10.24 Discussion of presentations for the rest of the methods + DA Workshop

We started class by straightening out the calendar (we are a day behind because we took

some extra time with discourse analysis.  The plan is to double up visual analysis and 

ethnography.  We will start with visual analysis on Thursday.  On Monday - the plan is both to

finish visual analysis and to begin Ethnography (so Britt & X should be ready). 

We then talked through what exactly you were expected to do in your methods

presentations.  The expectation is that you will talk through the points listed below (with

respect to your sample article) and then engage the class in using/doing strategies + skills

associated with your method.   

The overall format of the presentation should be as follows:

1.   Provide background on primary text or other features of the article = Have discussion to develop interpretations => in relation to research article


Think:  "What will my classmates need to know/think about to “get” the research article?"

2.   Discuss research article in terms of

• focus,
• supporting points,
• essay organization (what each section of the essay did or accomplished),
• methodology => authors’ assumptions/perspective
• methods  

3.  Interactive application of the method (to illustrate how the method is used + what it is “good” for)

Discourse Analysis Assignment.  Next we talked about your DA papers:  From what I was seeing on your blogs - the biggest difficulty is to ask a CRITICAL question that is not about the CONTENT of the discussion = but rather about how features of the WAY participants can talk can answer a larger question relvant to literacy learning.  We came out with a kind of formula for "good" questions that is as follows:

What [did the way the participants talked] show about [some attitude, belief, reason for why the interview turned out the way it did, perspective on learning => that connects to literacies]?

Due dates will be as follows:

First Draft DA: Nov 3  Thursday

ð Returned by Nov 7

Final draft DA: Due Nov 17

ð Returned Nov 21

Draft Research Project: Due Nov 28


I strongly suggested a process for developing your essay where you move back and forth between looking at the evidence in the transcript - and asking yourself what it shows/or what questions it raises about why/how we experience literacy learning.  You might need to go through several rounds of looking at the data & posing questins before you come up with something that interests you and that there is sufficient evidence in the transcript for you to write about.

You are not required to bring in secondary sources (research by other researchers) - but you may if you feel it supports your position.  This essay is very much like the textual analysis by Fetterley- only it is uses the speakers moves in the transcripts (rather than plot, character, setting, historical context, cultural context, etc) to develop an exploration of your research question.


For Thursday:
1. Catherine and Kathryn will discuss the essay using visual analysis (handout available in Writing Center in the Blue notebook = also I provided copies in class).


Read: Rose (in your text book), pages 78 to the conclusion.


Blog 12: Drafty writing for your Discourse Analysis project.  Keep working on your question + evidence + the connections.