PhaseC

=Phase C—Possible directions and priorities=

Goal
"I have teased out my vision, so as to expand my view of issues associated with the project, expose possible new directions, clarify direction/scope within the larger set of issues, and decide most important direction."

Processes
Alternating between creative and critical aspects of any phase of research and writing - "opening-wide, then focusing in & formulating" > Mapping, prepared (making use of questions for opening wide and probing), then probed by others (using these same questions), for discovering/inventing/refining subject-purpose-audience possibly supplemented with > Pyramid of questions > Ten questions > Discussion with instructor and peers > Sense-making contextualization applied to one's whole project 

Mapping
The goal of mapping is the same as for phase C. The idea is to do mapping BEFORE you have a coherent overall research design and overall argument.

Start in the center of a large sheet of paper with the current social or educational issue that concerns **you**—concerns you because you want to know more about it, advocate a change, design a curriculum unit or a workshop, and so on. Draw connections to related considerations and other issues. (Post-its are useful, so you can move things around.) To tease out connections, you might want to start with a dump-sheet (or stack of post-its) in which you address the questions below.
 * Step 1 (opening wide)**

When you have arranged these on a map, explain it to someone else, inviting them to i) ask questions until they are clear about each your subject, purpose, and audience, and ii) probe with the same set of questions listed below. The interaction between the mapper and the questioner(s) should expose holes in the research proposal, force greater clarity in definitions of terms and categories, and help you see how to frame your inquiries so they satisfy your interests but don't expand out of control.
 * Step 2 (opening wide & beginning to focus in)**

Out of this interaction you should eventually see an aspect of/ angle on all the complexity that engages you most and be able to define or refine the Governing Question that conveys what you need to research (and what you no longer need to research). E.g., for the map on the color of hospital rooms, the question might be: "What research needs to be done to convince hospital designers/administrators that room color is one of the environmental features that can contribute to patient healing?" Use free-writing after mapping to help define such a question for yourself.  > Where is this an issue—where is the controversy happening? > Who are the different groups implicated? > What changes could be promoted? > What are arguments for change for the change & counter-arguments. > What categories of things (and sub-categories) are involved in your subject? > What definitions are involved? > What related questions have other people investigated? > Where is there a need for primary vs. secondary research? > What is the general area & what are specific questions? > What are the background vs. focal issues? > What is your provisional proposal? > What are the research holes that need to be filled? > What would I be able to do with that additional knowledge? > What ambiguity emerges in all this—what tensions and oppositions?
 * Step 3 (focus in & formulate)**
 * Questions for opening wide and for probing**

> Create a draft version of your map > Work with a peer to review your map, as described in Step 2 above. with respect to the probing questions above, as well as to your Governing Question.
 * //In session 3//**

> Revise your map > Work with a peer to review it > Compose a revised Governing Question > Submit the map and revised Governing Question. 
 * //By session 4 or 5//**

Pyramid of Questions
Compile a "pyramid of questions" in a part of your workbook separate from the freewriting, personal reflections, and other mess. "Pyramid" because later questions build on earlier ones. In the list would go the initial questions (general & specific) for your projects, successive variants of your Governing Question, questions that arose during library research, possible questions to ask informants, and so on. These questions could be crossed out when no longer central to your evolving project and checked when satisfactorily addressed. 

Ten Questions
State your topic. Write down 10 questions within that topic. Circle two that interest you the most. Take these two and list 10 questions under each. Circle two that interest you the most. Now define/refine the Governing Question that conveys what you need to research (and what you no longer need to research). 

Discussion with instructor and peers
Explaining your project to others and responding to their questions or suggestions can work both to open wide and to focus in and formulate. To keep your train of thought going, you might ask the other person to take notes or record highlights of what you say.

Sense-making contextualization applied to one's whole project
All Phases | **Next:** Phase D--Component Propositions