"Webbing" is the stage of Lamb's 8Ws in which learners search for information and then connect the various pieces they have found to create a more complete picture. In this stage, "One piece of information may lead to new questions and areas of interest" (8Ws).
At this stage in my own inquiry, I feel both overwhelmed and underinformed. All of my internet searches come up with vast amounts of information relating to Indian wedding ceremonies, but I'm having a hard time determining what pieces of that information are relevant to my own inquiry into understanding my brother's wedding. In many regards, I think that my inquiry would be far easier and better-directed if I conducted it after the wedding. There are just SO MANY variations of the traditional ceremony, all depending on what area of the country the participants come from, what languages they speak, and their own personal preferences. My brother and his fiance are understandably very busy right now, trying to pull together all the details of their 400-person wedding in the next month. They've been very patient and helpful with my questions, but they just don't have the time right now to go into the detail that I'd like. So I'm kind of wishing that I could see the ceremony first, then go back and research what I saw.... Of course, that won't work because our inquiry projects are due well before the wedding, and of course my original goal was to be able to understand what I see at the ceremony. Basically, right now I'm really feeling all the emotions that Carol Kuhlthau included in the "exploring information" stage of the Information Search Process.... I'm feeling confused, uncertain, and doubtful!
Some of my original inquiries dealt with the symbols used in Indian weddings. My brother said, "The various symbols and varying aspects of a Hindu wedding are so numerous, it could take someone 500 pages to write a comprehensive report." He suggested that I focus my inquiry on either Indian clothing or one other particular aspect of the wedding in order to keep from getting overwhelmed. I'm keeping this idea in the back of my mind as I research, but I just don't think that focusing on only one aspect would allow me to achieve my initial goal of understanding my brother's wedding... or at least not to the extent I was hoping. So I'm going to keep accumulating all the information I can for now, but maybe some pattern or area of interest will emerge in the next few days.
Lamb, Annette. "8Ws of Information Inquiry." Information Age Inquiry. https://oncourse.iu.edu/portal/site/FA11-IN-SLIS-S574-16409
What an interesting part of Eastern culture to research! My only exposure to Indiana weddings has been through movies, and I am not sure how much a ‘true’ production they really are.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you can narrow your focus on what to research by remembering what would be interesting to students. If the class was talking about Indian history, what parts of the wedding have remained the same throughout the centuries? Maybe have a class debate over why the ceremony can take DAYS, and if that is a ‘better’ approach to forming a life partnership.
I could also see some kind of craft if you decide to focus on the clothing like your brother suggested. Draw a bride and groom by Indian design and tradition. Maybe more popular symbols used in the wedding could also be explored. There is so much to choose from, since it is doubtful the students would know anything beyond Bollywood movies.
Robert, excellent idea on beginning to think about how this can be related back to students. Focusing on just one tiny detail may be enough, especially if you begin to draw comparisons between similar details of American culture. I know so many adults that still think just because something is different, that it is wrong. What an excellent opportunity to encourage students to simply observe the differences without forming biases.
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