I'm wondering if Je Kan's question 'What are living standards of judgement?' has been clearly
answered in the doctoral theses of Mary Hartog, Madeline Church, Marian Naidoo, Maggie Farren
Eleanor Lohr and Bernie Sullivan and whether Matthias' question could help to extend and deepen
our educational conversation?
Matthias writes:
"To me, the word agency means, the difference my presence makes in the lives of my students and
to our shared experiences in the institution. The institution comes to life through us, policy
makers, parents, students and practitioners. I cannot place myself outside it and be a responsible
agent within it. Being an ethical agent within the institution means enacting purposes, as well as,
problematizing and reshaping hurtful practices. Fundamentally, this entails an appeal to moral
and ethical reasons for educational policy and action.
What happens when competing visions emerge, as Je Kan reminded me? I believe that the answer
lies in creating time and space for a moral and ethical conversation that would allow people to talk
about the practical consequences of these visions and ask what kind of lifeworld are we creating
for each other here."
Mary, Madeline, Marian, Maggie, Eleanor and Bernie have all clarified the meanings of their living
standards of judgement in the course of their emergence over at least 5 years of their sustained
enquiries as practitioner researchers. I think that they have not only answered Je Kan's question
about the nature of living standards of judgement but have shown, in their different ways and
narratives, how they are creating their lifeworlds in a relational dynamic with the world in which
we are living. (Bernie - your living theory of your practice of social justice enhanced my
understanding of the motivating power of the value of social justice in improving practice - in
overcoming injustice - and in generating knowlege). You can access the Abstracts and contents
from:
Hartog, M. (2004) A Self Study Of A Higher Education Tutor: How Can I Improve My Practice? Ph.D.
University of Bath. Retrieved 19 August 2004 from http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/hartog.shtml
Church, M. (2004) Creating an uncompromised place to belong: Why do I find myself in networks?
Retrieved 24 May 2005 from http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/church.shtml
Naidoo, M. (2005) I am Because We Are. (My never-ending story) The emergence of a living theory
of inclusional and responsive practice. Ph.D. University of Bath. Retrieved 12 October 2006 from
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/naidoo.shtml
Farren, M. (2005) How can I create a pedagogy of the unique through a web of betweenness? Ph.D.
University of Bath. Retrieved 12 October 2006 from http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/farren.shtml
Lohr, E. (2006) Love at Work: What is my lived experience of love and how might I become an
instrument of love’s purpose. Ph.D. University of Bath. Retrieved 12 October 2006 from http://
www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/living.shtml
Sullivan, B. (2006) A living theory of a practice of social justice: Realising the right of traveller
children for educational equality. Ph.D. University of Limerick. Retrieved 12 October 2006 from
http://www.jeanmcniff.com/bernieabstract.html
I like very much Matthias' question 'What kind of lifeworld are we creating for each other here?
and do hope that there wll be other responses to Matthias' question that can help to extend and
deepen our educational conversation on the standards of judgement we use in evaluating the
quality of the educational knowledge and educational theories we are creating as practitioner-
researchers.
Love Jack.
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