For the Monday group and an invitation to colleagues.
5.00-7.00 1WN 3.8, Monday 3rd October.
After we've caught up with each others' news from the week
do let's see what we'd like to develop from last week's conversation. I'm
thinking of Pete's suggestions for reviewing the archive of the 2005 BERA
Practitioner-Researcher SIG e-seminar. I'm hoping to focus my own response on
my learning from Branko's and Moira's contributions. Ken is working on ideas
for his work, in early November in the Middle East on dance, Qi Gong and action
research with the bereaved Palestinian and Israeli parents of children killed
by the bombings and shootings. David – it would be good to keep up to
date with your work in the prison service and with people receiving mental health
service support in relation to your equestrian policy in Leicestershire. This
might link with Marian's work in co-ordinating government policy on enhancing
the physical health of people receiving mental health service support. Marian's multi-media Ph.D. I am
because we are (A never ending story). The emergence of a living theory of
inclusional and responsive practice is now in the University Library and the text can
also be accessed, without the DVD, at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~edsajw/naidoo.shtml
.
Jean is working on the development of a masters programme
with teachers in a Black township in South Africa and the text of Action
Research: Living Theory should be with the publishers in a few weeks. Jane finished her second
book on story over the summer and it is now being piloted by OUP in China
– Moira – Jane's book on story could be helpful for your colleagues
and students at Guyuan Teachers College and in CECEARFLT?
James is preparing a visual narrative for the Tuesday
evening masters group and it might be possible to have a practice run through
with this on Monday (James – I'll pop into the school tomorrow to collect
the CD at lunchtime). Wednesday
morning's breakfast cafˇ conversation with colleagues from BANES convened by
Marie is now underway and you might like to hear how Chris Jones, a colleague
of Marie's is working on the Inclusion Quality Mark with teachers, pupils and
schools in BANES. I might have a brief video-clip of Chris talking about the
IQM – I just need her permission to show it.
Last Monday we said that we'd
focus some of our conversation this Monday on Alon's writings for his doctorate
on:
How Do I Consistently and Methodically
Lead A More Meaningful and Gratifying Existence In and With the World for
Myself? A Heuristic Approach to Constructing My Ontological Living Theory.
Do please look through Alon's brief writings at:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/~pspas/serphd.htm
and while I'd like us to focus our responses on
our understandings of his Abstract it would be good to hear your responses to
his Introduction on Framing the Thesis.
In relation to Alon's writings if you have time
to read Geoff Whitty's Presidential Address to BERA from the 17th
September 2005 at:
http://www.bera.ac.uk/pdfs/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Bera2005_presidential-address_CircFin.pdf
it will help to emphasise the significance of
making a distinction between the theories (of education) generated by
sociologists, psychologists, philosophers, historians, political economists and
management and leadership theorists, and the living educational theories generated
by practitioner researchers.
Jackie is organizing this year's Act, Reflect,
Revise conference in Ontario and I'm delighted to be giving the keynote on the
10th November. I'll be emphasizing the importance of Jackie's work
on creating a culture of inquiry and on the development of a living theory
approach to practitioner-research. The Inclusional Round Tables for the coming
semester, convened by Alan are scheduled at 1.15 (or 12.15, as noted below) in
his office at 4 South 0.42 on the following dates: Monday 3 October, Wednesday
12 October, Monday 24 October, Wednesday 2 October (12.15), Monday 14 November,
Wednesday 23 November (12.15), Monday 5 December, Wednesday 14 December.
Joao is busy with the restructuring of the
Sensory Support Service in Bristol and will join us when she can. Maggie is in the final stage of the submission of her doctorate on the development of her pedagogy of the unique through
a web of betweenness and we are expecting submission in October. Eden and Yaqub are working to have complete drafts of their doctorates by the 1st March 2006. Je Kan is
asking for responses to his BERA presentations on the living action research
list and you can access the archive of the LAR list from the What's New section
of http://www.actionresearch.net
Paul has just signed a one year contract as guest professor at Guadalajara University, Mexico. Paul hopes to be teaching on the Masters in Administration programme
to being involved in projects to do with regional development, sustainability and eco-tourism. Paul is also offering workshops on action research to teachers in the University. I'm hoping that we will be able to keep in regular
connect with Paul as he moves his post-doctoral enquiries forward from his doctoral enquiry: Tracking my unique form of relational emergent practice,
as it has evolved over the six years of this thesis, using the method of writing accounts of my work and sharing these with people
I have been working with in cycles of action and reflection (what I call in short 'showing my work to others'), will demonstrate the
originality of this work as well as its contribution to both 'living life as inquiry' and to a 'living educational theory'.
Any news to share, just e-mail it in.
Love Jack.