My Personal Inquiry Blog

Final Project

2006-02-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

The Harvest: final project for Coursequest #1

Through the course of this inquiry it has become increasingly frustrating to me that there is just not enough time to thoroughly explore these Transcendentalist and Romantic authors and their great works. This frustration allowed me to reach a decision about my final project and give me the seeds of an idea for what my topic will be when I apply for the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship. This award can be as much as $8000. One must submit a proposal and explain, detailing expenses incurred on a six week timeline, what the teacher will do for six weeks to renew herself and most importantly will take back to the classroom to inspire and motivate young people.

My six weeks will be spent traveling in Virginia, New York, Massachusetts and Maryland, visiting the homes, museums, and places of interest to these Transcendentalist and Romantic authors. I will also build into my travel schedule at least one day at each place that allows me the time to read the work of each author. How amazing it will be to spend a day at Walden Pond reading Walden! Or reading Dickinson poetry while I am in Amherst visiting her museum homes. My inspiration web details the authors, the cities or places of interest to that author, and in some instances educational opportunities that I can participate in while I am visiting these places. Because the deadline has passed for this year’s award, the web will be a valuable tool in helping me compile a more thorough timeline in the fall when the next fellowship becomes available.

The way I organized this concept web is by categorizing the authors, their place of interest to learn more about them or a place they loved, and an educational opportunity for me to either visit a museum or attend an educational activity. The most time will be spent at Walden as there is a two week teacher seminar. This is one opportunity that I would absolutely love to have. I will also have the opportunity to attend a student writing workshop at the Poe Museum. This is a one week workshop.
The links associated with the cities give great recommendations for places to visit and things to be sure to do while I am there. One thing that I will try to include when I do this for my proposal is a list of reading I would like to accomplish when I set out on this journey. There was not enough time to compile that list for this final project.

I thought I would be able to put my inspiration web here and you would be able to access the websites through the hyperlinks. Wrong. Or either I don't know how to do it. Here are the links to the educational opportunities and my favorites websites from doing the research!

Poe learning opportunity: http://www.poemuseum.org/news_and_events/writers_conference2006.html

Thoreau learning opportunity
http://www.walden.org/Education/TWS/The_Walden_Seminars_2005.htm

Alcott learning opportunity
http://www.fruitlands.org/education.php

Whitman learning opportunity
http://www.charityadvantage.com/waltwhitman/ResearchLinks.asp

Dickinson learning opportunity
http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/index.html

Melville learning opportunity
http://www.mobydick.org/

The greatest site of all for my research
http://www.shepherd.edu/transweb/travelguide.htm
You can access the places relating to the authors through this site, except for Poe and Melville.

Drumroll, please.... Here is how I could spend six weeks if I were to be awarded a Lilly Creativity Fellowship. I have based it on dates from this year so it would be easier to plan.

Timeline of Activities:

WEEK ONE
Friday, June 16 Travel : Drive to Richmond, VA
June 17 Visit Poe Museum and Old Stone House Museum
June 18 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 19 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 20 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 21 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 22 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
WEEK TWO
Friday, June 23 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 24 Young Writers Conference 9-12/free time to read and write/explore
June 25 Travel: Drive to Amherst, MA
June 26 Visit Emily Dickinson Home/brother’s home/cemetery
June 27 time to read and enjoy Dickinson’s poetry
June 28 Travel to Boston
June 29 Tour Boston and sites related to authors
WEEK THREE
Friday, June 30 Tour Boston
July 1 Read authors of interest
July 2 Drive to Salem/attend Salem Ghosts, the Paranormal and Unusual 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
July 3 Tour Salem and visit attractions, memorials
July 4 Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthday Celebration at House of the Seven Gables
July 5 Read Hawthorne
July 6 Travel to Concord/Visit Fruitlands
WEEK FOUR
Friday, July 7 Tour Concord/Read Alcott
July 8 Tour Concord/Read Emerson
July 9 Tour Concord/Read Fuller
July 10 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 11 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 12 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 13 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
WEEK FIVE
Friday, July 14 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 15 Stay at the Inn—work on projects—read Thoreau literature
July 16 Stay at the Inn—work on projects—read Thoreau literature
July 17 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 18 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 19 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 20 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
WEEK SIX
Friday, July 21 Attend “Approaching Walden” Teaching Seminar—stay at Inn
July 22 Stay at the Inn—read any Romantic author I want
July 23 depart for New York City (travel day)
July 24 Tour New York City, Brooklyn/Read Whitman
July 25 Tour New York City, Brooklyn/Read Whitman
July 26 Tour New York City, Brooklyn/Read Whitman
July 27 Drive home to Greenfield, IN

Thank you for looking at my final project! I would love to hear your suggestions!

More weaving

2006-02-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

A few blogs ago I shared 2 concept maps that I had constructed, using ideas by Tony Buzan. (Callison, 140-141). I must admit I was doing it to fulfil the assignment and get Weaving done and out of the way. That has proven to be the most useful activity with this project. I have narrowed my focus down completely on my inquiry and have even decided to reword some of my questions because my final project focus has shifted. It all started because I organized my information for that concept map. I downloaded the Inspiration software and that's when I really started focusing on what I really wanted to do. I have done so much research on the Transcendentalists and the area of New England where most of them lived near one another, were friends with one another and were even buried. There are even more authors from that time period that aren't necessarily Transcendentalists, but they wrote such great stuff and they, too, all are in or near the New England area. The frustrating part for me is that I haven't really had time to read a lot of stuff to get a feel for the volume of what these people have written except for the literature I have read in school or what I have taught in the classroom. I would love to be able to provide information on Thoreau's books, Letters to a Spiritual Seeker and A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, but I just haven't been able to find the time to read in addition to the research and just dealing with the rigors of life: a three year old, a husband, other classes, and housework. So, I'm a lot bummed that this project is due tomorrow, but I didn't accomplish answering my original essential questions.... It seemed as though the research I was doing was not finding the answers to my essentail questions. Why was that? Perhaps it was because I became more interested in other topics to explore! So, just as Annette has encouraged us to be flexible, I'm finding myself examining my essential questions yet again and changing them. Again, Kuhlthau rings true: feelings of satisfaction, but disappointment because some needs are not met! Callison, 29)

How did American authors during the Romantic Age support one another emotionally, spiritually, and financially?

Catherine had emailed me the link to American Transcendentalism and I spent hours on that site reading about all the people and they places they had lived and loved. What I found most intriguing was that they were so connected to one another. A lot of them are even buried in the same cemetery on the same hill. Wouldn't that be cool to visit? I know in a weird kind of way, but to visit these places that these authors have lived and to see how their lives were so entwined is so intriguing to me.

How did an author's sense of place affect his or her writing?

This kind of goes with the other question because the fact that they all lived in New England and were sounding boards for one another did affect their writing. I can't overlook Walden Pond, of course, either. Thoreau's two year sojourn to Walden Pond is immortalized in Walden. Walt Whitman's poetry about Brooklyn speaks for itself, too. Check out the website if you are interested! (look at previous blogs for link)

What can I do in the classroom to give students a sense of these authors and Transcendentalism?

There are great ideas within these websites that I can use in my classroom. I can't wait to go back to school in the fall and try them out. Probably the most important thing that has happened with this project is that I am so much more comfortable with the philosophy of Transcendentalism, the authors and their lives. I feel as though I could easily talk about any one of the authors I have for my project and not bore the kids with general information... Well, maybe I'd still bore them, but I'd be enthusiastic and they would be able to see that. : )

Wrapping

In the back of my mind, I've always been thinking about my final project and just what in the world I am going to do. I had hinted from the beginning that I might like to use this information to help me when someday I apply for the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowship. I had asked Dr. Lamb if my final project could be the application for the grant. She gave me the O.K. to do that. But I still wasn't sure. When I downloaded the brochure to see what the application entailed, I knew that I would not be able to complete a proposal for Monday. Well, I could have, but it would have been horrible. The largest part of the grant is filling out your Timeline of what you will do for the 6 Weeks of the grant. You have to have everything completed, including costs. No easy task considering it was Friday when I finally looked at the application. It wasn't until I was completing my Inspiration template that I had my epiphany. Instead of completely writing out the grant, doing it half way, and feeling like a failure, why not use the Inspiration web as my final project with a tentative timeline of my six weeks plan for when I am awarded the Lilly grant! Notice I said WHEN!

The Inspiration software is really awesome. I have used it in my classroom for different writing assignments and it really is easy to use and it allows a lot of flexibility when mapping. If you don't like something, delete it. If an idea fits better with a different word, just move it. But, I really like how I can add hyperlinks. This is what makes my web so great for the Lilly project. This map, long after this class is over and I am starting school in the fall, will still be on my blog. The 30 day trial period will have expired, but since it is on my blog, I can still access it! Then I can still use the information to complete my grant proposal! whoo hoo! Kuhlthau didn't address the feelings of elation!

Next is waving!

addressing the standards

2006-02-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Indiana State Standards Grade 11

These standards are all ones that I have met during the course of this inquiry process.

Standard 3READING: Literary Response and Analysis

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text While I did not do any true formal analysis of the Transcendentalists for this inquiry by writing any critical analyses, my reading, my research and my informal comments address all of these standards.

11.3.2 Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim.
11.3.3 Analyze the ways in which irony, tone, mood, the author’s style, and the “sound” of language achieve specific rhetorical (persuasive) or aesthetic (artistic) purposes or both.
11.3.4 Analyze ways in which poets use imagery, personification, figures of speech, and
sounds to evoke readers’ emotions.
11.3.5 Analyze recognized works of literature (American, British, world) representing a variety of genres and traditions that:
· trace the development of the major periods of literature.
· contrast the major themes, styles, and trends in different periods.
· evaluate the influences (philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social) of the historical period for a given novel that shaped the characters, plot, and setting

Literary Criticism

11.3.7 Analyze the clarity and consistency of political assumptions in a selection of literary works or essays on a topic.
11.3.8 Analyze the philosophical arguments presented in literary works to determine whether the authors’ positions have contributed to the quality of each work and the credibility of the characters.

Standard 4 WRITING: Process These standards have all been addressed in the setting up and completion of my blog writing.

Organization and Focus
11.4.1 Discuss ideas for writing with classmates, teachers, and other writers.
11.4.2 Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of discourse, such as purpose, speaker, audience, and form, when completing narrative, expository, persuasive, or descriptive writing assignments.
11.4.3 Use point of view, characterization, style, and related elements for specific narrative and aesthetic (artistic) purposes.
11.4.4 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained and persuasive way and support them with precise and relevant examples.
11.4.6 Use language in creative and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.

Research and Technology Using the blog technology, the Internet, watching videos, citing sources, the inquiry process, and ultimately the creation of my final project address all of these standards.

11.4.7 Develop presentations using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies, such as conducting field studies, interviews, and experiments; researching oral histories; and using Internet sources.
11.4.8 Use systematic strategies to organize and record information, such as anecdotal scripting or annotated bibliographies.
11.4.9 Use a computer to integrate databases, pictures and graphics, and spreadsheets into word-processed documents.

The Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning

I truly feel that during the course of this assignment all of these standards have been addressed. The diffferent stages of the W Process allow the researcher to meet all of the 9 standards. I wouldn't call myself exemplary at all of the indicators, but I would at least classify myself at proficient for 90% of them.

webbing, wiggling and a little bit of weaving...

2006-02-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

I finished my search on different search engines to see if I could find anything using the same words "modern transcendentalism." I used Ask Jeeves, Google, and Altavista. Needless to say I was extremely disappointed. I tried different strategies, using exact words, advanced searches and so on. I got a ton of information which I expected because I just could not think of better key word searches to use, but I was most frustrated with the excess of websites that offer essays to the user for a price. There must be a lot of papers assigned on this topic. I guess I am too much of an idealist, naive, or just too ethical, but what person could sleep at night knowing that they were contributing to plagiarism and just plain old cheating. I guess in their minds it pays the bills and that's all that matters, not the state of our children's educational future. My researching tonight is tinged with bitterness after seeing all of these sites. How sad that students are trying to do legitimate research, yet are inundated with ways to help them cheat instead of giving them resources.

This leads in nicely to my next phase of Wiggling which is evaluating sources. The website http://www.quick.org.uk offers a great tool for evaluating sources called "The Quality Information Checklist."

I thought I would use some of this checklist to evaluate the website I wrote about yesterday.

http://www.shepherd.edu/transweb/america.htm

1. Is it clear who has written the information? This information from the website says it all:
This site was developed as a class project for ENGL 446 and ENGL 447, two interrelated courses on American Transcendentalism and the Prominence of Place. The courses were offered in the Spring 2002 semester by Dr. Patricia Dwyer and Dr. Linda Tate, both associate professors of English at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Linda served as webmaster for this project. Please email her with questions, suggestions, additions, corrections.

2. Are the aims of the site clear? Again, the site is specific in who it is for and what it is for:
We hope this site will give you a sense of the American Transcendentalists and the many writers and environmental activists they have inspired, as well as the many possibilities for creativity learning in higher education.

3. Does the site achieve its aims? I definitely think the site achieves its aims. I have gotten a great PERSONAL sense of the writers' lives. I especially enjoyed the article on Margaret Fuller. I also love the capabilities to go on a virtual tour of different places that these people have lived. It fulfils its mission of giving a sense of American Transcendentalists.

4. Is the site relevant to me? Five things I have found out from the site
1. Margaret Fuller is an inspiration to me and lived a fascinating life surrounded by Transcendentalists. Though an academic in the truest sense of the word with her knowledge of languages and her writing abilities, I most admire her for the way she lived her life, never letting social norms and stereotypes keep her from living her life the way she wanted to live it.

2. The many places to visit in Boston! I can't wait to visit Boston again, not to walk the Freedom Trail, like I did last time, but to experience the places and homes of the Transcendentalists!

3. Hawthorne's Salem is another great site that offers great perspectives on places that the authors visited and lived while also providing great videos and other media to spend time with.

4. The section on America's Writers: Taking Transcendentalism Past New England showed me how I could use modern Transcendentalism within my English classroom. This whole section would be great models to show the kids 1. some ideas about the modern slant on it and 2. some modeling of how to write a modern essay that has these Transcendentalist ideas. It offers current famous authors, but it also includes these students' writings that are diverse in nature: some journaling, poetry, essays.

5. I can't leave out the information about Emerson and Thoreau. They are the gurus and the information provided in this site is great because it is perfect for the high school student. Not only is information provided about where they lived and worked, but live links take you to sites about each man that provide background information without getting too difficult to interpret. I would feel confident assigning a project using only this site and getting a great product from the kids.

5. Can the information be checked? The credibility checks out since two professors are completing the site with their students from a college. I could check this out by going on to the college's website and making sure they are professors there.

6. When was the site produced? The most recent date for this was 2003. I would be concerned about this except for the fact that all of the links I tried were live links and the information that is being provided does not have to be cutting edge since it is dealing with biography and history.

7. Is the information biased in any way? The only bias I can think of is that it does want the user to think positively about Transcendentalism. I have not come across any information which speaks negatively about any of the people or the philosophy, though I know there were people who were annoyed with the positiveness of Emerson.

8. Does the site tell you about choices open to you? I don't think the site gives advice. It jsut provides information about the foremost thinkers of the time and models some of the writings of modern day transcendentalists along with travel guides to areas that these people lived and worked.

Completing this checklist was really useful for me and I will use it in the classroom this fall. Students need to learn to evaluate sources and I know that it is not being taught well enough in the schools. Last year when I taught AP I had a student use as a source for his research paper on college basketball players leaving early to enter the NBA draft the website http://www.duke-sucks.com/

If you check out the website, you will see why it is not a credible source. And you're probably thinking, well, duh! When I told the student that using this website as a source would weaken the credibility of his paper, he looked at me like WHAT? I had to explain to him that even the url sent warning flags to me. I didn't even have to look it up to check it to know that it was not appropriate because it was going to be biased. The frustrating part of teaching is that we talk and talk about it, but unless you do an activity such as the checklist, students won't get it. You have to spend the classtime modeling and using these checklists to ensure that students understand about evaluating sources. I know that duke-sucks.com will be a prime example for me to model a bad site.

Well, I have done a little bit of weaving so that my title fits this entire blog! I chose to do a concept map and after reading Callison's chapter on it and seeing some of the cool maps that were handwritten, I decided to do one of my one. You will see that it is not quite so cool as the ones in the chapter, but I have to agree with Tony Buzan. Notetaking is not as useful as making a map. It forced me to make connections and to write as much as possible without referring to my sources. Though there are only key words listed there, there is a story behind each word.

Here is my concept map:

After reading the information about Mind Mapping. I decided to add to my concept map by using the strategies that Buzan outlines. Here is the example of my improved map:

I was able to do a few things to it to make connections and add color elements to link people and ideas. This could be a fun thing to do with the students in class with a bunch of markers.

I am exhausted! It is 1:34 and I need to go to bed. I wanted to make it through these steps and actually I didn't want to stop what I was doing. I am authentically engaged! : )

Till tomorrow!

More webbing?????

2006-02-16T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I'm not done yet with this phase of the process. I keep finding more cool stuff that I think needs to be addressed.

I do believe I am officially finished with finding sources. At least I hope so. Catherine emailed me the most amazing site that has links to so many different resource formats.

If you have the time, it would be worth checking out! All the information I am looking for is right there.

www.shepherd.edu/transweb/travelguide.htm

Currently I'm concentrating on the Digital-Based formats that Annette had us consider in the webbing document. Within the website that Catherine provided for me, I am able to access a number of things: videos, museum virtual tours, pictures of people, places, documents. One thing that is very cool is that I am able to read actual letters that Emerson wrote to Walt Whitman or Emily Dickinson to her sister-in-law. It is amazing to have access to so much great information.

I know that it would not be prudent to stop my Internet searching, so I took Annette's advice and attempted to try a number of search engines using the same words. The one area that I still need to find information on is the present day practice of Transcendentalism. I used the three words "practicing modern Transcendentalism". Using AskJeeves I got 993 hits. Then I tried to open a document (the pdf for the Webbing Chart) and my computer froze. Luckily, this blogger site was minimized and I didn't lose anything I had typed! I will try more searches tomorrow.

Currently I am reading Callisons strategies for a good interview from Key Words because I'm hoping to hook up with Lena and/or Catherine in some way. I guess technically I referred to it as student talk earlier, but now it's an interview. Instead of mixing metaphors am I mixing lingo? Now that I'm reflecting on it, if I talk about my research and so do they, that is student talk. Then if I ask them questions about Transcendentalism, that is Interviewing! My favorite quote from this section on Key Words is an old Chinese proverb, "He who asks is a fool for five minutes; he who does not is a fool forever (206)." Ken Metzler, a journalism teacher, discusses in this section that a problem with interviewing is the fear of asking a question that makes you look ignorant. I am confident that I need to learn a lot about this topic so I am not concerned with looking ignorant. : )

Hopefully I can move on to Wiggling soon! I still need to access that graphic organizer so I can complete a web!

more webbing!

2006-02-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

I've done a little bit more research since I last wrote about webbing, though I did post on my comments. I'll admit I forgot how to post a new article. It took a little bit of navigating Blogger to figure it out! I'm no technological wizard, that's for sure!

I followed the advice from Annette in Webbing and looked in the encyclopedias at the topic of transcendentalism, Kant, Emerson, and Thoreau. This was useful as it gave a brief overview of all the topics and forced me to re-evaluate where I was going with the research. I did find it was interesting when using the 2006 World Book that John Clendenning had written all of the articles I had looked at about the men. He must be the expert on Transcendentalist men!

In the local public library I also had great success in finding a lot of sources from which I will be able to glean the information I want.

An especially interesting book for me is American Romanticism which is edited by Jennifer A. Hurley. Now at first it may appear that Romanticism is off my topic, but this would not be the case. One has to first learn about Romanticism to understand that Transcendentalism is part of that era. This book has been really helpful in teaching me more about both topics. Plus, it explores Thoreau's and Emerson's most famous works and offers criticism. When the book defines Transcendentalism it quotes Emerson directly from his editorial introduction from the first issue of THE DIAL, the Transcendentalist newspaper that he and Margaret Fuller edited. Here is an excerpt of his description of the Transcendentalists:

Those who share in [Transcendentalism] have no external organization, no badge, no creed, no name. They do not vote, or print, or even meet together. They do not know each other's faces or names. They are united only in a common love of truth and love of its work. They are of all conditions and constitutions. Of these acolytes, if some are happily born and well-bred, many are no doubt ill-dressed, ill-placed, ill-made, with as many scars of hereditary vice as other men. Without pomp, without trumpet, in lonely and obscure places, in solitude, in servitude, in compunctions and privations, trudging beside the team in the dusty road or drudging a hireling in other men's cornfields, schoolmasters, who teach a few children the rudiments for a pittance, ministers of small parishes of the obscurer sects, lone women in dependent condition, matrons and young maidens, rich and poor, beautiful and hard-favored, without concert or proclamation of any kind, they have silently given in their several adherence to a new hope, and in all companies do signify a greater trust in the nature and resources of man, than the laws or the popular opinions will well allow. (taken from American Romanticism p. 19)

I read this passage and could not help but appreciate Emerson's prose. It is so rhythmic. I like how he uses repetition and alliteration to beautifully portray the many different people who subscribe to Transcendentalism, though how does he really know is anyone else is even a Transcendentalist if they don't meet, know each other's names or faces? Hmmm... that's a good question... But, his prose sounds really good!

In addition to this book, I found a lot of books of Thoreaus' works, though not so many on Emerson. Thoreau was a much more prolific writer, filling volumes, with Emerson writing more essays and speeches.

One of the fun things that I found on my library search were a few books from the children's section. Mark Graham has illustrated Emerson's poem "Father, We Thank You." In the author paragraph in the back, it does not mention his role in American Transcendentalism, rather it concentrates on his role as one of country's first environmental advocates. I thought that was interesting. Does he think kids can't handle the word?

My favorite collection of children's books that I will be using in my classroom is the Henry collection by D.B. Johnson. I was first introduced to these books in L533 by Carol Tilley. The main character is a bear whose name is Henry. He is based on Henry David Thoreau and he participates in activities that espouse Transcendentalist views. Titles are "Henry Climbs a Mountain," "Henry Builds a Cabin," Henry Hikes to Fitchburg," and "Henry Works." These books would be a fun introduction to a discussion of Thoreau, Transcendentalism, the message the book is promoting, and ways to be like a Thoreau in the world today. I know it would bring up some great discussion, especially "Henry Hikes to Fitchburg."

Today has been a much better day psychologically from the inquiry process. I commented on a previous post that I was in the throes of all the emotions that Kuhlthau had described, but finally, I think the apprehension is gone. I am enjoying the learning curve and going with the flow. How much more can I learn? I need to talk with Lena and Catherine to get a unique perspective from real live Transcendentalists! I can't wait until they read this post to hear from them! Let's Student Chat, girls!

WEBBING

2006-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, the best place to start may not be the internet.... though I will admit I started there first! : )

I looked up transcendentalism in our Webster's and it said this: any of various philosophies that propose to discover the nature of reality by investigating the process of thought rather than the objects of sense experience: the philosophies of Kant, Hegel and Fichte are types of transcendentalism

The 2nd definition really fits my topic: by extension, the philosophical ideas of Emerson and some other 19th-century New Englanders, based on a search for reality through spiritual intuition.

Lastly it stated: popularly, any obscure, visionary, or idealistic thought...

Hmmm... so now I'm curious about Kant, Hegel and Fichte... spiritual intuition... and now the popular definition of a transcendentalist is anyone who has obscure, visionary or idealistic thoughts??????? That could be a lot of people I know! : )

Identifying types of information:

I will probably go to an encyclopedia at some point and see what it has to say, but for now it is very convenient to use my computer to find some sites. I need to get copies of Emerson and Thoreau's writings to read some of those again and to also read the introductions in those books. I know from doing some preliminary research that there are some primary documents: such as letters and essays. I can use current information also to get a take on how to present this information to the modern day student. My next step at the public library is to look for videos on the topic and see what they have to offer. If I were planning a trip to New England any time soon, I would try to look for some museums and tours, but a vacation is not going to happen before this project is due!

It's time to start the research process. Library here I come!

Exploring, observing, reading, writing and discussing

2006-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

The watching phase of information inquiry has begun! I did this previously when I was deciding on a topic and really observed and discussed within my own mind-- and my different personalities!-- what I wanted to learn more about.

Since I've picked a topic and am ready to springboard forward, I'm going to concentrate on the contemplating phase of "Watching."

So far I haven't taken any real action on this project besides thinking a lot about it and having ideas for where I want to look first for information. I want to get to know these authors better and also understand this way of thinking much better-- transcendentalism. When I am finished with this project, I want to be able to effectively communicate to my students what it is and thus teach them more fully so that they can communicate to someone else these ideas. I also want to get to know some authors more fully so that I can bring these authors to life for students. Literature can be so much more interesting if the teacher is excited about it and knows a lot about what he/she is talking about.

I'm excited about the project and am ready to dive in to research!

First, thought, let's do some of the "Wondering" stage!

What questions do I want to have answered?

What is transcendentalism?
Who started this way of thinking?
Why are Ralph Waldo and Henry David the most well known thinkers?
Am I missing some great essayist?
What great literature writers subscribe to these ideas?

Brain overload for now!

I'll work on more later! Yep, webbing is next!

Topic Defined!

2006-01-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I knew that eventually a topic would come to me and I was not disappointed. As I was lying in bed last night, not able to sleep, I started thinking about authors that I enjoy and their works. I went through my list of favorite books The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Pride and Prejudice, Leaves of Grass, Walden and it hit me. I love discussing Emerson and Thoreau and their Transcendentalist ideas. Why not start very broad with the topic of Transcendentalism and those two authors and see where it takes me? Someday I would like to apply for the Lilly grant and this could be my preliminary research for a grant proposal! We'll see what happens, but I can't wait to get started!

What do I want to research?

2006-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

I am excited to start some research as soon as I decide on a topic! There are too many options and right now not a one sounds incredibly interesting. I am hoping in the next few days that something is going to jump out at me.

Currently, I am thinking that a great topic to explore will be a travel destination. The only problem is where do I want to visit?

I also think it would be fun to research an author and the area in which he/she has lived, worked and enjoyed. Now, what author do I choose?

I am confident it will come to me in the next few days in a way that I least expect it. : )