The Bird's Eye View from Down Under

by John Loughran (visting from Monash University)

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It's been a most interesting experience to be a participant-observer of the Action Research class this year at Queen's. I (like many of you) have bobbed up and down in the waves that have comprised the learning that has occurred throughout the term. In some cases I have felt uncomfortable in the class, as I have been in a position to observe the events as well as play a small hand in the way they have unfolded. For me, however, there have been two important learning episodes, most different from that which I would consider to be normal, which have demonstrated the value of Reaction Research.

The first came at the mid-point in the term when the List Server for e-mail was started. This was largely as a result of Tom's desire to open the channels of communication after a class in which the lack of clarity of communication resulted in both Sandra and Tom taking the risk of pursuing their understanding further in a post-class debrief. For me, this was an important event because it required a leap of faith and a trust in relationships which is crucial if action research is to have real impact on th e participants. One thing this demonstrated was that taking the ideas of action research and working with them in a class on Action Research is much more demanding and intensive for all participants when inquiry and learning is a genuine goal.

Consequently, the List Server has made it possible to work through issues, concerns and questions out of class time and to maintain an extended discussion, demonstrating that the University as a place to meet is only that. The learning occurs back in the practice setting (schools, classrooms, board offices, hospitals etc.).

The other event which particularly caught my interest was the second last class, when again a risk was taken in the form of intellectual challenge, which was possible as participants outlined their Action Research (in progress) projects. Through this session it was becoming increasingly apparent (to me) that learning from and with others would only be realised if the "so what" questions could be asked and pursued in an acceptable manner. The realisation that most participants felt the same way was a refre shing and liberating experience, as the discussions about what participants were really "trying to achieve" through their projects moved to a new level of understanding. In retrospect, it would seem quite easy to map backwards through the term and determine how things could have been done differently to arrive at the point where we now find ourselves as the course closes. But this would in many ways reduce the impact of the learning and merely rationalise our own viewpoints. I prefer to remember the tensions, dilemmas, emotions and uncertainties that comprised the term and hold those memories as part of an episode that demonstrates, for me, what it really takes (for those of us who have been in the system for a long time) to confront our views of teaching and learning.

I have long believed that learning from and through experience is enhanced when that learning is uncomfortable. It challenges us to think and to act in ways that are not always preplanned, logical and acceptable, but it heightens our senses to what it means to reconstruct our thinking. Action research should challenge our views and beliefs, and that should not be a simple, comfortable act. This class will be etched in my mind for a long time to come as I continue to learn from the experience and use it t o shape my own teaching practice.