Day #4, June 20 th CEP 955 Summer Hybrid 2013 Jack Smith Michigan State University
Jan 01, 2016
Day #4, June 20th CEP 955 Summer Hybrid 2013
Jack Smith
Michigan State University
Back to the RQ LabLaura: Background on her Practicum inquiryWork on her draft RQsNew issue: What kind of analysis does each
RQ call for?
Joel: Background on his Practicum inquiryWork on his draft RQsSame issue: What kind of different analysis
does “of-with-through” call for?
Homework check-inDid anyone last night decide “no theory”
(really) in my Practicum?Currently, how many theories are shaping
your studies?How and where to talk about theory, e.g.,
separate section or in Literature Review?
The Role of Theory (generally)Seeing is a conceptual act => we see with our ideasLooking, observing, recording, interpreting are all
conceptual actions (applications of our ideas to raw observable data)
Frameworks direct our attention to particular features of the world that we could notice, label, and record
No explicit framework does not imply no framework (implicit, intuitive, unconscious frames)
Researcher’s responsibility and reflective practice: Try to be explicit about what guides your seeing
Theory Scale (or “reach”)In educational psychology (at least)—as in other fields—
theories differ in the range of phenomena they address“Grand” theory: All of human learning and/or
development, e.g., Skinner’s operant conditioning theoryOutside of education: plate tectonics in geology
Many other theories narrow the range of their target phenomena; “medium” to “small-scale”??
Examples:TPACK: phenomenon = what teachers know about
educational technologyWentzel: phenomenon = how social support, motivation,
and achievement relateBut scale is also dynamic; small-scale theories can be
adapted to account for a wider range of phenomena (e.g., “perceived loss”)
Examples, Non-examples, & QuestionsWentzel’s study had no orienting theory, right?One meaning of TPACK: A framework for
examining teachers’ knowledge: CK, PK, TK, PCK, TCK, TPK, and finally TPCK; a theory of types of teacher knowledge
If I think “cognitive load” and “self-regulation” have meaning, am I using cognitive load theory and the theory of self-regulated learning?
“Communities of practice” (Wenger) as a lens on the activity of anime conference organizers
Theory Bites (x 2)
Introducing Ginny’s PracticumGinny: Andragogy (Knowles)Q&A; discussionIntroducing James’ PracticumJames: Gibson’s ecological theory (of
affordances)Q&A; discussion
Grand Theory (of thinking, knowing & learning) Greeno, Collins, & Resnick (1996) provide a very useful
top-level categorization of their families of theoriesThree broad perspectives (groupsof theories)
Behavioral theoriesCognitive theoriesSituative theories
Situative (sometimes called “sociocultural”) theories focus on participating (as knowing) and on individual and collective knowingRogoff, cognitive apprenticeshipBrown, Collins, & Duguid (1989) “situated cognition”Jean LaveEtienne Wenger
Perspectives form a temporal progression of the field (B->C->S)
General Writing SuggestionsUse headers and sub-headers to direct the reade
r ’s attention and support their comprehensionDo worry about “smooth transitions”; a proposal
is not an essayWatch out for long sentences; try for simple
declarative sentencesStick with the active voice as much as possible
(avoid constructions like “it was shown that…”Engage other readers for their suggestions;
where do they have questions/get lost?Outline or enter short phrases and sentence
fragments in “new sections” as placeholders
Homework for tomorrowFocus: Structuring your literature reviewText: Gall, Gall, & Borg, chapter 4Read for the overall gist; focus down selectively
in sections that feel usefulQuestion tomorrow: Which sections were useful?Writing task: Try either outlining your review
section (if there have been changes) or revising and editing your section (if not)
Some issues: Order of main points/results; does theory structure?; are you building an argument for a “hole” or open issue(s)?
Schedule: Someone willing to move up their theory bite to tomorrow?