English 1100
Fall 2003
Michael Hoberman

Essay # 2
This project is meant to capture the culture of a group in action. Using the various free-writing, note-taking and reflective writing strategies discussed in Chapter 2 of FieldWorking as a basis for developing your data, you will then write an essay that provides insight into how the members of one group in particular interact-verbally and physically--to create a cultural unit.

The Data
In the course of working up this essay, I ask that you generate a minimum of four ten-minute freewrites relevant to your subject. Plan on completing at least one of these freewrites before you embark on your formal observations. This will allow you to get at whatever prior assumptions, anxieties or basic expectations that you have regarding the group and what you'll be watching. I invite you to do the remaining freewrites whenever you see fit-before, during or after your period of observation. Try always to give yourself some sort of a prompt-a single word, image, etc. to get you going. Write uninterruptedly for ten minutes each time.

The next phase in data-generation should be the actual observation(s), during which you'll be taking copious notes. Rather than outline the method you'll need to use here, I refer you to Box 5 in FieldWorking, which provides a description of “exploratory note-taking” (77-78). In turn, once you've completed your on-site, first-hand observation, you'll want to convert those “exploratory” notes to more carefully organized “double-entry” notes (see Box 7, on pages 93-94 of FieldWorking). Ultimately, you should end up with roughly three typewritten pages of notes from which to work. Should the topic interest you, I invite you to go ahead and use the classroom visit exercise as your basis for the “exploratory” notes. Otherwise, once you've checked with me regarding the particular group-in-action you'd like to study instead, you'll need to generate both sets of notes from that separate observation.

Working from both notes and freewrites now, you will need at this point to work up a piece of reflective writing. The best guide to this step is provided on pages 95-99 of FieldWorking. What I will require is that you produce at least three paragraphs of reflection, typed out. Each of these paragraphs poses and answers a different question, and my expectation is that you'll be drawing your responses, at least in part, from the freewrites and notes themselves. The questions, in turn, are: What about my observation 1) surprised 2) intrigued and 2) disturbed me?

The Paper
The essay itself, the first draft of which is due for your upcoming conference, should be 4-5 pages long, double-spaced. As always, you are called upon in the essay to offer up some sort of centralizing point, or theme. I think that the reflective writing in particular will be of use to you as you try to formulate that central idea. The bulk of the essay, in turn, should be given over to making use of all of your data, and showing readers exactly why and how paying attention to how this group functions in action is a worthwhile endeavor.

English 1100
Fall 2003
Michael Hoberman

Observing classroom dynamics at Your School

Hook up with a friend of yours and go to one of her or his classes. Depending on the size of the class, the professor may or may not notice you being there, but you should nonetheless make sure to get the professor's permission to observe (see separate permission sheet). Arrive early enough to do this ahead of time, and be prepared to explain exactly why you're there and what you plan on doing. If the professor has any further questions, you might refer him or her to me for a fuller explanation. If nothing else, you may certainly assure the professor 1) that names will not be used in the exercise and 2) that your notes and possible write up won't go any further than our class. Explain that you're there to watch how people interact in classes at your school.

Remember, you are on hand not to learn the material being taught but to pay attention to classroom dynamics. You can count on being very busy; this assignment requires you to take notes for an hour, nonstop. Pay attention to everything you see-people's sitting posture, style of dress, chair arrangement, modes of interaction, etc. Write things down in such a way as to be able to go back to the notes and make sense of them later on. You are there to collect data, essentially, data which you will be making use of before long. Try to keep distractions to a minimum, and try as well not to be swept up by your opinions; you'll take better notes if you focus exclusively on what you see and hear going on around you. You will, at another stage, have ample opportunity to reflect on these notes and on this experience; right now, you are called upon to be all eyes and ears.

Your notes-all of them-are due the next time we meet as a class. Be sure to make them legible, as your classmates may very well be taking a look at them when next we meet.

CLASS VISIT

As practice for a writing project in my English 1100 class, I have asked my students to visit and take notes on classes in which they are not enrolled. Could I ask that you permit ___________________________________________________________
to visit your session today? She/he will be with you for observational purposes only; the exercise is meant to sharpen my students' first-hand field research skills, and no names will be mentioned in the work that they turn in to me or share with their classmates.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, don't hesitate to contact me at extension 3746 or at mhoberman@fsc.edu

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Michael Hoberman
English Department