Activity 1

 

 

Documenting Observation

1. locate an event,
2. specify and forumate a research question
3. attend/participate in the event and take notes,
4. write a narrative summary of event

 

Locate your Event

Date, Start Time, Stop Time

Place, City, Description

Example:

R. Howard
Faculty Meeting
9/19/03 9:30 AM
Ewbank Room, Vilas Hall, UW, Madison

 

Specify and Formulate a Research Question

Something you can observe evidence of.

Something that you actually don't know.

Something that you actually find interesting.

Place it at the top of your paper before the narrative description.

Do not change it, you will not be graded on if you observed anything useful for it or not.

Example:

R. Howard
Faculty Meeting
9/19/03 9:30 AM
Ewbank Room, Vilas Hall, UW, Madison

Research Question
What observable differences in body and hand gestures occur before, during, and after a faculty meeting?

 

Attend/participate and Take Notes

Example:

R. Howard
Faculty Meeting
9/19/03 9:30 AM
Ewbank Room, Vilas Hall, UW, Madison

Research Question
What observable differences in body and hand gestures occur before, during, and after a faculty meeting?

9:21

arrive

milling around, 20 - 30 people
Room has nice orange furniture.
People seem nervous
"Jack" talks to me about back trouble.

 

9:29
"Fred" intensely talking to "Jill."
Gestures at "John."

 

9:32
Older man, unknown, gray suit, calls meeting to order saying: "OK. I guess we should get started . . ."

 

Write a Narrative of your Event

R. Howard
Faculty Meeting
9/19/03 9:30 AM
Ewbank Room, Vilas Hall, UW, Madison

 

Research Question
What observable differences in body and hand gestures occur before, during, and after a faculty meeting?

The Faculty Meeting
By 9:21, the full departmental faculty was milling about the small meeting room. Some 30 professors exchanged strained morning greetings. A few sat on the bright orange 1960-modern furniture, but most seemed more interested in socializing until the department head, "Smith," called the meeting to order saying: "OK. I guess we should get started . . . "

 

Turn in:

1. Typed narrative of your event with the location and question at the top as exemplified above.

2. Scan of your notes placed into the word processor file if scanning is easy for you. If not, just photocopy them and bring them to turn in during the class the day the discussion of the activity is scheduled.