Date: Wed, 6 Jul 2005 20:29
From: Jack Whitehead <edsajw@BATH.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Start of the Review Process

OK Peter - Here's my review of Kathyrn's 'Creating Educative Dialogue in an Infant
Classroom' in relation to the review process in which we are both working to develop

a better understanding of
the criteria we use to assess the quality of (our) practitioner research.

In making an appreciative and engaged response to Kathryn's narrative I feel drawn
to the quality of Kathyrn's responsiveness to her pupils in the development of
creative educative dialogue in the infant classroom. I connect this with Kilpatrick's
point in the first issue of Educational Theory that it is a form of dialogue which has
profound implications for the future of humanity. My own learning about an
appropriate methodology for enquiries of the kind, 'How do I improve what I am
doing?' was influenced by 6 teachers showed me in 1975/76 Action Reflection
Cycles when they demonstrated that the worked at improving learning with their
pupils by:
Experiencing a tension or living contradiction when their values were not being fully
lived in practice. They imagined what to do in an action plan. They acted and
gathered data. They evaluated the effectiveness of their action in relation to the
values and understandings. The modified their concerns, ideas and actions in the
light of their evaluations. They shared accounts of their learning in validation
groups.

In my understanding of research, as a systematic form of enquiry that is open to
public validation, I think Kathryn's account counts as what I understand as
practitioner-researcher. I think it is a good acount, because of the focus on creative
educative dialogue and the evidence of social validation using Habermas' criiteria
of comprehensibility, evidence, normative awareness and authenticity.

As an explanation of learning about improving creative educative dialogue by a
practitioner-researcher I also recognise it as a living educational theory.

I'm fascinated by educational research that is focused on legitimating accounts of
educational influences in learning in relation to values of humanity. If you have time
to respond to yesterday's presentation by Maggie and me on Educational Influences
in Learning with Visual Narratives in relation to our seminar theme this would be much appreciated.

We were both delighted to include references to Branko's visual narrative in the presentation to the
DIVERSE conference 2005 on Video and Videoconferencing in Education. You will
find these references in the Notes at the end of the paper.

Love Jack.