HUH! such tender-toed responding. it's interesting to me that the "idea'
of ethnographic work is not questioned,
methodologically,
but that the experience and narrative are situated as somehow outside the
question of
ethnographic value, the possibility of doing meaningful ethnographic work,
and all that.
huh.
well. okey-dokey...
seems to me there are questions about the validity of method,
and the possibility of ethnography here,
but mebbe that's me,
:)
diane
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu writes:
>Diane,
>
>In respect to Scribner's push for ethnographic study of workplaces and
>work
>relationships I would first state that what you have written, Diane,
>is an excellent ethnographic study. I find it interesting that the
>references and method for doing so do not coincide with my way of
>understanding the dynamic that exists between individual consciousness
>and
>social practice, certainly a result of us having lived different lifes
>and
>bringing different histories to our current careers. There is no
>reference
>to Vygotsky's concept of consciousness and Pierce's abductive reasoning
>is
>not mentioned. Also, when I think of narratives I think of Bahktin and
>his
>concept of dialogic inquiry. I am not implying that these should have
>been
>references I am only stating that when I read your paper I inserted my
>own
>thoughts regarding the written material and the theories and ideas I
>reference are not included.
>
>Your observations of the culture of early childhood and of
>student-teaching
>hit the mark. My biggest point of difference regarding this paper is
>that
>the concept of 'community of practice' appears to construct cultural
>phenomenon as being closed systems (see Valsiner in his Culture and the
>Development of Children's Actions, 1997). Although the 'community of
>practice' metaphor does explain people's behavior in cultural settings it
>does not exhibit a very sound method for soliciting change.
>
>I agree 100% about identifying more with the children then with the
>teachers
>and this indeed has got me into many a lecture situation with
>administrators
>but I refuse to view it as a me vs them attitude and this is what the
>'community of practice' concept brings to mind.
>
>One more thing I would like to add is the extent to which you reflect
>upon
>your exeriences and how you have used these reflections to construct a
>narrative that allows you to understand your present situation. This
>refelction and this narrative speaks to how you form your consciousness
>and
>how you expect to be view in the world. Skinner (not B.F. and I can't
>remember her first name, sorry) wrote a fascinating article about how
>Nepalese adolescent's formulate their personel identity through the use
>of
>narratives. If I can find the reference I will post it on a later date.
>
>I enjoyed the paper and related to much of what you wrote regarding the
>"old-girl" network of early childhood education it just is not the
>approach I
>would have taken if I were to write a narative regarding my own
>experience in
>student-teaching. I beleive I suffered a bit more because of not
>agreeing
>with my Teacher/Boss, I quit. I refused to take the authoritative stance
>she
>kept insisting that I take. I didn't zip through lessons but took the
>time
>to sit and listen to a student discuss their evening's events. I left
>the
>room to address a student's personal problems and committed the gravest
>error
>of all, I ate lunch with the kids instead of taking the time to prepare
>paperwork. I am currently a teacher in spite of this teacher's efforts
>to
>discourage me from being one and I work in a program that encourages me
>to
>take the child's perspective ( they're not really children but 16-21 year
>old
>adolescent/young adults).
>
>Because of your courage to write about your experiences I said a bit more
>then I intended but in any regard the theoretical differences still
>remain
>between how I view my experience and how you have narrated yours.
>
>Bill, sorry that doesn't do much about relating to Scribner but perhaps
>another time.
>
>Eric
************************************************************************************
"Things do not change: people change."
Henry David Thoreau
*************************************************************************************
diane celia hodges
university of british columbia, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction
vancouver, bc
mailing address: 46 broadview avenue, pointe claire, qc, H9R 3Z2
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