JISCMail - PRACTITIONER-RESEARCHER Archives

Hello Jack,(and Jean),

I've just been reading Michael Buerk's 'The Road Taken', 2004, London, Hutchinson, and blogging elsewhere about the researcher as journalist, and 'narrative enquiry'.

When I recall the awful events of the famine in Ethiopia and at Korem in particular, and the impact of Buerk's film report creating a wave of compassion I feel it is not so much the "I" of educational influences, but the "it" of the situation that is prior in importance; not so much the "me" and "my" but the "us" and "them", real change that should be the focus.

Of course Korem, Band Aid and the like seem lost in history now, but Martin Bell "In Harm's Way" (1995. London. Penguin. Last month's reading ) reminded me that the unspeakable events of Nazi Germany were repeated in Bosnia, and even now in Iraq thousands of Christian families are been driven out of their homes in a new ethnic (religious) cleansing, according to Barnabus reports.
All the above may seem over dramatic, ................

so in classrooms my particular action-research in HE can be focused in 'my' educational influences on trainee teachers, and 'my' impact on their teaching and students' learning, or it can be on "their" learning with them, on "developments in teaching" rather than on "Brian" and his influences.

The urgency for interventions has not diminished, and as time passes I wonder if my attention would not be better directed toward actions that are motivated by 'agape' and bring about human flourishing, rather than being centred in the "I".

I only know what I read about Africa, having no current direct experience.... but is it possible with this wonderful opportunity for you and Jean to only slightly adjust the focus of your input to transmitting understanding and skills for local people to research, and plan interventions that will make a difference to lives and learning: the "it", the "we", the "us", the "them", rather than the prime focus on the "I"?

Are the priorities "me" and "my", the "I", or rather situations, the quality of learning, life chances?

It's only a minute shift, but maybe I have misunderstood your emphasis and preoccupation?

As ever thank you for the help and inspiration from you both.

Peace at this Advent season,

Brian

From: Jack Whitehead <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Thu, 16 December, 2010 15:15:37
Subject: Re: How do i~we explain our educational influences in learning to improve our educational influences as practitioner-researchers within the social and other formations that dynamically include us?

I've just received the information below about an action research workshop on alternative research paradigms (WARP) and indigenous knowledge promotion at Covenant University in Nigeria this coming February. I've just sent it round the Collaborative Action Research Network because of their interest in Action Research, so sorry for any cross postings.

Jean and I have received invitations to give keynote presentations and I've been sent the following suggestions:

Suggested Focus for Keynote Address: How do I improve what I’m doing? Living Educational Theory for the African Context;

Suggested Focus Area: Changing our Stories, Transforming our Worlds: Practicing Living Educational Theory,

I'm wondering if you have any ideas, references, connections and/or resources that you think might be useful as an appropriate contribution for inclusion in my contributions to the WARP workshop. I'll include references to Lesley's work in the Action Research Unit at Nelson Mandela University; to Kathleen's ideas in the book on 'Connections'; to Snoek Desmond's work on Family Literacy (see http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/southafrica/SnoeksDesmondphdopt.pdf) at the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal; to Joan and Kathleen's ideas in the Transformative Education/al Studies project in South Africa ( see http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/southafrica/TESproposalopt.pdf) and to Eden Charles (2007) in his doctoral thesis , 'How Can I bring Ubuntu As A Living Standard Of Judgment Into The Academy? Moving Beyond Decolonisation Through Societal Reidentification And Guiltless Recognition' (see- http://www.actionresearch.net/edenphd.shtml).

Here are the details I received this morning about WARP:

"WARP (Workshop on Alternative Research Paradigms and Indigenous Knowledge Promotion) 14-17 February 2011, The Department of Psychology, Covenant University, Canaanland, Ogun Sate, Nigeria.

The need to really engage African communities has never been more urgent. Facing chronic crises of troubling proportions, African economies and communities are crippled by alarmingly poor quality of life standards and other socio-political problems. To do this, The Nigerian/African academic must embrace new research tools – however unorthodox or removed from mainstream praxis – that do not encourage complacency (the ‘publish or perish’ culture), and that help relocate him/her in the very centre of the vortex of public concerns, needs and hopes. WARP is designed to help expose the researcher to new ways of conducting research, new ways of constructing his/her identity in relation to the researched, and new ways of promoting social change. Hence, WARP exposes participants to alternative ways of perceiving the researchable world, and equips all with tools that have great transformative potential. The workshop, built on the postmodern sensitivity to the idea of plurality, is a quest to decolonize the African research situation by introducing more contextually significant approaches to knowledge production and application, and promoting indigenous knowledge systems that aid mental health, education and meaningful living.

This year’s workshop is designed to facilitate the training of participants (academics and students) in the Action Research paradigm (an approach to research that challenges traditional social science, emphasizes action, and supports social change as a legitimate research outcome), Living Educational Theory (which introduces the idea that people live in pluralistic worlds of meaning that shapes their educational influences) and the need to promote the exploration of indigenous knowledge systems in psychology and psychology-related fields."

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Lonnie has circulated details of the 8th Annual Action Research Conference of the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences May 13-14 2011 (see http://tiny.cc/r5a6q ).

Love Jack.

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