Action learning and critical thinking: a synthesis of two models

Recent scholarship and the news media have identified a lack of critical thinking and ethical behavior in the business world. These deficiencies have led to faulty decision-making, ineffective planning, and frequent organizational dysfunction. This situation has focused attention on both practitioners in the field of business and on the university programs that educate them. A number of upper-tier universities have begun to address these important issues by exploring ways of revising their Master of Business Administration programs to place greater emphasis on their graduates' ability to think critically and consider ethical implications before and after taking action. The authors propose a potential means of addressing these issues in both the business and academic environments through a synthesis of two well-established models based on the constructs of critical thinking and action learning. This synthesis has the potential to produce symbiotic and synergistic effects that may provide educators and practitioners with a new tool for encouraging critical thinking and ethical behavior. The implications for future research and practice are also discussed.     

知识管理、组织学习、创新与企业核心竞争力的关系研究

采用横断研究的方式,随机选取216家样本企业进行问卷调查,采用多元回归分析和路径分析等方法考察知识管理、组织学习、创新与核心竞争力的内在关系,其结果表明：（1）整体上知识管理对组织学习、创新和核心竞争力的回归效应显著,组织学习对创新和核心竞争力的回归效应显著;（2）知识管理中“隐性知识创造”对组织学习、创新和核心竞争力的回归效应显著,而“知识转移与分享”对以上变量的回归效应均不显著;（3）组织学习中除“共同愿景”外其他各因子对组织创新和核心竞争力的回归效应显著;（4）组织学习对核心竞争力有间接的影响作用。因此,知识管理对核心竞争力既有直接的影响作用,也有间接的影响作用;隐性知识创造是知识管理的核心内容,是组织核心竞争力的重要来源;组织不仅要重视加强知识管理以直接提升组织的核心竞争力,也要重视将知识管理与组织学习相融合,通过创新间接的提升企业的核心竞争力。     

知识经济时代呼唤学习型高校辅导员队伍

在知识经济时代信息化、全球化背景下,学习型组织应运而生,随着教育生产方式、教育重心的变化,高校思想政治教育面临新的要求和挑战,在这样的情况下,高校需要顺应时代的需要创建学习型辅导员队伍,并要总结目前学习型组织创建经验、避免误区。     

Action learning: developing leaders and supporting change in a healthcare context

This account of practice outlines how action learning was used as the key component of a leadership development initiative for managers in an acute hospital setting. It explains how the initiative was conceived, why action learning was chosen and how action learning principles were incorporated. Insights into the outcomes and considerations for the future are also included.     

Beyond grades: developing knowledge sharing in learning communities as a graduate attribute

ABSTRACT

The ability to share knowledge is an important attribute that students develop in learning communities (LCs), enabling them to succeed in their education and careers. Insufficient research addresses the development of such knowledge sharing in LCs though, including whether it aligns with students’ success (i.e., grades). To address this gap, the current study investigates various determinants of knowledge sharing and their effects on student success. Survey data from 183 psychology students measure altruism, trust, belongingness (community identification), perceived social interaction, and attitudes toward and expectations of the benefits of knowledge sharing. A path analysis shows that trust affects the expected personal and community benefits of knowledge sharing indirectly, through students’ general attitudes toward knowledge sharing. Altruism, trust, and belongingness affect the personal benefits of knowledge sharing indirectly through social interaction. No significant relation emerges with first-year study success. Knowledge sharing as added attribute does not appear aligned with study success measured by individual course grades.     

Investigating critical thinking and knowledge construction in an interactive learning environment

Critical thinking and knowledge construction have become essential competencies for people in the new information age. In this study, we designed an interactive learning environment involving three forms of interaction: individual reflections, group collaboration and, class discussions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the three forms of interaction promoted students' critical thinking and knowledge construction. Seventeen students at National Institute of Education of Singapore participated in this study. Their reflections and discussions were analyzed by following a content analysis approach. Results showed that writing reflections had potential to promote critical thinking but, not all students thought critically. Knowledge construction in groups and in class discussions happened at lower levels. This paper presents the conceptual framework, design specifications and evaluation results of the ILE. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Group procedures and applications for developing sociocultural competencies among immigrants

If immigrants are to get the best results in theirsocial and work worlds, they must possess not only therelevant cultural information, but also the requisitebehavioural skills inherent in the novel social rolesthat people acquire as members of the new country. This paper argues that the preferred training modelfor developing such competencies is one which utilizesrole-based learning in groups and incorporates aspectsof group counselling theory and practice. Effectivefacilitators of these immigrant groups should beskilled group leaders competent in taking participantsthrough the four stages - alliance building, culturalmapping, coaching and practice, and contract setting - involved in teaching each of severalkey sociocultural competencies. Group leaders will need to performparticular types of task and maintenance functions,and facilitate the development of group inclusion,control, and trust. To achieve this, facilitators arerecommended to use a range of micro skills for groupleading, processing, and counselling.     

Action learning as a tool for developing networks and building evidence-based practice in public health

The aim of this account of practice is to share my specific experience of action learning as an approach to effective working in a networking organisation. The context is delivery of public health at a regional level as part of a national organisation, The Health Development Agency. The action learning set took place with a consistent group over a 20-month period. The account includes my personal learning, views expressed by colleagues, and some reflections on ways the set improved my working practice with others as part of a ‘networked organisation’. The account may be of relevance to anyone involved with developing networks, and/or a networked organisation. It is particularly pertinent to public health specialists, practitioners and others involved with developing networks as a tool to enhance good public health practice.     

Action learning: cultural differences

The article describes the experience of forming a set in a higher education institution and offers some observations and insights gained from the perspectives of the role of the set adviser, cultural differences and the challenges of attempting to align theory, practice and experience.     

Action learning guided by Tao for lifelong learning

Information Technology brings about rapid changes in working environment, quickly rendering skills and knowledge gained in formal learning institutions obsolete. Even as they prepare students for their first career, institutions also need to equip students with skills necessary for lifelong learning. The Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore has accordingly structured its curricula into Academic Studies and General Studies where the former focuses on core subjects (broad based knowledge-specific studies), and the latter on general knowledge (multi-disciplines catering to various interests for lifelong benefits). A 12-week course, ‘Introduction to Tao for Effective Action Learning’ which focuses on learning processes was developed and has been taught by the author, for undergraduates at NTU since July 2001. The course materials were derived from the author's Ph.D. thesis ‘The Tao of Action Learning’ (Sam, 2000). This paper explains the nature of the action learning programme at NTU and includes one account from participant students.     

Situational interest and learning: Thirst for knowledge

The objective of the three studies presented here was to investigate how situational interest is related to knowledge acquisition. Situational interest is construed as a motivational response to a perceived knowledge deficit. It is triggered in situations where this knowledge deficit becomes manifest, such as in the confrontation with a problem. In Study 1 we manipulated prior knowledge of 32 secondary-school students about a particular problem (i.e., reasons for the conquest of Singapore by the Japanese during the Second World War). Only students who lacked the appropriate knowledge showed an increase in situational interest after the problem was presented. In Study 2 (N = 60), students who showed awareness that they lacked knowledge to understand a problem (i.e., causes of erosion of an island) showed increased situational interest in that problem. In Study 3 (N = 86), situational interest and knowledge acquisition were monitored over the course of a 3-h lesson in a natural classroom. We were able to demonstrate that situational interest decreased with increasing knowledge of the problem-at-hand. We argue that the findings support a knowledge-deprivation account of situational interest. Our findings are at variance with the broadly held conviction that situational interest and knowledge necessarily influence each other positively.     

Assessment for learning in the accountability era: New Zealand

The requirements for valid assessment for learning and assessment of learning are reviewed and then the tensions between these two purposes of assessment are explored, first in general and then within two areas of the New Zealand education system. First, the nature of assessment for learning in primary schools is discussed and how it is, or might be, affected by four accountability pressures associated with assessment of learning. The second area is assessment for qualifications in the final years of secondary education. Here, some of the assessment of learning occurs at local level, within schools, and the remainder occurs at national level. These two assessment pathways create substantially different conditions affecting assessment for learning.     

切实抓好干部的学习教育迎接知识经济的到来

知识经济时代的到来给干部的学习教育提出了新课题,本文从建立适应知识经济发展的干部学习教育运行机制及干部学习教育评价体系等方面进行了探讨。