Ben - I just saw this special issue show up in the Constructivist journal email. Scanning through several of the articles, it’s a timely theme, and so many useful insights and contributions from the (well known) contributors. The discussion follows the Research through Design conference in particular, which I don't know well as an event.
I can say these very issues and conversations are raised in the planning and choices for our 150-200 person RSD event, held in Oslo and then Banff this year. http://systemic-design.net/ With Harold Nelson as one of our founders and planners, he's inspired our team to propose forms of dialogic engagement within the conference to create opportunities for shared inquiry. We've experimented every year with different arrangements of knowledge and story sharing, paper presentation and discussion management, and plenary approaches. I can't say we've perfected the process, but we plan, review "do" and debrief with a second-order mindset.
One of the inspirations for the constructivist approach to convening intellectual meetings emerged as the observation that the breaks and discussion periods were experienced as among the most fruitful engagements. The assumption seems to be that this unplanned space allowed for a serendipitous emergence of something new among participants. This very observation at a 1982 organizational development conference is what led Harrison Owen to propose a "conference of coffee breaks" known as Open Space. One of my OD colleagues was at that meeting and remembers that was exactly how it happened, and Harrison has done Open Space ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Space_Technology (Good OST is as constructivist as it gets)
I've participated in a self-organized conference called The Overlap on and off since 2007, and that might be a good example of a successful, radically "semi-structured" meeting. Its limited to 50 people interested in a theme, meeting in a circle, for two days, with a lightweight structure and self-organizing activities. I haven't yet seen a good "radically constructive" academic conference yet, but I have attended many self-organized workshops, some good, some experienced as disorganized perhaps. Once you entertain a group larger than 50 or so, it seems that the multiple purposes that draw people to conferences cannot all be met with an open format. People with research to share want an audience and feedback. Academics want breaking insights. Practitioners want methods and approaches tested by research they might lead in projects. People come for the keynote talks, and to meet with each other (on breaks and dinners, ...). And there are always a good percentage of new people who don't share the concepts in language. RSD considers all these interests and tries to balance them. But we do feel we fall short on the space for open dialogue, as the time allocation just isn't supportable when we are also committed to paper sessions.
You and I have also met and delivered talks at ISSS http://isss.org , and I think these are among the more open conferences to changing formats and delivery modes. I'd be interested in your observations regarding these points and your suggestions for design conferences perhaps, whether any general principles are emerging for you after coordinating the essays and proposals in the special issue.
Best, Peter
PETER JONES, PH.D.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
OCAD UNIVERSITY
http://designdialogues.com
http://slab.ocadu.ca
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T 416.799.8799
-----Original Message-----
From: ben sweeting [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: November 20, 2015 5:10 AM
Subject: Composing Conferences: New special issue of Constructivist Foundations
Dear All
You may be interested in this special issue of the journal Constructivist Foundations which has just been published, edited by myself and Michael Hohl (Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany).
The issue explores alternative approaches to the format of academic conferences and how this relates to the content discussed in them.
While these issues are relavent across disciplinary boundaries, the main areas of focus are design and cybernetcs/systems, both of which are fields which are in self-reflexive relation to their conferences: the organisation of a design conference is something we design (John Christopher Jones understood it as part of what he called "context design"); the activities of a conference are one example of the sorts of process that are studied in cybernetics and systems science.
There are articles by Abigail Durrant, John Vines, Jayne Wallace & Joyce Yee based on the "Research Through Design" conferences held recently in the UK; and by Johan Verbeke based on the Sensuous Knowledge conferences amongst others. In the introduction, Michael and I reflect on Ranulph Glanville's interest in conference design, an aspect of his work that bridges between his two main areas of interest in design and cybernetics.
These issues raised also reflect back on the epistemological issues with which the journal is concerned, and suggest connections between a constructivist approach to epistemology in terms of knowing rather than knowledge, and applied fields such as knowledge management.
The journal is open access and free for both authors and readers.
Best wishes
Ben
Constructivist Foundations offers free access for readers and does not ask author processing charges. Further details can be found on http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/
Constructivist Foundations 11(1)
Special Issue "Composing Conferences"
Edited by Michael Hohl & Ben Sweeting
Editorial
Ben Sweeting & Michael Hohl
Exploring Alternatives to the Traditional Conference Format: Introduction to the Special Issue on Composing Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/001.editorial>
Target Article
Abigail C. Durrant, John Vines, Jayne Wallace & Joyce Yee Developing a Dialogical Platform for Disseminating Research through Design <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/008.durrant>
Open Peer Commentaries
Carl DiSalvo
Disseminating Research through Design - Challenges and Opportunities Learned <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/022.disalvo>
Liz Edwards
Nurturing an Environment for Practice-Led Research: Reflections on RTD2015 <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/023.edwards>
Jane Norris
Matching Methodology to Conference Content: The Assemblage Network Potential for Research Through Design Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/025.norris>
Nithikul Nimkulrat
Research through Design as a Discursive Dissemination Platform <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/026.nimkulrat>
Jonas Löwgren
The RTD Community and the Big Picture
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/028.löwgren>
Peter Lloyd
The Making of a Conference
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/030.lloyd>
Rosan Chow
Platform and Habit of Inquiry
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/031.chow>
Wolfgang Jonas
Research Through Design Is More than Just a New Form of Disseminating Design Outcomes <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/032.jonas>
Amy Twigger Holroyd
Striking a Balance: Openness in Research Through Design <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/036.holroyd>
Authors’ Response
Abigail C. Durrant, John Vines, Jayne Wallace & Joyce Yee Balancing Openness and Structure in Conference Design to Support a Burgeoning Research Community <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/037.durrant>
Target Article
Gordon Dyer, Jed Jones, Gordon Rowland & Silvia Zweifel The Banathy Conversation Methodology <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/042.dyer>
Open Peer Commentaries
Kathia Castro Laszlo
Reflecting on the Impact of the Banathy Conversation Methodology in My Professional Practice <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/051.laszlo>
Gary S. Metcalf
A Constructivist Perspective on Banathy’s Conversation Methodology <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/053.metcalf>
Alexander Laszlo
Conversations Communities in Context: A Retrospective Prospective <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/054.laszlo>
Ken Bausch
A Comparison of Two Closely Related Methodologies <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/056.bausch>
Laurence D. Richards
Conversation vs. Communication: A Suggestion for “the Banathy Conversation Methodology”
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/058.richards>
Authors’ Response
Gordon Dyer, Jed Jones, Gordon Rowland & Silvia Zweifel Conversation Never Ends <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/060.dyer>
Target Article
Laurence D. Richards
Designing Academic Conferences in the Light of Second-Order Cybernetics <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/065.richards>
Open Peer Commentaries
Christiane M. Herr
Can Conversations be Designed?
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/074.herr>
Tom Scholte
Embed and Unzip: Entailment Structures as a Knowledge Building Tool for Academic Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/076.scholte>
Paul C. Schroeder
Nurturing Conversation through Innovative Conference Design <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/077.schroeder>
Judith Lombardi
Cybernetics, Conversation and Consensus: Designing Academic Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/079.lombardi>
Andrew O. Brightman
Avoiding Violence by Design
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/082.brightman>
Michael Hohl
Desires, Constraints and Designing Second-Order Cybernetic Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/084.hohl>
David Griffiths & Philip Baron
The Tensions between Second-Order Cybernetics and Traditional Academic Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/086.griffiths>
Robert J. Martin
Connections of Conversation-Based Conferences to the Foundations of Radical Constructivism <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/088.martin>
Jennifer Kanary Nikolov(a)
Proposing a Fictional Conference Day Using Larry Richards’s Cybernetic Design Principles <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/091.kanary>
Author’s Response
Laurence D. Richards
Design for Participation: Culture, Structure, Facilitation <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/093.richards>
Target Article
Johan Verbeke
Designing Academic Conferences as a Learning Environment: How to Stimulate Active Learning at Academic Conferences?
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/098.verbeke>
Open Peer Commentaries
Christoph Brunner
What a Conference Can Do
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/105.brunner>
Eric Guibert
Timeframework, Diversity and Etiquette: Fostering Collective Knowledge Creation in Conferences through Design and Practice <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/108.guibert>
Søren Kjørup
Afterthoughts on the Sensuous Knowledge Conferences <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/110.kjørup>
Mira Sanders
The Design Conference Model and Its Learning Environment: A Construction Site <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/112.sanders>
Author’s Response
Johan Verbeke
Four Layers for Designing Conferences as Learning Environments: Space, Time, Communities of Practice and Trust <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/115.verbeke>
Regular Section
Target Article
Andreas Quale
Religion: A Radical-Constructivist Perspective <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/119.quale>
Open Peer Commentaries
Urban Kordeš
The Interesting Similarity of Religious and Everyday Epistemic Positions <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/126.kordeš>
Thomas McCloughlin
The Cognition of Religion: Radical-Constructivist Considerations <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/128.mccloughlin>
Leslie P. Steffe
Can a Radical Constructivist Be Religious? - Yes!
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/131.steffe>
Sebastjan Vörös
Dubious Dichotomies and Mysterious Mysticisms <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/135.vörös>
Hugh Gash
Issues in Relation to Learning About Religion <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/137.gash>
Jean Paul Van Bendegem
Why I Am a Constructivist Atheist (in a Meaningful Way) <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/138.vanbendegem>
Author’s Response
Andreas Quale
Is God a Radical Constructivist?
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/140.quale>
Target Article
Konrad Werner
Towards a PL-Metaphysics of Perception: In Search of the Metaphysical Roots of Constructivism <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/148.werner>
Open Peer Commentaries
Peter Gaitsch
Do We Need a Metaphysics of Perception?
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/158.gaitsch>
Matt Bower
Do We Need a Metaphysics for Perception? Some Enactive, Phenomenological Reservations <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/159.bower>
Adriana Schetz
A Mess of the Grounding Role of Metaphysics <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/162.schetz>
Spyridon A. Koutroufinis
Towards a Metaphysics for Constructivist Thought <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/163.koutroufinis>
Istvan Danka
Reconciling Constructivism with Realism: How Far Non-dualism Should Be Followed <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/165.danka>
Paul Downes
Opening Spatial Preunderstandings at the Roots of Constructivism <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/167.downes>
Diana Gasparyan
Transcendentalism Guarding Constructivism: The PL-Metaphysics of Hegel and Naturalists <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/169.gasparyan>
Author’s Response
Konrad Werner
Subjects, Worlds and (PL-) Metaphysics - What Is It All about?
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/172.werner>
Book reviews
Jacek Olender
Science As Child’s Play
<http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/182.olender>
Hannah Richter
Complexity, Power, Intuition: Unearthing the Affective Ground of Economic Structures <http://www.univie.ac.at/constructivism/journal/11/1/186.richter>
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