| Observation is a traditional form of learning and a scientific practice, and as such it plays a significant role in teaching and learning both inside and outside of schools. Recently, educational researchers and philosophers have called attention to the role of observation in scientific knowledge building (Brayboy & Castagno, 2008; Cajete, 2000; Datson & Lunbeck, 2011; Eberbach, 2009; Eberbach & Crowley, 2009; Kawagley, 2006; Norris, 1985; Smith & Reiser, 2005). These scholars have foregrounded the complexity of observation, particularly as it applies to inquiry practices in those domains which are heavily reliant on observation (Eberbach & Crowley, 2009; Maltese, Balliet, & Riggs, 2013; Smith & Reiser, 2005). My dissertation research examines how families with young children engage in the coordinated activity of observation during forest walks. I focus on the ways in which attentional practices support observational inquiry among parents and children between the ages of 5 to 7. Specifically, I examine how families coordinate attention and highlight features of the environment in order to make them observable. I use a mixed methods approach to investigate the range of interactional resources parents and children use as they engage in observation and learning about the natural world. Building on Indigenous scholarship (Cajete, 2000; Deloria & Wildcat, 2010; Kawagley, 2006), sociocultural theories and ecological approaches to development (Cole, 1996; Goodwin, 1994; Ingold, 2000; Rogoff, 2003) and conversation analysis (Heritage, 2008; Pomerantz & Fehr, 1997), I develop a taxonomy of forms of coordination and discuss how spatial arrangements and language work together to link attention, observations and explanations. This work further contributes to our understanding of the situated and cultural nature of learning and serves as a resource for the design of place-based learning environments that are based on the intellectual strengths and resources of diverse families. |
