Observational/Perspectives 1 - This activity will provide an opportunity to sharpen your observational skills and give you some practice writing what you see. In a regular classroom setting I would have this grouping of objects in the middle of the floor and have the students make a circle around them. Then each person writes what they see and what they think about what they see. (This begins some initial interpretation.) It may also include any memories the objects elicit. Then we compare what we see and think. It becomes clear that we see different things - partly because of where we stand and partly because of the experiences we bring to the activity. As a researcher, I will continue to think about how my experiences and perspectives are influencing my research.
Choose one perspective below (A, B, C, or D) and write what you observe and what thoughts this collection engenders in you. (Resist the urge to look at the other perspectives.) Then compare with others.
Observational/Perspectives 2 - This activity is to provide an opportunity to think about "closeness" in the research process. Click on A and after a few minutes, write a thick description of what you observe and what thoughts the image suggests to your mind. Then do the same thing for B and C. Reflect on how your observations changed with each image and what this might mean to you as a researcher. How "close" will you get in your data collection processes?
Observational/Perspectives 3 - This activity is to provide an opportunity to make connections with past experiences. As you look at the image, first describe what you see, then describe the feelings and experiences you associate with the image. Choose A OR B. As a researcher, it is difficult to ignore past experiences, ideas, feelings, concepts that emerge from various images. As a researcher, I can't ignore those ideas! What do I do with them??
