Dr. Shannon Carter * English 100 * Fall 2006
Preparing to Write WA4
Literacies at Work
Directions: WA4 asks you to investigate a particular occupational literacy and the various Arules,@ special knowledge, specialized terminology, body movements, tricks of the trade, and other aspects insiders in this community of practice typically associate with this occupational literacy. We have explored several occupational literacies from the perspective Mike Rose offers in The Mind at Work (plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, styling hair, restaurant work, and so on). We have also spoken about it quite a bit, as well.
In WA4, you can choose to further investigate one or more of the workplace literacies associated with the Group Presentations (each of which you received a detailed handout about), compare and/or contrast them with another workplace literacy with which you are quite familiar, and/or investigate another workplace literacy altogether. It=s up to you.
The only absolute requirements of this assignment are the following: (1) You must talk about at least one occupation as a Acommunity of practice,@ including the Arules@ literate members must know and be able to follow in order to be taken seriously by other members of this community of practice; (2) You must do so in no less than FOUR, double-spaced, typed pages.
The following activities should help you generate ideas for WA4B
Activity 1 (Individually): Answer the following questions as completely as possible.
1. What did you learn from the Group Presentations?
2. Compare one or more occupational literacy presented with the one your group presented? How=s it similar? How=s it different?
3. What stands out as most interesting about the experience of reading about, presenting on, and hearing other presentations on the special knowledge, tools, terminology, body movements, and tricks of the trade involved in the occupations Mike Rose explores in The Mind at Work? How might you apply what you learned to your own WA4?
4. Does it seem likely you will use what you learned from The Mind at Work in WA4? Why? How?
5. Does it seem likely you will explore another occupational literacy instead of (or even in addition to) those presented in The Mind at Work?
Activity 2 (in pairs): With a partner, use the following questions to determine the occupational communities of practice with which you have most familiarity. Again, you will be handing these responses to your partner at the end, so make them as legible and clear as you can.
1. What occupations are you most familiar with? Why these?
2. What occupations did you grow up around? Perhaps the jobs of your parents or other family members? As a child, Mike Rose learned quite a lot about the communities of practice associated with restaurant work--not by working these occupations himself but by listening to his mother talk about her work as a waitress (and spending a lot of time at the restaurant where she worked). Do you have any similar experiences you might make use of?
3. What=s your plan for work yourself? That is, what=s your major? What do you expect to be doing when you complete your degree here?
4. What jobs have you held yourself?
5. What occupations did the people you grew up with have?
Once you have generated a useful community of practice to examine, start responding to the following questions.
1. What you learn about the Aspecial terminology@ used in this occupational community of practice? Offer a word or two only those literate in this occupation know. The Aterminology@ that Agets things done@ (see Rose passage above).
2. How about special knowledge? What particular knowledge is necessary to get things done in this community of practice?
3. What particular body movement is necessary? What do you need to be able to do (not just with your mind, but with your bodyCphysically)?
4. What tools do you need to know (note: even if you are not dealing with manual or service labor, tools will still be involved. as a teacher, I have to know how to use tools like the overhead, the chalkboard, chalk, a word-processing program, and so on).
5. What Atricks of the trade@ do members know that makes things Amore efficient@Cenables users to do the work Awith a little less effort and a little more finesse@? Those in the community of practice that is Acollege writing teachers@ often share tricks of the trade with incoming membersClike how to respond to papers more efficiently and more effectively, how to keep track of attendance and paperwork (etc). What are the Atricks of the trade@ in the occupational community of practice you are examining?
Activity 3 Response (Individual): After you have both interviewed one another and received a copy of the interviewer=s notes on your own answers, take a few minutes to jot down your response to the interview. What ideas do you have for your WA4 now? Write about one half a page (at least) of plans for WA4.