Paired observation exercise

Instructions

Schedule this with a partner this week or the next week (over two weeks) Duration: 15-20 minutes Use: OC, ON, and MN (TN and Spradleyâ€™s Matrix, optional) Conduct an observation with a partner Keep fieldnotes, write up your notes into a memo. Exchange your notes and memo via CourseMail. Write a half page to a page responding to your partnerâ€™s work (strengths and weaknesses) Submit the Fieldnotes, Memo, and Response from your partner to the HW Box in one document. (Make sure you clearly label the Response with your name and your partnerâ€™s name.) Decide on a place, a time, and a common frame or question to organize your observation. Make sure you orient yourselves the same way (for example, label people and the objects in the setting the same way, so that it is easier for you to compare your observations). As with your solo observation, if you go to observe a speaker or an event and the event is cancelled, either: 1) reschedule your observation or 2) reframe your frame or question. (Donâ€™t write an observation of penguins on a glacier after you arrive and find out the glacier has melted!) Feel free to pick a setting that is interesting for you both (like the example where the observations were done in a casino).

Keep in mind the prior work needed to set up the observation
Practice OC ON and MN beforehand if that helps you
Print out a grid with columns already labeled if that helps you
Observe for 15-20 minutes
Do not talk to each other once you begin your observation
You may want to sit apart
Keep in mind you may feel awkward writing
Consider bringing a book or something to write on and shield your writing

Observation fieldnotes

Begin time: 4:47pm
End time: 5:05pm
Date: September 20, 2006
Location: Breezeway of the Washington Center by Chick-fil-a at University of Central Florida
Observer: David Kent Norman
Frame: Paired observation exercise

Time	ON Observer Notes	OC Observer Comments	MN Methodological Notes
4:47	Lady is washing window with pole at the copy shop	Holding keys in her left hand
	Washer lady is wearing sunglasses
	Older gentleman stopped to talk to the window washer and is sitting on concrete wall
	Another lady stops to talk to washer lady and gentleman and tells her she can stop washing	Washer lady keeps washing anyway
4:49			Students at picnic table are talking loudly so I can’t understand the conversation with the washer lady and passersby
	Gentleman walks away from washer lady
	Undergrad male walked behind me talking on a cell phone and wearing blue and black backpack
	Guy at picnic table yelled at girl passing	Girl named Rockelle
	Rockelle stopped by the table to talk to the guy and the other two girls at the picnic table
	4 students passed by the coke machines	Looked like undergrads
4:52	3 gentleman passed by the washer lady	One was listening to headphones and all looked like undergrads
	Students at the picnic table are talking about law school	Rockelle is thinking about joining law school program
4:53	Rockelle is scared, petrified about her LSATs and can’t focus on her clients	Rockelle seems young to have clients
4:54	Older gentleman passes the coke machines	Holding a leather portfolio and looks confused about where he’s going
	Rockelle said she is a “worry wort”
4:55	3 people passed coke machines	One was older gentleman carrying a gym bag
4:55	Guy passes washer woman	Carrying papers on his hip and dressed in a brown suit; looks like undergrad
4:56			The background noise of people talking in the breezeway is making it hard to hear even the people at the picnic table next to me.
4:57	Two people passed the washer woman	One was female, the other male, both looked like young undergrads
	Washer woman steps back from the windows	Looks like she’s inspecting her work
4:58	Washer woman walks away from the window, taking her bucket of solution
4:59	5 people walk by coke machines	4 look like young undergrads; one girl had a brown belt wrapped around her shirt and a neon green skirt
5:00	Two girls walked by the copy windows and then through the picnic tables.	One stopped to sit at a picnic table by herself and opened to her cell phone to read something in it
	Four guys walked through the step part of the breezeway	Looked like they weren’t even old enough to be in college
5:01	A group of 6 people walked through the step area of the breezeway	All were dressed professionally
5:02	Girl who walked through tables and sat down to read phone is staring at me	Might have noticed I’m observing; she is eating some junk food and drinking a coke
	Girl in red shirt walked by coke machines wearing a red shirt with Greek letters on the front
	Three older ladies walked by the coke machines	One had a gold badge on like what UCF staff wear

Observation memo (written from fieldnotes)

Date: September 20, 2006
Location: Breezeway of the Washington Center by Chick-fil-a at University of Central Florida
Frame: Paired observation exercise

Copy center windows and washer lady

Picnic table people and the coke machines

Low level of inference
The traffic for the breezeway travels in specific directions on the sides of the planters, like traffic flow. People walked towards the bookstore on the side of the coke machine, whereas on the other side of the planter, by the copy center, people walked towards the student union. The group of four students at the picnic table, next to my observation table, was interested in law school. Only people walking towards the student union walked between the planters in the breezeway.

High level inference
None of the traffic appeared to be confused about where they were going. The traffic flow on the sides of the planter suggests the observed people walk the path frequently. The older traffic held papers as if they were professors walking from their office to a classroom. Many of the students in the picnic table had comments about how to get accepted to law school, but the disagreement between them makes them look like they don’t really know what they’re talking about. It is easier to walk by the coke machines towards the bookstore than it is to walk on the side of the copy center or between the planters.

Judging from the speed the window washing lady cleaned the windows, she is experienced at window washing. The window washer lady expected to work outside for an extended period of time based on the sunglasses she wore. Both people who stopped to talk to her were friends, close acquaintances, or coworkers since they stopped and sat on the side of the planter near where she was washing.