Field Methods Research Project
Using Participatory Design in a Composition Class
Research Questions
- How does participatory design affect the design and outcomes of a composition class?
- How does participatory design affect student learning?
- How does participatory design affect student motivation?
- How does participatory design affect teacher workload?
- How does participatory design...
Background
Spinuzzi argues that users should not be put in the victim role and that designers are not the heros which save the victims (users). This view can also be applied to education in which the teacher (the sage on the stage) delivers the knowledge/content which the student (victim/uneducated masses) need to learn.
In fact, students need to learn certain skills so that they can become better critical thinkers and communicators. Most of the time a class is designed by a teacher who looks at the goals and objectives of the class and decides
- skills the student needs to learn
- skills the student needs to apply
- activities to be completed
- order in which the activities need to be completed
- content which student will discuss
- how the student will be assessed
- what will be produced to show mastery
Constructivist learning theory argues that learning is more effective when students control and contextualize their learning. Allowing them to help determine the order of their learning, what activities need to be completed,what specific content will be discussed, and what skills the student needs to learn or apply can help to turn a composition classroom into a student-centered classroom.
Universal Design for Learning principles argue that learning needs to be designed using
- Recognition networks are specialized to sense and assign meaning to patterns we see; they enable us to identify and understand information, ideas, and concepts.
- Strategic networks are specialized to generate and oversee mental and motor patterns. They enable us to plan, execute, and monitor actions and skills.
- Affective networks are specialized to evaluate patterns and assign them emotional significance; they enable us to engage with tasks and learning and with the world around us.
UDL studies have been detailing the different ways that teachers can design their assignments to meet the needs of the students but they do not call for engaging the student to help meet their needs. Is this because the student does not know what they need? Are they not sophisticated enough to understand what they need so that they can learn?
Most students would not be competent enough to discuss content since that is what they are learning, but they do know how to go about their learning. They do it all the time. Not consciously but they make choices daily. They may not be sophisticated enough to use the vocabulary or know which network they are using but they use the networks nonetheless.
How does participatory design meet the needs to the different networks which are needed for learning?
What will students help to design which will fit the different network categories?
UDL entails ...
- Multiple means of representation, to provide learners various ways of obtaining information and knowledge,
- Multiple means of expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know,
- Multiple means of engagement, to employ learners' interests, present appropriate challenges, and raise motivation.
Again, this part of UDL calls for the teacher to design the lessons which give the students choices based on what their preferred/strongest learning style is or designing the lesson so that more than one learning style can be accommodated.
The problem, again, is that the teacher is the one making the choices during the design. The student may have some choice when it comes to the production or approach but the scope of those choices have been defined by the teacher.
How does participatory design help to meet the needs of representation, expression and engagement? What type of design choices do students make?
I need to research what type of participatory work has been done in Composition studies.
Methods
I will add to methods once I read about "activity theory" in Spinuzzi.
Using objectives of the course, I will determine the product (outcomes) goals.
I will involve the students in determining how those product goals will be met. I will use a focus group methodology in which I prepare questions and ask students to respond to the questions.
"this is what we need to produce"
"what do we need to do so that you can produce that?"
For example,
"we need to produce a 750 word character analysis essay (about a character from one of the stories in unit 1) with a works cited page"
"what do you need to do or know so that you can produce that? what tools will you use?"
I am not sure about the "use of tools" because I do not want to get bogged down in technology issues but it is central to research and to the production of the writing product so I may have to keep it.
I will produce the lessons once the "focus group" has met.
janie — 16 January 2007, 16:25
Janie Santoy: Hi!/
Janie Santoy: Do you have a fe wminutes?/
Becky Rickly: Hi/
Becky Rickly: I do/
Janie Santoy: OK, the other times it seems like I always caught you as it was time for class : )/
Becky Rickly:
Janie Santoy: Have you had a chance to read over my notes for the project/
Becky Rickly: I have been reading dissertation chapters, Janie--but let me take a break and look over your notes. I meant to do that this weekend, but ended up working on another project plus the dissertation....sorry about that./
Janie Santoy: No problem/
Janie Santoy: I just want to make sure I'm going in the right direction/
Janie Santoy: I'm afraid of biting off more than I can chew/
Becky Rickly: I'm guessing you are. I left the folks who I think are going to be ok until last. You're in that group, alas./
Janie Santoy: I do hope so.../
Becky Rickly: I think you are. Ok, give me 20 min. or so, and I'll get some feedback to you./
Janie Santoy: First, let me ask you a few question.../
Janie Santoy: is that okay...?/
Becky Rickly: sure!/
Janie Santoy: Participatory research and composition does that seem like a good match.../
Janie Santoy: Most of what I'm reading of participatory research is quite different/
Becky Rickly: I think so. You might take a loot at the education/social sciences version of PD: Participatory Action Research. In Ed, the goal is to make the context better; in biz, goal is to make things more efficient, etc./
Becky Rickly: Participatory Design comes from scandenavian countries, and it's where the workers are included in the design of ....anythign new that will affect them. Often software, but it could be processes, etc./
Janie Santoy: Yes, I guess action research is what I'm headed to...but wasn't too sure if what I wanted to do would fall under a different methodology; maybe I was calling it the wrong thing/
Janie Santoy: well, what I want to do is apply universal design for learning principles into a course but using participatory design/
Becky Rickly: well, this is field research in TC--I'd like for you to know where the TC versions came from, what they are, etc.-- but as you've found, there are parallels in other disciplines/
Janie Santoy: OK, then. I'll let you read my notes and wait to hear from you/
Janie Santoy: I'm trying to use the criteria set up by Spinuzzi for participatory design for my study/
Becky Rickly: I'd like for you to think about approaching your context as a field context--and I'd like you to think about how field research might differ from "traditional"...so you might think about finding out how people who are invested feel/think, and allow that information to influence your pedaogy, etc./
Janie Santoy: I have to research how much action research overlaps/
Becky Rickly: Spinuzzi is a good one to emulate. Award winning dissertation AND book!/
Becky Rickly: You might skip ahead and read some of the articles on PD on the syllabus, too/
Janie Santoy: I read the participatory article by Spinuzzi for my journal review last semester and am presenting on PD/
Becky Rickly: This is one of those methods I think should be adapted by education (and PAR allows it to be--but PAR tends to be all about social justice, and sometimes you just want to revise something to make it better...)/
Janie Santoy: I'll read those articles soon/
Becky Rickly: the articles on the syllabus are the ones that spawned the movement. So you're reading backwards historically, but it's good background/
Janie Santoy: I'm trying to connect education, design of curriculum and critical race theory somehow/
Janie Santoy: there's a connection there/
Janie Santoy: but I haven't yet articulated; need more research; more thinking time/
Becky Rickly: I agree! and I think you've chosen a good method, and I do see a connection. PAR is also associated with feminist methods--because it involves the subjects/participants, and because it empowers them to change their situation. PD is empowering, too, but the goal is...well, more practical
Becky Rickly: I don't see that PD is "bad" though--and because it's more focused, and because it's associated w/ TC, you're more likely to be seen as legit./
Janie Santoy: OK, then...I will wait to see what you think about my notes/
Becky Rickly: Do you want me to comment in IM? Or in email/
Janie Santoy: You do have the link?/
Becky Rickly: looking at it now/
Janie Santoy: IM is ok, if you have time/
Janie Santoy: I'll be here for a while/
Becky Rickly: Great! Let me put some coherent thoughts together, and we can talk about it/
Janie Santoy: great!/
Becky Rickly: As you know, I'm sure, the R Qs? you have are fairly broad. BUT I think you're on the money w/ how and why you're looking at things, and with involving students. It really will help them to think reflectively and critically, which are extra added bonuses. BUT--as I found w/ a student conducting a PD dissertation, you need to anticipate problems...for instance, what if the participants don't WANT to (or choose not to) participate? A Ph D? student looking at how environmental agencies decided about web content/design found her subjects were simply too busy to participate at the level she'd hoped. /
Becky Rickly: I really like that you're situating your work in constructivist theory. I think it works well w/ PD/
Becky Rickly: I'm not sure I'm understanding what you'll be doing, but I see a really, really rich means of gathering data about HOW students make decisions, what influences them, and so forth. You've mentioned focus groups; I'd like to see you overlay several methods w/in the context of PD: perhaps some observation, some interviews, perhaps even a survey, some artifact analysis (including a reflective artifact). /
Becky Rickly: I'm not sure that PD will "help meet the needs of UDL"...but it might map HOW these aspects are enacted./
Becky Rickly: Focus groups can lead to "group think" in the worst case scenario. Perhaps you might do the focus group, but overlay it w/ individual writing, interviews, surveys, etc./
Janie Santoy: I've thought about interviewis and surveys/
Janie Santoy: by aritifact analysis, reflective artifact....Do you mean created by the participants?/
Becky Rickly: I see your project as a really valuable foray into including students as responsible parties in their own education. /
Becky Rickly: Right--in field methods, they talk a lot about "artifact analysis". In traditional methods, we'd probably call it "textual analysis". But sometimes calling the artifacts in field research "texts" is a stretch. It won't be in your case/
Janie Santoy: One of the criteria set up by Spinuzzi is participant reflection; I will have students write these/
Becky Rickly: Have you used UDL type assignments in previous classes?/
Janie Santoy: yes/
Becky Rickly: Great--that will give you a lot of information/
Janie Santoy: but I made most of the decisions/
Janie Santoy: about the choices given to students/
Becky Rickly: You might be able to compare, then, the final products from previous classes and this one, to see if student engagement was higher/
Becky Rickly: resulting in a higher quality final product/
Becky Rickly: I see the goal of this project, then, a means to influence how UDL might be better adapted to the classroom. Is that right?/
Janie Santoy: Initially, yes...I wanted to create a process to include students in the design of UDL assignments/
Becky Rickly: What I think we want your research to do is to inform how UDL might be better used, applied, etc./
Becky Rickly: I'm still hung up on field research being done to help somethign, make a problem better, etc./
Becky Rickly: I think this research can "pass".../
Becky Rickly: Again, I've been arguing that folks in education, etc. need to look to biz, etc. at their methods. I like that you're using PD to "design" better assignments/curricula/
Janie Santoy: I think the problem can be low levels of engagement.../
Becky Rickly: I'm coming back to your original questions, and I realize that they're misstated. PD doesn't affect anything (or shouldn't)...it allows participants to have a say in the design/re-design of X/
Becky Rickly: Right--so if your underlying hypothesis is that students do better in ANY curricula if they're engaged, PD will help measure/increase engagement./
Becky Rickly: So you're actually using pd...uh, like you said initially in your questions, though it's secondary.
Becky Rickly: /
Janie Santoy: I'm not sure that at this point I can say that learning will improve...I have UDL assignments from another class but I'm doing this in a comp II class and the other assignmetns were in the C Omp? I class/
Janie Santoy: Right I see what you are saying about engagement and learning/
Becky Rickly: By empowering students to take an active hand in their own learning, you're attempting to do several things: involve them. Truly get their input. But also to empower them with choices, with a voice, with critical reflective thinking/
Becky Rickly: Ok. So--make this a long term study. Next time you teach comp1, do this, too. Or see if there's growth in comp 2, which you might be able to attribute to the PD/
Janie Santoy: Exactly--I mention in my first journal post that really the problem becomes the learning outcome and the students can help design the process to achieve that goal/
Becky Rickly: I'm just thinking big picture, sorry. For this class, just recording the PD efforts is good/
Becky Rickly: :nods/
Janie Santoy: In fact, I already started using the method in the class...even though I know the actual study is going to be smaller scale/
Becky Rickly: What's fascinating about PD (and PAR) is that it DOES become more than a methodology, because it influences what goes on/
Becky Rickly: :nods/
Janie Santoy: And I really thought about that before beginning the class/
Janie Santoy: because I thought two things could happen.../
Janie Santoy: 1. if I only used the participattory method for one unit; then students may resist being involved, they get used to being "told" what to do/
Becky Rickly: :nods....it's "safer" and easier to be told/
Janie Santoy: 2. if I began using it, then stopped they would become disappointed because they want to continue being involved/
Janie Santoy: since I haven't turned in an IRB, I know that the study has to be smaller scale, less than the entire semester.../
Becky Rickly: as you know, though, in research, the focus often changes. If #` happens, you might change your focus to how to get students to participate, or WHY they choose not to, etc.--again, valuable information/
Becky Rickly: You would have to agree to use it the entire semester/
Becky Rickly: :sigh. the catch is you can do anythign as long as it's part of a class. You just can't USE it unless you've got IRB approval./
Becky Rickly: You can certainly do the IRB before it's due
Janie Santoy: Right, I thought how I would feel if I was the student.../
Janie Santoy: I'm starting to work on the IRB, but I need to make sure I find the focus...the research question
Janie Santoy: You've helped me with that...Thanks!/
Becky Rickly: :nods. that's a big part of PD....trying to learn, understand, and apply the attitudes of the participants/
Becky Rickly: Good--I'm getting excited abotu this. I'd love for you to share this w/ Lennie. I see reflection as a big part of it/
Janie Santoy: Lennie and I are working with Dr. Rice on a panel presentation in March.../
Becky Rickly: Excellent!/
Janie Santoy: He is reading my UDL stuff...http://www.janiesantoy.com/7000Analysis/
Becky Rickly: :is reading/
Becky Rickly: Fascinating stuff, Janie--you need to write an article about this--it would help so many folks starting out/thinking about in online learning/
Janie Santoy: I am hoping Lennie and I can collaborate further this semester/
Janie Santoy: Yes, perhaps I will soon/
Becky Rickly: I really like what you two are doing. It's really important for educators, online and f2f/
Becky Rickly: in your spare time, right? /
Janie Santoy: I feel like I'm just learning and I need to learn more before I canw rite something and feel confident about it/
Janie Santoy: yes, bunches of spare time. .. /
Becky Rickly: I understand, but honestly, that feeling doesn't go far away. You just bit the bullet and do it. and then you let others read it to make sure it's good--then you send it off/
Janie Santoy: Dr. Rice has mentioned that I work on something/
Janie Santoy: He worked with me for Ind. S Tudy? project/
Becky Rickly: You should. You're coherent, you've thought deeply, and you have good information/
Janie Santoy: Thanks./
Becky Rickly: :nods. He's smart, and cares more about learning than anyone else I know--so listen when he says you should do something!/
Janie Santoy: I will!/
Janie Santoy: He's coming to give a talk/workshop to my faculty next week on teaching writing using technology/
Becky Rickly: Why don't you re-work the proposal based on this conversation, and let me look at it--then you can submit the HSF/IRB./
Becky Rickly: :hopes you have a good turn out. /
Janie Santoy: OK. I will. I'll send it to you/
Janie Santoy: It's mandatory /
Becky Rickly: Heh/
Becky Rickly: Butyou can do it sooner if it will help/
Janie Santoy: How much background does IRB need to have?/
Janie Santoy: Situating the research question/
Becky Rickly: not too much--their biggest concern is that students aren't hurt. So you need to establish how you'll keep them anonymous/
Becky Rickly: they are more concerned w/ what you'll be doing/
Becky Rickly: I'm the one concerned w/ RQ/
Becky Rickly: /
Becky Rickly: because it does influence how good the research will be/
Janie Santoy: so IRB is more about the process; I will work on it/
Janie Santoy: we will send you PD Fs? again/
Janie Santoy: and you will submit for us?/
Becky Rickly: I think so. And how you'll protect your participants/
Becky Rickly: Sure thing/
Janie Santoy: I'll send it in this week/
Becky Rickly: sounds good, Janie. I should be on frequently--feel free to IM or email. /
Janie Santoy: Thanks. I will.../
Janie Santoy: Do you mind if I add your comments to the wiki?
Becky Rickly: not at all!
Becky Rickly: (though feel free to correct spelling. my typing is atrocious)
Becky Rickly:
Janie Santoy: I will...
Janie Santoy: talk to you soon
Becky Rickly: Have a great evening!