Microethnography: How Teachers Really Do Look at Their Classrooms

Microethnography, p 1 of 3

Microethnography: How Teachers Really Do Look at their Classrooms

A Proposed Presentation in an Innovative Format

Southwest Educational Research Association

Annual Convention, February 2007

Heading: Teachers & Teacher Education

Descriptors: Qualitative Methods, Classroom Management, Reflective Thinking

Submitted on September 30, 2006

Abstract: Observing requires skill; many teachers report cultivating “eyes in the back of their heads.” This is microethnography – the “slice of life” approach to understanding human interaction. How do teachers cultivate their knack for knowing? What do they do with such information? This presentation will engage researchers in observation and analysis.

Observing young children requires skill; many teachers report cultivating “eyes in the back of their heads” with which to see all that’s going on in the classroom (Good & Brophy, 2004, Goodman, 1978, Katz, 1980). This phenomenon is not unlike microethnography – the “slice of life” approach to understanding human interaction (Bloome, Carter, Christian, Otto, Shuart-Faris, 2005). But how do teachers cultivate their knack for knowing? And what do they do with such information?

This presentation session in an innovative format will engage researchers in the process of watching children, a common training practice in Early Childhood Education classes (Jablon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., & Dichtelmiller, 1999). Videotapes of young children will be the tool with which we practice observation strategies (anecdotal records, checklists, running records) (Puckett & Black, 2000). Perspective-taking will account for cultural and diversity biases (Michaels, 1986).

Analysis of the observations will begin by comparing the records with known developmental milestones (NAEYC, 1996). Then the fun begins. Discourse analysis will help participants discover missing pieces of their observations, and construct new interpretations of observation texts. After extended practice, recent research on training pre-service early childhood teachers in analysis techniques will be discussed.

The use of observation strategies to inform instructional processes has always been an integral part of early childhood education (Montessori, 1912/1964). Using innovative and authoritative techniques to analyze and evaluate observations is the next step in training early childhood practitioners to rise to a new level in professional, research-based methods of classroom practice: follow the child.

References

Bloome, D., Carter, S. P., Christian, B. M., Otto, S., & Shuart-Faris, N. (2005). Discourse analysis and the study of classroom language and literacy events: A microethnographic perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.

Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. E. (2004). Looking in classrooms (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Goodman, Y. (1978). Kid watching: An alternative to testing. National Elementary School Principal 57(4), 41-45.

Jablon, J. R., Dombro, A. L., & Dichtelmiller, M. L. (1999). The power of observation. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning.

Katz, L. G. (1980). Mothering and teaching – some significant distinctions. In L. G. Katz (Ed.), Current topics in early childhood education (Vol. 3, pp. 47-63). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Michaels, S. (1986). Narrative presentations: An oral preparation for literacy. In J. Cook-Gumperz (Ed.), The social construction of literacy (pp. 94-116). New York: CambridgeUniversity Press.

Montessori, M. (1912/1964). The Montessori Method. New York: Schocken Books.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (1996). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. New York: NAEYC.

Puckett, M. B., & Black, J. K. (2000). Authentic assessment of young children: Celebrating development and learning (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.