“An Ethnograghic Perspective” (chp 1)
EWP
The leaders of our Writing Projects never cease to amaze. They can find just the right article or book for an assignment that makes you not only want more of the material, but also question how to get more of you. Ethnographic Eyes seems to be another great example. “Studying classroom patterns without judgement” is not a concept that I would considered. Think of how much we could learn and how far we could grow if we learned to watch ourselves -without judgement. I admit that we must critic at the end in order for that growth to occur, but to just “see and describe” the moment for learning purposes is a valuable tool that we can all (according to what I have read thus far)acquire. I like to add notable quotes to my reflections so I think I will do so now.
Notable Quotes:
“Not the view…but a view of reality” meaning we all see things differently and especially if we are of different cultural backgrounds. Ethnography can help to see other’s perspectives.
“Teacher, learner, observer point of view juxtaposed to see what is real…” Not what the teacher wants us to see, not the perfect classroom in perfect rows because company is coming, and not what we hope to see. By seeing three perspectives, we can get down to what is really happening in that classroom.
“An ethnographic perspective helps them gain an awareness of the power of diversity”. Different is good because different teaches. We cannot always experience everything but someone else can share their experiences on the matter and we can hear/read the experience for our purposes.
“”even such a commonly occurring event as recess was bit a universal concept and was treated differently..in every classroom”. We may not do things like others but the end result should be the same. Observing how events are handled either by others or just in different situations, can aid in the growing process.
“Notetaking/Notemaking” Observe now and perceive later. Get the details then we can go back and use our perspective to sort for what we need. This is the tool that needs sharpening. A double-entry journal was a good way to get the two sides. I hope to use this with my observations.
“After the questions are activities to explore….”. What an ending this turned out to be. Find the questions in order to find the answers then activities can help refine the skills. This is a powerful idea in anything we do. This quote just kept coming back to me. We start the school year with many questions even so much as why we do what we do in a certain order. We work through those questions and find many answersthoughout the year. Then we act. We extend the knowledge and understanding through activities/hands on/real life experience -whatever your term insert it here. Point being that we expand to use that learning situation the way we see fit.
By observing and not judging, we “can see what is real” and learn from it.
