This is the second post on our first class (scroll down for the detailed discussion of what we did - the overview of analysis sums up the language we developed).
Reflections on group work: When I asked what you got out of your experience working on the puzzle, you pointed out how it was exhausting, frustrating and confusing (not your exact words - I think you said something like messing with your minds) = so that is how it felt. It was challenging - and those feelings of wanting to give up and not knowing what to do are the way it feels when you are in the steep part of the learning curve. So you were all in the right place.
Your second observation was that you worked longer, got more ideas, we less frustrated and more engaged because you were working with a group. And this is true, too. And it is REALLY important for our class.
You are going to take on new concepts (ideas with "words" that aren't going to mean anything for a while). What is more, because this is a research class - which means you have to "do" a project, you will find yourself in a position where you need to use/do things with the "words" that you don't yet fully understand = and it is going to feel a lot like trying to solve that puzzle. Hang in and work with your classmates! You will get it if you go the distance. Just like you did with the puzzle. I will be there to give hints and support you - but the time you spend wandering around in those new (frustrating) concepts is the prize you will take with you. It is the place where real learning takes place.
What we are doing next class
I will start by introducing you to "discourse analysis" = one of the methods central to writing studies research. The funny thing is that ALL of you are expert discourse analysts already - you do it every day - but as with the analytic process that we described on last class, you don't have the language to talk about it, and you haven't really slowed it down and named what you do.
I am guessing you know the meaning of the word language (the system of communications - including words, meanings, sounds, and grammars/rules which when taken together create the understandings through which humans communicate). Check out some of the definitions on the internet.
Class will start with a discussion of discourse.
Discourse is language in use. This is the definition, though it probably isn't going to make a lot of sense until we talk about it, so just try to go with that for a while. Discourse includes the (often unconscious or unnoticed) assumptions we make in order to meaning; if you think about it, the ways we use language allows us to say things (communicate meanings), to "make" things, and to "be" things. We will talk about this more in class
One feature of a discourse community (as in the essay by Swales) is that community members have the same set of assumptions about how to make meanings with language (how to use language). They also have many of the same identities and values that are associated with the ways they use language.
After the introductory talk about discourse - we will talk about discourse analysis = identifying, naming, grouping (categorizing), looking for patterns, and making and testing theories about the ways language is used.
Then you are going to DO some discourse analysis on the shaggy dog stories. Trust me - doing discourse analysis is probably going to be easier for you than getting your head around all the new language to DESCRIBE what you are doing. That's because - as set up at the beginning - you already know how to do discourse analysis. What you are learning in this class, is to slow it down and name what you are doing so someone else can follow your thinking, step by step.
Have a great weekend and see you on Tuesday.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
9.3 Introductions and ANALYSIS!
You are an awesome class! Thank you so much for your good participation.
We spent the first part of class with introductions and talking in a general way about what kinds of writing studies projects might relate to your interests and fields of study. We have a great mix of education and writing studies majors - and from the ideas you put out there for what you'd like to study I think there will be ways for each of you to do research projects on topics you are genuinely interested in.
Syllabus & Calendar. We didn't spend a lot of time on the Syllabus. Make sure to read through the course policies and we will start class with questions if there are points you are unsure about. I drew your attention to the points for grading, and pointed out that my cut offs for grades are 90/80/70 with above 90 = A, 90 = A-. and 89 = B+ and etc.
As part of this discussion (and as in the last blog post), I pointed out that the calendar gives the overview for where the course is going, but that to keep up to date with what we are actually doing in class - you need to check this blog after every class for a review of what we did, and an update of what we will be doing.
Attendance: I also pointed out that I take attendance with the sign-in book. It is your responsibility to sign in. At 4:30 I draw a line under the last signature and if you sign in after you are tardy (see attendance/tardy policies in syllabus). I realize that you have complicated lives and that sometimes you will be late; if any of you have commitments/responsibilities that are going to make it difficult to get to class - talk to me so that I can take your circumstances into consideration.
Analysis: Slowing it down + naming what we do as we think.
During the second pat of class we worked on analysis. We started out by making a list of some of the words you used to describe what you do when you do analysis. These are all good general descriptions for analysis. Our work this evening was to pay close attention to our thinking processes so we could name the different steps we took as we engaged in analytic process.
You worked in groups to solve a particular "brain teaser." I asked you to pay attention to, and to name the different moves you made as you tried to solve the puzzle = and you did. After each group had worked their way through to an answer (awesome) we made a list of the moves you wrote down as you worked. We then grouped the moves into categories, and the list below is a summary of what you noticed yourselves doing.
Analytic process for solving the puzzle.
1. DEFINE the problem/question you are solving (identify the problem/question)
This step included ORIENTING to the data (deciding the perspective or focus for your analysis). In this case - looking at the picture with the question right side up, and reading right to left, and down the page, was the easiest orientation.
Idenfity and name what counts as DATA (information relevant to your problem/question) = in this problem relevant data were features of the shapes, as well as information about their sequence. This is part of the next step.
We spent the first part of class with introductions and talking in a general way about what kinds of writing studies projects might relate to your interests and fields of study. We have a great mix of education and writing studies majors - and from the ideas you put out there for what you'd like to study I think there will be ways for each of you to do research projects on topics you are genuinely interested in.
Syllabus & Calendar. We didn't spend a lot of time on the Syllabus. Make sure to read through the course policies and we will start class with questions if there are points you are unsure about. I drew your attention to the points for grading, and pointed out that my cut offs for grades are 90/80/70 with above 90 = A, 90 = A-. and 89 = B+ and etc.
As part of this discussion (and as in the last blog post), I pointed out that the calendar gives the overview for where the course is going, but that to keep up to date with what we are actually doing in class - you need to check this blog after every class for a review of what we did, and an update of what we will be doing.
Attendance: I also pointed out that I take attendance with the sign-in book. It is your responsibility to sign in. At 4:30 I draw a line under the last signature and if you sign in after you are tardy (see attendance/tardy policies in syllabus). I realize that you have complicated lives and that sometimes you will be late; if any of you have commitments/responsibilities that are going to make it difficult to get to class - talk to me so that I can take your circumstances into consideration.
Analysis: Slowing it down + naming what we do as we think.
During the second pat of class we worked on analysis. We started out by making a list of some of the words you used to describe what you do when you do analysis. These are all good general descriptions for analysis. Our work this evening was to pay close attention to our thinking processes so we could name the different steps we took as we engaged in analytic process.
You worked in groups to solve a particular "brain teaser." I asked you to pay attention to, and to name the different moves you made as you tried to solve the puzzle = and you did. After each group had worked their way through to an answer (awesome) we made a list of the moves you wrote down as you worked. We then grouped the moves into categories, and the list below is a summary of what you noticed yourselves doing.
Analytic process for solving the puzzle.
1. DEFINE the problem/question you are solving (identify the problem/question)
This step included ORIENTING to the data (deciding the perspective or focus for your analysis). In this case - looking at the picture with the question right side up, and reading right to left, and down the page, was the easiest orientation.
Idenfity and name what counts as DATA (information relevant to your problem/question) = in this problem relevant data were features of the shapes, as well as information about their sequence. This is part of the next step.
2. Name = noticing the FEATURES in your data that are significant to your problem
You notice that there were different shapes
That some of the shapes were oriented differently
That the shapes were different colors
Before you could talk in your group about patterns or how the problem worked you needed to NAME the features of your data
3. CATEGORIZE= put data with similar FEATURES into groups
Categories
= groups of things with shared features
This was a beginning step for looking for a patterns
It sometimes included counting the members of a category (how many of each kind of shape/color/orientation) and it sometimes included noticing local groups or clusters (like the groups of two symbols of the same kind)
Looking at a local group (just part of the problem) is called BRACKETING = like putting [around part of the problem] so you can concentrate on a smaller, more manageable piece of data
4. Look for patterns
In this step you used the names and groups as ways to talk about repetitions or cycles
You identified lots of different local patterns = which shapes ALWAYS went together, or the order in which shapes followed one another.
To develop different patterns - your looked at the puzzle from different ORIENTATIONS, and you also BRACKETED off sections so you could just look at part of the puzzle at a time
5. Pose local theories
Once you noticed a pattern in color, or sequence, or grouping - you formed an idea of what that pattern might look like if it were true for the whole puzzle. The idea of what a pattern would look like when it applies to ALL your data is a theory.
Theories often are connected to patterns that you already know. For example, because the shapes were similar to shapes from playing cards, many of you HYPOTHESIZED (posed a theory) that this puzzle might have something to do with a card game, or the organization of the playing cards (good guess!)
Others noticed that there was a black shape in every row but the last one, and guessed the club (which is the right answer) => but the wrong reason. There is also a diamond in every row but the last one => the REAL answer is about the sequence of the shapes (a BIG theory).
6. Test your theories!
Once you had a local theory (about two shapes always following each other, or being above each other, or about the color distribution) you tested your theory by checking to see if the pattern you identified applied to the WHOLE puzzle.
If the theory didn't FIT (explain what you could see) and WORK (allow you to generate or extend the data further by predicting the pattern) - you decided the theory was wrong - and cycled back through the steps - re-thinking the names and groupings and patterns that you had already tried. You might even need to go back and re-define the problem.
7. Use local theory to pose BIG theory (to explain the whole system)
Once you found a theory that seemed to fit and work for part of the puzzle - the next step is to see if you can use your theory to predict what would happen in new situations. For this puzzle - the correct answer allows you to name the right "shape" at any point in the series.
Reflections on our work together: In addition to observing these steps (and writing them down -good work!), we noticed that this process was not linear. As we pointed out at the beginning of the exercise - thinking is messy, it doesn't go in a straight line. You cycled through these processes, sometimes jumping from one to another. For example, you might have posed a local theory, found that it didn't "work" and then gone back to identifying features to figure out why the theory didn't work. This new consideration of features then might lead you to different categories. And so on.
As explained in class, the purpose of doing this exercise was for us to analyze(!) analytic process =>
- to identify and name the "features" of analytic process,
- to put those features into categories,
- and to pose a theory about relationships among those categories that can "explain" how analysis works.
And that's what we did.
WHY SLOWING DOWN AND NAMING ANALYTIC PROCESS IS IMPORTANT.
1. Researchers need names and categories to communicate about analysis so that they can share their thinking/analyses to others. This is important both in talking and in writing. This exercise drew your attention to some of the names researchers use as they talk about analysis (DATA, NAMING, FEATURES, CATEGORIZING, LOCAL THEORY, FIT & WORK, etc).
2. Awareness of research process allows us to "prove" our answers. Without conscious awareness of how to do analysis, we tend to fall back on "intuitive" patterns for thinking. These ways of thinking are generally "quick & dirty" = meaning they give you a rapid insight with a usable answer. This thinking takes place rapidly - and you often don't know how you got your answer - so you won't be able to "prove" it.
3. Complex research problems/questions can feel overwhelming if you do not consciously "know the moves" to work through analysis. Because our analytic process is mostly "automatic" - when we are faced with a problem we aren't familiar with, or a question that has many, many different ways to think about answers - our automatic approaches don't have something familiar (from our experience) to latch onto.
We spent some time at the very end of class applying the analytic process to a question about communication dynamics in class. By naming what we remembered as happening in class (Naming) and observing patterns (noticing what happens when teachers and students talk in certain ways) - we were on our way to pose theories about how teachers might improve (or at least do something different) talk in the classroom.
For next class:
Work on the NIH training - send an image of your certificate to the course email on or before Sept 17.
Read: Data Set 1: Shaggy Dog Stories + Swales (links to these texts are on the right of this blog)
Read: Data Set 1: Shaggy Dog Stories + Swales (links to these texts are on the right of this blog)
Blog 1: Do some writing about what kind of writing studies research you are interested in working on.
If you have questions - send me an email!
Monday, September 2, 2013
9.3.13 First day of class
Welcome to ENG 3029!
As you can see, I have left the posts and the blogs from last term. If you like - you can look through them to get a feel for how the class will go.
As it says on the syllabus (posted under course documents to the right), we will use this blog as a kind of "hub" for course communications. After each class I will post an update of what we did - and the assignment for what to do for the next class. To do well in this class - you will want to check the blog after every class. If it is more than 24 hours after class and I have not yet posted the update - I am hoping one of you will do me the favor of sending me a reminder! I am very human and I will make mistakes. One advantage of a blog is that it can be more interactive. That can work to all of our advantages if we work together.
So we will see how this goes. . . .
As you can see, I have left the posts and the blogs from last term. If you like - you can look through them to get a feel for how the class will go.
As it says on the syllabus (posted under course documents to the right), we will use this blog as a kind of "hub" for course communications. After each class I will post an update of what we did - and the assignment for what to do for the next class. To do well in this class - you will want to check the blog after every class. If it is more than 24 hours after class and I have not yet posted the update - I am hoping one of you will do me the favor of sending me a reminder! I am very human and I will make mistakes. One advantage of a blog is that it can be more interactive. That can work to all of our advantages if we work together.
So we will see how this goes. . . .
Monday, May 13, 2013
5.13 Grades!
You did an awesome job on your final papers. For the two sections of ENG 3029, the grades were as follows:
A 11
B 12
C 7
If you have questions, confusions or complaints, write to me before Tuesday at 2:00. I plan to post your grades to Keanwise on Wednesday.
Thanks for all your good work! It has been a great pleasure to work with you this term. Good luck in your lives as writers, students & researchers (and teachers!) and stop by once in a while to let me know how you are doing.
FYI: I did not give credit for blogs posted after the end time (end of class on the last day) posted on the blog.
A 11
B 12
C 7
If you have questions, confusions or complaints, write to me before Tuesday at 2:00. I plan to post your grades to Keanwise on Wednesday.
Thanks for all your good work! It has been a great pleasure to work with you this term. Good luck in your lives as writers, students & researchers (and teachers!) and stop by once in a while to let me know how you are doing.
FYI: I did not give credit for blogs posted after the end time (end of class on the last day) posted on the blog.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
5.7 Last Class (see previous post for the assignment for Blog 28)
Today Robert + Maritza gave their presentations, and we spent the rest of class wrapping up loose ends.
I walked you through the process for your self-assessment of your research projects (see previous post). You will post this assessment as Blog 28.
Turning in your work:
Blog 29 will be your final research essay. You should also send your essay to me as an attachment to the course email.
Any work must be turned in by 12:15 Thursday, May 9.
How you will get your grade.
I will grade your work as fast as I can. I will send you a grade sheet listing your points for each category listed on the syllabus via the course email as soon as I have finished grading (hopefully no later than Tuesday, May 14 but maybe as early as Sunday). If you do not feel the grade on the gradesheet accurately reflects your work for the term - you should send me an email within 24-hours where you describe what you think should be different. At that point, we will either work this out (especially if I have made a mistake, which I sometimes do) - or not. At the end of the 24 hours I will post your grades to Keanwise, and any further negotiation will have to take place through a grade appeal.
We will not meet in the classroom on 5.9. I will be in my office most of the day Wednesday and Thursday if anyone wants to stop by for some last minute conferencing.
Closing remarks:
It has truly been my pleasure to work with you as a class. You were welcoming, engaged, and "full of life". What an outstanding term we had. I know I worked you hard, and I appreciate your good will in doing that work = and I hope it pays off for you in terms of what you learned research methods, the research process, and about yourselves as writers. I wish each of you the best - and have a great summer!
I walked you through the process for your self-assessment of your research projects (see previous post). You will post this assessment as Blog 28.
Turning in your work:
Blog 29 will be your final research essay. You should also send your essay to me as an attachment to the course email.
Any work must be turned in by 12:15 Thursday, May 9.
How you will get your grade.
I will grade your work as fast as I can. I will send you a grade sheet listing your points for each category listed on the syllabus via the course email as soon as I have finished grading (hopefully no later than Tuesday, May 14 but maybe as early as Sunday). If you do not feel the grade on the gradesheet accurately reflects your work for the term - you should send me an email within 24-hours where you describe what you think should be different. At that point, we will either work this out (especially if I have made a mistake, which I sometimes do) - or not. At the end of the 24 hours I will post your grades to Keanwise, and any further negotiation will have to take place through a grade appeal.
We will not meet in the classroom on 5.9. I will be in my office most of the day Wednesday and Thursday if anyone wants to stop by for some last minute conferencing.
Closing remarks:
It has truly been my pleasure to work with you as a class. You were welcoming, engaged, and "full of life". What an outstanding term we had. I know I worked you hard, and I appreciate your good will in doing that work = and I hope it pays off for you in terms of what you learned research methods, the research process, and about yourselves as writers. I wish each of you the best - and have a great summer!
5.7 Assessing your research project
Blog 28: Using the criteria below, write an evaluation of your research project. You can earn 25 points extra credit if your assessment of your work matches mine.
Essay: 100 points
Data + analysis: 300 points
Writing process: 100 points
Focus (30): clear statement of the research question(s) + the importance of the research and what it shows
direct statements of what the data shows
set up any background information necessary for the reader to understand the focus
appropriate choice of research essays
data is connected to the focus/makes points with respect to the focus
Audience/genre (25)
uses the correct forms for research essays
uses language the ways it is used in the sample research essays
draws authority from other research and the logic of the argument
Organization (20)
data is presented in the right place
one idea leads logically to the next
definitions/data/categories are presented and explained before they are "used" or referred to
uses headings + paragrphing in ways suitable for the material
each section develops the focus in a different way
Development (20)
detailed examples from the data to support the points
says what the examples show
connects to the discussion of the research
develops an in-depth (not obvious) discussion of what the data show
Correctness (5)
writing sufficiently clear so as not to confuse the meaning
not so many errors as to distract from the meaning of the text
Essay: 100 points
Data + analysis: 300 points
Writing process: 100 points
Evaluating your final
draft: Use the rubric below
Focus (30): clear statement of the research question(s) + the importance of the research and what it shows
direct statements of what the data shows
set up any background information necessary for the reader to understand the focus
appropriate choice of research essays
data is connected to the focus/makes points with respect to the focus
Audience/genre (25)
uses the correct forms for research essays
uses language the ways it is used in the sample research essays
draws authority from other research and the logic of the argument
Organization (20)
data is presented in the right place
one idea leads logically to the next
definitions/data/categories are presented and explained before they are "used" or referred to
uses headings + paragrphing in ways suitable for the material
each section develops the focus in a different way
Development (20)
detailed examples from the data to support the points
says what the examples show
connects to the discussion of the research
develops an in-depth (not obvious) discussion of what the data show
Correctness (5)
writing sufficiently clear so as not to confuse the meaning
not so many errors as to distract from the meaning of the text
Criteria: Data + analysis were listed on the assignment sheet as follows:
1. Data will be collected in a written form and posted on the blog or submitted as an attachment to an email, no less than 2 weeks prior to the final due data (eg. Notes from observations, transcripts, documentation of chats/online posts, etc)
1. Data will be collected in a written form and posted on the blog or submitted as an attachment to an email, no less than 2 weeks prior to the final due data (eg. Notes from observations, transcripts, documentation of chats/online posts, etc)
2. Notes with a preliminary analysis
(categories=names of important features relevant to the research question, etc
along with several sections from the data that are examples of those
categories) will be submitted no later than one week before the final due
data).
To evaluate your data+
Analysis:List the blog posts which included data + analysis
Discuss the completeness + quality of your data= did you
have enough data to provide a broad basis for your project? Did you have the RIGHT data to develop an
exploration of your research question?
Discuss the completeness + quality of your anlaysis= did you
identify useful categories? Did you
discover new ideas in your data? Did
your analysis connect to your research question /or generate a new question?
List how many points you think you earned out of 300 and
explain why.
Criteria for the Writing process were listed on the assignment sheet as follows:
The essay will be developed through a series of drafts that demonstrate:
1. a variety of techniques for invention
and revision (blog posts for research plan + brainstorming for topic)The essay will be developed through a series of drafts that demonstrate:
2. increased quality of writing and ideas
throughout the revision process (posts of successive drafts or sections of drafts)
3. thoughtful analysis of how and what to
revise in successive drafts (evidence in blog posts about what you will revise, how you chose your topic, what you need to work on for your project)
To evaluate your writing process:
List the blog posts that demonstrate your writing process
Discuss the quality of your writing process in terms of its variety + effectiveness (point 1 above)
Evaluate the quality of your revising process (point 2)
Evaluate the "writing about writing" posts where you plan what you need to do, reflect on the effectiveness of what you have done so far & write about what you will work on (point 3)
To evaluate your writing process:
List the blog posts that demonstrate your writing process
Discuss the quality of your writing process in terms of its variety + effectiveness (point 1 above)
Evaluate the quality of your revising process (point 2)
Evaluate the "writing about writing" posts where you plan what you need to do, reflect on the effectiveness of what you have done so far & write about what you will work on (point 3)
Thursday, May 2, 2013
5.2 Even More Presentations!
Good job Joanna, Janeida, Kimberly, Sharelle, and Corinne. On Tuesday we will hear from Robert and Maritza = and celebrate!
Also on Tuesday, we will look back at the assignment sheet, and you will do some final revising to your essays, and we will talk about how to turn in your work and the process for getting your grade.
As part of the general commenting today I mentioned that:
1. Your essay should have a title that gives an accurate (and inviting= maybe even clever?) indication of what you are writing about. I do not want to read any essays titles "research paper".
2. Headings should give a content-based indication of what is in the section that follows. Use your headings to give your readers detailed, accurate information. Informative headings are KEY components of effective essays.
3. As you revise:
5. The Data analysis section should be the longest section of your essay. Demonstrating that you can break down complex language passages or actions into their component parts and identify patterns and relationships that explain how that language or action works is the point of this course.
Blog 27: If you gave your presentation today, post your reflections on what you have to work on
if you gave your presentation earlier, post your ongoing revisions,
if you are doing your presentation May 7, post the draft you will present on
I will provide feedback on Blogs 25 + 26, Tuesday before class.
Have a great weekend, and THE END IS NEAR!
Also on Tuesday, we will look back at the assignment sheet, and you will do some final revising to your essays, and we will talk about how to turn in your work and the process for getting your grade.
As part of the general commenting today I mentioned that:
1. Your essay should have a title that gives an accurate (and inviting= maybe even clever?) indication of what you are writing about. I do not want to read any essays titles "research paper".
2. Headings should give a content-based indication of what is in the section that follows. Use your headings to give your readers detailed, accurate information. Informative headings are KEY components of effective essays.
3. As you revise:
- Make sure each paragraph relates to/develops your focus. If writing goes off on a tangent =>delete it! Longer is NOT better.
- Check to see that your points are in the right order.
- Write transitions between your paragraphs/sections.
- Make sure you include a statement of the relevance of your project to writing studies.
5. The Data analysis section should be the longest section of your essay. Demonstrating that you can break down complex language passages or actions into their component parts and identify patterns and relationships that explain how that language or action works is the point of this course.
Blog 27: If you gave your presentation today, post your reflections on what you have to work on
if you gave your presentation earlier, post your ongoing revisions,
if you are doing your presentation May 7, post the draft you will present on
I will provide feedback on Blogs 25 + 26, Tuesday before class.
Have a great weekend, and THE END IS NEAR!
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