A warm welcome to Cathie Pearce, Sue Cronin and Kate Miller to our practitioner-researcher e-
seminar.
You can access Cathie's biography and teaching and research interests at:
http://www.esri.mmu.ac.uk/resstaff/profile.php?surname=Pearce&%20name=Cathie
These interests include her recently completed PhD on 'Experiencing and Experimenting with
Pedagogies and Research'.
I asked Kate for a few introductory details and this delightful response came back:
Dear Jack,
Two years ago I swam with dolphins. I jumped off the boat into sea that was far more choppy
once in than it had looked from above, and found that it was impossible to do breast stroke
wearing flippers, and that I had no idea now to use a snorkel. Each attempt at breathing only
produced lungs full of sea water and consequent panic, the waves prevented any hope of seeing
either dolphins, or the boat that was my life-line. I persevered. After a number of attempts I
found if I was able momentarily to just float the dolphins became curious, and fleeting glimpses
were my reward. The most difficult thing was getting back onto the heavily rolling boat and I
ended up black and blue and exhausted. But I did it. All my visions of being cheek to cheek,
singing gently, with a single beast in calm blue water with the sun filtering through and no
apparent need for air, were severely dashed. But I did it - and I'm proud of it and I treasure the
memory of every second.
I have just started to write my dissertation on a lonely experience as a volunteer teacher trainer in
Nepal over the last three years. (MEd at Brookes). Not unlike the experience of swimming with
dolphins! I am now trying to find the way to acknowledge and value the myriad of inner and outer
experiences.
Kate
I've just added Sue to the seminar a couple of minutes ago. Sue's research interests have focused
on mathematics education. Sue's workshops include 'Thinking Skills in the Mathematics
Classroom' where Sue shared 'Many practical ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms to
develop pupils thinking skills and so to transform their students into independent problem
solvers.'
Dear Cathie, Sue and Kate - You can access the archives of the e-seminar from the What's New
section of http://www.actionresearch.net . In a posting in thread 1 on the 9th April you will see
Louise's question:
'How do I break free from the traditional scholarship model as a PhD student?'
If the existing threads don't relate closely to your own interests in participating in the e-seminar
please don't hesitate to create your own threads.
Love Jack.
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