tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76226199045298338362024-03-06T02:36:06.282+08:00marg : oconnellInquiring into learning and living . . .Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-46311736549388928692014-11-16T20:58:00.000+08:002014-11-16T20:58:48.280+08:00Relationships: the glue when all else crumblesI'm attempting to bring together some thoughts on relationship as we work on a booklet (a sort of preparatory guide) which will capture how we see the service providers working together with Nyoongar Elders in our project, the Looking Forward Project. We developed a Handbook in 2013 to help prepare service providers to come into the project and think about what they needed to consider to begin Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-45192052761181768342014-03-23T08:55:00.001+08:002014-03-23T08:55:52.593+08:00More on patience...or is it action?
Patience alone consumes itself in mere prattle; impatience alone consumes itself in irresponsible activism. Virtue, then, does not lie in experiencing either without the other but, rather, in living the permanent tension between the two. The educator must live and work impatiently patiently, never surrendering entirely to either Freire (1998: 44).
I'm beginning to see how our intentions Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-83322602710244254202013-11-28T14:56:00.000+08:002013-11-28T14:56:24.110+08:00Spirituality as decolonizing: Judy IsekeVoices in the Wind is a film series produced through Judy Iseke's research with First Nation Elders in Canada.
Some of the concepts that resonated with me when reading Iseke's work include
spirituality as decolonizing
and
research as ceremony.
These are powerful concepts enacted through the lens of cultural knowledge and everyday practices.
Iseke explains the work of the Elders as Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-84329633381795523432013-09-22T16:34:00.000+08:002013-09-22T16:34:13.843+08:00From hard work to heart workIn recent times, I have understood that hard work is preceded by heart work, if hard work is to truly pay off for us in a productive and sustained way. I have been deepening my understanding of reflective practice especially in my current work and am sitting with these aspects to do with 'heart work'.
Creating conditions for 'heart work', some initial 'conclusions'...
Precondition: Be mindful ofUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-53536723667100413072013-09-02T23:29:00.002+08:002013-09-02T23:29:34.434+08:00Moustakas: The meaning of relationshipMoustakas, Being-In, Being-For, Being-With (1995, p. 70, 71):
In
the authentic relationship, there is a facing up to the feelings and
issues, an exercise of wills, without the will on either side being
negated, impaired, or broken. The will ignites the fires of
determination and enables one to face the old patterns of criticism,
adversity, and rejection; enables one to live with the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-54216596368087704242013-08-23T09:27:00.000+08:002013-08-23T09:27:05.026+08:00Reflective image of the week: Citi Zen and self reflectionAnd more on mindfulness in the everyday... I'm noticing the interrelationship between self reflection and systems change thinking (the small in the big, or more, the big in the small as my tai chi teacher would say).
Spotted this image on Flickr via Michael Coghlan and immediately saw the words "Citi Zen" and connected with mindfulness (perhaps as a Zen practice?) and the need to grow the "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-26809344063195655112013-08-16T12:20:00.001+08:002013-08-16T12:23:41.975+08:00Mindfulness in the everyday: Awake Youth ProjectSomething to cap off the week with... I wonder, when does reflective practice become mindfulness?
Awake Youth ProjectUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-33479661863055512882013-05-10T08:32:00.000+08:002013-05-10T08:32:23.658+08:00Wisdom of children: LeadershipLittle Miss Nearly-five was the first one dressed this morning, as did I in getting ready for work. She said that the girls could lead the trip (her planned adventure for the day) because we were ready first.
I suggested that maybe the girls could just lead the whole world, as I gave her a hug.
She responded with:
"No, there are only two leaders in the world, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-50627752694744633902013-04-25T21:07:00.002+08:002013-04-25T21:07:24.335+08:00Reflective image(s) of the day: silosIt's been a big week in the world of service providers and with our evaluation planning. I am struck by the silos that still exist in the way some services are governed. The conventional and conservative approaches are alive and well (and comes as no surprise)!
I wonder how organisations that adhere to a more conventional model of governance see themselves in relation to the world around them? IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-83811898825641922442013-04-12T15:55:00.002+08:002013-04-17T15:39:04.741+08:00A leap of faithWe had our first meeting with service providers yesterday about the evaluation plan they will begin developing in a couple of months. It's an exciting time!
This evaluation is based on the work we did last year and the community findings the previous year. I was both anxious and excited about our meeting yesterday: anxious in seeing how people would respond to our outline and second would they "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-86632756309146643692013-03-25T22:53:00.000+08:002013-03-25T22:53:15.696+08:00Generative versus expendable energyIt's often said that kids have energy to burn and how often have we said to ourselves "I wish I had that much energy"?
I read an article a while back about how kids use their energy and I've just reconnected with it after a conversation with a colleague about the lack of authentic presence in the online space these days (lots of arguments and theories around this ...that's for another time...), Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-40362947603052727172013-03-25T22:44:00.000+08:002013-03-25T22:44:41.374+08:00Design: going localHere's how design, education and change go together, according to Emily Pilloton. Get local. Enough said!
Local design is most sustainable when it’s an educational process,
nurturing new sensibilities from the inside out, rather than from the
outside in.
...The work that is possible for a designer to do in a rural community is
completely different than what’s possible in any city or design Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-38912817499468539602012-11-24T01:37:00.000+08:002013-03-25T15:07:31.163+08:00Reflective image of the day
"Dreams have only one owner at a time. That's why dreamers are lonely."
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-48635119700872105892012-11-19T01:10:00.000+08:002013-04-10T17:02:00.754+08:00Reflection: the art of noticing
"What do you notice?"
A small, but powerful question, when you involve people in some self-reflection.
We are putting together a workshop for mental health service providers at the end of the month and part of the process during the workshop is to encourage and support participants to 'stay with their hearts' and not to too quickly seek out solutions to issues raised during the workshop.
It's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-70675630171415971672012-09-14T23:47:00.000+08:002013-11-28T14:41:47.523+08:00Views from the inside: A heuristic inquiry
Time flows on... Evan Leeson (Flickr)
This whole train of experiencing, and the meanings that I have thus far discovered in it, seem to have launched me on a process which is both fascinating and at times a little frightening. It seems to mean letting my experiences carry me on, in a direction which appears to be forward, toward goals that I can but dimly define, as I try to understand at Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-16839430817570929932012-08-28T02:02:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:47:38.610+08:00Learning design and inquiry into teaching and learning
I've begun curating a topic on Scoop.it called "Learning design and inquiry into teaching and learning".
The theme is: How do we learn? Teach? Design for learning? What makes learning memorable, sustainable and effective?
I'm particularly interested in learning design research in its many guises, along with commentary and critique around learning design issues and theories.
If you have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-23887981459409435252012-08-21T03:43:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:48:16.499+08:002012 Action Learning, Action Research Association (ALARA) Conference
The Action Learning, Action Research Association (ALARA) annual conference is less than three weeks away. It will be held at the Sebel Hotel in Sydney over two days, 3rd and 4th of September, 2012.
This year's conference focuses on "Achieving Sustainable Outcomes through Dialogue and Engagement" and the presentations cover a wide range of topics.
I am presenting with my project colleagues, Dr Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-30994903334277424212012-08-12T23:14:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:49:47.383+08:00Virtuous cycles: (Re)building culture through authentic relationships
Yesterday I went to a panel discussion at the Telethon Insitute for Child Health Research, which featured four researchers, including Canadian researcher Professor Michael Chandler, who work in the area of Aboriginal health and wellbeing. Collectively, they are seeking to change the way our health systems and, more broadly, our society supports and acknowledges Aboriginal culture as vibrant, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-61874127929088778152012-06-25T03:38:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:50:58.289+08:00The story of journeying
We've been talking about journeying as we develop the Framework which is key to our project (especially over that past month). Certainly the Journey Towards Reconciliation has been discussed a number of times in our sessions. Check out some of the Reconciliation stories here (in particular, check out this one).
One of the research team described the double helix (DNA) as a visual metaphor for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-54873198144399878472012-05-05T06:30:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:52:06.749+08:00Once upon a story: Storytelling, analogies and metaphors
There are many cultures on earth, each with rich traditions, customs and opportunities for storytelling. All these forms of storytelling are valuable. All are equal citizens in the diverse world of storytelling (National Storytelling Network).
It has occurred to me for some time now that stories are powerful tools to convey that which is often hard to describe, explain, or sell.
Photo by MUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-58680663689456134642012-04-06T08:53:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:53:59.446+08:00Mapping contexts, mapping meanings
Image: margoc
In our previous sessions the role play process has served us very well. In our last session we moved away from role plays and went with a 3D mapping activity. What's this I hear you ask? It's basically a technique that sees participants map out their thinking using 3D objects and paraphernalia. I used a similar technique in a futures thinking workshop some time ago.
Image: margocUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-16474032087720663572012-03-10T21:16:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:55:28.341+08:00What role does the camera play?
I've been sitting with the Magee article I posted last month and reflecting on why it grabbed me and have realized that this article, along with the video clip by CineMatic Orchestra in a later post, highlights the role the camera plays in our ability to ask questions.
Magee herself questions her position as a photographer, which in turn pushes her to take brave steps in her work, as doesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-49345223042709123762012-03-09T02:35:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:56:39.799+08:00Building scenarios using participative methods
There is no happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do. -- Albert Camus, Philosopher, Writer (in Reed & Kolibar 1995).
Image by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³
In a previous post I mentioned our use of recorded role play scenarios in our group sessions. Here I'll elaborate on our role play process and reflect on its effectiveness in our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-8602373403120332692012-02-28T03:14:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:57:29.819+08:00Role of the (movie) camera: truthful cinema?
A montage of sound and image - sound from CineMatic Orchestra and image from Dziga Vertov's 1929 film, an attempt to capture cinéma vérité.
"It is far from simple to show the truth, yet the truth is simple." Dziga Vertov
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvTF6B5XKxQ]
Am exploring the inter-web for the role and "eye" of (through? behind? with?) the camera through video and photography as aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7622619904529833836.post-86997462592683923692012-02-23T04:16:00.000+08:002013-03-25T16:58:24.022+08:00Transformative development
We had our third planning meeting yesterday which was really energising - what a talented bunch I'm working with. :o)
As part of our facilitation, we've begun using video scenarios to delve deeper into the elements discussed by the group with some promising outcomes. Using this approach seems to move people away from their recognized positions and experiences to a place where they are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0