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Friday, 21. June 2002
mccomas, June 21, 2002 at 9:14:03 PM CEST
Essential Question
Time for someone to break the ice here. I've been working like mad this week trying to get some focus. Did some writings earlier in the week (in response to some questions Dolores gave me to answer). From one of those writings I even looped into two other writings, chasing down interesting concepts in different directions. Today, I wrote in response to two other questions and believe I have arrived at my focus. So, my essential question for my research is (drum roll, if you please!): How do students move from a place of unknowing, confusion, and anxiety to a place of knowing, clarity, and confidence?As to what I already know (or don't know) about this topic, that's kind of hard to say. Since I'm doing a qualitative study, and perhaps it is a narrative analysis (the stories of three students as they complete this particular assignment), the rule of thumb is that in narrative analysis we don't start with theory, we start with experience. By studying the stories, or the experiences of these 3 students, I can then find out what I know or need to know about the topic. mccomas, June 21, 2002 at 9:10:14 PM CEST
Focusing IV: Binary Opposites
What powerful binary opposites best catch the importance of the topic? Earlier today, I wrote this down beside this question in my notebook: When I was writing about the affective elements of this particular assignment, I suddenly realized that there was a marked difference in how the students talked about the assignment when responding to the interview questions that dealt with the before and how they responded to those questions that dealt with the after. I wondered then if the before and after might not provide the powerful binary opposites I might be looking for in an attempt to focus myself on this work. I've looked through my writings thus far (looking for the word "but" as it would be indicative of a space where there might be other binary opposites...oddly enough, I haven't found any -- which is rare for my writing, but interesting in this situation) and have been unable to identify any powerful binary opposites besides this one. The other things that I know is that I've expressed my interest in process of coming to know repeatedly and of course, these binary opposites also deal with that point of knowing. I think I'm getting focused now. How do students move from a place of unknowing, confusion, and anxiety to a place of knowing, clarity, and confidence? I'm ready to do my essential question now, I think... mccomas, June 21, 2002 at 5:27:11 PM CEST
Focusing III
What is affectively engaging about the topic? This question makes me think about what I read in the transcripts the other night. The three students all wrote about confusion, anxiety, and fear as they prepared to begin the counseling simulation project/assignment. What makes this affectively engaging is not those specific feelings but the fact that these students, in spite of their confusion-anxiety-fear, were able to move forward and complete outstanding work. It strikes me that as the students responded to the interview questions that there is a change in their voices from the first set of questions (when discussing preparing for the simulation/assignmnet) to the last set of questions (which is their reflections on the work)...their voices become stronger, more confident.
To me, this is the most affectively engaging aspect of this research. When I met with Dolores on Wednesday I read to her what I have written thus far (Focusing I and its two loops: Strategies and Success. When I was done, she said she heard me expressing an interest in the processes students go through as they come to know. What leads them to their epiphanies? It is interesting that in the interviews, each student talks about an epiphany of sorts: I paused one day over lunch and just looked at it, made no marks or labels, just looked at it. It hit me... What I want to know is what path did these students follow to reach these epiphanies? Are there any similarities in their paths? Is this related to the tipping point theory? Perhaps, for everyone, there is a tipping point where on the xth reading of the transcript the path becomes clear? mccomas, June 21, 2002 at 3:35:45 PM CEST
Found Poem
[from Instructions for Multigenre Research Project-MRP] An alternative audience. The school custodian, parents, patient Richer voices speaking to Help us better understand a problem or issue. Complex issues Worthy of investigation Turn into questions How? Why? What if? Question the time frame Dialogue your question Begin! Drafts, publish, reflection, points. arranged by Karen McComas |
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