Discourse Analysis Paper

Knowledge from Reading Thus Far

                Starting this paper off I want to explain how the use of Writing Analytically has influenced my writings thus far, and how Wysocki provided interesting knowledge in his work, however does not play a role in this paper.  Going to a private school in Seattle my whole life, the goal of our English department was to prepare us for college; the writing, reading, research etc.  Being fresh out of high school, the ideas we cover in Writing Analytically are not new ideas to me, I have been exposed to reading strategies, MLA formatting, proper citation, using academic journals as credible sources etc.  However, due to learning being teacher based, we never read any books (like Writing Analytically) which go into depth on the subject.  In reading Writing Analytically, my technique in which I interpret the words that pass before my eyes has changed in that I read with intent to soak up the information, not to get the basic idea.  Writing Analytically specifically encourages reading to find “the pitch, the complaint, and the moment” and I try to do so every time I open up a book, or my laptop (Rosenwasser 208).  By finding the above information, my writing has changed in that I am more enabled to fully understand the author and the underlying concepts of his/her work.  Moving onto Wysocki, as I read what his theories and research showed, I felt that his whole spiel pushed for complete understanding of how ALL visual aspects of a source impact the reader.  While I feel this is a great way to interpret websites or other sources which rely on the visual aspects of their work to captivate and grasp the attention of their audience, those using academic journals or simply books to inform and convey information, do not need an in depth analysis of how there are visually trying to get their message across.  Whether it is the fonts an author uses, or the way he titles a section of his work, I feel Wysocki’s way of viewing a source does not pertain to the research I am doing which mainly deals with academic search premiers and critical essays.  However, when I use a video from Youtube, or create my own website (apart of the Unit Two work), I will be sure to take into account how the visual elements of what I am researching/creating pertains to me and my audience.  Everyone can learn something new, what I learned in high school is being reinforced again in college and therefore makes me a better writer while I am going into depth that which had not been discovered before.

Discourse Analysis Paper

My research has led me up to the question of “how do science exhibit labels promote learning in the way people speak about and discover new information?”  In my work of creating discourse analysis write ups I aim to connect my sources to how they view this question.  While this is a question that will be answered over time with more time spend volunteering at the Discovery Center, the goal of this paper is to identify main nuts and bolts of how scholars are talking about this question.  I will separate each author’s tenor, tone, and theme into his/her own paragraph, separating each of the author’s ideas; to finish I will conclude with my ideas.

Source 1

Tenor:  Jill Hohenstein and Lynn Tran reason that science exhibits in museums trigger conversations that contribute to learning.  They say learning can take place in any environment, both formal and informal, due to critical thinking by the visitors.  A formal environment includes places like classrooms, lecture halls, private study etc.  The opposite, an informal environment for learning would be an informational booth on the side of a street, lunch room demonstration, etc.  The questions people ask while viewing an interesting science exhibit encourages visitors to promote their ideas, creating a classroom like environment where in-depth conversations occur.  Situations like these instill a substantial amount of understanding to the individual when self-realizations take place due to the reflective nature of one’s mind.  However, researchers say learning through conversation is induced by the labels on the exhibit; researching this phenomenon will help scientists create better labels to promote educated conversation.

Tone:  Throughout their writing, Hohenstein and Tran provide an optimistic look at how this over looked topic can create a better learning environment in our museums.  If this topic of labels can be better understood, the authors believe there would be a greater interest in science leading to more discoveries.  They bring their idea to the table supported by sound arguments that show their confident and reasoning attitude.  The authors make statements such as “One may focus on the relative power of who is speaking, the accuracy of the content, and even the nature and relationship of questions and explanations people produce—the specific intent of this investigation” then use their sources to support that statement or even introduce a new idea (Hohenstein 1558).

Theme:  The authors keep coming back to the idea of how language plays a huge part in how labels convey meaning.  As stated before, the labels we use in museums are intended to promote conversation; how a label is worded does just that.  The theme in this reading is discovering how language is understood so that labels can be more effective in serving their purpose.  

Source 2

Tenor:  Suzan Sze uses this academic article to dissect the relationship between reading and learning disabilities, and how mislabeling occurs.  She goes on to explain how students with LD (learning disabilities) are not lost in the academic world, by participating in reading programs, students can read at or above their grade level.  I want to use what Sze is talking about to further understand how language in interpreted by those with disabilities; the syntax and structure of a label must be planned out to fulfill its purpose to the broadest range possible.  I think those managing a museum should understand factors like this into account in creating an exhibit, so that those with disabilities can access and understand what they are seeing.  

Tone:  Sze uses this article as a way to communicate strategies to improve a student’s learning disability; therefore it has the attitude of motherly advice wanting to help those in need.  In the second part of her writing, Sze becomes a bitter toward the fact that children with physical disabilities are being labeled as having learning disabilities, however, due to my research question I am not using that part of her work to support my ideas.

Theme:  The repeated theme in this source includes the children with learning disabilities, and how they are labeled as ‘learning disabled’ students.  Not only do labels play a role in museums, they play a role in society as labels people take on or assigned do to a sense of hierarchy in high schools etc.  Those labeled as ‘learning disabled’ should not be kept from the world of science and specifically in my research, in the world of science museums.  

Source 3

Tenor:  The author’s goal in writing this paper is to identify the aspects of the effectiveness science museum educators have in teaching beneficial lessons to kids.  The author targets teachers and science museum educators to speak of his thoughts and strategies derived from his research; he provides beneficial information to those teaching science currently and in the future.  Tran proposes science museum educators need specific teaching plans and styles to be more effective in creating lasting memories beneficial to students.  Museums should not simply be forms of entertainment, but a form of learning through entertainment; through museums can individuals learn more about science outside the form of a text book. 

Tone:  I felt when reading Lynn Tran’s work, she was almost mocking the way teachers organize field trips to museums and do not have a real reason to visit other than to get kids out of the classroom for a day.  Tran is frustrated that teachers are not fully taking advantage of the educational tool a museum has to offer; whether the teachers are not following up the children’s visits with activities or assignments based on their experience and what they learned at the museum.  After explaining her complaint, Tran shifts to an encouraging and resourceful way to change this problem in hopes of giving teachers a new way to benefit their class by giving children a more memorable experience with lessons they will never forget.

Theme:  The underlying idea I am picking up from reading Tran’s work, is that a museum should be used as a tool which teachers use to better express idea being taught in the classroom, where children can see what they are learning apart from reading about it.  Teachers should use museums like a hammer, to drive in what they are trying to teach, instead of going to a museums for fun; do not get me wrong, museums should be fun, but at the same time you can be more productive and have fun while learning. 

                All of these sources are interconnected and play a role in finding out how children perceive information from labels and learn from it in a semi-formal learning environment.  I chose to write and research how these three sources view my research question because I think by gathering more information and understanding how a label is worded, how children with learning disabilities can be reached, and how children as a whole can benefit from visiting museums will give me substantial opinions of how I can answer my research question. 

Works Cited

Hohenstein, Jill, and Lynn Uyen Tran. "Use of Questions in Exhibit Labels to Generate Explanatory Conversation among Science Museum Visitors." International Journal of Science Education 29.12 (2007): 1557-1580. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Sze, Susan. "MISLABELED READING AND LEARNING DISABILITIES: ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT FOR READING DIFFICULTIES IN STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES." College Student Journal 43.4 (2009): 1015-1019. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.

Tran, Lynn Uyen. "Teaching science in museums: The pedagogy and goals of museum educators." Science Education 91.2 (2007): 278-297. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Feb. 2011.