Teacher Education
Internship Program
Lisa Loop, Interim Director
Dr. DeLacy Derin Ganley, Director of Curriculum & Advancement
Dr. Anita P. Quintanar, Director of Student Programs & School Relations
Ethnography_Fall 2005 void methodology
The Ethnography Project
Teacher Education
Claremont Graduate University
Fall 2005
(given to 2005/2006 TEIP cohort on 8/27/05)
The Guiding Premise of the Ethnography Project:
Who we are –that is, our values, our
experiences, and our perspectives–
determines the foundation of our teaching.
Ethnographic studies allow the investigator to describe and analyze the
practices and beliefs of cultures and communities. The focus is to understand
the culture or community from a participant observer perspective that takes
into account the insider’s and the outsider’s perspective (modification of D.
Mertens, 1998, p. 164). It is guided by the investigator’s “mental models”
(Senge, 1990); that is, it is guided by the researcher’s own paradigm and/or
theory about the way things are. In ethnography, the researcher must be
willing to abandon or modify his/her paradigm when presented with data
that does not “fit” his/her original model. Ethnographic studies allow the
researcher to observe a complex world in a way so he/she can describe the
interrelationships among previously unknown themes and patterns and, in
turn, in a way that expands and informs the researcher’s own perspective.
The Expanding
Focus of the 6-Part
Ethnography
Project
A
B
C
D
E
F
In this presentation, you will find
GUIDING
QUESTIONS
to help you understand the scope
and focus of each of the project’s
six sections.
Guiding Questions?
SPIRIT of these questions. They
are meant to give you a sense of the KINDS
OF QUESTIONS you should be
Look at the
seeking to answer in each section. They are
not Q&A prompts meant to be
answered in a paragraph or two.
Part A: Term 1 in TLP I
(Spring/Summer 1 Combo or Summer 1)
1
Term 1’s Focus:
Introduction to teaching, including an introduction to lesson plans;
classroom management; CA content standards; Education Specialist
standards (Level I, mild/moderate); Teacher Performance Expectations
& Tasks (TPEs and TPAs); etc.
Part A:
A
Who am I, and why do I
want to be a teacher?
What have been my own (and my family’s) attitudes toward school?
– How has my background (cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic) influenced my
experiences and success in school?
– How has my ability/disability impacted my experiences in school? (And, perhaps, think
about specific teaching styles that seem to strengthen your learning.)
– What is/was my family’s attitude toward education? How does/did this impact me?
– What specific experiences shaped my perspectives on teaching and learning?
– Which teachers had the greatest/least influence on me and why?
Why do I want to be an educator?
– What experiences have I had that make me want to be a teacher?
– What special talents and character qualities (positive and negative) do I bring to the
profession?
– What’s my understanding of the link between social justice and accountability? How do I
define these terms?
– How committed am I to positively impacting the academic and social success of my
students?
– What contribution do I want to make to the field?
Part B:
Fall Term in TLP II
A
B
Fall Term’s Focus:
Instruction that supports academic success for all
(with special attention given to strategies for
teaching non-native English speakers).
Part B:
Who are my students?
To answer this question, interns focus on
five specific students.
•
Struggling students
–
•
At least three of the five
students should be students
for whom school has been
least successful.
Special needs student
(TPA, Task 2)
–
At least one of the five
students needs to be in a
special education program.
• Non-native speakers of
English (TPA, Task 2)
– Three of the five should have a
primary language other than
English.
– At least one should be in the
early stages of English language
acquisition.
Student Selection
Q: What if I can’t find five students that meet the suggested criteria?
A: Get as close to the guidelines as possible. Discuss specifics with your Faculty
Advisor.
Q: What if some of the five students drop out or are moved from my class?
A: Mobility is an issue, so this may happen. To minimize the chances of not having
five students, choose eight students to begin with. If they all stay, you can pick five.
If your numbers ultimately drop below five, don’t worry too much. Talk to your
advisor about how to make their exodus part of the “story” (and the ethnography).
Q: What about legalities? And privacy? Do we get permission?
A: This is important. Interns need to get written parental permission for each of
their ethnography students. Also, to protect identities, interns must use pseudonyms
for the students, all school personnel, the school, the district, and the city.
Part B: Guiding Questions
1. Who is my student?
–
–
–
–
What are my student’s strengths and weaknesses (in and out of the classroom)?
What are my student’s aspirations and dreams?
What are major events that have shaped/influenced my student?
What are my student’s goals for the upcoming year? For the future?
2. What is my student’s academic “story?”
– How does my student feel about school? (And what has brought about this attitude?)
– To what degree does my student meet CA’s standards? Where is he/she strong? Weak?
(It is best to use multiple indicators to assess this.)
– What has been my student’s past experience with school?
– When was my student most/least successful in school?
– How has my student’s background (cultural, linguistic, and economic) influenced
his/her attitude toward school and his/her future? What about the students
ability/disability?
– How is my student influenced by the attitudes of his/her family’s feelings towards
school?
3. Given my sense of the student, what is my plan for bringing
about academic success?
– Create an action plan. Continually evaluate and reflect upon its effectiveness.
Data Collection & Sense Making
1. Interviews & Field Visits
2. Scholarly Artifacts & “Footprints”
• Interviews
• Student work samples
• Cumulative file information
• Observations of former teachers
(collected via interview)
• Attendance/transfer records
• Standardized tests and assessments
– One-on-one student interviews
– Parent interviews
– Peer Interviews
•
•
•
•
Student shadowing
Home visits
Neighborhood/community events
Surveys
3. Observation & Reflection
4. Student Achievement Plans
• Journals
• Anecdote logs
• Dialogue with CGU peers and
advisors
• Connecting classroom experiences to
academic texts
• Custom-made plans that identify
specific academic goals for each
student and the specific steps the
intern will take to help make these
goals a reality. (*VERB-LADEN
plans.)
*Action Verbs
(ideal for action plans)
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acknowledges
defines
identifies
measures
qualifies
adds
denotes
illustrates
mentions
questions
advises
describes
improves
models
rationalizes
answers
demonstrates
Influences
moves
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reacts
asks
depicts
inspires
names
recommends
asserts
discourages
interprets
narrates
recognizes
assessed
encourages
interviews
negotiates
reinforces
assists
endorses
introduces
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notifies
rewards
assures
enumerates
justifies
objects
schedules
clarifies
explains
labels
offers
seeks
classifies
evaluates
leads
organizes
shares
collaborates
explores
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learns
outlines
shows
compares
expresses
lectures
persuades
teaches
confirms
features
listens
plans
tells
confronts
focus
lists
predicts
terminates
confuses
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formulate
maintains
promotes
translates
considers
frustrate
mandates
presents
understands
contrasts
furnishes
manipulates
probes
visualizes
critiques
guides
maps
promotes
warns
Parts C, D, & E:
Spring Term in TLP III
A
B
C
D
E
Spring Term’s Focus:
Gaining familiarity with a larger societal framework via analysis of the
schools and communities in which the interns work.
Part C: What is happening at my school?
2. What school policies &
1. What is it like to be on
practices shape my
my campus? (i.e., physical
description of the school & its
school’s culture and/or
people).
identity?
3. What are other influences
(including district, state
and federal policies &
practices) that impact my
school?
4. What kind of resources &
support does my school
have?
Part C: What is happening at my school?
1. What is it like to be on my campus?
• How can I describe the following so that my reader has a sense of my
school’s physical space and its feel?
–
–
–
–
The school’s location
The appearance, maintenance & style of campus and its buildings
Important campus landmarks (if any)
My specific physical environment (Are there challenges associated with my classroom?)
• Who are the people on my campus? (And, has this changed over time?
If so, why? And, how do people feel about these changes?)
– What is the composition (ethnic? linguistic? economic? gender? religious? political?) of the
students? Faculty? Administration? Staff?
– Within each category, are there identifiable camps? How are these groupings signaled?
– How do each of these parties feel about being at the school? How are these attitudes revealed?
• What is the technology situation in my classroom? At the school? In
the homes of my students? (These questions should be addressed in ED330/331.)
• What school events have I attended? Describe.
Part C: What is happening at my school?
2. What school policies & practices shape my school’s
culture and/or self-identity?
• What are the school’s formal/stated and informal/inferred policies?
– Student promotion/retention
– Students assignment into special programs (i.e., bilingual, SDAIE, GATE, Special Education,
etc.)
– Teaching programs (i.e., Open court)
– Staff development
• How are decisions made and implemented within the school?
– Who sets the agenda? Who doesn’t?
– How are policies developed?
– How are decisions implemented?
• How do different people on campus feel about the school’s policies
and practices and how they are generated (Students? Faculty?
Administration? Parents?)
Part C: What is happening at my school?
3. Other Influences: What are other influences (including
district, state and federal policies & practices) that impact
my school?
• How do district, state, and federal policies impact the school?
–
–
–
–
–
Standards
Legislation (like Title I, Individuals with Disabilities, Assistive Technology Act, etc.)
Assessment/Accountability measures (like NCLB)
Special initiatives
Requirements for funding
• Besides policies, what are some other things that impact the school?
The administration? The faculty? The staff? The students?
Part C: What is happening at my school?
4. What kind of resources and support does my school have?
• What kind of support services are there on campus? Are they utilized?
–
–
–
–
For students? (social, academic, career, college guidance, health, etc.)
For employees?
For parents?
For the community?
• Who supports the school? Who does the school turn to help them
meet their needs and goals?
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Parents?
Community leaders?
Benefactors?
Corporations?
Universities?
Government?
• What are the opposition factors?
Part D: What is happening in my school’s community?
1. What is my community’s
history?
–
–
–
–
–
Location
Settlement history
Population influxes
Industry influxes
Events that shaped the community’s
psyche and/or identity
3. What are my community’s
resources?
– Social/human/family service organizations
& agencies
– Seminal community events
– After school/weekend/summer programs
for kids
– Pillars of the community: leaders,
religious institutions, businesses,
government
2. How can I describe the
community so my reader has an
accurate sense of it?
– Population demographics
– Layout
– Community gathering places,
landmarks, & establishments
– Appearance, maintenance, & style
4. What are my community’s
aspirations and concerns?
– For the present?
– For the future?
5. What community events have I
attended?
– How are they representative of the
community’s gestalt?
Part E: Summative Follow-up
What has the year been like for my five ethnography students?
1.
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•
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•
Follow-up assessment of student learning 2.
& progress: What has the year been like
for my student? How has he/she
developed/not developed?
Attendance
Involvement
Student attitude
Progress of student work samples
Pre/Post SAT 9/CAT 6 scores
Progress on standards
Course grades
Goals for the future
•
•
Assessment of teaching
strategies/effectiveness: How was (or
wasn’t) your student achievement plan
effective?
Summative analysis of student work. How does
the student’s work reflect his/her growth?
What strategies were most/least effective with
each ethnography student?
At the end of the Spring Term,
Parts A-E should be complete!
Towards the end of the Spring Term, the interns will write a Preface to
their ethnography.
AFTER YOUR FACULTY ADVISOR HAS GIVEN YOUR
ETHNOGRAPHY FINAL APPROVAL, you will bind the Preface
and Parts A-E. One of the bound copies is kept at CGU. The other is
returned to you by the Faculty Advisor.
Part F of the ethnography will be written in Summer 2 during TLP IV
but will not be included in the bound copy.
In the past, most interns have used a commercial printing place (like
Kinko's or King’s Copy) to have their ethnographies spiral bound.
Preface:
An Introduction to the Ethnography
The Preface is an author’s note to the
reader. It goes before Part A. It is
generally short (five pages maximum), and
it prepares the reader for the text. It is
written from the perspective of the author
after he/she has completed his/her
manuscript.
Preface:
An Introduction to the Ethnography
What is this ethnography all about?
• Write an introduction to
the ethnography so your
reader has a sense of
what they are about to
read.
– What did you learn
from your internship?
– What was this project
all about? Summarize.
– What did you learn
from doing this
research?
• If you didn’t write the
entire ethnography in the
past-tense: Address the
shifting
tenses/perspectives of
each part.
• Address the use of
pseudonyms.
Part F:
Summer 2 in TLP IV
A
B
C
D
E
F
Summer 2’s Focus:
Reflections on lessons learned from practice and scholarship
Part F: How can I make sense of my internship as a
scholar practitioner?
Choose one or more of the following topics. Address in 10-12 pages.
2. Your Experiences
1. Theory & Practice
•
•
•
•
How does theory help me analyze/understand
what happens in schools?
Do I see any theory “played out” in my
experience or in the experience of my students?
Do any of my experiences provide data that
refutes or discredits a theory?
What is my understanding of schooling?
Teaching and learning? (And has it evolved?)
3. Larger social/cultural/political/
economic context & education
•
•
•
How do larger social/cultural/political/ economic
issues impact my students, their families, and
schools?
What are trends in education? (And how do these
trends impact teachers & their students?)
What are dominate themes that relate to education
and social change? How do you see these themes
played out?
•
What did I learn from working with different kids
and their families?
–
–
–
What impacted my teaching the most?
What impacted the student/teacher relationship
the most? The family/teacher relationship? The
school/teacher relationship?
How did home visits inform my teaching?
4. Vision & Personal Philosophy
•
•
•
How does my school’s mission statement relate to
what is done in my school?
What is my own emerging vision/mission and how
do I hold myself accountable to it?
How do I foresee myself interfacing with CGU’s
vision? What is my emerging understanding of
social justice and accountability?
Items General Education interns
need to take to their Induction
Plan Coordinator at their
employing district:
• Professional Action Plan (from TLP III) -required
• Part F of Ethnography (the paper from TLP IV) -required
• Final TPE evaluation (from TLP III) -- highly
recommended
Bound Copy = Preface + Parts A-E
A
A Term 1
B  FALL
B
C
D
E
F
C, D, E + Preface
SPRING
F  Summer 2
Nitty-gritty Instructions:
Reference Requirements
• Be sure to have FIVE REFERENCES (either
paraphrases or direct quotes) per part/section that
reference speakers and texts.
– Reserve your direct quotes for “gems”—those phrases
that are so good (i.e., so concise, so uniquely worded,
so dazzling, etc.) that something would be lost if you
paraphrased. If you can say something more clearly or
more concisely than the original text, do so!
• Be sure to cite/document according to APA (i.e.,
in-text attribution, parenthetical citation, and
bibliographic entry). See APA handout for
specifics.
Nitty-gritty Instructions:
References -vs- Data
References
• Texts you’ve read
(whether in Teacher
Education or not)
• Speakers
• Course packets or
articles
Data
•
•
•
•
Student work
Student comments
Adult comments
Accountability data on
your school
Nitty-gritty Instructions:
Expectations of Graduate-Level
Scholarly Writing
• Graduate scholarly writing…
• Is interesting and has a clear purpose
• Uses academic language that is in the active voice and the formal
register (instead of slang or colloquialisms in the informal register)
• Uses varied sentence structure (simple, compound, complex) and
varied sentence beginnings
• Is well organized with focused, developed paragraphs that are
logically ordered
• Is void of grammatical, usage, mechanical, and surface errors.
• Has proper documentation (i.e., APA)
• Interns are encouraged to visit CGU’s writing center
(http://www.cgu.edu/pages/798.asp or @ 909/607-2635)
Nitty-gritty Instructions:
Photos
• Photos are often a nice addition to the
ethnography.
• Each photo should have its own caption.
• (Written) parental permission is required for youth
featured in the photos.
SELF
REFLECTION
COLLABORATIVE WORK
OBSERVATION
&
INVESTIGATION
COMMUNICATION
• Students
• Parents
• Other educators
–
–
–
–
Other teachers
Administrators
Counselors
Paraprofessionals
• CGU Peers
• CGU Advisors &
Faculty
LISTENING
ANALYSIS
• Student Performance
Indicators
– Student work samples
– Test scores
– “Cumulative file”
information
– Past teacher comments
• Policies
• Institutional histories
• Family & community
context
APPRECIATION OF DIVERSITY
UNDERSTANDING
WHAT IT MEANS TO
BE A SOCIALLY JUST
& ACCOUNTABLE
TEACHER
Questions?
See your Faculty
Advisor!
Lisa Loop, Interim Director
Dr. DeLacy Derin Ganley, Director of Curriculum & Advancement
Dr. Anita P. Quintanar, Director of Student Programs & School Relations