Wheel of Research
This is a variation on Native American Medicine Wheels, a metaphor for the "stages" of research. Contemporary composition theory parallels include Linda Flower's stages of problem solving and Young, Becker & Pike's description of invention stages.
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WISDOM The North, The White Buffalo The last stage is learning from what you have done. The white buffalo represents wisdom, collective knowledge, culture. | ||
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OVERVIEW The East, The Eagle The first stage is getting an overview of background material on the subject, standing back to take a good look. On the Medicine Wheel, the symbol for this is the East (the Eagle in the east represents clarity & illumination). |
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INTROSPECTION The West, The Hibernating Bear The third stage is the opposite of the eagle's sense of detachment. The West side of the Medicine Wheel is the place of introspection, represented by the hibernating bear...suggesting that, at this stage in research you think about where your research is going, what dreams and visions it creates for you and for your readers. |
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FOCUS The South, The Coyote The second stage is seeing how to put all the pieces together, symbolized by the coyote, the trickster. At the second stage of research, you, like the coyote, "play" with your data, run circles around it attempting to discover what to "do" with the material. | ||