Thank you Alan this posting makes me feel much more of a partner in
this discussion
Sue Attard
Sent from Dr Sue Attard's iPhone
On 16 Apr 2010, at 18:51, "Alan Rayner (BU)" <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Dear Sue,
>
> Well, what you say is exactly why I wrote the following passage in
> the draft paper I have written in preparation for presenting a
> keynote address at the World Congress of the Action Learning Action
> Research Association in Australia in September:
>
> "For the past ten years, I have taught a final year
> transdisciplinary undergraduate course at the University of Bath,
> entitled ‘Life, Environment and People’ (see my description of
> some of the turbulent and difficult history of this course in Rayner
> , 2006a). Every now and then as I present this course, which is part
> icipatory and invitational in style, I find myself having to stop an
> d remind the students and myself about its fundamental intention. I
> say something along the lines of: 'this is not intended to be a cour
> se of instruction, but more an opening of possibility for your perso
> nal reflection and consideration by describing what makes sense to m
> e'. I could say much the same about all of this paper. I feel the ne
> ed to say it because I think that the expectation of instruction - a
> nd the painful memories of non-empathic schooling - that this can ev
> oke and be read into what is offered, blocks receptivity. I have sim
> ply to admit that I can only explicate my perceptions and reasoning
> for opening the door into natural inclusionality in my
>
> personally unique way, using whatever means I have available to me,
> and invite others across the threshold if they wish, where I will be
> pleased to welcome, help and engage with their enquiries as best I
> can. Whenever I forget to say or admit this, and engage instead with
> a perceived requirement or actual demand to convince others, I sense
> resentment and resistance rising within my listeners, and can all
> too easily become defensive and resentful myself. Maybe that
> continual reminder to ‘hold openness’ (Fig. 7) is deep in the
> core of an inclusional educational practice."
>
>
> In explaining my reasons for opening the door into natural
> inclusionality, I generally find myself caught between the need to
> speak to an academic audience, which is often perceived as using
> vocabulary as an excluding barrier (which is as far removed from my
> intention as it is possible to be) and the need to communicate more
> feelingly with an audience that is often in fear/awe of intellectual
> discourse.
>
> At the bottom of all this is a fundamental problem of logic, which
> Jack and I have sought to address in the following paper:
>
> Whitehead, J. and Rayner, A.(2009) From dialectics to inclusionality
> – a naturally inclusive approach to educational accountability. Acc
> essed on 20/01/10 from http://actionresearch.net/writings/jack/arjwdialtoIncl061109.pdf
>
> This fundamental problem of logic needs to be addressed both with
> intellectual rigour and with emotional sensitivity. I won't claim to
> succeed in this, but it is what I try to do. Last weekend I ran a
> 'NaturesScope' event on these lines. Here is what a woodsman with
> little formal post-school education who attended had to say:
>
> "I was afraid that it was going to be a very academic day, that i
> would be out of place, a square peg in a round hole so to speak,
> this was far from the reality. What surprised me more than anything
> was the similarities but diversities of the people I met, and it is
> this that has been the main focus of my thoughts.
>
> You asked us to go away and think about how we can all contribute
> and further the Nature scope work, the "inclusional" way of thinking.
>
> I am already thinking about the terms you use, about taking in and
> reflecting out energy from "our natural neighborhoods" it is
> something we all do naturally, at least all the people I met
> yesterday! What i mean to say is that you have given us all a great
> energy, your work is the rivers source, you are its generator. We, a
> small band of dedicated followers of your work, are building upon
> the flow, giving it momentum and force flow. we are reflecting out a
> great energy, given to us from this enlightenment and inspiration,
> that is clearly a strong feature of all who seem to be drawn to this
> "inclusional way"
>
> As all of us break away from the nature scope event and go off on
> our many and diverse paths in this world, academia, corporate
> management, arbor ecology, teaching, design, etc etc we spread out
> as exploring veins of the mycelial networks of fungi, exploring
> every corner of the world, OUR INDIVIDUAL "natural neighborhoods"
>
> In doing so, the pattern of our interactions with others will be
> like any other flow form, and certain it will build pace as each of
> us go off and reflect outwardly this "new way of thinking"
>
> They say a smile will instigate a smile in others, and i am sure
> this outwardly projecting energy of inclusionality, by its very
> nature will inspire and evoke a similar response in those we meet.
> Some people need it delivered in a subtle way, for your ideals are
> leftfield, to coin a phrase, but this is a gift we in your group all
> seem to have developed, to adapt the "method and delivery" in a way
> that befits our natural neighborhoods on ever finer scales.
>
> The diversity within the group was at first a surprise, but then
> when you consider the nature of inclusionality, it really is not at
> all surprising, in fact one might say it was to be expected, after
> all, inclusionality by its very thought evokes/attracts diversity.
>
> The teachers in the group made me want so much to bring my six
> nieces' into their educational influence, I would dearly love for my
> nieces' to experience an "inclusional day" with these teachers,
> maybe one day this will be feasible?"
>
>
>
> Perhaps the attached painting of a 'honeysuckle sharing circle'
> might relate more clearly to you as an illustration of my
> intellectual as well as emotional support and encouragement of what
> you are saying and doing.
>
>
> Warmest
>
> Alan
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue Attard" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, April 16, 2010 5:46 PM
> Subject: Re: Design as Research
>
>
> Dear Joan and Alan
> I have read with much interest your reply to my posting and as you
> can see I have taken a little time to digest it.
> Joan you may use this as an idea if you wish I would find it a great
> honour.
>
> Alan I found your interpretation of my words rather confusing and
> with your use of many words to tell me what I was thinking took me
> back to my fears of "the academy" in which vocabulary is used as a
> barrier to keep out those who are new to this way of working. I have
> read several times the quantum mechanics paper and it has meant very
> little to me in terms of living theory in fact it was like trying to
> read a little known foreign language.
> I am deeply in sympathy with the use of Action Research in
> classrooms in order to reflect on practice which formulates theory.
> My circles of influence have been important to me as I discovered
> what was framing my reference points. Reflexivity has enabled me to
> look at myself, which in turn opened my mind to what others were
> talking about related to similar experiences and finally analyzing
> the effectiveness of the processes or methods I use. I talk about
> circles of influence that come from this reflexive stance in my case
> they were self, literature and methods. For others in their research
> it may be different. The major point is within my living the theory
> generated I can search to discover which circle is more prominent in
> each stage of my spirals of action research. Contradictions begin to
> be made more public in a way that is in tune with the principles of
> action research.
> Thank you again Joan and Alan
>
> Sue Attard
>
> <honesuckle new.jpg>
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