RAIN It was raining The wind was blowing Trees were shaking Children were playing under the rain It was raining People came late at school including the teachers The roads became slippery Making transport difficult It was raining Heavy rainfall but not stopping us From doing other things Softening the soil for easy cultivation Helping crops to grow well It was raining Learners were shouting in class Others were reversing and sleeping
refugee
Deep Observation, by Joel
It was a certain Thursday afternoon. The afternoon was cool like ice. Wind was blowing slowly. Birds were singing in the sky. It was also a nice and calm afternoon. I was seated under the mango tree which was near my school library. I was calm and comfortable seeing my environment. There were many students moving up and down in the school compound. Some students were short and others tall. They had different colored uniforms, some were wearing yellow, others green, and others blue and white, to indicate their class levels. Every student was pulling on sweaters since the afternoon was cold. After thirty minutes, around 1:30 pm a senior four teacher lost a phone and keys; the teacher was wearing a blue shirt, black trouser and black shoes. The teacher went in the office and reported the loss of his properties to the headmaster of our school. After thirty minutes they rang the bell for new lesson, when all students had entered in their classes. They had rung the bell for the third time which was to call for the assembly. All the students had gone out of their classes and were asking one another what had happened then the head master told us about the loss of the teacher’s properties. Then after some seconds a senior two student raised his hand and said, “I am the one who found the phone and keys.” The head master then called a boy and gave him a science book as a gift and we went back in our respective classes. The teacher who had lost his properties went very happy and proud of that senior two student.
Ethnographic Interview
To conduct an ethnographic interview, students were instructed to do the following: Choose someone who is a part of your everyday life to interview about an aspect of their experience that is relevant to your own life or of interest to you. Your goal will be to conduct an open-ended, informal interview reflecting their experiences. Step 1: Draft three to five open-ended interview questions or prompts that will allow your interviewee to tell the story of their experience. Step 2: Conduct your interview. Carve out time to talk with your interviewee and ask them the questions you’ve drafted. You do not have to strictly stick to these questions. Open-ended interview questions mean that you can go where your interviewee’s answers take you. During Step 2, you will take notes as your interviewee speaks. Try to follow as they speak while writing down key words or phrases that will jog your memory when writing up your interview notes post-interview. Try not to ask your interviewee to slow down or stop; instead, follow the flow of their conversation writing minimal notes-you will be surprised how much you recall later. Step 3: Write up your interview notes in narrative form. As soon as possible to when you complete your interview, sit with your notes, and write them into full sentences detailing what you asked and how the interviewee answered. Try to capture as much first-person dialogue from the interview as possible. You will paraphrase to an extent but strive to capture your interviewees language and phrasing as closely as possible. Tips for The Ethnographic Interview: A great interview can really enhance an ethnography or autoethnography. Ask open ended questions and encourage storytelling! Let people know that you want to hear all about them, as much as they can tell you—stories, anecdotes, everything they’re willing to share! Avoid yes or no questions and make people think they’re the most interesting person on the planet to you. Take notes sparingly and write up your interview into prose soon after you’ve completed it. Be creative! Don’t be afraid to leave things out that seem of less relevance or interest to you and the story you want to tell. Use direct quotes to add color and dimension to your writing!
