essay. We spent the first part of class talking about Martin's essay on the rhetoric of teacher comments.

You worked in groups on the following questions:

Why does Martin say the study of teacher comments is important (where does Martin address this)What question is Martin asking about teacher comments (+ where does she set it up)?
What does the research literature say about teacher comments? (and where does Martin address this?)How does Martin connect to her review of the literature?
What are Martin’s findings (what does she add to the Conversation about commenting)?
What points does she make in her conclusions?

Most of our conversation was directed toward noticing:

• the kinds of moves Martin made in her essay
• where Martin made certain kinds of statements in her essay (in which part of which section)
• how Martin used headings

And one important purpose of this discussion was for you to think about how you would write/organize your research project. For example, we noticed that Martin used a specific focus for here discussion of the research literature of teacher comments = she organized her discussion NOT by what different researchers wrote, but by a number of categories that are characterisitic of the kinds of comments teachers write (in the subheading = teacher tendencies). This discussion connects directly to her focus on the "effecitiveness" of the differernt communication strategies (rhetorics) teachers use in their comments.

At the end of class I introduced Data Set 4 (posted to the right) = a set of 4 essays with teacher comments. The assignments usesd for these 4 different sample essays are in the blog post just previous to this one.

We looked at the blog post to next class - and then as a whole class, came up with some questions that you, as researchers, might ask about this Data set (essays with teacher comments). Your questions included:

• How do comments reflect teachers' standards for grading?
• Which comments motivate students to revise their essays (and why)? (though this question is pretty close to Martin - right?)
• How can you tell which comments are important?
• What are the differences in how the side comments and the beginning/end students work?
• What different kinds of comments do teachers write that DON'T require students to revise their work = and what is the function of those comments?

You may use one of the above questions - or one created by your group - for your post.

Groups:
Yoleiny, Rikki, Deanna
Alison, Oriana, Chris, Sharyn
Bri, Devon, Amy, Paul
Derrick, Mike, Allyson, Sarah

For next class:
We will begin class with group presentations on your set up for the analysis of Data set 4 (see Blog 11).

Blog 11: With your group - pose a new question about teacher comments. What categories + codes would you use to answer this question? What patterns do you see in our data set with respect to your new question?

For this post you will be going back to the analytic practices we used at the beginning of the term.

Codes are specific names for features, actions, interactions, "things" => anything you notice in your data.

Categories are groups of related codes.

Patterns are statements about relationships among the different features you are analyzing

For a more complete discussion, go back to the blog on analysis.

For this data set, a code might be a question, and 3 categories associated with questions might be questions about meaning and questions about organization, and questions about development. In terms of patterns, you might notice similarities or difference among questions within different categories.

Assignment sheets for Data Set 4

As a way to work with the analytic approach in Martin's essay, you will be working on essays with comments from 2 courses from our Writing Option Major, ENG 2020 and ENG 3005. Below I have listed brief descriptions of the assignments that Samples 1-4 were written for,

Samples 1 & 4: Explain a writing construct that is misunderstood.
ENG 3005

Our textbook defines constructs as “mental frameworks that people build in order to make sense of the world around them” (35). American culture contains many constructs related to writing. Writing Studies has created their own versions of these constructs. The two versions are rarely identical. Your job in this project is to bridge the gap between perceptions.

Select a construct related to writing. Some options include, but are not limited to: argument, audience, (good) writing, critical thinking, grammar, process, research, revision, rhetoric, plagiarism, literacy, voice, and style. You can choose a different term if you wish.

Write a public document (like a newspaper column or blog post) in which you explain how that construct is misinterpreted by the general public. Your essay should aim to show your reader why those misconceptions do not accurately represent the construct (at least from the perspective of Writing Studies’ scholars and teachers).

Sample 2: Process narrative.
ENG 2020
The criteria for the assignment are pasted in at the top of the paper.

Sample 3: Analysis of a Dicourse Community

ENG 3005

Description of the assignment: Choose a LITERACY Discourse community that you hope to enter for your career or for your personal goals as a writer. Collect and analyze data on that community. Then write an essay where you characterize the assumptions, values, patterns for communication, writing practices, and writing products of your discourse community. Finally, use this characterization to describe what it takes to become a successful member of this Discourse community.

What your essay should include:

1. clear statement of the features that define your group as a Discourse community
2. an in-depth characterization of your Discourse community
3. presentation of evidence (specific examples from your data) that illustrate the characteristic features of your Discourse community
4. concluding discussion of what it will take for individuals to become a member of this Discourse community

Questions about Martin

Why does Martin say the study of teacher comments is important (where does Martin address this)

What question is Martin asking about teacher comments (+ where does she set it up)?

What does the research literature say about teacher comments? (and where does Martin address this?)

How does Martin connect to her review of the literature?

What are Martin’s findings (what does she add to the Conversation about commenting)?

What points does she make in her conclusions?