Comments on Adler and Adler

I really enjoyed the Adler and Adler piece. A major part of the teacher's job is observation. Who's not looking well today? Who's not getting enough to eat at home? Who is doing the reading? Who is faking it? Who is attempting to text her best friend during class? Who is having trouble with understanding the reading? Who is finding this class too hard? Who is finding this class too easy? We're constantly changing our teaching methods based on the behavior of the students in our classes. All good teachers change their approach if they find that it's not working. You can see it in their faces. Okay this isn't working...they're not getting it, try plan B.

At the beginning of the article, A & A state that, "One of the hallmarks of observation has traditionally been its noninterventionism" and at the end of that paragraph they write that, "Behavior and interaction continue as they would without the presence of a researcher, uninterrupted by intrusion." I guess this could work in some instances, but anyone who is a teacher knows what happens when the principal walks in. The behavior of the students usually changes to a "best behavior" pattern. I've appreciated this on occasion, but sometimes, the kids clam up and I wished someone would say something! So, if a relative stranger walks into a close-knit group and starts taking notes, things are definitely going to change. As the teacher, accepted by the students, it's obviously going to be easier for us to observe and record observation. I guess that would make us, under Gold's observer roles, either periphery members or active members.

I agree with many of the others in class who asked if we can ever be completely objective. It's like the teacher in the last article we read. She was blaming the students until an outside observer came and truthfully said what she was observing. I don't think that means that the observations are not meaningful. When test results come in, it's easy and I will admit, sometimes valuable to look at results and try to find out how we can change to better serve our students. But if I know that Mike's family has been living out of a van for two months, then I can do something about the outcome because of my active membership in his school life. Objectivity doesn't always mean accuracy.

Okay, I'm thinking about that last statement I made. Mike's scores may be lousy and that is accurate. But the WHY in Mike's case is fundamental to changing the outcome.

As a compulsive note-taker I agree with what Denzin suggested, "that all observation notational records should contain explicit reference to participants, interactions, etc" (380). Good idea. Waiting too long, even an hour, after the observation can lead to vague notions and inaccuracy. Instead of the "Aha!" moment, you get the "Oh Shit!" moment. I know this for a fact. AP kids are often unsure of themselves and they want to peer edit with the same group all of the time. This doesn't always work to their advantage. A few years ago, I decided to choose the groups to see what would happen and took notes on what I observed. It went well the first time, but with my second class, I got so absorbed in watching the kids and listening to their conversations that I completely blew off the notes. That's an "Oh Shit" moment.

I liked the discussion of the observations and how they change over time on page 381. I've never done this kind of research before, so this whole thing sounds fascinating. The idea that the research gets more specific over time and eventually funnels into a narrow and direct point is something I look forward to trying.

Another positive facet of the observation model is the fact that the researcher can change direction. You are not limited to one idea because as observations happen, theories morph and change and "At any point in the process, observers are free to alter the problems and questions they are pursuing as they gain greater knowledge of their subjects" (382). This is encouraging.

As enticing as observation sounds, I can understand that other forms of research need to accompany observation. All of the problems that A&A discuss can be called into question, so some cold, hard facts are going to be needed to convince anybody of anything. I can just see me going to the school board armed with my observations, and telling them we need more books, or better desks. They would laugh me right out of the room.

I was fascinated by the Humphrey's study...okay, call me twisted. I just couldn't believe that he got the license plate numbers and then called subjects a year later. I kept thinking several things, like "This guys got cahones" and then "He's nuts" followed by "Is this all legal?"

Finally, the question of private places and sensitivity (3887) is a big one. I hope we discuss this in class because I don't really know where I stand on this, and I'd like to hear what everyone else has to say.