For the Monday group and an invitation to colleagues.

5.00-7.00 1WN 3.8 6^th November 2006.

After we have caught up with each others' news of the week and ideas/writings you'd like to share, I'm hoping that we can continue to give priority to responding to the ideas of writings of those of us who are close to producing a complete draft of a thesis or who are preparing for a viva.

The BERA practitioner-researcher SIG 2006-7 e-seminar is well underway on standards of judgement in educational research and here are some extracts from postings from Susan Goff that might stimulate some of your own responses:

On 26 Oct 2006, at 02:19, Susie wrote:

 My primary preoccupation has been epistemology - I think we need to develop an ability to understand how we know so we can see the workings of power, values, perception and ways of being in the world - not from a place of judgement but of rising self awareness in community with others.

On 31 Oct 2006, at 22:27:

I resonate very strongly with what Mohsen is saying here - without an understanding of ontology and epistemology we risk seeing judgements, and the means by which we make them, incoherent with our practices, and I I discovered in my own practice, without even knowing so. 

On 1 Nov 2006, at 05:18:

But epistemology can also be a felt sense, a pattern, a relationship with knowing in certain and distinct ways. As with your observations about language as ontology we also saw that epistemology could also be ontology, which worried us a bit given the rather grandiose nature of such a claim. But could it be that the separation of epistemology from ontology is only valid if there is a hidden root metaphore of objectivity? Knowing inalienable from being.

On 2 Nov 2006, at 23:0:

I sense that in this network there is a tension between those who speak from a formal teaching practice and those who reflect the practices of informal learning, or life long/adult learning in the context of social change. I believe it to be a very healthy tension, but also sense that at times the conversation seems to go towards one emphasis risking the silencing (impatience, alienation?) of the other.

On 3 Nov 2006, at 03:42:

So, after such a long thought, I am wondering, are we at this edge here in this network - the edge of convention rubbing against that which convention draws on - the unconventional? If so what do we understand of living theories in this place? How deeply can theory (including linguistic form) go into non-convention without itself becoming meaningless if it is not to colonise the unconventional for the user's, own (power-ful) purposes?

You can join or leave the e-seminar from the What's New Section of http://www.actionresearch.net

Margarida - looking forward to hearing some details of your international travels and talks.

Alan's Philosophica paper on:

'Inclusionality and the role of place, space and dynamic boundaries in evolutionary processes'

can be accessed at http://www.jackwhitehead.com/rayner/arphilosophica.htm . Alan explains why a Darwinian Theory of Evolution is mistaken and offers an understanding of inclusionality that could transform the way educational processes are understood with relationally dynamic ontological and epistemological standards of judgment. Alan is willing to answer any questions on his ideas on Monday evening.

The Ontario College of Teachers is living up to my belief that the College is developing the most 'educational' standards of practice and judgement the profession has yet seen. Do access the OCT ethical standards and standards of practice at http://www.jackwhitehead.com/tuesdayma/octstandards.pdf and see what you think of the descriptors of

Care, Trust, Respect and Integrity. I'd like to chat through my purpose in organising a workshop at OCT on the 20/21 November on 'Living The Standards and Living Standards' in which I'm focusing on a living theory approach to enhancing the flow of care, trust, respect and integrity in explanations of educational influence in learning.

Annie, Eden, Je Kan, Alon, Jane and Simon are well advanced with their writings and I'd like us to focus our understandings on their Abstracts/Introductions and on our understandings of their originality of mind and critical judgement and the extent and merit of their work. I'd also like to see how we might use the 2008 RAE criteria of originality, significance and rigour in relation to the writings.

Annie - Interpreting Folkways of Teaching: A Life-history Narrative Inquiry into Characteristics of Chinese Secondary School EFL Teachers'Knowledge

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/anniephdabs.htm

Eden - STRATEGIES THAT WORK FOR US. HOW DO I IMPROVE MY PRACTICE? CREATING A DECOLONISING LIVING EDUCATIONAL THEORY. How have I moved from being a black outsider to a passionate insider/outsider carrying hope for humanity through a personally and socially decolonising practice infused by African Cosmology

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/edenabs.htm

Simon - How do I make things better in education? The story of living myself through others as a practitioner-researcher.

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/simonridingabs.htm

Alon - A heuristics of a human existence

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/alonserperblog031106.htm

Jane - How I have arrived at a notion of knowledge transformation, through exploration of my three roles, as creative writer, creative educator, and Head of Department?

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/janespiroabs.htm

Je Kan - How do I evolve, maintain and communicate a receptive, responsive practice as an inclusional educator in an international context?

http://www.jackwhitehead.com/PhD/jacintro2.htm

I do like the way Je Kan is now showing how the different chapters in his thesis, relate to the whole.

Graham - I think some of the originality in your writings is in your willingness to create your own living theory of change as you engage with the economic realities of life as a consultant.

Ian - do let's share your writings as soon as possible.

Karen - as soon as you are ready do let's have another supervision session with Simon.

Keith - looking forward to hearing how your accounts of your educational influences in learning are developing.

Joan - will be checking your registration details with Peter, following up the e-mail, next week.

Yaakub - looking forward to seeing how your writings develop from your new insights into purpose and reason.

Marie - looking forward to working on the conference paper/workshop for the AEP conference on the 9^th November.

Looking forward to Monday evening's conversation.

Love Jack