Ethnography of Classroom Speech Events

Hi Everyone,

So, for this week, I want you to try to use that SPEAKING mneumonic device to analyze the speech events in our classroom. The first part of the analysis will be easy-ish, but the second part, where you have to figure out something interesting, will be somewhat harder because you are a complete participant in this speech group. An observer can see the 'weirdness' of the underlying rules of a speech event, but it's harder for a participant to see. So, you'll have to try to distance yourself from the 'normalcy' of what you analyze.

First, pick one of the speech events in the speech situation that we call "class" (specifically, our class). Some to pick from might be 'lecture,' 'discussion,' 'group work,' 'question and answer' or if you have another one, use it.

Then, break it down into the SPEAKING mneumonic.

Then, look at your notes and decide what might be interesting to explore further, what have you found that shows the underlying rules, the communicative competence, that participants in our social group need to know? What does what you find say about the larger socio-cultural values or norms of our classroom, or extend it to the college, or to higher ed in America?

Do this all on the blog. It'll probably be messy, but try.

Thanks! And, I look forward to reading them.

Tiffany