Innovation,research and professional development in higher education: Learning from our own experience

This paper describes and analyses an innovative experience carried out by a group of lecturers from the Psychopedagogy Faculty of the University of Alcala, involved in an action research process with the purpose of reflecting about our own practice and constructing alternative teaching strategies to facilitate students’ reflective, autonomous and critic learning. The experience consists of a didactical proposal through which we intend to establish connections and interdisciplinary relationships among courses, in order to break down the isolation that usually characterizes the work of university teachers, and move towards a more global and complex formula for curriculum development. We also propose the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) as tools to support the learning process and expand opportunities for reflection, dialogue and collaboration beyond the classroom activities. The results of this experience show a dialectic interaction amongst innovation, research and professional development processes.     

Walking a thin line? Connecting ethical theory and practice: a co-operative inquiry with human resource management practitioners

Is it possible to manage human ‘resources’ in an ethical way? What does ‘being ethical’ mean as related to the human resources function? In my paper – which also reflects upon my own experiences of two co-operative inquiry projects done with human resource management (HRM) practitioners – I wish to argue that action research could be an exciting and novel way of exploring the meaning and practice of ethical HRM and also an appropriate tool with which to facilitate and develop individual and group ethical action learning: a learning process based on real action, collective real-case solutions and reflection. After introducing practical details pertaining to the two projects (in group ‘A’, I worked with members of the HRM department of a bank as co-researchers; for group ‘B’, I invited along HRM professionals from different companies), I need to stress some ‘learning points’. First, I would like to demonstrate how co-researchers explored their own definition of ethics, learned about the ethical diversity of their group and how they probed and re-shaped theories held via action and reflection. Second, I wish to show how collective ‘solutions’ of co-researchers’ own real-time and ethically dilemma-holding cases acted as a bridge between theory and practice – and then see how the process of case resolution developed by the group become an important individual- and group-level learning point.     

The Feeling of Thinking in Professional Self‐study

Studying one's own professional work is no straightforward matter and adopting the reflective mode is not simply a cerebral activity. As we study our teaching, we are studying the images we hold of ourselves as teachers. Where these established self‐images are challenged, questioned and perhaps threatened in the learning process we may experience feelings of instability, anxiety, negativity, even depression. This is especially so if the ‘self we come to see in self‐study is not the “self we think we are, or the ‘self we would like to be. Thinking about our work In self‐evaluation can thus be a highly charged emotional experience, one from which we may be tempted to retreat, thus endangering further learning. If, on the other hand, we have the support of caring, sensitive and interested critical friends to help us through these potentially dangerous processes of self‐evaluation, we are more likely to remain open to further learning and professional development. The company we keep and the circumstances under which we enter into self‐study may have a significant effect, for better or worse, on our professional learning. These issues are illustrated by the experience of two award‐seeking teacher action researchers who used video in their classrooms to aid their self‐study. The paper argues for greater attention to be given to the nature of the learning climate in which self‐study, self‐evaluation and developmental self‐appraisal take place. If the learning climate is not ‘right’, self‐study may become self‐defeating.     

Moving from opportunism to expediency when introducing action learning into an organisation

During my first year of practice as a new action learning facilitator undertaking an ‘ILM Level 5 Certificate in Action Learning Facilitation’, an innovative Individual Service Fund pilot was launched by ‘Certitude’, the organisation for which I work. The aim of this pilot was to enable people with learning disabilities and mental health needs in London to have more choice and control over their support. By recognising the opportunity that this pilot provided, I was able to design, introduce and facilitate an action learning intervention to develop the confidence of leaders and managers involved in implementing the pilot's project plan and in turn explore my own emerging practice. This paper focuses on my journey from an opportunistic to expedient action learning facilitator; responsible for introducing, planning and establishing a new model of learning and development in Certitude.     

Teacher professional development through collaborative action research: impact on foreign English-language teaching and learning

In 2011 we, a group of English-as-a-foreign-language teachers at a secondary school in Argentina, decided to investigate our teaching practices through collaborative action research so as to improve our students’ learning opportunities and thus revitalise English-language teaching in our context. We implemented and evaluated the integration of content and language learning in our classrooms through the development of our own materials. The experience revealed a growth in professional development and how our motivation and autonomy influenced our students’ motivation and language development. In our attempt to disseminate our experience as a group, this report particularly focuses on the evaluation facets of our collaborative action research project so as to encourage other teachers and teacher-researchers to adopt collaborative action research to improve their own practices.     

The Centre for Research into Higher Education at the University of Amsterdam (Centrum voor Onderzoek van het Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs,COWO)

This study is part of a first study of collaborative socio-environmental projects that engage Jewish and Arab students in Israel in learning about their local environment and about each other through outdoor learning and environmental action. We used ideas of social learning and environmental citizenship to frame our research. We investigated students' knowledge regarding their local environment and their knowledge of each other's community. We also studied the participants’ views regarding their project-partners'environmental knowledge, awareness and behaviour in comparison to their own. Initially, differences were found regarding various aspects of the students' socio-environmental knowledge and in students' views of their counterparts' environmentalism. At the end of the projects, students showed better understanding of local socio-environmental issues and demonstrated changes in their original views towards the environmental awareness and behaviour of their counterparts. These findings suggest that projects which involve students from segregated communities not only promote environmental awareness but contribute to a reduction in mutual prejudices. We suggest that the differences we found are not related to ethnicity, but rather to students' socioeconomic status and experience in environmental education programmes.     

Renewing professional organizations and action learning

This account concerns the renewal of established professional organizations though action learning. In order to revitalize one national organization, an executive group of leaders committed to co-leading and co-learning through a friendly, computer-supported governance structure. Manifestations of our work together were an accelerated decision-making process and creation of interdependent committees (e.g., research committee, policy committee). Keys to the innovative learning described are peer learning supported by turn taking of the executive leaders and synchronous learning buoyed by asynchronous communications technology. We awakened to the reality that if our organization was to grow, as executive leaders we had to manage our own teaching and learning and tap one another's expertise. We also learned that while face-to-face meetings and annual conferences foster goal attainment, collaboration and camaraderie, they limit the momentum necessary for organizational revival in a rapidly changing world. Organizational capacity is developing quickly as the leaders experiment with action learning interventions that are raising the overall caliber of this professional association.     

如何激发学生学习动机和自主学习意识

1.My context:I was once greatly influenced by the traditionalteaching methodology applied by almost all my previousteachers,and my classroom teaching practice was quiteteacher-centered.As a college teacher,I placed a signifi-cant emphasis on bringingknowl…     

Action Learning and Research at George Washington University

Action learning has emerged as one of the most effective and powerful teaching and learning approaches used in graduate studies in human resource development at George Washington University (GWU). In this article, both faculty and student perspectives are presented to describe action learning teaching, research, and organizational interventions. First-hand experiences of doctoral students with action learning sets are presented in their own words. Students benefit from action learning experiences by building strong networks of personal and professional support. Improved group processes and greater interaction between executive level students and faculty have resulted in a strong doctoral cohort experience for Executive Leadership Program students at GWU. The initial energy to generate action learning programs in students' organizations requires active faculty involvement and follow-up to ensure that organizations accept and benefit from action learning programs. HRD (human resource development) faculty can profit from additional orientation and understanding of action learning to incorporate this methodology into their courses and problem-solving activities.     

Action learning: nothing so practical as a good theory

Kurt Lewin's epigrammatic paradox is particularly true for action learning. Marquardt and Waddill (2004), and previously Yorks O'Neil and Marsick (1999) have approached the issue of the relationship between theory and action learning by looking at a variety of theories which they have placed in ‘schools’. This provides an interesting analysis, but may be less well fitted to demonstrate the ‘practical’ element in Lewin's statement. While it is interesting for many of us to know that our ideas or our actions can be interpreted and, even better understood, in relation to a school, it is my experience that for many people action is more related to the ideas of a particular individual rather than to a diffuse categorisation such as a school. From this perspective, it is even more bizarre than it first seemed that Reg Revans, otherwise acknowledged by Marquardt and Waddill as their main source about action learning, does not appear in any of the five schools they have created. Moreover, the twenty six names they include in their schools embrace a number of theorists who are really peripheral in terms of the specifics of action learning, whatever their merits as general theorists about learning in total. In this article I look at the potential for understanding about, and implementation of, action learning through the work of the five theorists who I believe to be most significant. Significant because of the content of their theories, and because they are theorists most likely to be known to, and at least partially understood, by facilitators of action learning.     

Students' accounts of the need for continuous support in a distance learning programme

This paper looks at a qualitative case study of distance learning at Universiti Utara Malaysia as described by a small group of distance learners as they progress through their courses at the institution. It concerns the learners – it is their story, their experience, their perspective. In particular, this thematic report looks at learning support in distance learning as it surfaced as one of the central findings of this research. This is an issue that arose from discussions with the students, rather than being predetermined by the research design. Conclusions have been drawn regarding the role of learning support to facilitate distance learning at Universiti Utara Malaysia. The concept of need and support is important as it relates to the different requirements from support into action that enables the learners to connect with their teachers, the course content and with other learners.     

A Personal Theory of Teaching Computing Through Final Year Projects

Stated learning objectives for final year projects tend to be fairly generic. As a result, individual students' experience of project work will depend heavily on the attitudes and beliefs of their supervisor. This paper questions the purpose of projects in the computing curriculum and proposes a personal theory of teaching through projects. In deciding whether such a personal theory should emphasize disciplinary specific content or an experiential approach to learning we consider teaching and learning as a process of enculturation. The personal theory of teaching proposed envisages projects as an opportunity for students to engage in realistic activity which allows them to learn something of the nature of the discipline. The student may be thought of as being on a journey, while the supervisor takes the role of a guide pointing out alternatives along the route but allowing students ultimately to find their own way.     

Strategies Against Oppression: a case study of the background,upbringing and education of black managers in affirmative action programmes in South Africa

Black managers form the primary target and major context of affirmative action programmes in South Africa‐‐programmes which are inherently educational. As its title suggests, this article investigates the social background, upbringing and educational experience of black managers engaged in large business organizations in Johannesburg. In many respects, the stories of these managers represent a narrow profile of the broader injustices of the apartheid era. However, the managers have risen through the oppressive structures which dominated their youth by seizing opportunities to act as agents of change in their own affairs. In this they were supported by the value orientations of their homes and by the educative influences of the black consciousness movement and trade union activism. Their experience calls into question the strictures of social pathology theory, which holds that an endemic culture of poverty is passed on from one generation to the next.     

Students' Perceptions of and Satisfaction with Group Grades and the Group Experience in the College Classroom

The group approach to learning is widely accepted by higher education researchers as an effective teaching and learning tool. While there are numerous instructional, learning and social communication advantages for both students and teachers using group projects in the college classroom, a need exists for a better understanding of group projects from the student's perspective. The purpose of this investigation was to measure students' perceptions of group grades and group satisfaction on group projects in the college classroom. A cohort of 230 students from a large southern metropolitan university enrolled in sections of Group Interaction and Decision Making and Conflict Management classes participated in this study. The major findings of this study revealed that: (i) the less group grade experience that a student has, the more likely they are to agree that everyone in the group deserves the same group grade; (ii) students who work part-time are more likely to think that a group grade is a fair assessment of their contributions than students who work full-time; (iii) older students are more likely to be dissatisfied with a group grade experience than middle and younger age students. It is recommended that this study be extended to include comparison groups, graduate students and other disciplines.     

No yoga for Eric: lifelong learning from a small firm's perspective

An emphasis on lifelong learning as a route to economic competitive advantage forms the basis for current governmental policies directed at both firms and individuals. Since small firms are seen as vital for economic growth and development, this sector is a major target for lifelong learning based programmes. However, the views of those in this sector on lifelong learning are less well known. This study of 128 small firms explored the views of owner managers and key staff in these firms about lifelong learning. Despite the hype, owner managers still seemed unsure about the concept, showing the same resistance to embracing learning for all staff seen in earlier studies. However, whilst not recognizing its value for their company to achieve business needs, it was described as important in their own lives, particularly to achieve personal rather than business aims. Examples were also given of transfer of ideas and skills from leisure to work environments. Staff designated as ‘key’ by their managers saw learning as a continuous process, vital for their own future development. These staff had been the main participants of formalized firm learning and had also taken part in learning outside work for personal development. Further research would be needed to identity whether non-preferred staff shares this positive view of learning.     

For Science and Self: Youth Interactions with Data in Community and Citizen Science

In youth-focused community and citizen (YCCS) youth in classrooms and community-based programs produce data that scientists, resource managers and community members will use. This “nested” data situates learners’ scientific activity within larger datasets, projects, and communities, with consequences for youth agency. To document opportunities for agentive learning with data in YCCS, we report on how youth interact with data across eight school and community-based project sites and how youth talk about their data and work. From analysis of 54 participant interviews, we found that youth perceived the data they produced as being used for: (1) broader scientific work, (2) their own learning, and (3) community endeavors. Nested uses of data were most meaningful when youth interacted with end users, were exposed to the larger datasets to which they contributed, or took action linked to data. Not all youth saw, believed, or valued that data would be used by others. Framing of task and purpose, nature of engagement with community users, data production protocols, and level of emphasis on youth-identified questions may contribute to youth perceptions and can foster or undermine conditions for learner agency. The results shed light on when and how conditions for expansive learning and agency get established.     

Project-based learning as a contributing factor to graduates’ work readiness

This paper explores what work readiness means for two cohorts of graduate engineers, one from a traditional curriculum, the second from a largely project-based curriculum. Professional bodies and employers have defined a set of attributes for engineering graduates so that graduates will be ‘work ready’. Problem-based learning (PBL) is claimed to be a suitable approach to develop such skills. The graduates were interviewed some months after starting work, along with their managers. All the graduates recognised the benefits of taking PBL subjects as well as vacation work, with success in communication attributed more to PBL. Both cohorts had similar learning outcomes, high skill levels in project management, problem solving, communication skills, research and sustainability. A skills gap in ethics was identified for both cohorts of graduates and their managers. Further work is planned to link skill development with undergraduate learning experience.     

Collaborative teacher learning: Findings from two professional development projects

This article discusses two projects that were aimed at enhancing the opportunities for professional development of the participants through collaboration between classroom teachers and teacher educators. The two projects, the Australian Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL) and the Canadian Learning Strategies Group (LSG), focused on the teaching and learning practices in secondary school classrooms. We examine those features that we contend have resulted in long-term sustainability and the success of these partnerships. An analysis of our own experiences and other empirical data from both projects illustrate our claims that these small-scale projects have: improved the learning environment in classrooms for students and teachers; created models of professional development for school and teacher educators; and provided valid knowledge about learning and teaching issues in classroom settings. The potential of such projects to achieve these aims depends upon: (a) a mutually held understanding of what types of classroom practices nurture good teaching and learning, (b) a setting where teachers have a strong commitment and control over the project and decide on its direction, and (c) a structure that allows teachers and teacher educators to meet regularly in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding.     

Theme and variations: one middle school’s interpretation of mandated action research

In the current climate of accountability, action research is one way for teachers to evaluate instructional changes designed to improve assessment results. It may become increasingly common for administrators to mandate teacher involvement in action research, yet few studies have been conducted in such settings. This article focuses on one middle school where the principal mandated action research for all teachers. Projects were carried out within academic departments, and department chairs were given latitude in how to organize and implement projects. This study explores project implementation and teacher perceptions of the action research. Interviews were used as an appropriate tool to explore teacher perceptions, with document analysis providing triangulation. Results from interviews of administrators, department chairs, and department members suggest an overall positive attitude toward action research, as well as variation in how action research projects were carried out. Differences occurred across several dimensions of action research, including context, motivation/ purpose, definition of action research, and organization of projects. Variations appeared to be influenced by each department chair’s experience with action research and approach to departmental work, and each department’s history of working together on instructional improvement efforts. This study suggests that administrators who mandate teacher participation in action research projects need to think about both the positive (providing teacher ownership and interest within the mandated context) and problematic (possibly leading to variation in the instructional impact of projects) aspects of project variation.     

Inclusive work at a European level: a case study

In this article, Paul Stephenson and Glynis Rumley describe the way in which educators in Kent have developed strong links with their colleagues and neighbours from Nord Pas de Calais in France. From a variety of projects undertaken, some of which were assisted by funding from European sources, children of all abilities and needs have been able to work and learn together. The PILOTE programme, developed in Kent by the local education authority's Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) team, has been used to overcome language barriers and, by making learning fun, has enabled both adults and children alike to communicate with each other during the project work which has been undertaken. From a strong emphasis upon enjoyment and within a natural context for learning, teachers with little previous foreign language experience have been empowered to enhance their children's language skills. The approaches used have been relevant both to children in the mainstream situation as well as those in specialist provisions. The ‘Above and Beyond Barriers’ projects have enabled children to find out more about their European counterparts and communicate with them in a meaningful and enjoyable way.