An action learning approach to partnership in community development: a reflection on the research process

Green space offers a significant environmental resource that can improve the individual experience of health and quality of life. However, barriers exist that prevent the use of green space, and partnership (multi-agency) working has the potential to overcome these. Current public health policy aims to broaden the range of environmental public health intervention through effective partnership working. In response to this, a community development partnership project (Stepping Stones to Nature) was established in the south west of England to improve green spaces in neighbourhood communities through engagement and consultation. Integral to this project was an initiative to research the process and experience of partnership working. The aim of this paper is to report the experience of the multi-agency group guiding the research process and how they used an action learning approach to explore their experiences and guide the research process. Halfway through the project a ‘formal’ focus group discussion was arranged in order to capture the reflective thinking and learning that had taken place. The focus of this paper is on the data from that group discussion. Four main themes were evident from the data: expectation/perceptions; stakeholder involvement; tensions (at organisational and individual levels); and reflection and learning (through the partnership and research process). This paper reflects the different expectations of the research process that need to be identified early in partnership research in order that they can be appropriately managed.     

Student teachers report on the influence of cultural values on classroom practice and community involvement: Perspectives from the Navajo reservation and from abroad

Abstract

Student teachers in schools on the Navajo Reservation and seven foreign nations reported on the influence of host culture values, beliefs, and traditions on their classroom practice and community involvement. Among the values they identified were traditional lifestyle, clan/family, sharing/reciprocity, superstitions/taboos, sports/competition, and education. Furthermore, the student teachers described their application of these values in a range of professional, social, and personal ways. The combined data demonstrate that cultural study and learning can and should be an integral part of teacher education programs, including the field‐based components. Requiring student teachers to examine the values operating in their placement communities and to seek ways in which they can incorporate these values into their own actions prepares them to become culturally responsive educators who will embrace the diversity in schools and communities.