Why It Matters
People lie (or forget). Observation allows me to see the 'practice' of AI use—the hesitation, the negotiation, the workaround—that they won't mention in interviews.
What To Learn
- Shadowing: Following an actor (e.g., a student) through their day.
- Thick Description (Geertz): describing not just the wink, but the context that makes it a wink.
- Fieldnoting: Separating observation (what happened) from interpretation (what I think it means).