Re: reporting evidence of learning in informal settings

Sara Hill (sara.l.hill who-is-at vanderbilt.edu)
Wed, 06 Jan 1999 10:51:58 -0500

Dear Mark,
I'm a doctoral student from Vanderbilt University about ready to defen=
d my
dissertation proposal. The research I'm hoping to do will be a year-long
educational ethnography looking at how young people learn in a community =
based
after school program. I'll be using socio-historical cognition as my init=
ial
theoretical framework, particularly the construct of communities of pract=
ice.
I'll be doing participant observation -- doing some work with the young p=
eople at
the community based program (fun) and probably a lot of other activities =
like
emptying the trash. There will be no evaluation or measurement of learni=
ng
according to a priori goals, rather, I want to observe how learning is so=
cially
organized, what is considered valuable knowledge in this context, and per=
haps
attempt to draw some relationship between how learning happens and the
cultural/historical story of the particular agency I'll be working at.
One of the most frustrating aspects of the literature review was the=
lack of
previous research. Of course, it also had the benefit of leaving the doo=
r wide
open. Anyway, one place you might go if you're interested in policy is t=
he
Academy of Educational Development based in Wash, D.C., particularly thei=
r Youth
Development work. They have a web site (www.aed.org) where you can order
materials. I'd also be happy to send along my bibliography if you'd be
interested, because I have some more theoretical work listed. But, it's =
truly
slim pickings.
Regards,
Sara

Mark P Smith wrote:

> Dear List Participants:
>
> I=92m Mark Smith, currently working as a research assistant for Eugene
> Matusov, at the University of Delaware. I am the site coordinator for =
the
> 5th dimension project at the Latin American Community Center in inner-c=
ity
> Wilmington, Del. Our program involves the use of computers, among othe=
r
> activities, in an informal after-school environment among kids aged 8-1=
2.
> First-year university students in the teaching education program
> participate as guides for the kids in their activities.
>
> In our program, most of the kids participate with the university stude=
nts
> (and with each other, of course) in any number of activities,
> mainly in the computer room at the center. We are not attempting to
> direct children=92s=92
> activities toward any particular goal set by an adult. We allow
> the kids to determine the exact nature of their activity, and teach th=
e
> university
> students to provide sensitive guidance along the way. We are
> resisting the notion that there needs to be an external measure of
> performance as well.
> The University students do, however, regularly write about their
> experiences on
> a class web discussion group and I (the site coordinator) regularly wr=
ite
> field notes.
> Many of the activities are also videotaped.
>
> So=85 here's a list of what I'm asking you all to think of:
>
> (1). Do you know of any references that have revealed or documented
> evidence of learning in informal activity settings?
>
> (2) Do you know of any references which have interesting or useful w=
ays of
> reporting evidence of learning in informal settings (whether or
> not they've actually revealed anything=85) These would be more
> "methodological" type of
> articles, I suppose.
>
> (3) Or perhaps we'd like to start a discussion on the topic of
> "REPORTING EVIDENCE OF LEARNING IN INFORMAL SETTINGS." There's of co=
urse
> plenty of
> anectodal things=85 but we're looking to put it more concretely so
> that it can be presented to grant givers and the State Legislature.
>
> By the way, the articles can be in Russian, Spanish or English (but th=
e
> discussion I guess should be in English).
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mark Smith
> 5940 Overbrook Ave.
> Philadelphia, PA 19131
> (215) 477-6086
> mpsmith who-is-at cwv.net