Toukatly, Troy English 1101-68 Rebecca Agosta November 18, 201 !

ibrary "abits an# $bservations As the to%ic o& choosing a #iscourse community came u%, my library stu#y grou% came into min#' (iscussing an# analy)ing library stu#y habits an# *ays o& communication *ithin a grou% intereste# me' The reasoning behin# this is my interest in *ays o& obtaining kno*le#ge in #i&&erent *ays' + s%en# most o& my time at college in the library since atten#ing the ,niversity o& North -arolina at -harlotte' Not only #i# + choose this to%ic to analy)e my uncertainty in the communication an# habits, but also &or &uture learning on #i&&erent *ays to ma.imi)e my e#ucation' Through the analysis o& t*o or more hours, + learne# /uite a bit o& in&ormation about my #iscourse community' + base# my research o&& o& 0*ales1 *riting on #iscourse community' "e state# that one shoul# ac/uire si. basic conce%ts, inclu#ing le.is, common goals, *ays o& communicating, insi#ers an# outsi#ers, interactions an# *hat *e #o things as a grou% inclu#ing #ress an# ho* *e act' 2ithin our stu#y grou% o& seven &rien#s, communication an# *ork lingere# &rom English %a%ers to chemistry' 2ithin our grou% *e ha# t*o %eo%le *orking on chemistry home*ork, one *riting an English %a%er, t*o #oing math home*ork, one stu#ying &or an Art test, all *hile + stu#ie# habits' 3or the most %art, everyone *orke# in silence an# #i# in#ivi#ual *ork, though occasionally *e ha# interru%tions' +nterru%tions consiste# o& co&&ee breaks, ran#om chit-chatting, an# o& course /uestioning' 2hile it may seem like these interru%tions *oul# set back one1s learning o& their s%eci&ic to%ic, it #i# not' Everyone *as on the

same basis o& *hat they coul# take in at times, an# ha# enough res%ect &or each other to hel% an# notice they *ere not the only ones trying to get *ork #one' -ommunication *ithin the grou% *as easily #iscovere# yet only reveale# i& someone %ays attention &or it' 2e have a grou% that consists o& &rien#s, *hich bring a &orm o& com&ort, allo*ing &or cussing an# occasional 4oking *ith each other, yet the e#ucation as%ect o& it' A /uote that + *rote #o*n *as, 5Troy, ho* the hell #o you kno* the solubility rules, like ho* #o you learn these shits67 This e.%laine# this conce%t o& com&ort yet trying to &urther e#ucate themselves because, normal outsi#ers *ithin the grou% *oul# not cuss ran#omly, yet he is trying to ask an e#ucational /uestion' The chemistry insi#ers, Trent an# Eric, o&ten aske# mysel& /uestions, #ue to my initial kno*le#ge in chemistry' They aske# ho* to #o s%eci&ic %roblems, inclu#ing moles, an# con&igurations, an# electronegativity' 8uestions that only *oul# be recogni)able to chemistry stu#ents' The *eir# thing about this #iscourse community, is that there *as not one s%eci&ic language use#, because there *ere #i&&erent classes involve# an# communities *ithin communities' English language consiste# o& the same ty%es o& language use# *ithin this %ro4ect &or #iscourse community, such as insi#ers an# outsi#ers, ethnogra%hy, sites an# situations, etc' A /uestion that *as aske# &rom my &rien# -arson to another member o& the grou%, 9aleb, *as, 5"o* *oul# you #eclare the language use#, like *hat #oes that even mean, like ho* *e talk or like like *hat67 This sho*e# me that one can be con&use# *ithin language an# ho* things are a##resse#' Though everyone kno*s *hat language is in general, language in a genre can mean #i&&erent things' 9aleb sai#, 5+t1s everything man 4ust ho* the interaction bet*een things are'7 E.actly *hat + *oul# have sai#' The girl stu#ying *ithin the grou%, 0y#ney, *as kin# o& o&& to hersel&, an# *as not much o& the conversation, *hich gave me the conclusion that home*ork usually brings more conversation then stu#ying #oes'

0tu#ying is less o& a #iscussion to%ic, mostly #ue to the &act that no one else *as in the same grou% to kno* in&ormation on the to%ic' 0he #i# ask /uestions like, 5#o you kno* this or #o you kno* that,7 but never ans*ere# *ith a smart an# in&ormational res%onse' :ostly it consiste# o& 5nah7 or 5*hat is this gibberish you are talking about 0y#'7 This brings me to my ne.t %oint' + &elt as i& that grou% #i# not res%on# or talk in a &ormal an# %ro%er manner as *e use# *or#s like, 5nah7 an# 5scho thing'7 Normally, a grou% *oul# have a basic conce%t o& talking, but our grou% *as a grou% o& #i&&erent genres' There *as not a set o& clothing or *ays o& #ressing one a##resse# to, or a *ay o& looking to be a %art o& our library grou%' $&ten *e got each other together through te.ting each other about going to the library, o&ten *ith a room number to meet' 2e all are in a grou% message through te.ting that *e communicate outsi#e o& the library in' This o&ten kee%s us in&orme# about times *e can meet an# hel% each other' A&ter intervie*ing -arson, + gaine# a #ee%er un#erstan#ing o& *hat others may vie* the library grou%, rather than 4ust mysel&' + gaine# a sense o& mutuality, basically #ue to the similar vie*s' 2hen aske# 5"o* #o you think *e *ork as a grou% com%are# to in#ivi#ual *ork6 (oes it hel%67 -arson re%lie#, 5+n#ivi#ual *ork is al*ays a goo# thing an# a goo# *ay to get *ork #one, but this grou% is like *orking in#ivi#ually *ith a &amily o& hel%7 ;Ratcli&&<' 2e normally are silent an# #o *ork by ourselves, but he *as right *hen it comes to the &amily o& hel%' :any %eo%le in the grou% have been in classes or are in classes that each other take' $&ten the material that is nee#e# &or a /uestion or a test is #i&&erent than i& you searche# u% your /uestion on the internet' "aving other %eo%le to ask an# communicate *ith can ma.imi)e your learning an# ability to un#erstan#' (uring my stu#ying o& the grou%, + learne# that *e are han#s-on learners, *hich comes in han#y *hen trying to e.%lain theories an# reasonings to them' The scienti&ic theory, being the most common' -arson sai# a&ter asking him i& he thought there *as a s%eci&ic

lea#er an# he sai#, 5+ am o& course, nah +=m 4oking + *oul#n=t say there is a lea#er, *e all ask /uestions an# #o our o*n things' :aybe the right ans*er is everyone67 ;Ratcli&&<' + *oul# #eclare the grou% as a normal stu#y grou%, 4ust bet*een really goo# &rien#s, making it much easier to *ork together an# communicate' +t1s not 4ust *ork> it can sometimes be en4oyable' Not having a set lea#er allo*s us to be more vocal an# s%eak *hat *e *ant *hen *e *ant' 5+ cant really tell i& my gra#es have im%rove# or not because o& this stu#y grou%, though + can say + get a lot o& *ork #one an# + al*ays &eel better about material a&ter leaving the library,7 *as the res%onse + got *hen asking i& he ha# notice# his gra#es im%roving ;Ratcli&&<' Though others have #i&&erent %ers%ectives on learning an# *hat *orks &or *hom, + &eel as i& *hether he thinks it hel%s or it #oesn=t, it hel%e# something' +& you s%en# time on something, eventually it *ill stick' As a grou%, *e believe# that there *as not a set list o& rules' +nstea#, it *as 4ust kno*n to be /uiet an# res%ect *hat others *ere #oing an# allo* them to get there *ork #one' 2hen aske# i& there *as a set o& rules or gui#elines *ithin the grou%, -arson re%lie#, 5No there isn=t, maybe 4ust #on=t bother %eo%le or #istract them *hen they are *orking har# to accom%lish something'7 The library grou% *orks an# *hen asking him i& others shoul# a#a%t he sai#, 5+ &eel like a grou% can really hel% %eo%le *ith classes an# un#erstan#ing, but there are #i&&erent strokes &or #i&&erent &olks' +t *orks &or me, an# it seems us in general, so that1s all + shoul# really care about'7 3rom the notes + took + &eel as i& others got the same kin# o& vibes' 0eeing others #oing the same things is common, though many %eo%le like to *ork alone' +t1s a %re&erence that + &eel one ac/uires though e.%erience' 0ome %eo%le learn better through sources like the internet, though others are inter%ersonal learners' +t *orks &or us, mainly #ue to us all be the same ty%e o& learners' + visuali)e# that everyone like# to *ork out %roblems, an# %ractice rather than guess or search u% ho* to #o things' 2e all seem to be learners that like han#s-on %ractice' +& one can &in# a grou%

o& similar learners then it #e&initely *orks, but i& one is a true outsi#er to the grou% an# #oes not belong it can get annoying' 2hen stu#ying an# taking notes it *as *ith a grou% o& &rien#s that are similar to me, though +1ve ha# outsi#ers 4oin be&ore that ha# to leave because they coul# not get their *ork #one *ithin the grou%' !anguage use# *ithin the grou% like state# earlier, is un#e&ine#' ?etting another1s %ers%ective on it *as im%ortant, an# *hen aske#, -arson state#, 5:an honestly, *e have a *ay o& talking to each other as &rien#s, it1s like a very in&ormal an# humorous *ay, but + *oul# not say there is a s%eci&ic language use# *ithin our library grou%'7 As &rien#s *e talk in a *ay o& making &un o& each other an# using incom%lete statements, *hich is o&ten brought into the grou%' A common arti&act *e o&ten use# *ere notes' Everyone ha# a basic set o& gui#elines be&ore going into the library to *ork on material' The notes *ere o&ten the &irst choice to un#erstan# a /uestionable to%ic, though o&ten *e aske# each other any*ay' :ost classes teach o&& o& notes rather than te.t books or in&ormation o&& o& the internet, *hich ma#e it har# to hel% %eo%le un#erstan# *hat the teacher *ants' An e.am%le being math, there are o&ten many *ays to solve a %roblem, but the teacher *ill al*ays teach it one *ay' 3or a stu#ent that may be con&use# in the sub4ect or struggling, hel%ing them 5your *ay7 o&ten con&uses them more'Everyone has #i&&erent strengths an# *eaknesses, an# as a grou% *e o&ten kno* things that others #o not' 2e #o not usually rush each other an# have %roblems hel%ing each other, *hich is goo# because *e can s%en# time to rea# notes an# un#erstan# the teachers *ay o& teaching lessons' 2hen *e go to the library *e o&ten s%en# &our or more hours, so that o&ten means *e s%en# about three hours on our o*n home*ork an# an hour or so hel%ing' @asically, the library #iscourse community gave me an un#erstan#ing o& much more than 4ust the library reasoning in general' @ut, it hel%e# me un#erstan# literacy as a *hole an# *hat a

#iscourse community contains' There are many categories *ithin a #iscourse community an# many as%ects that go into the conce%t as a *hole' There are many *ays o& learning literacy conce%ts, but through a basic community such as a stu#y grou%, an# un#erstan#ing can continually gro*'

2orks -ite# --ite 0ources Ratcli&&, -arson' Aersonal +ntervie*' B Nov' 201 ' -0*ales, Cohn' DThe -once%t o& (iscourse -ommunity'D Writing about Writing.