1.1 Thick Descriptions for Articulating and Building an Ethnographic Research Environment

258 Pages·2012·19.67 MB·English

LEARNING CONSTELLATIONS:
A MULTIMEDIA ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
USING VIDEO TECHNOLOGY
FOR
EXPLORING CHILDREN'S THINKING
by
Ricki Goldman Segall
Bachelor of Arts, University of British Columbia, Canada, 1969
Master of Arts, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 1983
Submitted to the Media Arts and Sciences Section,
School of Architecture and Planning
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
at the
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
September 1990
@ Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1990
All rights reserved
Signature of Author
Media Arts and Science Se ion
August 10,1990
Certified by
SEYMOUR A. PAPERT
Professor of Media Arts and Sciences
Dissrtation Advisor
Al
Accepted by
STEPHEN A. BENTON
Chairperson
M CU artmental Committee on Graduate Students
MASACHLUS 12 UTE
OF TEH.Nf0LOCY
C7 0 4 1990
00
U4BRARIES
Learning Constellations:
A Multimedia Ethnographic Research Environment
Using Video Technology
for
Exploring Children's Thinking
by
Ricki Goldman Segall
Submitted to the Media Arts and Sciences Section,
School of Architecture and Planning
on August 10, in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Abstract
This dissertation is an examination of five years of research which includes: an ethnography of
children's epistemologies-in-depth case studies of three children from the Logo constructionist
culture called Project Headlight, at the Hennigan School in Boston; a theoretical discussion of
the epistemological and ethnographic perspectives underlying the work; and, a description of
the multimedia video methodology and design process.
Three preferred thinking styles emerge from this study-the empirical, the narrative and the
social/interpersonal. The success or failure of each child's appropriation relates to her/his
preferred style of thinking. Preferred styles are shown to be pervasive throughout many diverse
domains. The video data from which I drew my conclusions about their thinking were generated
by engaging in personal relationships with these children over a two-and-a-half year period. I
investigated, by recording these conversations on video, what we learn about children's thinking
when we listen carefully to how they link the their experiences together in coherent ways.
In the discussion of the video ethnographic perspective, I propose that Clifford Geertz's notion of
thick descriptions can provide a conceptual framework for reflecting upon how the researcher can
trust her/his conclusions from video-based research data. A detailed description of the
multimedia video ethnography research methodology is also given. I elucidate how the
extensive video and text data were organized by designing and using Learning Constellations-
first, to break down and analyze the data, and, then, to reconstruct case studies. More
specifically, I explain how my observations about the growing Logo culture were communicated to
other researchers and users, on a regular basis, to enable them to become part of the discovery
process. By using tools for annotating and clustering video and text data, a layering or thickening
of the description about these children's epistemologies occurred.
The five phases of the research project described are:
*Phase I: Collecting data by observing and videotaping my interactions with the children called,
"Researcher as Participant Recorder."
*Phase II: Editing linear 'movies' and non-linear chunks from the video data called, "Editing for
Linear and Non-linear Presentation."
ePhase III: Identifying, selecting, classifying, and categorizing the video segments for videodiscs,
called "Selecting Video Data for the Videodiscs."
@Phase IV: Building the interface for Learning Constellations, called "Designing Learning
Constellations."
ePhase V: Using Learning Constellations to analyses data and to build theories about the
children's styles of thinking, called "Analyzing Data in an Videodisc Environment."
The results of my research are four case studies-one is the overall school culture within Project
Headlight, and the other three are in-depth case studies of one girl and two boys, who chose to
tell their stories to me. What this study yields is very fine-grained descriptions of how children
speak about themselves. Each child represents a preferred style of thinking: empirical, narrative
and interpersonal.
My conclusions indicate that, given choice, children's thinking in each of these styles is
fundamentally pervasive in many domains. My conclusions about using Learning Constellations as
a research tool indicate that integrated and coherent theories about children's thinking can be
formed which may not have arisen without the tool.
The contribution of this dissertation to the field of epistemology are two-fold. The first is to
deepen the existing theoretical work on the thinking styles of children. The second is to
highlight the difficulties encountered by children whose preferred thinking style is either
narrative or social/interpersonal and to suggest specific changes within the existing educational
system.
Description of Learning Constellations
Learning Constellations is the name I have given to the set of six videodiscs and a specifically
designed HyperCard application which I designed with my development team to provide non-
linear access to: 1) documentary style video observations; 2) the transcripts of the video; 3)
textual annotations; 4) video annotations; and 5) this dissertation. Integral to the system are tools
for navigating through the units of video and text, or stars; tools for searching through the
different domains or galaxies; tools for clustering stars and building learning constellations; and
tools for building theories. The general objective underlying the creation of the multimedia tool,
Learning Constellations, was to design a research environment for making theoretical connections
among discrete elements of video and text data selected for videodisc as being representative of
these children in the emerging Logo culture of Project Headlight at the Hennigan School in
Boston.
Dissertation Supervisor:
Seymour A. Papert
Title: Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, MIT
Dedication
to
Sifvia McFadyen-Jones,
friend and Etucator,
for her commitment to the freedom of the human spirit,
andf or her everfasting friendship;
and to
Ivan I ich, 5fice Miffer andM ary Catherine Bateson,
Y(ndred Spirits,
who have inspired my thinking about (earning.
[L]earningi s the human activity which (east needs manipufation by others. Most (earning is not the resuft of instruction.
It is rather the result of unhamperet participationi n a meaningfuts etting.
'DeschooingS ociety -by Ivan IMtich
I can imagine that someday we wiT regart our chiifren not as creatures to manipu[ate or to change but rather as messengers
from a wor(d we once deep(y knew, but which we have (ong since forgotten who can revea to us more about the true
secrets of fife, and also our own (ives, than our parents were ever ab(e to.
For9'ourCOwnG oo9 -by4 (ice Mdi(er
Composing a (ife through memory as wef[ as through day-to-day choices...seems to be the most essentiaf to creative (iving.
The past empowers the present, an! the gropingfootsteps (eading to this present mark the pathways to the future.
Composing A Lfe -by Mary Catherine Bateson
Acknowledgments
Six years ago, I sat with William Higginson eating lunch on a small strip of grass beside a pizza
truck at MIT. Bill is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen's University. At
that time, he was a visiting professor here. We spoke of many things that day; mostly we
discussed academic life within the Learning and Epistemology Group. If my acknowledgments
begin anywhere, they begin with Bill who encouraged me to become part of the Seymour Papert's
group and to continue my long-standing commitment to alternative educational philosophies and
practices. Bill was present on my first day, and, he was there the day of my defense-as a
member of my dissertation committee. I thank Bill for setting an example of how to be both a
conscientious scholar and a devoted family and community member.
Another significant event occurred within my first month at MIT. The Media Laboratory
had just opened its doors, and, as a result, there was much to celebrate. At one of those
celebrations, Glorianna Davenport-now Assistant Professor of the Interactive Cinema Group-
introduced herself to me. She spoke enthusiastically about her ideas, her films, and her
collaboration with filmmaker, Richard Leacock. I was flooded with my previous memories of
producing videos in the early 1970's. This discussion instigated my thinking about how art,
science and epistemology could contribute to each other by using video as a research tool.
The foundations of my thinking about using video for my research at the Hennigan School
and using videodisc technology for working with my data were established in conversations with
Glorianna which occurred almost daily for over two years. There were times (during that phase)
when our ideas seemed to come from the same source. We invented together by moving in and
around each other's thoughts. We played. When I think back on those days, I recognize
Glorianna as always "being there"-in the editing room, at the school, on excursions, and at every
major event of my life at the Media Lab. Hundreds of encounters-culminating in her
participation as a member of my dissertation committee. I thank her for her constant support, her
belief that I was making a significant contribution, and, above all, for her friendship.
I also thank Glorianna for sharing with me her love of Ricky Leacock (and Dianne Bohl).
Ricky was the ultimate storyteller; listening to his stories was a great honor. I thank him.
Seymour Papert. I chose to study at the Media Lab because of Seymour. I believed then and
still believe today, that if fundamental changes can occur in schools, assumptions need to be
challenged. Seymour challenges assumptions. After five years, it is impossible to capture
Seymour's contribution to this work in a few words; his ideas appear everywhere in the following
pages. Seymour also challenges people; at every stage, he asked me to articulate what I was
finding as I explored a new methodological approach. Today, as I look at this body of work, I
have a deep understanding of why he asked so many questions and wanted so many illustrations
of "what it would look like." I thank Seymour for teaching me the meaning of the word rigor. As
Taro Yashima, an author/illustrator of children's literature, once wrote: "The other side of the
soul is rigor."
To Seymour Papert, Glorianna Davenport, and William Higginson, I give my thanks for the
opportunity to enter the next phase of my life, a time of giving to others what I have learned
from them and my previous mentors.
I have often reflected upon the two most important gifts I have been given in my life. The
first gift is the devotion of enlightened mentors. The second is the gift of friendship. Often the
two have merged in diverse ways. There are three persons who have been instrumental in the
development of my thinking. My friendship with Silvia McFadyen-Jones is rooted in what I
learned from her in Early Childhood Education classes in Vancouver, Canada. For twenty-two
years, Silvia and I have been conducting a conversation about freeing childhood from bondage. I
am quite certain that not one sentence was written in this work without our telepathic
communication. I only hope that she will recognize herself as the silent co-author. It is her
magnanimous spirit I thank.
On a day close to my Master of Arts graduation from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,
Zvi Lamm, my advisor and mentor, once told me that within six months I would miss academic
life. Within four, I was thinking about a doctoral program. The following year, Zvi returned from
Cambridge with the news that he had found the person with whom I should study-Seymour
Papert. I thank Zvi for his guidance and his teachings. Zvi's greatness as a thinker did not end in
the classroom, but it did begin there. Watching him weave philosophical ideas together was a
fascination I indulged in for five years! I will always be grateful to Zvi for sharing his thinking
with me and for inviting me to be friends with his wife, Dafna, and their dear son, Udi.
Another Seymour in my life was a professor of English Literature at the University of
British Columbia named Seymour Levitan. Seymour showed me the meaning of sensitivity to the
subject being investigated. I believe that much of my writing about the children I studied was
made possible by the example set by Seymour. His careful and considerate way of analyzing a
poem taught me that when you break something into its parts, you must remember to put it back
together again. It is the whole which we cherish. The family of Seymour, Alberta, and their
daughter, Rachel, culturally and intellectually nurtured me. I thank them.
Children have always been the people who have inspired me the most. Children carry a
wisdom which they sometimes lose in adulthood. My work with children of all ages has been to
help them keep the glow of curiosity and wonderment. It is ironic that the time in my life which
has been without the closeness with friends' children or my niece and nephews has resulted in a
in-depth study about children. I have often questioned this situation along the way. How can I
help many children if I am not intimately involved with the challenges facing Melanie, Jared,
Nathan, and Jeffrey? Should I have found more time for them?
I do know that the love and concern I feel for the three children in my study-Josh, Mindy
and Andrew--comforts most of my misgivings. They showed me how relationships are not
conditional and being close to can mean many things. Josh, Andrew and Mindy gave me so much of
themselves and asked only for respect in return. For the countless hours of joy, while either being
with them in person or working with the video data, I thank them and all the children of Project
Headlight with all my heart. May they each find many people who welcome who they are and
how they think. To the children's parents and teachers, I send my gratitude for giving me the
permission to enter through doors which are usually locked. Many of them welcomed me (and my
camera) into spaces without setting rules. This took courage and confidence. This work would not
have been possible without their search for new solutions. I hope even more doors will open for
them in the future.
Most doctoral students speak of the loneliness of their years of research. The deeper they
immerse themselves, the fewer the people with whom they can enter into intelligible dialogue.
My work was quite the opposite. Working in video and designing a computer interface for
accessing video data meant that I would need to collaborate. What I could not have foreseen was
that the two central people I would work with, Vivian Orni Mester, a filmmaker from Brazil,
and David Greschler, a HyperCard designer and trainer, would fall in love with the project.
Vivian worked on the project for eighteen months and David for more than half a year. Without
them, Learning Constellations would not shine nearly so bright! Vivian's even-nature and
David's dynamic tension were a perfect match. Working with them was one of the best project
environments I have ever participated in. I thank them both as colleagues and friends.
In a similar way, the more I defined my research, the closer my relationships became with
my colleagues in the Epistemology and Learning Group. When I reflect back over the five years, I
understand how each of my colleagues has affected this final work. I would like to acknowledge
their contribution by reflecting upon them individually for a moment. Conversations with Sarah
Dickinson are like volcanoes! They erupt. Then we both go back to work. For five years, Sarah
and I have discussed every topic imaginable. Life at MIT has been sweeter because Sarah was
around most every evening. Aaron Falbel contributed in so many ways that I find it hard to know
how to acknowledge his major contribution to this work. Aaron's scrupulous reading of my writing
over the past five years is the least of his many contributions. (He was one of the major readers
for this work.) He has shared with me a common love and respect for educational reformers and
anarchists, and for authors of children's literature. Above all, Aaron has reminded me through
his actions that my love of the writings of Illich, Miller, and others requires more effort and
sacrifice. Thank you, dear Aaron.
Idit Harel, Judy Sachter, Marlene Kliman, Susan Imholtz and Lise Motherwell were the
women students from the first year of Project Headlight. I shared an office and many hours of
conversation with Judy. (Judy's eyes were always a good resting place during any meeting or
presentation.) I thank her for the power of her rootedness throughout the past five years. Susan
was the first to try to encourage group collaboration and communication. I thank her for cutting
through some difficult territory. Lise was the first to start videotaping in the school. I thank her
for opening the way. Marlene showed me how important it is to define a topic and develop it. Her
use of balancing scales encouraged me to look for a suitable way to frame my work.
Idit Harel has been a source of fascination to me for five years. The extent of her energy and
dedication to making Project Headlight succeed has been boundless. However, what I thank Idit
for today is not only for her comments on many drafts, but for encouraging me to complete this work
so I can start others. In doctoral work, one always feels that a newer discovery is around the
corner. Idit helped me to find a meaningful closure, and for that, I am most grateful. I also thank
her for remembering special occasions and acknowledging them in her own unique way.
I would like to acknowledge my other colleagues throughout the years. To Nira Granott
Farber-for her friendship and insightfulness about my work. Nira helped me to see the big
picture whenever I got lost in the details of my data. To Mario Bougoin-for many shared
memories, personally and professionally. To Yasmin Kafai-for reading, for discussing, for
finding the perfect reference at the right time, and for becoming a friend! To Mitch Resnick-for
helping me to understand why Josh's making connections was significant to his style of thinking.
To Carol Strohecker-whose multimedia work called A Different Train of Thought inspired me
to find a workable metaphor for my project. Thank you for that and all the many discussions we
have had throughout the years. To Fred Martin-for the many times I popped into his workspace
needing a friend with whom to talk. To Steve Ocho-for his understanding why video
documentation was important. To Alan Shaw-for reading and for helping me think about the
challenges facing children in the inner-schools. To Greg Gargarian-for welcoming diverse ideas
as he welcomes guests into his home, with love. To Hillel Weintraub-for showing concern and
sensitivity towards teachers' needs. To Uri Wilensky-for our walks in many of the same parts of
the world-even if they were at different times! To Aaron Brandeis, Paula Hooper, and Alan
Ruttenberg-for asking me to participate in a video they produced on Augmentation. This exercise
helped me express many of the ideas found in this dissertation. I also thank them for their
comforting smiles during this last phase. To Kevin McGee-for challenging established rituals.
To Isaac Jackson-for asking me to come closer to the traditions within ethnography while being
supportive of my innovations. To John Bennett-for being my colleague and friend.
To Joseph Weizenbaum-for asking me to maintain my humanity in doing research while
setting the perfect example. To Sherry Turkle-for writing a book which kindled many ideas. To
Edith Ackermann-for asking me the same question throughout the past three years. It was a
very good question! To Sylvia Weir-for being the first to ask the important questions. I hope I
answered them well, Sylvia. To Marilyn Schaffer-for her constant encouragement. To Carol
Sperry-for demonstrating that co-operation is are the most important theme in education today.
There are many others at the Media Lab whom I would like to thank. Jacqueline
Karaaslanian for constantly reminding me that everything will turn out well. I thank Mai
Cleary, Philip Pardi, and the many support staff we have been so fortunate to have with us. To
Linda Peterson and to Ellen Liao- for helping me in all the administrative stages of my work. To
Stuart Cody-for helping me understand the nature of hundreds of technical problems. Students,
faculty, and staff from many groups, especially those from the former Film/Video group, were
available when I needed help. Lino shared his food and his insights about human nature with
me. Gabriel Cerullo helped to make MIT a friendly and warm place for me. Peter Jenny reminded
me that I could both make my professional contribution and maintain my personal integrity.
I would also like to acknowledge persons and agencies who supported my research from
outside the Media Lab: Sarah Little Turnbull of Stanford University, Howard Gardner of
Harvard University; Art and Claire Neilson, patrons; David Parry, filmmaker; Jim Smith at the
Cambridge Centre for Adult Education; Robert McLean, Associate Professor at the Ontario
Institute of Studies in Education; Andrew Molnar of the National Science Foundation; The MIT
Council of the Arts; and the National Science Foundation: grant #851031-0195, #MDR-8751190,
#TPE-8850449; The McArthur Foundation: grant #874304; IBM Corporation: grant # SP95952;
LEGO Systems A/S, Apple Computer Inc., and Fukatake. Although the ideas expressed in this
work do not necessarily reflect the positions of the supporting agencies or individuals, I am very
grateful for their support.
In closing, I would like to take a last moment to reflect upon the support given to me by my
family and those who are like family to me. I thank my family and my husband's family for
their encouragement. Silvia McFadyen-Jones, Ben Linder, Ruth and Avrum Biran, Joshua and
Gella Fishman, Rachel and Larry Kaplan, Ilana Shoham, Sharon Kessler, Ruth, Shoshanna, and
Meir Brayer, Aviva and Shlomo Sternberg, Susan Scott, Kathy Wienhold, and Uri Feldman have
been part of this process for a long time. I thank them for their gift of friendship and hope this
work reflects the kind of relationship we share-intimate, affectionate and immediate.
My husband Avner is often more than modest in his analysis of the personal and
professional contribution he has made to this work. His devotion to our marriage has been a
humbling experience for me. I pray that I will be able to contribute to helping him attain his
aspirations in our next phase of life. Thank you, dearest Avner, for all you have sacrificed.
CONTENTS
Introduction
An Ethnography of Children's Epistemologies
Multimedia Video Ethnography for Discovery and Communication
A Study in Two Domains
Rationale for Study
The Research Site
Project Headlight at the Hennigan School
Research Process
Phase I and Phase II - Videotaping and Editing
Phase III and Phase IV - Designing the Videodiscs and Interface
Phase V - Analyzing the Data to Build Portraits of Each Child
Issues In Video Ethnographic Research
How the Video Researcher Becomes a ParticipantR ecorder
How the Point of View Can Enrich the Meaning
How a "Culture" is created by the Researcher Using Video Technology
How Events are Described, Thickly
How to Reach Conclusions from Selected Video Data
PART I THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
1 Video Ethnography Perspective
1.1 Thick Descriptions for Articulating and Building an Ethnographic
Research Environment 37
1.1.1 The Problem of Reaching Conclusions in Multimedia Ethnography 38
1.1.2 The Video Ethnographer Recording the Video Data, Thickly 38
1.1.3 The Video Ethnographer Editing the Video Data, Thickly 42
1.1.4 The Video Ethnographer Assessing the Video Data, Thickly 43
1.1.5 Thick Descriptions to Uncover Universal Signifiers 44
1.2 Thick Descriptions and Conviviality for Multimedia Video Ethnography
1.2.1 Illich's Conviviality in Learning Constellations 45
1.2.2 Instructional vs Descriptive Multimedia Environments 47
Concluding Remarks 50