3.25 Catching up: selecting stories/sections from the trasncript/ finding a focus

I will be looking through your blogs again Thursday to give you some feedback on your transcripts/analyses of sections from the transcript.

During the first part of class we talked about how to work on Blog 13.  The purpose of this post is to help you take a close look at what is going on in the transcript.  Analyzing selected "snapshots"/stories from the transcript can help you get past some of your assumptions and see (in more detail) what is there.

We started by making a list of ideas for how to pick sections from the transcript to analyze (a longer list is in Approaches to analyzing transcripts).

• anything that looks like a story
• related to focus
• contradictions (surprises!) in terms of what was expected
• language features (positioning, agency, connection to material, etc)
• connected to cultural stories related to the focus
• long sections

The three or more sections you choose to write about may or may not fit together (have the same focus).  The purpose of your writing is to "see what's there".

Once you've picked a set of quotes from the transcript, you are ready to post Blog 13.

 Analyze stories/excerpts from your transcript.  Select and post sections of your interview transcript which you might use to make a point in your essay. (you might need to listen to your recording to fill in words/make sure you have them right for these stories).   In this post, include:

1. the story/section  from your transcript = with your mark up like we did in class
2. some writing about the way language is used, the story features, or the discourses (stereotypes, cultural stories) the excerpt illustrates or connects to
3. a statement of what you might use the excerpt to "show" with respect to a focus of your paper.

Developing criteria for assessing the short analysis project

We spent the rest of class developing a rubric for assessing the short analysis project.  After taking a (very) quick look at the assignment sheet, we came up with a set of categories for describing a "good" paper.  Below are the names of these features, how many points out of 100 we felt they should "count for", and what a papers which fullfills the expectations for that feature will do.

Focus (35) : relates material in the transcript to some issue important to writing studies; sets up a clear focus; makes clear statements throughout the essay to state how the different points connect to the focus; draws a conclusion which opens up/deepens the opening statement of the focus by referring to the analysis in the body of the essay.

Organization (20): begins with an introduction which sets up the focus and indicates the points/nature of the discussion through which that focus will be developed; presents a series of sections/paragraphs each of which develops the focus in a logical progression; frames examples/illustrations/discussions of data; concludes with a section which sums up/reflects on/draws together points to develop the focus.

Development (40):  see points 2, 3 & 6 from the assignment sheet

Correctness (5):  grammar and spelling sufficiently under control so as not to distract from readability.

We used this assessment rubric to evaluate Sample 1.  As we noted the ways the author met (or not) the criteria we outlined above, we also thought about what she needed to do to STRENGTHEN this draft.  This exercise was both about providing you with an example of what a short analysis paper looked like, and giving you some practice analyzing and revising a paper written for this assignment.  Hopefully, you will be able to bring that experience to your writing!

For next class:

Read the two remaining sample essays so we can talk about them in class.

Blog 13: (see above)

Blog 14: Do some more writing about what you will use as a focus for the short analysis project and how/which points you will use from the transcript. This is a chance to explore how to frame (outline) your paper. 

The draft for your short analysis essay will be due Tuesday, April 1.     

 

3.23 Getting ready for class tomorrow

I will be reading through the transcripts  posted on your blog today and if you have your 3 sections of text posted, I will read through that too and give you some feedback.

In class we will spend some time taking stock of where you are in terms of your short analysis project - and then we will take a look at the sample short analysis essay so you have a more clear idea of what is expected.

If there is time, we will spend some time working on tweaking questions/working on the plan for your research projects in light of what you found out from your interviews.

3.6 Getting ready to analyze your transcript

So, once again, I assigned a reading that we did not get to in class.  Don't worry though, we will get to it.

In class today we actually worked through (applied) moves/materials from the Approaches to analyzing your transcript reading.  You will use these moves (and you might want to look back through this reading) as you work on analyzing the language in your transcript for Blog 13: Analyze stories/excerpts from your transcript.

We took a close look at language in the Unedited transcript. In particular, we paid attention to:
pronouns L used to represent her experience;

• whether she used active or passive verb constructions; words like so, cause, then which indicated causality and sequence; 
• moves/language choices L made to distance herself from the event (I remember. . . or other moves to place the story in the past or as someone else's experience such as using you to generalize the experience); 
• the level of organization/structure in the story (the ordered sequence of events in the first story we analyze, versus the all at once series of events without sequencing words like first, then, or so in the story about "no friends")
• relationships to cultural Conversatins/stories = the American Dream, "success" stories; assumptions about testing; the way educational institutions don't generally consider students social needs (friends/comfort zone) as integral to their academic needs

First we picked out a story kind of randomly and marked it up.  Then we picked out another one.  At this point, if you were doing the Blog 14, you would have started to look for "related" stories (look in Approaches for "strategies for selecting story sets) - a set of stories with a common theme or "move" that you might use as the focus for your writing.

We spent the last part of class thinking about how to come up with a focus for the short analysis paper that would connect to the the language analysis of the unedited transcript.  We went back and looked at the assignment sheet, noticed that we needed to make some connections to "cultural stories" - and you took it from there.  Looked to me like you are well on the road to using language analysis in your discussion of your transcripts.

SO

This is the series of assignments.

For Tuesday, 3.18

Review the course blog/readings -  do any reading you need to do to analyze the language in your transcript.

Blog 12: post your transcript

For Thursday, 3.20

Review the course blog/readings -  do any reading you need to do to analyze the language in your transcript.

Blog 13: Analyze stories/excerpts from your transcript.  Select and post sections of your interview transcript which you might use to make a point in your essay. (you might need to listen to your recording to fill in words/make sure you have them right for these stories).   In this post, include:

1. the story/section  from your transcript = with your mark up like we did in class
2. some writing about the way language is used, the story features, or the discourses (stereotypes, cultural stories) the excerpt illustrates or connects to
3. a statement of what you might use the excerpt to "show" with respect to a focus of your paper.

You should pick out at least 3 excerpts from your transcript and do some analysis for each one.


***** I will give you feedback on blogs 12 & 13 by class 3.25.

For class Tuesday, 3. 25
Blog 14:  Do some more writing about what you will use as a focus for the short analysis project, and how the different excerpts with support/connect to that focus.  If you are stuck - ask questions/give me a hint about what kind of feedback you want as help.

Have a great spring break!   See you in two weeks.  I will be available by email if you get stuck

3.4 Plan for writing short analysis essay + finshing up interview protocols

Note:  As you write up your final interview protocol, don't forget that you will need a short statement of the purpose of your project at the top (like in the sample).

We spent most of class talking about how you would work on /write your short analysis projects.
We talked through the assignment sheet (posted to the right) which I am hoping is self-evident, and we laid out a timeline that looks something like this.

3.4 Go over assignment sheet (posted to the right) and polish up interview protocols for collecting data
3.6 Create rubric used to evaluate Short Analysis project, and test it out on sample SAessays (posted to right)
Talk about how to create a "focus" from interview data
Turn in informed consent and A/V forms if you have them

During spring break:
Get informed consent, conduct and transcribe your interview, and begin analyzing(thinking about what your focus for your

3.18 Post your interview transcript (the drafty unedited version).  MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR PARTICIPANT'S NAME.
3.20  Select, proofread, and post sections of your interview transcript which you might use to make a point in your essay.  In this post, include:
1. the excerpt from your transcript
2. some writing about the way language is used, the story features, or the discourses (stereotypes, cultural stories) the excerpt illustrates or connects to
3. a statement of what you might use the excerpt to "show" with respect to the focus of your paper.

You should pick out at least 3 excerpts from your transcript for this post.

3.25  In-class workshop on the draft for the short analysis essay + work to set up your final project
3.27 Due draft short analysis project

4.1 Draft short analysis returned
4.8 Due final short analysis project

You spent the remainder of class talking about/finalizing plans for your interview.  From what I heard, most of you look like you are ready to go!

For next class:
Read: Sample Short Analysis essays 1. 2, 3.
Blog 11: Final/revised interview protocol

2.27 The "getting lost" approach to teaching, cultural stories and transcribing interviews.

I know I said we were going to have a workshop on the interview protocols and that I was going to introduce the short analysis project, but when I clicked through the posts before class I noticed that only about have of you were working on questions that you were will ing to post.

This made me think two things: 1) I haven't given you enough information/support to get started on writing the protocols; and 2) you are worried about doing it "right".

The result is the class we had today.

The importance of getting lost.  I started out with the story about google.maps and my theory of teaching.  If you directions work - you never really know where you are.  To really learn something - so that you can figure out your own answers - you need to do some wandering around - spend some time with your mistakes.  This class is exactly the place to do that.  Blogs are about wandering around.  I am not grading "correctness" = I am looking for evidence that you are wandering around.  If you are wandering in the right direction I will say "Great" and give you credit.  If you are wandering in a direction that wasn't what I was expecting, I will think about wheter is its a good way to get where you need to go, offer some suggestions, and give you credit.  So go for it.

Cultural conversations/stories/discourses (if it makes it easier you can think of these stories as kind of like stereotypes for the way things "are").  The next thing we did was spend some time thinking about what James Gee calls big "C" Conversations; stories associated with a particular topic that are "out there" in the culture.  Everybody knows them.  They will come up (one way or another) in a conversation about that topic.  Often they have some truth in them, but what is more important than whether they are true or not is that when we talk about that topic, they will influence the way we talk about the topic.  We will either step right into them (as if they are true), defend against them, or move in and out of them in combination with other, related stories.

Cultural stories and the Internet. As a way of developing a more concrete example of a set of cultural stories - a Conversation - we talked about the Internet.  When I asked you for cultural stories about the internet you came up with:

the internet is the reason US children/adults are getting fat
the internet  is dangerous
parents need to monitor their children's use of the internet
parents need to restict children's access to internet content
video games are a waste of time
violent video games make us violent
individuals who grew up with the internet know more than "adults" (parents/teachers)
and so on

After making this list, we looked at the chat room transcript, and we noticed that S and A talked about the Internet and A's experiences from "inside" cultural stories about the Internet as dangerous, parents needing to monitor/restrict children's behavior/

We also noticed that in the first excerpt, A positioned herself as "vulnerable", and in the second excerpt she positions herself as rebellious & in control.  We noted that these subject positionings connected to cultural stories about children and teens, and that one story drew from stories about the internet as dangerous, and the other about millenials being naturally knowing everything about how to behave/interact/take care of themselves on the Internet.  In fact, the content of the two stories was remarkably similar: in each case she met up with an older male who confronted/courted her and when she responded there was a surprise about his identity.  The fact that she told these two stories - one as "scary" and the other as "weird" (S said it was funny, it's not clear if A thought so); in the first story she was the victim, in the second she was in control.

So - what does this mean?  This analysis suggests that cultural stories "position us" with respect to events, interactions, and things so that we experience/tell events in terms of the stories' values (the internet is dangerous, children are vulnerable, teens can do anything on the internet) that are "out there" = and that our experiences, once we "step out" of those stories, might have completely different interpretations?

And the next step is to ask questions about how/why those particular cultural stories are "out there".  Who gains an advantage, retains power, evades a responsibility = so long as a particular cultural story remains unexamined?  What happens when we "see through" or question a particular cultural story?  For example, what if instead of restricting children's explorations of the Internet, we become more serious about policing (and punishing) the traffic of children's sexuality.  Another cultural story about the Internet is that it is too big and too diffuse to "control" = but just try to post a Disney patented character on your web site and you will see in about two days whether that is true or not.  So whose advantage is it to think that the "dangers" of the internet are "just the way it is" and that it is up to parents to protect their children from them?  What does it allow to continue, and whose freedom is limited?  Asking and following through on those kinds of questions is the real power of discourse analysis.

What interviews look like: We then looked at a series of interview transcripts, and you noticed the stories in them - and the way an actual interview looks.  The questions (focus) is there, but the interview really unfolds as a conversations.  There are lots of follow up comments, and the interviewer allows the participant lots of room to talk.

Stories and what they look like.  We use a "model" for identifying stories (there is more in the reading) that included a set up (did I tell you about?  or in interviews, the "set up" is often the interviewer's question), an orientation (which takes the listener to the time and place of the story= "when I was in first grade. . .") then the complication/or unfolding action = the what problem that drives the story's action, the resolution/outcome, and the reflection.  Reflections are about what the story "means" or how it turned out (it was good), and we used L's reflections as a way to find the "ends" of the different versions of the "ESL" story that she told.

You did an awesome job on this.  I am sorry it was so rushed, but I hope it gave you enough so you can follow the discussion in the reading.

Work groups for interview protocols:  I also announced 5 groupings of students who I thought would work well together, because you have projects that 'relate' well, in one way or another.
Florie, Brenda, Melanie => classroom problem solving/teaching/language
Ariana, Gigi, David => texting
Adrian, Melissa, Jessica => ethnographic studies + an interview of a group/Discourse community
John, Amanda, Nagerrah => (this one is maybe the hardest fit) looking at how a cultural story/practice shapes our experience of church/getting student loans/performance poetery (yeah, well, it was the best I could do)
Holly, Sara, Briana => writing issues for college students (revision, writing summaries, plagiarism)

For Tuesday:
Read: Approaches to story analysis
Blog 10: Write, describe, speculate about some cultural stories/Conversations associated with your focus for your research project.  Give it a shot - even if you aren't sure, put it out there and we will see where we are.

Thanks for your attention today.  I know it was a lot of me talking = next week should be better.

2.25 Iniformed consent forms and interviews

I handed out informed consent forms, A-V consent forms and Debriefing forms and we talked about how to talk through the forms with your participants.

Because the description of your research on the actual form is generic (kind of one size fits all) you need to provide details about the purpose of your project, what your project is about, why you are asking your participant to take part in your research, and what in particular you are asking your participant to DO.  You spent some time writing up this description , and then I gave a sample presentation which it each of these points.  Be sure to practice your description, with a classmate or friend, etc, before the meeting with your participant.

Things to remember:
Make sure to fill in your contact information on both page 1 & 2.
As you talk through the form - be sure to check for questions.
Cover each point.
Sign two forms - and have your applicant sign two forms (one for them to keep - one for Kean University records).

Creating an interview protocol.
We talked through the handouts very quickly.  You did a great job of identifying the important points

For next class:
Re-read the handouts on interviewing and work on your interview protocol.  I do not expect this to be perfect!   Anything you put up there will be a good start. Also, check out your research participants - make sure you have someone lined up.
Blog 9:  Interview protocol for your project

I will try to get through the research plans for Thursday - so we can do some constructive work on the interview protocol to get it ready to go.  This is exciting!

2.23 late post for class 2.20

On Thursday we talk through Watson's paper on surveys.  We used this essay both as an example of one "well done" format for developing a research essay, and a creditable job on using survey research.

During our talk in class we observed that survey work requires relatively large numbers of participants before the numbers become statistically significant.  I pointed out that if you are interested in learning to use surveys, that we might cut your study some slack in terms of the numbers, since the point of this class is to learn to use the methods.

You did a good job identifying content in the different parts of Watson's essay.  In the intro we noticed that she set up and gave a brief overview of what her study would do.  She repeats this information later in the study in more detail.  Here, she identifies the two factors relevant to here study of factors that influence students' self assessments, beliefs in giftedness and whether teachers are effective at teaching, and sets up her focus.  She then reviews what other writers have found related to these two sets of beliefs; this is the "literature review" section.  In our discussion of the methods section, we noticed that not only does she announce that she will do a survey, she describes her participants, and how she designed her survey to assess her participants beliefs with respect to giftedness and teacher effectiveness.

We discussed the content of her data presentation (good job on identifying the key findings).
Do you think she might have done a better job of presenting this data (we didn't really evaluate whether we thought her narrative discussion would have been stronger if it included a few charts or tables - what do you think)?  We also noticed that there were features of her findings that should have been pointed out and explained, either in her dicussion of the conclusions (remember?  the implied conficts in the % students who believed in giftedness AND effective teaching?).

As we said in class, the overall form of this essay worked well, and the design of the survey (and the methods section) were particularly well done.

We spent the rest of the class looking over the assignment sheet for the research project, and discussing the worksheet for developing a research plan.  If you have questions - be in touch.  I have met with most of you, and you all seem to be doing a great job finding topics and working through the steps on the worksheet.

For Tuesday, 2. 25
Blog 8: After working through the steps on the worksheet for the research plan, write up your research plan in terms of the following points.

Statement of purpose (what you hope to show/discover)

Detailed statement of your research question

List of the information you need to gather

A preliminary list of sources

Plan for gathering your information that includes:

·         who/what you will be studying (for example:. students in a College Composition class, how they think about the comments teachers write on their papers)

·         where you will collect your information (for example:. in interviews at Kean University)

·         how many subjects you will study (for example:. 3)

what methods you will use to conduct your study (for example:. interviews, textual analysis, discourse analysis)

Read: Handout on doing interviews.  Sample interview protocol from Hawisher and Selfe.  These were distributed in class. I will leave extra copies in my mailbox - or stop by my office during my office hours.

In class on Tuesday we will work on developing interview protocols.