Practicum: Processes of Research and Engagement CCT698 Fall 2000
Peter Taylor, NOTES ON TEACHING/LEARNING INTERACTIONS

PHASES OF RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT
with NOTES ON RECOMMENDED TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS
excluding Examples of previous students' assignments, Briefings, and a few Readings, whcih are available in the printed version
NOTES ON TEACHING/LEARNING INTERACTIONS

1. Accommodating different kinds of students

The Practicum course aims to accommodate students of various skills and experience, so you need to assess what kind of student you are and let me know how you plan to approach class activities and assignments. Then revise your assessment if needed as the semester unfolds.
If you are experienced in extended research projects, adjust the sequence and make-up of assignments to suit your project and your style of research and writing. Use the course as an opportunity to make sense of what you have done (or regret not having done) and practice teaching others. Provisos: Keep me informed about what you're doing; take note of the goals of the phases (e.g., many people are able to compile a bibliography, but an annotated bibliography is different--it disciplines your to check that the readings relate to your Thesis Question), experiment with new tools, and be open to surprises.
If you are experienced in term paper research projects and confident about extending that to semester-long project without cramming in work at the end of the semester, the explicit phases/goals should help you meet the challenge of not cramming work in at the end of the semester. Consult with me about adjusting the sequence and make-up of assignments to suit your project and style of research and writing.
If you are experienced in term paper research projects, but liable in a semester-long project to cram work in at the end of the semester, I recommend taking the role for this semester of someone looking for more experience, structure and tools re: research, writing, and forms of engagement.

Open question: By what means can the group function as a support & coaching structure to get most students to finish their reports by the end of the semester?
2. Expectations about Research and Assignments

* Proceed through the phases, redirecting your remaining research efforts according to what emerges, and pursue the goals corresponding to the phases.
* Stay in touch with me about what's going on--or not going on.
* Work on your project outside class steadily, i.e., every week, throughout semester, for 5-7 hours. Preferably, set aside clear block(s) of time to do this.
* Bring workbooks to every class to do in class assignments. Sometimes I'll give you carbon paper to make a copy for me to comment on later, so bring a ball point pen to make a clear copy.
* Aim to take your investigations beyond a library research paper. When you find yourselves out of your technical depth, you will need to ask for assistance and guidance.
* Read guidelines and rationales for assignments given later in the course packet. The class meeting times are too short to explain everything.
* Keep an eye on assignment target dates and other tasks ahead so you give yourself time to prepare.
* Do assignments on a wordprocessor so you can revise them readily. Resubmit assignments when requested, responding to comments from me and sometimes from other students. Submit assignments and revisions on due dates. Submit a note whenever you don't re/submit an assignment on the due date, answering these questions: Are you still interested in your project? When you plan to do the assignment/revision, or what are you doing instead?
* Begin outlining & drafting your report by early November, which leaves time for the revision process to clarify what research still is needed.
* Engage with other students, especially in your base support group, to clarify your own projects, ideas and arguments; to learn about each other's projects; and to help each other by acting as constructively critical reviewers of those projects.
* Don't think about doing assignments as something to please the instructor--to jump through his hoops. Everything has to work for your projects. When you submit to me it's mostly to get comments to keep you thinking and moving along; secondarily to pace you; only thirdly for the grade.
3. Learning through dialogue around written work

I try to create a dialogue with each student around written work, that is, around your writing, my responses, and your responses in turn. I am still learning how to engage students in this, given your various backgrounds and dispositions, and my own (see Teacher-research on CCT698). Central to this teaching/learning interaction are requests to "Revise and Resubmit." The idea is not that you make changes to please the teacher or to meet some standard, but that as a writer you use the eye of others to develop your own thinking and make it work better on readers. I continue to request revision when I judge that the interaction can still yield significant learning; the request does not mean your (re)submission was "bad." Even when the first submissions of written assignments are excellent, angles for learning through dialogue are always opened up.
In my comments I try to capture where the writer was taking me and make suggestions for how to clarify and extend the impact on readers of what was written. After letting my comments sink in, you may conclude that I have missed the point. In this case, my misreading should stimulate you to revise so as to help readers avoid mistaking the intended point. If you do not understand the directions I saw in your work or those I suggest for the revision, a face-to-face or phone conversation is the obvious next step--written comments have definite limitations when writers and readers want to appreciate and learn from what each other is saying and thinking. Please talk to me immediately if you do not see how you are benefitting from the "Revise and resubmit" process.

* I keep carbon copies of my comments, but when you submit revisions, please resubmit the previous version(s) with my marginal notes. Revise and resubmit promptly--the yield for your learning is lower if you are no longer thinking about what you were at the time you wrote.
* A minimum of two in-office or phone conferences are required. I want to reduce the chance that you avoid dialogue around comments on written work. Through such dialogue profound issues are sometimes opened up about one's relationship to audience and influencing others.
* Read chapters 3 and 13 of Peter Elbow's Writing With Power for a wealth of insight about the processes of sharing written work and revising with feedback. See also Elbow's SUMMARY OF KINDS OF RESPONSES, included after the next page. The course website has links to some Notes on writing and revising, including Freewriting suggestions.
* I encourage you to arrange pair peer sharing and commenting according to whatever terms you suit you both. This will enable you to expand the kinds of readers to whom you are responding and to avoid a common trap, that is, writing as if the reader is the professor who knows enough about your thinking to fill in what isn't clear.
* In addition to dialogue around comments, making notes on readings and the annotated bibliography assignment ask for an active dialogue with others who are not physically present. Such dialogue helps you to think deeply about ways that the information you are reading, listening to, or writing about connects with and perhaps alters your course project and your work more generally.
4. Rationale for the Assessment system

The rationale for not grading the different written assignments and granting an automatic B+ for 70% satisfactory completion* is to keep the focus on your developing through the semester. It allows more space for the student and instructor to appreciate and learn from what each other is saying and thinking (see "Learning from dialogue.." above). My goal is to work with everyone to achieve the 70% satisfactory completion level. Students who progress steadily towards that goal during the semester usually end up producing work that meets the criteria for a higher grade than a B+ (see rubric in syllabus).
* Satisfactory completion for written assignments means you must submit the assignment, revise in response to comments, and resubmit it promptly until marked OK/RNR, whcih stands for "OK, Resubmission Not Requested." If you change your project, you must do the assignments over. For the final report to be OK/RNR, you must have revised in response to comments on the draft. I sometimes request revise and resubmit on final reports. If not enough time is left for revisions, I submit an incomplete grade or, if you specifically ask me to do this, calculate and submit a final grade without an OK/RNR for the report.
5. Communication before, during, and after class

The limited class meeting time means that we have to a) use the time efficiently, and b) keep lines of communication open out of class. The following practices should help:
* Check-ins and check-outs at start and end of class, in which you hear yourself and hear others say what's been going on for them.
* Email or call me during the week if you see a problem in the readings (e.g., missing pages), the instructions need clarification , etc., especially when others might share your concern.
* Arrange to have time on campus when you can do library research for your projects and consult with me during office hours. For people who have arranged a back-to-back class schedule, this will probably mean visiting campus on another day as well as the day of classes.
* We'll start class on time. Late-comers should quietly but firmly join us--don't take a seat at the back or off to the side.
* Build relations with your classmates--a lot of learning and opportunities for clarification can happen when you talk and share work with peers. This will also allow you to find out what happened if you miss a class, and so you'll be able to prepare and participate actively in subsequent classes. The break mid-class, for which we take turns providing light refreshments (see sign-up sheet), is a good opportunity for connecting with others.
* Drop off and collect written work on your own from my in/out trays before you leave class. This gives me more time to set up the class and talk with students before and after class.
* If you are not ready to submit an assignment or revision on the due date, submit a note about when you plan to do so. I am flexible about extensions, but I need to know that you are keeping track of your work, not simply falling and feeling behind. Be responsible about course involvement--don't wait for me to check in with you.
* Give yourself a chance to digest comments on your assignments, and don't try to squeeze in a discussion on them when we're in a rush or otherwise distracted. Instead, use office hours, phone calls, and email (see details below).
* Later in the semester, when you're concentrating on your own projects, you might establish a daily check-in with a live or phone buddy to ensure that you're doing what is essential and not simply doing what has accumulated on your list of things to do. And to help you balance the divergent and convergent aspects of the research and writing process.

Email: I respond daily to email. If you have a problem that other students may share or a general comment send the message to me with subject line beginning "For CCT698" and I will forward it to everyone. I can handle email attachments, but prefer to comment on printed copies of assignments.
If you don't already have internet access, arrange it either by getting a UMB email address (which you access through a modem at home or when visiting campus) or a free WWW-based email account, e.g., via www.hotmail.com (which you access at your local library or cybercafe). Check email at least once during the week between classes.
To setup a UMass email account, get your student ID and go to UL in Healey. If you want to use UMass as your link into the internet (a.k.a. Internet Service Provider), go to the Help Desk in Computer Services in the Science building and ask to set up a PPP account. You'll need to know the operating system of your home computer, the speed of your modem, and your UMass email account (user name) and password. Make sure you get the PPP software and persist in asking for help until you have the PPP software working. A PPP link allows you to use many of the library's databases, so you might get a UMass account even if you don't use it for email. Otherwise you'll have to use the "proxy server" on the library's homepage, www.lib.umb.edu.
Email protocols:
If any doubts arise, confirm receipt of emails so I know they've got through.
Download and read emails carefully--don't respond quickly when you're online paying for each minute.
Don't send a message with emotional impact until you've slept on it.
Don't send a message when it's a way to avoid talking or if it would be better to talk.
On "For CCT698" emails:
-be nice to each other--no flaming, no sharking, lots of praise and constructive suggestions;
-stick to business = the course and thinking, learning and computers; and
-never quote anything from email outside the class without permission from the submitter.
PHASES OF RESEARCH & ENGAGEMENT
with NOTES ON RECOMMENDED TASKS AND ASSIGNMENTS

The order of the phases may vary according to the opportunities that arise, and in any case these phases are overlapping and iterative...
...that is, you revisit the
different phases in light of
a) other people's responses to what you share with them, &
b) what you learn in other phases

You do not have to do all the assignments listed and are welcome to propose alternatives, but, if you want to make progress that you'll be proud of, don't get far behind and then try to fast forward to the final report.

Phase A--Overall vision

A. Overall vision
Goal: "I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose)."

Processes: Freewriting and journalling (using workbook).
Compose and revise initial description and Thesis Question

Iterative process. Through sharing with others -> revise A, and angles of inquiry for B.
(Note: Sharing runs through the entire process -- see also C, D, G, H)

In class exercise -- brainstorming and pair-share on:
your area of interest;
the specific case(s) you plan to consider;
the more general statement of the problem or issue beyond the specific case;
how you became concerned about this case/area;
what you want to know about this case/area by the end of the semester;
what action you think someone (specify who) should be taking on this issue;
what obstacles do you foresee and help you might need in doing the research; and
who the audience for your research report might be.
In class exercise -- first stab at Thesis question and paragraph description of proposed project that conveys Who you want to convince? Of what? and Why do *I* want to influence *Them*?
In class exercise -- reports to the group, to hear how it sounds shared out loud with others

After class:
- Read chapters 1 and 2 from Elbow regarding the interplay of the creative and the critical in thinking and writing. Try out freewriting for 10 minutes at least a few times a week. See freewriting topics on the course web-site.
- Sign-up for office hours or a phone conference to discuss your ideas.
- Review previous reports (on reserve in Healey) to get a sense of the scope of previous projects. and reports.

Asmt. A. Revised Thesis Question and Paragraph description of proposed project
- Building on your first stab and on the comments back from PT, compose an initial overview of your project--one or two paragraphs that may, several revisions later, find their way into the introduction of your report. The point is not to have your project defined straight away and stay with that, but to begin and then to continue the process of defining and refining it.
- Define an initial "thesis question," one question that captures your focus, orientation (where you're going and taking your audience), and purpose (including the audience/situation to be influenced), e.g., "How can approaches for effectively teaching empathy-based personal interaction be combined into a course for employees and managers?" or "What do I need to know to influence people who prescribe or seeks drugs for behavioral modification of children?"
The gap between the thesis question and the statement is often a very good diagnostic of unresolved issues about your subject, purpose, and audience. Putting a thesis question at the top of your page is like a banner that helps remind you to check that what you are writing sticks to what you intended or claimed to be writing about--instead of waiting or another reader to point out discrepancies. If the question and what you are writing don't match, something has to be reconsidered. Keeping the thesis question in mind will also help guide you through the complexity of possible considerations so that you more easily decide priorities about what to read, who to speak to, and, in general, what to do in your project.

Items in printed course packet:
* Three examples of project descriptions. Note: These are revised versions--Expect your initial version to need revision.

B. Background information
Goal: "I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now."

Processes:
Identify possible informants to guide your inquiries in their early unformed stage.
Learn or refresh bibliographic searching skills on and off the internet.
Establish internet link-ups, and bibliographic and note-taking systems.
Compile bibliography, filtered and annotated with respect to how what the reading/interview connects with your project (or literature review).

Iterative process -> revise A, and grist for C.

- Begin background library, WWW, and phone research to find out who's done what before/ who's doing what (through writing & action) that informs your evolving project. Work on both of Elbow's "creative" and "critical" aspects--opening up your topic to more and more considerations, and seeking order and priority in the overabundance of material produced by the creative aspect. Elbow's insight is to alternate these aspects, not to let them stifle each other, as you define and refine a manageable project.

Asmt. B2. Initial informant: Identify an initial informant to guide your inquiries in their early unformed stage, make contact, make appointment for a time before class 4, use your conversation with this initial informant to learn about key people to read and/or contact, and give a brief verbal report in class 4 on the conversation.

- Create a system for organizing your journal/workbook, research materials, and class handouts. Some tips:
a) Number the pages of your journal/workbook; make an index at the end; carry it with you at all times and use it--not pieces of paper--to write notes on.
b) It's easy to collect articles to read, but it's important for the progress of your project to sort out which give you what you need to move your project along. So you need to read "actively" -- Develop a process for reading that ideally involves "focus, filter, note-taking, digestion, summary, plus record & file."
Focus: What do I want to learn now? Check out the title, intro, topic/thesis, ending, and subheadings of the article to see whether and how it connects.
Filter: You can't read all of every article.
Notes, especially dialoguing notes [I put these in brackets] so that at the end you have digested the article enough to say: What was argued? What was not? Where could it have been taken further? Where does all this connect with my project?
Summary: This forces you to push your own thinking further and make the material your own, and provides bits of text to use when you write your report.

Another approach to active reading is a "Sense-making" response:
a) I appreciated...
b) I learned...
c) I wanted to know more about...
d) I struggled with...
e) I would have been helped by...
f) My project connects with this in the following way(s)...
g) I disagreed with...
h) I think the author/presenter should consider...
(see footnote below on sense-making[1])

Asmt. B1. Key article: a. Submit a xerox of a review or a controversy article with a paragraph describing the different sides and b. use "sense-making" protocol to indicate how the article or section in a book connects with your proposed research.

Asmt. B3. Annotated bibliography (of reading completed or planned). The primary goal in asking for annotations is for you to check the significance of the reading against your current project definition and priorities. Annotations, therefore, should indicate the relevance of the article to your topic.
An annotated bibliography also allows you to a) compose sentences that may find its way into your writing, and b) have your citations already typed in (use the format/citation style you intend to use for your final report).
Focus is more important than quantity. Don't pack or pad this with zillions of references you've found in your searches, but instead use the assignment as a stimulus to clarifying whether and in what ways an article is relevant to your project. Omit readings that no longer relate to the current direction of your project.
Because your topic might have changed or should be more concise by the time you submit this assignmnent, take stock of that and begin the bibliography with a revised statement of the current topic and a thesis question that conveys the focus, orientation, and purpose of your project. Writing a tighter statement will also help to expose changes, gaps, and ambiguities. I hope my comments on your initial statements also help. Do not bother responding, of course, to those of my comments that are rendered irrelevant by changes in your direction.

Items in printed course packet:
* One student's reflection on his resistance to finding out what others have done
* Briefing on how not to be misled by the WWW
* Resources for reminding you to acknowledge intellectual debts
* First page of a well chosen review article for a project on teaching creativity
* Three examples of "sense-making" responses to readings
* One example of reflection on key article
* Xerox of 2 pages from PT's notebook to illustrate an active "dialogue" with what you're reading
* Two reports of initial meetings with informants
* An email couched as a request for an interview (phase F), but really trying to find out about "what others have done that informs and connects with [her] project"
* Three examples of annotated bibliographies--the third also includes a revised thesis question and intro to his project
Note on Sense-making. Brenda Dervin, in the Department of Communication at Ohio State University, has developed a "Sense-Making" approach to the development of information seeking and use. One finding from Sense-Making research is that people make much better sense of seminar presentations and other scholarly contributions when these are accompanied by the contextual information in the items below. Reference: Dervin, B. (1996). "Chaos, order, and sense-making: A proposed theory for information design," in Robert Jacobson (ed.) Information Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, in press.
-------------------
Author(s)
Title of paper
a) The essence of the project is...
b) The reason(s) I took this road is (are)...
c) The best of what I have achieved is...
d) What has been particularly helpful to me in this project has been...
e) What has hindered me has been...
f) What I am struggling with is...
g) What would help me now is...
-------------------
This "Sense-Making" approach also leads to recommendations about forms of response that authors/presenters learn most from -- and readers/listeners also. The response format suggested for active reading both acknowledges different voices and facilitates connections.
C. Possible directions and priorities
Goal: "I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide most important direction expressed in revised Thesis Question."

Processes:
Pyramid of questions
Mapping, prepared then presented to & probed by others
Ten questions
Discussion with professors and peers
Sense-making contextualization applied to one's whole project

Iterative process -> revise Subject, Audience, Purpose in A, more/ different work on B.

Pyramid of questions. Compile a "pyramid of questions" in a part of your workbooks separate from the freewriting, personal reflections, and other mess. "Pyramid" because later questions build on earlier ones. In the list would go the initial questions (general & specific) for your projects, successive variants of your thesis question, questions that arose during library research, possible questions to ask informants, and so on. These questions could be crossed out when no longer central to your evolving project and checked when satisfactorily addressed.

Asmt. C. Revised map with Thesis Question
The goal of mapping is the same as for phase C. The idea is to do mapping BEFORE you have a coherent overall argument. Start in the center of a large sheet of paper with the "current social or educational issue that concerns you--because you want to know more about it, advocate a change, design a curriculum unit or a workshop, and so on." Draw connections to related considerations and other issues.

To tease out connections, you might want to start with a dumpsheet in which you address the following questions:
Where is this an issue--where is the controversy happening?
Who are the different groups implicated?
What changes could be promoted?
What are arguments for change for the change & counter-arguments.
What categories of things (and sub-categories) are involved in your subject?
What definitions are involved?
What related questions have other people investigated?
Where is there a need for primary vs. secondary research?
What is the general area & what are specific questions?
What are the background vs. focal issues?
What is your provisional proposal?
What are the research holes that need to be filled?
What ambiguity emerges in all this--what tensions and oppositions?

When you have arranged these on a map, explain it to someone else, inviting them to i) ask questions until they are clear about each your subject, purpose, and audience, and ii) probe with the questions listed above. The interaction between the mapper and the questioner(s) should expose holes in the research proposal, force greater clarity in definitions of terms and categories, and help you see how to frame your inquiries so they satisfy your interests but don't expand out of control.

Out of this interaction you should eventually see an aspect of/ angle on all thecomplexity that engages you most and be able to define the Thesis Question that conveys what you need to research (and what you no longer need to research). E.g., for the map on the color of hospital rooms, the question might be: "What research needs to be done to convince hospital designers/administrators that room color is one of the environmental features that can contribute to patient healing?" Use freewriting after mapping to help define such a question for yourself.

Verbal alternative or complement to a map & probing: State your topic. Write down 10 questions within that topic. Circle tow that interest you the most. Take these two and list 10 questions under each. Circle tow that interest you the most. Now define the Thesis Question that conveys what you need to research (and what you no longer need to research).

Items to follow:
* Several examples of maps to follow. The second map invites the map-maker to work on identifying audience and purpose so that not everything on the map has to be done immediately--which is, of course, impossible.
* After the maps there's an example of sense-making applied to a student's whole project (see footnote to phase B).
D. Propositions, Counter-Propositions, Counter-Counter-Propositions...
Goal: "I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions."

Processes:
Pair of probing questions
Analysis of Ps, C-Ps, C-C-Ps for the different aspects of your issue,
Present this to others who probe and discuss it.

Iterative process -> more work on B, revising A & C, and to questions that need first hand information in E.

Asmt. D: Summarize the different sub-arguments for your topic and positions regarding each
There are two levels of "argument":
a. the overall argument of your writing (how you Grab people's attention, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so that they appreciate the Position at each step that you've taken them to, and where you end up); and
b. the component arguments or sub-arguments. It's this second aspect you should be working on at this stage. Doing so will open up your project, just as mapping & probing of maps does. Better you do this now than admit in a month that you have been avoiding addressing alternatives to the premises and propositions that your project depends on. The goal of phase D is to identify your various small and large premises and propositions and state counter-propositions. Then to take stock of the thinking and research you need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.

To tease out your various premises and propositions, you usually have to ask someone else to play devil's advocate and be prepared for others not seeing the issue in the same way as you do. It is possible to take the devil's advocate role for yourself--take each branch or angle in your map and ask whether there's any controversy there, whether anyone else would formulate it in a different way.

Items to follow:
* A student's briefing on critical reading of texts to arrive at one's own argument
* Three examples of teasing out component arguments
* An example of propositions and counter-propositions--the case of disposable vs. washable diapers
E. Design of (further) research and engagement
Goal: "I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence to realize these objectives."

Processes:
Strategic personal planning (proceeding through 4 stages: Vision-> Obstacles-> Strategic Directions-> Action plans)
Compose a realistic timetable with a thought-out sequence of steps

Iterative process -> revisit/revise A - D, especially Thesis Question.

There is a whole field of Research Design--how to design questionnaires and a statistically valid sample of people to complete them, etc. Ask me for references if your project takes you into that area. In this course, design is primarily planning so you can finish what you really need to do on your project--easier said than done.

There are two different ways I personally have adapted the ICA strategic planning process to personal planning:
1) Brainstorming on all the things I had on my plate, then clustering them, and proceeding from there. The clustering yields a lot here;
2) Identifying an aspect of my life I had a vision for, and moving from there into obstacles and re-visioning them until I saw the underlying issues and a gateway through to new directions. The re-envisioning was the source of greatest yield here.
For this course you can proceed either way. 1) would be all the things on your plate related to the project, and 2) would be your vision for all the different things you'd like to have seen happen by the end of the semester (including process, not just product).

Asmt. E. Revised research design (with revised and updated annotated bibliography)
To prepare a research design, complete the personal strategic planning process (or use some other process of reflection) so that you can answer the following questions:
* What do you most want to see happening in your project in the next two and a half months? ("Happening" refers both to process and content. It includes, but should not be limited by, who you might be able to influence and what you hope to influence them to do, a.k.a. audience and purpose. Take note of your thesis question.)
* What things might be blocking you from realizing this vision?
* What can you do to deal with the obstacles and realize the vision--what new directions do you need to move in?
* What achievable steps would move you in these directions?

Then restate your title and thesis question. (Check and revise these if needed. Do they match each other? Do they dictate what you actually have to do?)
Map out your research onto the weeks ahead--be more specific about the immediate future. (Check--do the steps you propose allow you to fulfill your purpose, answer your questions, support your arguments?)

The design maybe in note form provided you make evident the reasons for the sequence of steps you propose.

Items to follow:
* Guide sheets for Personal strategic planning process. (This will be explained further in class and an example brought for perusal)
* One student's very focused research design (plus two pages of visioning that project)
* One student's composite of arguments and visioning leading to a brief timetable.
* One student's compilation of everything behind and ahead for their project.

F. Direct information, models & experience
Goal: "I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources."

Processes:
Identify practitioners who can be informants, instructors, interviewees.
Arrange the necessary interviews, participant observation, evaluations, and other engagements.
Prepare interview guide, practice mock interviews using equipment, conduct interviews and digest recordings or notes, or
Prepare evaluations, conduct them, and analyze the data, or
Conduct a pilot survey or intervention and then design and undertake a revised version; or
Attend workshops or demonstrations on practices that might be incorporated in project.
Establish contacts with practitioners and specialists who can interpret the technical issues and identify where you might pursue studies in greater depth.
Establish contacts with and interview practitioners or activists who can help you interpret the controversies and politics around your issue.

Iterative process -> revise D, and also revise/ revisit A-C (especially Thesis Q.) & possibly E.

A task in preparaion for class 6 is to write down five questions you would like someone to answer for you--not just any questions, but ones for which you can't easily get answers from published literature. The goal is to help you imagine yourself moving out of the library/WWW and into the world of actual people you can talk with about your projects.

Asmt. F1: Revised interview guide

Asmt. F2. Brief written report on interview conducted, participant observation, or workshop attended

Items in printed course packet:
* Sample release form for taped interviews--adjust if need be
* Briefing on doing interviews
* A sample interview guide. (Notice the scripted beginning and ending. The rest of the guide is not a script--it is meant to remind the interviewer of lines of questioning. Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air" is my anti-model of an interviewer. She follows a script for her questions, which are often ones that can be answered "yes" or "no.")
* An example of a survey for which you're welcome to suggest improvements
G. Clarification thru communication
Goal: "I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports I am starting to prepare."

Processes:
Work-in-progress presentations--preparing text and visual aids, delivering, digesting feedback.
Narrative outlines.

Iterative process -> revise E, D, Thesis Question in C, and also revise A, more work on B & F.

Preparing to communicate about your research does not presuppose that you have finished your research. In fact, you could continue to do research up until the day you submit your final report. At this point in the course you will probably still be rethinking the direction and scope of your research. Nevertheless, because preparing talks and writing are excellent ways to work out your ideas, your research will be helped by giving a work-in-progress talk and starting writing now.

Asmt. G1. Public Presentation on Work-in-Progress
When you prepare to give a presentations (freewriting on your desired impact, designing visual aids, etc.), when you hear yourselves speak your presentations, and when you get feedback, it usually leads to self-clarification of the overall argument underlying your research and the eventual written reports. This, in turn, influences your research priorities for the remaining time. These presentations will necessarily be on work-in-progress, so you'll have to indicate where additional research is needed and where you think it might lead you.
There won't be time for extensive discussion, so, to allow for more feedback, the rest of us will write notes to provide appreciations, suggestions, questions, contacts, and references.

I recommend using visual aids, of which the simplest to use are overhead transparencies.
Tips:
Include only key words or prompts to what you're going to say
15-20 words only on any sheet
text should be 1/2 inch high or more.
To design your overhead layouts don't work on full size sheets, but divide a sheet of paper into 4 parts and print by hand into these quarter sheets. Then scale up to your actual overheads.
Get some transparencies and borrow pens from me, or bring material to copy center to be xeroxed onto overhead transparencies. Return spare pens and overhead sheets in the envelope outside my office door.

Asmt G2. Narrative Outline
Preparing a standard outline that looks like a table of contents has some value for some people, but not much. Instead, to ensure that your ideas and material really will fit your outline, it is better to:
a) nest or indent subsections inside sections, and sub-subsections inside subsections; and
b) indicate with arrows and annotations how each section or subsection connects with the previous one, and how each connects with the larger whole (including the paper) of which it is a part. This is what I call a "nested and connected table of contents."

Even better, prepare a narrative outline, which is an outline or plan of your report with explanatory sentences inserted at key places:
i) to explain in a declarative style the point of each section;
ii) to explain how each section links to the previous one and/or to the larger section or the whole report it's part of. The object of doing a narrative outline is to move you beyond the preliminary thinking that goes into a standard outline or a nested and connected table of contents. Insertion of explanatory sentences helps you check that your ideas and material really will fit your outline.

Preparing visual aids for presentations can help order your thoughts for an outline, and vice versa. You might also try to lay out the overall argument for your project and get feedback before preparing your outline.

Items in printed course packet:
* Program of talks from last year's course.
* Example of a student's overall argument and my summary and title for the project after digesting the argument
* The first example of an outline is preceded by my comments so you can see what I made of it.
* The other four examples include a lot more narrative.
* The pages that follow the narrative outlines for "Exploring your writing preferences." For each pair of writing preferences, note the one you identify with. (Some people combine both parts of some pairs.) Then review the summary and the notes on how to use this diagnostic information.
H. Compelling communication
Goal: "My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/ audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to."

Processes: Drafts, commented on by readers
Final report.

Iterative process -> revise outline G, and revise H, with possibility of further research B, E & F for this project or future projects (see C -> new A), and even revisit/revise A, C & D.

Asmt. H1. Draft:
A key thing I look for is GOSP--whether you Grab readers' attention, Orient them, and move through Steps so that they appreciate the Position you, the writer, has led them to.

I recommend reading Elbow chapters. 4 & 5 on Direct Writing & Quick Revising, then doing this for 90 minutes with the goal of completing an extended narrative outline or short draft (say 4-5 pages). After completing this, read Elbow section III on revising, take stock of comments received on your outlines, and then prepare the draft of your research report.

After the draft is completed I require you to pair up and comment on another student's draft. Take Elbow's chapters 3 & 13 in mind when you decide what approaches to commenting you ask for as a writer and use as a commentator. In the past I made lots of specific suggestions for clarification and change in the margins, but in my experience, such suggestions led only a minority of students beyond touching up into re-thinking and revising their ideas and writing. On the other hand, I believe that all writers value comments that reassure them that they have been listened to and their voice, however uncertain, has been heard.

Asmt. H2. Final report:
The report on your project is not a report to show me, the professor, what you have done. Instead, think more of reporting to your fellow students--what do they need to know to get interested in and understand what you've done?

The report should be 10-15 pages or 2500-3500 words (plus references). If the report presents an activity for a class, organization, or your own personal development, you may have fewer words for the same number of pages.

For the final project report to be counted as final, you must have revised in response to comments on previously submitted outlines/drafts. Allow time for the additional research that may be entailed.

Cite references consistently (an annotated bibliography is not needed). For a guide on technical matters of writing scholarly papers, I recommend Turabian, K. L. (1996). A Manual For Writers of Term papers, Theses, and Disertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Submit by 12/18, 4pm. If late, leave in my GCOE mailbox or mail it to me at 41 Cornell St. #2, Arlington, MA 02474, with self-addressed, stamped envelope for sending comments.

I will keep the reports to show future students so please make another copy to keep for yourself. If you send me a check for xeroxing and postage, I will send you a compilation of the final reports.

Items in printed course packet:
* Some notes about commenting on the outlines and drafts of others.
I. Engagement with others
Goal: "I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation."

Processes:
Run-through of activities and other group processes, commented on by participants.
Plan for future development of activities or group processes in light of run-through.
Plan future written and spoken presentations.
Begin to explore avenues of public participation and define proposals for (further) engagement/action.

Iterative process -> more I, and possibly E-H.

Items in printed course packet:
* To point you towards engagement with others, briefings are included on the dialogue process, grant-seeking, participatory action research, facilitating group process, and writing a business plan. Recall also Terese Byrne's workshop in class 3, in which she'll have shown how she went on on to apply her Practicum research in the classroom.
J. Taking stock
Goal: " To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing."

Processes:
Feedback to PT on course processes.
Process review cover note & annotations.
Written self-assessment of goals achieved and further work ahead.
Discussion with peers.
Begin to plan future extensions of your research.

Iterative process -> future A-I.

Throughout the semester please make suggestions about changes and additions to the course activities and materials. Also email me addresses of valuable websites with a brief explanation (1-2 sentences) of their value. Support me as I experiment in developing this course (see "Teacher-research on CCT698 in Fall 1999" on website.)

End-of-semester Process Review. These should contain 4-6 examples of the process of development of your project and approach to research and writing. Journal entries, free writing, drafts, etc. may be included. The point is to demonstrate the development of your work and thinking, not simply the best products. Explain your choices in a cover note and through annotations (post-its are a good way to do this).

End of semester Evaluations. I devote the whole of the last class to "taking stock":
a) to feed into your future learning (and other work), you take stock of your process(es) over the semester;
b) to feed into my future teaching (and future learning about how students learn), I take stock of how you, the students, have learned.
Standard evaluation forms are not very conducive to taking stock, so I have designed another evaluation form for you to complete.

Open question: What is the means of best presenting the group's work to the wider public, and of supporting each other in doing so?

Items in printed course packet:
* Two examples of cover notes to Process Reviews.
Items to follow:
* Summary of students' course evaluations from 1999
* Self-assessment of the two sets of course goals:
I. "My Report Shows..." (Goals related to Phases of Research & Engagement)
II. Developing as a Reflective Practitioner, incl. Taking Initiative In and Through Relationships
CCT 698, 1999 Course Evaluations - Synthetic Statements
(from 10 of the 12 students)

Student A: Practicum CCT 698 allows students the opportunity to systematically progress through the research process. The methods used include but are not limited to: written work with revise/re-submit, group process, freewriting, and improving public speaking skills. Small group size - cohort groups available.

Student B: I really think it would be beneficial for other students [not only the professor?] to participate in the revise and resubmit system. It would give students time for exposure to other viewpoints.

Student 6: This course has been the most challenging one in my overlong university career. The design of the syllabus and course packet were useful for planning each week's work. I found myself working longer hours, but was so enervated [energized] by the research that I did not miss my family and social life nearly as much as I thought I would. My family was supportive because they saw that I was passionate about the work I was doing.
My only complaint: more group activities with a revolving cast of students, rather than exclusively with the base groups.

Student C: My progression in this course showed tremendous effort and application. You spent enormous time focusing me to improve and show[ing] me how to get help [and] showing me other resources. I enjoyed your interest and encouragement. You went beyond the call of duty.

Student D: This course is one of the few courses I have taken that actually does what you initially set out to do. But there is a catch... you have to actually do the work to benefit from it. I know this sounds self-evident - but by combining these two ideas makes for some powerful learning experiences.
To get the most out of practicum, be sure to meet with the professor as soon as possible after the course begins to make sure your ideas/plans/goals are in sync with the course outline. If not, make changes now (early) to benefit from the class structures rather than later in the semester. This will put you at ease and give you the confidence to flow through the activities and utilize the tools you will learn.

Student E: Overall I found this course to be very helpful. The course provided the structure I needed and some tools to make strides in my research. The assignments were very timely and often forwarded my thinking at critical times.
I found the interaction with the students to be rewarding and interesting. However, the class activities were often not as useful to me as the at home work. I wanted more student-to-student interaction during class time.
Many students did not "finish" by the end of the semester. Some of them changed their topics midstream or were not sure what they were doing at the beginning. I would strongly suggest students have a good idea of what they intend to do before they start.

Student F: I am very satisfied with the course overall. My project was reworked and reshaped thanks to the process. Some ideas for building in a structure:
- chart for students to check off assignments as they are written, revised, resubmitted
-I think the amount of text in the course packet was overwhelming and partly the reason people missed deadlines. Could the course packet be reorganized in a way to make it more user friendly? (As a disclaimer, I want to recognize the many hours and hard work you've put into the packet and to the course.)
The phases of research and evaluation are excellent tools to guide our writing.

Student 10: This course seemed scary and bigger than other courses I've taken. I wonder if a change in my approach early on would have helped ease my fear. I heard the words that this was an environment of trust and trust was an important part of it all, yet I did not trust. I continued to act as though first time perfection was necessary even though I know in heart it wasn't.

Student G: The course was successful in creating a supportive atmosphere. It was a safe trusting environment wh[ich] motivated each student and provided the support for each student to be successful. More could be built into the class in terms of small group work/discussion. Some of the assignments - especially the briefing - seemed to be distracting from my main goal. I had to split my time , effort, and focus. I would have preferred to stay focused on assignments helped me in my journey to the final project.

Student H: The course description explains the Practicum well. The student knows she/he will define some issue and engage in research to promote change in some well defined area. Learning about and experiencing new ways to design projects are the other goals of the course. Just talking about taking risks with unfamiliar methods creates automatic discomfort for most people. It is understood that this course demands some difficult self-assessment.
The classes themselves were generally productive and interesting. There were a lot of opportunities for dialogue with peers and with Peter. It was good to be able to try out new techniques that seemed so esoteric in the syllabus and course packet. I learned many new and useful ways to initiate and proceed with the work. Chances to actually write in class were less satisfactoy for me only because I need complete silence in which to work. I am sure writing in class was more helpful to others.
The syllabus provides too much detail about each class especially since the course packet provides much of the same information. I suggest that a stripped-down version of the syllabus would probably be less intimidating and more informative. Spending 10-15 solid minutes at the end of each class on the upcoming assignments would be well worth the time. Overall clarity would replace some of the confusion I often experienced as to the rationale and expectations for the next week.
I have a love-hate relationship with the revise and resubmit process. I am sure I am not alone. It is very hard to place your writing, your words, in the hands of others. After all, your mind and your heart are tied to those words. I know I can write a sentence, but one is never sure if that sentence is a form of meaningful communication. I think that the process helps you to be more aware of your writing.
Except for its use as a jumping-off point for the synthesis project, I wonder at the placement of this course so close to the end of the CCT program. It seems to me that the many processes studied and experienced would provide students with a larger repertoire of techniques. Students would be better prepared to successfully meet the requirements of other courses. Why not give this course earlier?
Processes of Research &Engagement CCT698 Fall 2000
Self-assessment

Instructions
This self-assessment of goals achieved has two purposes (in order of decreasing priority):
1. Stock-taking to inform your future work; and
2. To provide insight for the instructor and for other interested parties.

The goals are divided into two sets:
I. "My Report Shows That..."; and
II. Developing as a reflective practitioner, including taking initiative in or through relationships

First, you should describe for each goal
a) something that reflects what you have achieved well related to this goal, and
b) something you have struggled with/ need more help on/ want to work further on.
(Even though you may have many examples for some items, one is enough. Write neatly or ask for the items by email so you can type your responses.)

After you have written something for all the items, mark in the left margin beside each goal either
** [= "fulfilled very well"],
OK [= "did a reasonable job, but room for more development"], or
-> [= "to be honest, this still needs serious attention"]

Make a copy for me. If there are big discrepancies between my assessment and yours, we should discuss the discrepancies and try to come to a shared agreement about them.

I. "MY REPORT SHOWS THAT..." (goals of the ten phases of research and engagement)
A. I can convey who I want to influence/affect concerning what (Subject, Audience, Purpose).




B. I know what others have done before, either in the form of writing or action, that informs and connects with my project, and I know what others are doing now.




C. I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide the most important direction.




D. I have identified the premises and propositions that my project depends on, and can state counter-propositions. I have taken stock of the thinking and research I need to do to counter those counter-propositions or to revise my own propositions.




E. I have clear objectives with respect to product, both written and practice, and process, including personal development as a reflective practitioner. I have arranged my work in a sequence (with realistic deadlines) to realize these objectives.




F. I have gained direct information, models, and experience not readily available from other sources.




G. I have clarified the overall progression or argument underlying my research and the written reports.




H. My writing and other products Grab the attention of the readers/audience, Orient them, move them along in Steps, so they appreciate the Position I've led them to.




I. I have facilitated new avenues of classroom, workplace, and public participation.




J. To feed into my future learning and other work, I have taken stock of what has been working well and what needs changing.

II. DEVELOPING AS A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER, INCLUDING TAKING INITIATIVE IN AND THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS
1. I have integrated knowledge and perspectives from CCT and other courses into my own inquiry and engagement in social and/or educational change.




2. I have also integrated into my own inquiry and engagement the processes, experiences, and struggles of previous courses.




3. I have developed efficient ways to organize my time, research materials, computer access, bibliographies...




4. I have experimented with new tools and experiences, even if not every one became part of my toolkit as a learner, teacher/facilitator of others, and reflective practitioner.




5. I have paid attention to the emotional dimensions of undertaking my own project but have found ways to clear away distractions from other sources (present & past) and not get blocked, turning apparent obstacles into opportunities to move into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory.




6. I have developed peer and other horizontal relationships. I have sought support and advice from peers, and have given support and advice to them when asked for.




7. I have taken the lead, not dragged my feet, in dialogue with my instructor and other readers. I didn't wait for the them to tell me how to solve an expository problem, what must be read and covered in the literature, or what was meant by some comment I didn't understand. I didn't put off giving my writing to my instructor and other readers or avoid talking to them because I thought that they didn't see things the same way as I do.




8. I have revised seriously, which involved responding to the comments of others. I came to see this not as bowing down to the views of others, but taking them in and working them into my own reflective inquiry until I could convey more powerfully to others what I'm about (which may have changed as a result of the reflective inquiry).




9. I have inquired and negotiated about formal standards, but gone on to develop and internalize my own criteria for doing work--criteria other than jumping through hoops set by the instructor so I get a good grade.



10. I have approached this course as a work-in-progress. Instead of harboring criticisms to submit after the fact, I have found opportunities to affirm what is working well and suggest directions for further development.
Created 22 Aug. 00. Last revised 31 Aug. 00