Drawing upon observer participation in a first grade classroom, we present a systemic functional ... more Drawing upon observer participation in a first grade classroom, we present a systemic functional analysis of classroom communication located in relation to social semiotics, cultural historical activity theory, and ecological psychology, relating context to meaning making. Two years of observation include field notes, student assessments, audio and video recordings, photographic surveys, interviews and discussions with the teacher, her colleagues, and the school principal. Qualitative methods inform the coordination of the theoretical frameworks, incorporating their key concepts for a more comprehensive understanding of teaching, learning, and development than any one alone can offer. Extending the examination of variations in register to include the physical elements of context, we present four episodes occurring with distinctive registers of communication, social organization, and configuration of artifacts in space and time. The analysis spans scales of language, social organization, space, and time to expand the notions of register and cohesion. We introduce the concepts of contextual cohesion and semiotic proximity in explanation of the patterns we find in meaning making. 1. Semiotic complexity and the elementary classroom A first grade classroom in the Lilja Elementary School (2005) forms the observational basis for this study. Like other elementary classrooms we have seen or participated in, this room's physical appearance becomes remarkably complex during the school year. To convey a sense of this complexity, we will provide a short and dense description, drawn from data taken in January. We use capitals to acknowledge not only the bounded concentrations in activity, space, and time called synomorphs (Barker, 1949, 1968), but also the artifacts that the children frequently access. Entering the room, looking from left to right, one sees a lunch chart that doubles as a classroom sign-out. A shelved cart holds bins of books while also separating the Library from the rest of the classroom. Three large tables and one small table take up much of the floor space. Under the windows on the opposite wall, manipulative materials called Morning Graph, Money Chart, and Straw Chart sit prominently on top of open shelves containing other materials. In the far corner, and on the heater, are boxes that hold folders of the students' work. Above them is a bulletin board entitled " Class Expectations " that the children generated in September, guided by Jeanne, their teacher
Drawing upon observer participation in a first grade classroom, we present a systemic functional ... more Drawing upon observer participation in a first grade classroom, we present a systemic functional analysis of classroom communication located in relation to social semiotics, cultural historical activity theory, and ecological psychology, relating context to meaning making. Two years of observation include field notes, student assessments, audio and video recordings, photographic surveys, interviews and discussions with the teacher, her colleagues, and the school principal. Qualitative methods inform the coordination of the theoretical frameworks, incorporating their key concepts for a more comprehensive understanding of teaching, learning, and development than any one alone can offer. Extending the examination of variations in register to include the physical elements of context, we present four episodes occurring with distinctive registers of communication, social organization, and configuration of artifacts in space and time. The analysis spans scales of language, social organization, space, and time to expand the notions of register and cohesion. We introduce the concepts of contextual cohesion and semiotic proximity in explanation of the patterns we find in meaning making. 1. Semiotic complexity and the elementary classroom A first grade classroom in the Lilja Elementary School (2005) forms the observational basis for this study. Like other elementary classrooms we have seen or participated in, this room's physical appearance becomes remarkably complex during the school year. To convey a sense of this complexity, we will provide a short and dense description, drawn from data taken in January. We use capitals to acknowledge not only the bounded concentrations in activity, space, and time called synomorphs (Barker, 1949, 1968), but also the artifacts that the children frequently access. Entering the room, looking from left to right, one sees a lunch chart that doubles as a classroom sign-out. A shelved cart holds bins of books while also separating the Library from the rest of the classroom. Three large tables and one small table take up much of the floor space. Under the windows on the opposite wall, manipulative materials called Morning Graph, Money Chart, and Straw Chart sit prominently on top of open shelves containing other materials. In the far corner, and on the heater, are boxes that hold folders of the students' work. Above them is a bulletin board entitled " Class Expectations " that the children generated in September, guided by Jeanne, their teacher
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