Understanding Practice Research and Research Practice

1. Understanding Practice Research and Research Practice Refining Research Practice from Practice Research

2. Practice (30/6/08) • The doing • There is know-how • (There is also know-what, and know-why) • There is know-what of know-how [content, processes, steps articulated] • There is know-how of know-how [practised actions that deliver the done activity; and an embodied knowledge that is more than can be articulated (the know-what of the know-how steps articulated; although we can build vocabulary to develop articulation); sometimes called artistry] • There is know-why of know-how [the purpose of the action: efficacy; and match of action to purpose teleological nexus of Heron’s axiology criterion] • The theory-practice interchange: any good theory is eminently practical (Lewin) – not much point of theory that is not practical (pragmatist view); good theory helps a practitioner make proper connections between what they are doing and outcomes, there is a connection – logical/rational, causal, congruent

3. Research (1/7/08) • Some definitions – what the literature reports • Refer to item on Inquiry for Practitioner

4. Practice research (1&9/7/08) Refer to what literature tells • Schon – examination of practice of experts => concept of reflective practice • A&S – examination of theory/practice divide => theory-in-use, espoused-theory Model I and Model II; wicked problems; learning organisation • Erickson – general theory of expertise • Artistry in expertise • Implications for practice education • Novice, Apprentice, Master, Expert Consider what I think I know/ can articulate • Being shown: mimicry • Doing once, twice, three times – where possible getting feedback • Writing up process steps/ consulting with other practitioners • If appropriate being told the theory – the cause and effect; the model; the understanding; learning the vocabulary to talk about, to think about • Teaching others – testing process steps against own doing and how can tell others to do

5. Research Practice (1/7/08) • Paradigms • Methods • Different approaches developed in different disciplines • Beginning to be open to thinking more about research itself and its processes – describing, categorising, theorising, comparing and contrasting, synthesising, generalising from the particulars, particularising from the generalities • Anything generic? (I think there is – AR; and ‘by definition’; but it is so embedded that practitioners can barely see it and need to work with the reflexive, by reflective and dialogic processes, to unearth it: the second-order work)

6. How practice research -> knowledge about research practice • An element of practice is inquiry • Researching practice will involve examining inquiry process (researching research) • Research itself is a practice • Developing research knowledge is going to involve self-study • Whitehead’s BERA Practitioner-Researcher list pointers to Polanyi and Popper, and about subjective/objective divide • Ie starting with the second order/level aspect??

7. What literature suggests about practice research (30/6/08) • Kressel and practice relevant research • Schon and practice being a form of research • Argyris & Schon and theory and practice and espoused-theory and in-use-theory • Heron and practice at the apex • Toulmin (practical philosophy) and practice research’s constraints: timeliness, specificity, contextual (local); • Others:

8. How practice research -> knowledge about research practice • Watching practice in early stages by reflective notes • Preparing for practice by writing work

9. My Practice Research/Research Practice

10. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) Practice Improvement During MDR 1996-1998: • mechanisms to capture data in complex contemporaneous interchanges, in a practical context, in a practical way

11. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1& 8/7/08) Role play in MDR & CPE 1998-2000,2006-7/8(writing) • Being in role mobilises unarticulated knowledge to display/enact it to others; others are then able to observe and give feedback; others moving into role of inquirer can help role player articulate and/or display more of knowledge of another party by empathy, reflexivity and mapping projections of congruence to behaviour observed to date • Being in role allows player to learn to become observer of self

12. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1& 8/7/08) Research thesis 1999-2005 • More detail of description, and analysis via literature -> awareness of arena in which I am operating • Empirical, analytical, now focused on interpersonal interactions • Being intentional in deciding to record as well as having some focus in recording, while still collecting apparent noise - contextual material for later analysis for the ‘emergent’

13. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) M.Ed UTS 1999-2004 • Clarity about research paradigms • Application of RROP to different tasks over course – drawing on experience; writing about experience; drawing on literature; writing about literature; integrating experience and literature; undertaking experiments especially in online environment with other practitioners

14. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) TappedIn 2001- • Experimenting with interpersonal interactions • Transcript data & contemporaneous reflective work

15. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) Cultureshift 2001-2006 • Use of contemporaneous reflective work to work on practice • Operation in a higher level of practice knowledge and operations than TI • Access to other aware practitioners to ask about practice

16. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) Tutoring EDUT422 Helping write thesis • Cycling over process for small scale operation amongst different students, over a short period • Evaluating others’ work – identifying significant things missing, articulating what is needed and why, and how to express that – distance to go back and evaluate my own writing

17. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) EDUT422 Reflective work 2002-2006 • Course design/ redesign • Collegial discussions • Reflections on teaching • Opening practice to students • Opening practice to peers • Working in the same area with others: being mentored; mentoring

18. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) Working with Individuals 2000-1, 2002, 2006-8 • Research peers – too focused on own work [cognitive overload (both ways?)] to be open to learning, to any shift • Individual work versus group work • Becoming responsive • Some work on trying intentionality after listening, & contemporaneous reflective work, but still in an informal, uncertain ongoing relationship context, and with real live practice in between sessions • Nature and power and process of reciprocity

19. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) Academici 2005-7 • Nature and level of other interest • Drafting captured data • Reflective work about process • Impact of platform changes, and loss of audience • Recognition of impact of other-life on intellectual development: seasons of intensity and seasons of fallow

20. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) ALARA 2006- • Context amongst peer practitioners, they in other-context practice, me in interchanges with them about practice, and a lesser level of intensity of other-context practice • Process of engagement and immersion and commitment to internalities • Limitations of others involvement limiting personal growth at the moment

21. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) CPS Reflective work 2006-2008 • Testing data collection in practice • Learning to give more immediate feedback • Post event analysis and writing and interacting with CPS literature • Collaborating with another practitioner in writing preparations • Valuing role play and video work for this level of practice learning

22. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) EDGZ921Reflective work 2007-2008 • Working on writing • Working with practice narratives • Working on evaluation and giving formative feedback • Working on collaboration with peers • Valuing and articulating the value of working with practice narrative to examine practice by self-study and triangulated with literature/research knowledge and other practitioner knowledge, once the practitioner has been primed to look for certain things – ie developing the foreground, and the frame

23. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1&8/7/08) Peer review for JRP and ALARJ 2007- • Recognising good better best writing, and poor argument construction/ structuring • Giving formative feedback to improve writing – but in the teacher mode – this is what I know, can you consider how (power of marker role and whatever) • Not yet moved to the questioning critical friend role (socratic questioning) – no context for that; have offered once because the alternative process was becoming hypercritical, and recognised as directive when having an inquiry context – collecting more data before advising; using questions to help author/s think again, etc appeared to be warranted, and where I could be more responsive than directive (offer not taken up) • See also EDGZ921 formative feedback

24. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1/7/08) NI Conf 2008 • Collaborating for presentation • Joint and separate work • Conference presentation and paper preparation • Post conference engagements • Working at sharing: my dogmatism at times with Meeta and Heather; my asking of significant questions; my asking about focus and strategy

25. What have I learned from my observed research practice 1999-2008 (1&8/7/08) Preparing this material and reviewing the other (Reflexive Second-Order work) • Review and critique thesis articulation • Current nature of openness to new • Current nature of perception of the second-order, and not always finding it when looking for it – have seen it and occasionally given that feedback; sometimes that is recognised, sometimes not

26. what is most significant of all this practice? • What is most significant of all this practice – the grounded theory principle – constant comparison; and • what things become foregrounded and framed (frame = measuring instrument)

27. Others’ Practice Research/Research Practice

28. What evidence do I have of what I have taught others (1/7/08) • Gwenda, Peggy, Madge, Margaret MacC, Margaret McM: self-awareness progress; issues complexity progress; practice articulation progress • Feedback from EDUT422 students, and staff • Feedback from EDGZ921 students and staff • Feedback from CPS students and staff • Feedback from Cultureshift, ALARA, Academici, TI participants

29. Individual’s professional experience Final Report