EDUC 200D: THE ANALYSIS OF ACTIVITY AND INTERACTION IN

EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

Winter 2007

Professor: Gordon Wells

Office: Social Sciences 1, 231; email: gwells@ucsc.edu Homepage: http://education.ucsc.edu/faculty/gwells

Office hours: Wednesday, 2.00- 3.00 p.m., and by appointment.

This course is intended to provide a practical as well as a theoretical introduction to the

analysis of classroom interaction for those wishing to investigate interaction in educational

settings. Emphasis will be given equally to the development of theoretical understanding of

the main issues in the field of discourse analysis and to the acquisition of practical skills in

observation and recording in classrooms and in the development of models of analysis. The

course will be taught as a seminar with practical investigations, meeting for 4 hours once

per week.

Assignments

1 Practical tasks, leading to a small investigation, which will be presented in the final

class and submitted in a written version. Due week 10.

2 Position paper on a topic related to the course; to be negotiated. Due week 7.

3 Participation in class discussion, including Knowledge Forum.

Recommended Reading

Required readings will be found on the course webpage at:

http://education.ucsc.edu/faculty/gwells//Files/Courses_Folder/ED%20200D%20Papers/ED

%202000D.syllabus.htm

See also the attached bibliography.

Weekly Topics and Readings

Week 1. Introduction: Purposes and methods of classroom observation and analysis

a. Practical introduction to techniques of observation using video, audio and field

notes

b. Planning a project: Selecting a topic; Choosing appropriate methods of data

collection

c. Procedures for gaining informed consent Zeni, J. (2001) The IRB, the HSR -- and

the ethics of insider research

http://education.ucsc.edu/faculty/gwells/networks/journal/Vol4(1).2001may/note.html

http://www.ucsc.edu/osp/hsirbdetails/consent.htm

Week 2. Observational Research

a. Making field notes

Emerson, R.M. Fretz, R.I. and Shaw, L.L. (1995) Writing fieldnotes. Chicago: University

of Chicago Press. Chapters 1 and 2.

Make a classroom observation and write field notes on what you observe.

b. Using Classroom Observation Schedules

Hilberg, S., Doherty, W. Epaloose, G. & Tharp, R. (2004) The standards performance

continuum. In H.C. Waxman, R.G. Tharp & R.S. Hilberg (Eds.) Observational research in

U.S. Classrooms. Cambridge University Press.

Week 3 Capturing Interaction for Analysis

a. Dimensions of interaction: action, gesture, gaze, speech

Wells, G. (2000) Modes of meaning in a science activity. Linguistics and Education, 10

(3): 307-334.

Crowder, E.M. (1996) Gestures at work in sense-making science talk. Journal of the

Learning Sciences, 5 (3): 173-208.

b. Issues in making a transcription

Lapadat, J.C. & Lindsay, A.C. (1998) Examining transcription: A Theory-laden

Methodology. ERIC Document ED 419 821.

Ochs, E. 'Transcription as theory.' In E. Ochs and B. Schieffelin (Eds.) Developmental

pragmatics. New York: Academic Press, 1979.

c. Introduction to Transana transcription software

Week 4 Approaches to analysis: conversation analysis; discourse analysis, etc.

Wells, G. 'Language as interaction.' Learning through interaction. Cambridge:

Cambridge UniversityPress, 1981.

Heritage, J. Goffman, Garfinkel and Conversation Analysis. In Discourse Theory and Practice, Chap. 4, Ed. M. Wetherall, S. Taylor & S.J. Yates. London: Sage, 2001

Potter, J. Wittgenstein and Austin. In Discourse Theory and Practice, Chap. 3, Ed. M. Wetherall, S. Taylor & S.J. Yates. London: Sage, 2001

Week 5 Beginning Analysis

a.. The sequential organization of discourse; units of analysis

b. Practical work: Reviewing transcripts; Coding 'events'

Eggins, S. and Slade, D. 'Relevant approaches to analyzing casual conversation.'

Analysing casual conversation. London: Cassell, 1997.

Berry, M. `Systemic linguistics and discourse analysis: a multi-layered approach to

exchange structure'. In Coulthard, M. and Montgomery,M.M. (eds.) Studies in discourse

analysis. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982.

Week 6 Coding Interactional Data

Developing a coding scheme: clarifying purpose; defining categories; deciding on method

of implementation. Practical work: Using FileMaker Pro software for coding

Wells, G. and DICEP (2001) Coding Scheme for the Analysis of Classroom Discourse

Mercer, N. (2005) Sociocultural discourse analysis: analysing classroom talk as a social

mode of thinking. Journal of Applied Linguistics

Barnes, D. and Todd, F. (1995) Making meaning through talk. In Communication and

learning revisited. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Heinemann.

Week 7 Theories of Interaction

Cultural Historical Activity theories of communication and interaction: Vygotsky:

semiotic mediation; Bakhtin: dialogicality

Wells, G. (2006) Semiotic mediation, dialogue and the construction of knowledge

Wertsch, J.V. (1991) Voices of the mind : a sociocultural approach to mediated action,

Chapter 3. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bakhtin, M.M. The problem of speech genres. C. Emerson and M. Holquist (Eds.).

Speech genres and other late essays, Austin: University of Texas Press. 1986.

Week 8 Applying analysis of interaction to educational issues

Mercer, N. 'Effective educational talk.' The guided construction of knowledge. Clevedon,

UK: Multilingual Matters, 1995.

Wells, G. and Mej’a Arauz, R. (2006) Dialogue in the classroom. Journal of the

Learning Sciences,15(3): 379-428.

Week 9 Analyzing Data and Presenting Results

Practical work: Quantitative and qualitative analyses of coded data; Presenting results

Week 10 Presentations

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Bakhtin, M. M. (1986). Speech genres and other late essays (Y. McGee, Trans.). Austin:

University of Texas Press.

Barnes, D. (1976). From communication to curriculum. (2nd edition 1992, Portsmouth,

NH: Boynton/Cook Heinemann ed.). Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.

Barnes, D., & Todd, F. (1995). Communicating and learning revisited. Portsmouth, NH:

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