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If provided with opportunities to articulate my thoughts about my research in a supportive and non-judgmental environment to someone who is willing to listen and understand me, I may be able to gain new perspectives on my current ideas and discover potential directions forward. And yet, for learners on distance learning programs, it is all too easy to be isolated from other course participants and thus isolated from the opportunity to give shape, clarity and meaning to the often chaotic thoughts, ideas and experiences which occur during the research process by talking about them. This presentation will describe how Instant Messenger Cooperative Development (IMCD) (Boon, 2005, 2007, 2009), an online tool which utilizes the MSN Instant Messenger service and Julian Edges (1992, 2002) Cooperative Development discourse framework for professional development, can be used by distance learners to interact together in cyberspace in order to facilitate and support each other's research, gain new understandings about current thinking and formulate possible plans of action of what is to be done next in order to move forward with their particular projects. Please note that the audio for the presentation is contained within the YouTube Videos. For further information, please contact [email protected]
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Distance Learner Distance Learner Support and Discovery Support and Discovery in Virtual Interactional in Virtual Interactional
Non-Judgmental EnvironmentsNon-Judgmental Environments
A presentation by Andrew Boon
Toyo Gakuen University
The Research ProcessThe Research Process
• What problems do you usually What problems do you usually encounter when conducting encounter when conducting research?research?- Identifying a research area- Developing a research question - Conducting a literature review- Determining data collection methods- Analyzing data- Drawing conclusions- Writing up research
(From Nunan, 1992)
It’s good to talk!It’s good to talk!
It’s better to listen!It’s better to listen!
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Instant Messenger Instant Messenger Cooperative DevelopmentCooperative DevelopmentIMCD is an adaption of Edge’s Cooperative Development framework (Edge, 1992, 2002) enabling two research students to work together online to interact in a virtual environment in order to facilitate and support each other’s reflections and investigations of research projects to gain new perspectives on them.
The problem: The problem: Establishing a focus Establishing a focus
174] P says: The AWD assignment is coming along. My main problem has been in establishing a particular focus.
175] P says: I think that the problem are in that there has not been much research on the technical English front, where as on the general English side we have an abundance of work.
176] P says: In away you can argue that I'm cutting new ground, on the other side of the coin it means that there isn't much on which to hang anything.
177] P says: Thinking .....178] P says: I guess that the point here is that I'm looking for
something that is both new, but has some elements of security to it so that I know I'm on the right track with what I'm doing. Or do I just throw caution to the wind and go all out on something as yet not explored?
179] P says: OK?180] A says: So you have had difficulty deciding a focus and
although would like to examine technical English have had difficulty finding a lot of research in the field. your decision then is whether to sail down unchartered waters or stay with something where there is something written about it - is that right?
181] P says: In a nutshell yes.
Feelings, Issues, Feelings, Issues, factors, next stepsfactors, next steps
185] P says: My feelings as I run through this are to throw caution to the wind. I can, and in fact have already started to some extent to, link some of the ideas across.
186] P says: It is not impossible to see the links between what Tom Bloor is saying for example on theme and rheme or cohesive devices with the technical texts I'm working on.
187] P says: The real issue is to establish the whys and wherefores, the reasons why technical texts are so complex for L2 language learners.
188] P says: Another factor which clouds my mind is that I was at some stage in the past an Engineer, so I have a knowledge overflow.
189] P says: Controlling that and focusing it has been a real problem.190] P says: It is ever so easy to bring in all kinds of spurious issues which
need to be supported by hard fact and research, not simply a bit of personal experience.
191] P says: What I think I shall do though is this.192] P says: Collect what data I do have and sort it into categories.193] P says: Look at a specific situation and relate that situation to the
data I have collected.194] P says: Focus on that area, and save the other situations for further
research and a possible dissertation if it shows to be a
distinct possibility.195] P says: OK?
Finding a way inFinding a way in197] A says: So - you feel you'd like to go it alone but can see links
between your ideas and that of the core course book (Tom Bloor). However, you feel you need a balance between your own extensive experience and the theoretical aspects. You have decided to look at why technical texts are difficult for L2 learners and now need to break down the data into categories - and
compare to specifics and narrow your198] A says: focus - right?199] A says: ok.200] P says: There is as I see it a problem with the go it alone issue.201] P says: I think that re-inventing the wheel is not viable and I'm
in no way suggesting I should do that.202] P says: What I do see though is a lot of research in academic
teaching and other areas, but specifically not technical. My thinking is less to the ground breaking stuff, that being rewrite the books that Halliday etc have written, but find a distinct way into the area
of technical English.203] P says: Does that make sense or is it gobbledygook?204] P says: OK?
Shifting the focusShifting the focus205] A says: thinking...206] A says: so rather than try to write something completely new - you
are thinking about how to relate the reading you have done to the specific focus area you have chosen, technical English - Is that right?
207] A says: ok.208] P says: There is sufficient material which forms the foundation
work. That being Halliday, Bloor, Coulthard, Winter etc etc.
209] P says: There is no real substantive material on the engineering technical side. This is where I want to be
focusing. My point though was whether to play safe on the analysis, i.e consider aspects of genre or theme and rheme, or whether to go for something far more substantive like cohesion, compound nouns etc. The nuts and bolts of the sentence.
210] P says: When I approached this though the first time, the issue became one of being careful not to start treading on issues of pure grammar, rather than actual text analysis.
211] P says: Thus my focus has to some extent shifted to ensure that what I am dealing with is the substantive issue of the sentence and the meaning, rather that the individual words.
212] P says: OK?
DiscoveryDiscovery216] P says: Yes. When I first took a look at the area I was considering
modality in the sentence structure. That it transpired was too word focused and not sufficiently structural.
217] P says: However, even with the parameters of what I'm shifting towards now I have to be careful not to focus again in grammar.
218] P says: What I'm looking to achieve is a system of marking the text such that it is clear that it varies on a structural level, not
just a verbal one.221] P says: In many instances what seems to happen is that we try to
focus on the specific area, not on the fact that technical texts have many similarities. I think that is what I'm trying to get to.
222] P says: OK?223] A says: So what you are saying is you'd like to move away from
focusing on the technical lexis but look at ways to determine the similarities and differences of texts on a
structural level - right?224] P says: Actually while you were writing it occurred to me that what I
have just found my way to is exactly that. This is a matter of genre and how we can analyse the actual sentence structure
to establish the discourse community.225] P says: It is true that there are a higher proportion of compound
nouns used in the text, and indeed the Lexical Density reflects that fact. But still the overall issue is that the style, the mood is
distinctly technical.
Ending Ending the Sessionthe Session
226] P says: OK?227] A says: so although there are differences between technical
texts in terms of compound noun usage - there is also differences between the style of texts and you are now thinking of how to analyse the sentence structure to reflect that style - right?
228] P says: Exactly. Bingo!229] P says: OK?230] A says: ok231] A says: (sorry the speaker usually says this but can we leave
it there for now232] A says: I've got to cook dinner soon)233] A says: ok.234] P says: It seems to me that the problem has to some extent
been solved.235] P says: Thanks for your support.
ConclusionConclusion
This is very much a work in progress. FURTHER RESEARCH: How can participating in online
Instant Messenger Cooperative Development (IMCD) sessions assist or facilitate the research process for university students?
IMCD handout, reading list, and contact information.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
EMAIL: [email protected]: [email protected]
