Fwd: Re: [xmca] Artifacts, tools and classrooms

From: geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz
Date: Sun Jan 22 2006 - 18:26:50 PST


 
 
----- Message Forwarded on Mon 23/1/2006 -----
From: Mike Cole <lchcmike@gmail.com>
To: geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz
Subject: Re: [xmca] Artifacts, tools and classrooms
Date: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:25:24 -0800
I'll go back to the original article and use of Wartofsky
there, I did not realize I was
"chaining." Why not post this back to xmca? I try to use the
common forum as much as
possible precicely with the assumption that " my views are
as problematic as yours but it is
most rewarding even to have a chance to discuss them"!!
Making that the norm for the community
of MCA readers adn writers, and reducing the turn around
time for discussion from years to days,
seems to reduce the monologic lonliness of most publishing.
mike

On 1/22/06, geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz
<geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz> wrote:
>
> Mike
> The reference to surveillance was because bb said he was
> going to use this concept (cf Foucault's panopticon) in
his > analysis.
> It would be a good idea to examine Wartofsky. I have
> reservations about putting play and scientific discovery
in > the same category as he does. Reminds me somehow of
that old > test for creativity to find as many uses as
possible for a > brick. Maybe throwing it at the tester.
Just play or a > scientific breakthrough?
> There is a recent study by Mariolina Bartolini Bussi and
> colleagues from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
> which, like ours, uses Wartofsky's categories as a
> framework. This study took place in a grade 5 classroom
> where children were introduced to a model of Dürer's
> glass. (Semiotic mediation in the primary school:
Dürer's
> glass.) This study and ours both show the complexity of
> classrooms and "the polysemy of an artifact as a means to
> fuel multivoiced discourse" (Bartolini Bussi) a situation
> which guarantees that interpretation is problematic
> irrespective of definitions and philosophical stance.
> What I do believe however is that focusing on artifacts
> familiar in classrooms, whether from the pupils'
> interpretation or from physical restraints attributable to
> the artifact, leads to fresh insights. What is the best
way > for time to be spent? The textbook in the EFL
classroom took > time to read within a time frame which
limited opportunities > to speak. In the assisted groups the
senior student treated > the text as something to be
explained to the others and this > further limited the time
available for practising English. > And so on. Huong Le,
whose study it was, also noted the > frequency with which
students sought guidance from messages > on the whiteboard
and thus the interweaving of written > language and speech.
Of course speech is part of the story > but not the whole
story. > I am sure my views are as problematic as yours but
it is > most rewarding even to have a chance to discuss
them. Thank > you for your reply.
> Geraldine
> ----- Original Message Follows -----
> > Geraldine-- what, for my persective, is the duality of
> > artifacts, means that how we interpret their
> > positioing in action/activity is always problematic,
never > > mind my views, which are equally
> > problematic!
> >
> > Perhaps we need to post the Wartofsky text in order to
> > figure out what he meant by his three "levels" of
> > artifacts and what range of meanings we construct using
> > those terms. ideas. For me, for example, it is simply
> > unclear your example of a reading practice functioning
as > > "an exercise with survielllance by the child as
teacher" > > qualifies according to my interpretation of
Wartofsky. > >
> > That would probably be a good text to have available for
> > discussion anyway. I'll see if I can find it or perhaps
> > someone on xmca could tell us where it might be found in
> > byte sized bits. mike
> >
> > On 1/21/06, geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz
> > <geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz> wrote:
> > >
> > > To bb re the literacy artifacts. When my colleague Jo
> > > Higgins and I saw the classroom you had photographed
we > > > both said "That's just like a New Zealand
classroom." > > > The last time I was in one, the walls were
completely > > > covered with children's work but the open
plan had > > > acquired room dividers consisting of lines of
string on > > > which were pegged more work. I had to keep
ducking to > > > move about the room. The interest for me in
written > > > artifacts lies in how children come to
understand them > > > and, broadly speaking, how they
acquire institutional > > > knowledge in the form of
typified action sequences, the > > > norms and rules
applying in specific settings such as > > > homes or
classrooms, and children's own judgements of > > > success
or failure in achieving understanding. They know > > > how
well they are doing. The state of their minds? Tools > > >
may hinder performance, "My pencil always breaks". "My > > >
black felt missing - Jason stealed them all." The action > >
> sequence with the written artifact reported in our paper >
> > could be interpreted in two different ways; as reading >
> > practice, or as an exercise in authority with > > >
surveillance by the child as teacher. Only the second > > >
conformed to Wartofsky's third category of artifacts. > >
The episode could have been interpreted in other ways of > >
> course because it opens up the whole area of the role of >
> > writing in both culture and learning. Look forward to >
> > hearing your results bb. > > > Geraldine
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message Follows -----
> > > >
> > > > -------------- Original message
> > > > ---------------------- From: Geraldine McDonald
> > > <geraldine.mcdonald@clear.net.nz> >
> > > > > I appreciated the child's eye view of the
classroom > > > > > provided by bb. Lots of artifacts on
the walls. Do > > > > > they function as wallpaper? Or, do
they function as > > > > mediating tools? (Treat these as
proxy questions for > > > > the AERA presentation!)
> > > >
> > > > In the panorama, scroll to the far right and you'll
> > > > see in the blue corner the set of rules for behavior
> > > > acceptable in the classroom that the children
created > > > > with the guidance of the teacher. It is
their text. > > > > Scrolling left, the shark is an
historical artifact > > > > from an earlier class with a
prior teacher. It's > > > > there perhaps because it takes
no effort to leave it > > > > there, and it does not occupy
space that could > > > otherwise be used. >
> > > > On the windows are child-created artifacts. These
> > > > kinds of artifacts are constantly appearing and
> > > > dissappearing from public display around the room.
> > > > They are part of the shared literacy practices
through > > > > out the school (and in many elementary
classrooms > > > > across the US where firecode can be
supportively > > > > interpreted). "Reading the room" is an
independent > > > > reading lesson where children use
supportive materials > > > > such as a pointer or cardboard
tube to go around the > > > > room and read everything that
is readable in the room! > > > > The complex arrangement of
textual artifacts is > > > highly functional. Thanks for
asking! > > > > > bb
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
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> > > > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
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> > >
> >
>

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