Course Description In this course, we will explore the question of the actual and potential connections between democracy and education. Our focus of attention will be placed on a critical examination of democratic theory and its implications for the civic education roles and contributions of teachers, adult educators, community development practitioners, and community organizers. We will survey and deal critically with a range of competing conceptions of democracy, variously described as classical, republican, liberal, radical, marxist, neomarxist, pragmatist, feminist, populist, pluralist, postmodern, and/or participatory. Using narrative inquiry as a means for illuminating and interpreting contemporary practice, we will analyze the implications of different conceptions of democracy for the practical work of civic education.

Democracy and education.

The End of History and the Last Man

One dimensional man

The Study of Man. By Michael Polanyi. Price, $1.75. Pp. 102. University of Chicago Press, 5750 Ellis Ave., Chicago 37, 1959. One subtitle to Polanyi's challenging and fascinating book might be The Evolution and Natural History of Error , for Polanyi is at pains to expunge what he believes to be the false notion contained in the contemporary view of science which treats it as an object and basically impersonal discipline. According to Polanyi not only is this a radical and important error, but it is harmful to the objectives of science itself. Another subtitle could be Farewell to Detachment , for in place of cold objectivity he develops the idea that science is necessarily intensely personal. It is a human endeavor and human point of view which cannot be divorced from nor uprooted out of the human matrix from which it arises and in which it works. For a good while

Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy

Anarchy, state, and utopia

Introduction Part 1: First principles 1. The nature of action research 2. The main features of action research processes Part 2: Before you begin 3. Working with others in organisational and institutional settings 4. Influence and ethics 5. Action planning Part 3: Getting ready for action 6. Getting ready for action Part 4: Doing your project 7. Monitoring and documenting the action 8. Techniques for dealing with the data Part 5: Making claims to knowledge and validating them 9. Making claims to knowledge and validating them 10. Criteria, standards of judgement and legitimation processes Part 6: Going public 11. Sharing your research: creating your own living educational theory 12. Producing your report

You and your action research project

PART ONE: WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW What Is Action Research? Who Does Action Research? The Underpinning Assumptions of Action Research Where Did Action Research Come from? PART TWO: WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW? Why Do Action Research? Learning To Improve Practice Contributing to New Theory Evaluating Your Research PART THREE: HOW DO I FIND OUT? Feasibility Planning What Do You Need To Think About First? Action Planning How Do You Develop an Action Plan? Doing Your Action Research Carrying Out Your Action Plan Examples of Action Research Projects PART FOUR: HOW DO I GENERATE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT MY CLAIM TO KNOWLEDGE? Monitoring Practice and Looking for Data Gathering, Sorting and Storing Data Turning the Data into Evidence PART FIVE: HOW DO I TEST AND CRITIQUE MY KNOWLEDGE? Testing the Validity of Your Claims to Knowledge Establishing the Legitimacy of Your Claim to Knowledge Engaging with the Politics of Knowledge PART SIX: HOW DO I REPRESENT AND DISSEMINATE MY KNOWLEDGE? Telling Your Research Story Writing a Workplace Report Writing a Report for Higher Degree Accreditation Publishing and Disseminating Your Research PART SEVEN: HOW DO I SHOW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MY KNOWLEDGE? Explaining the Significance of Your Research Developing New Epistemologies for Organizational Cultures of Enquiry The Amazing Potential Global Influence of Your Action Research

All you need to know about action research

(1989). Creating a Living Educational Theory from Questions of the Kind, ‘How do I Improve my Practice?’. Cambridge Journal of Education: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 41-52.

Creating a Living Educational Theory from Questions of the Kind, ‘How do I Improve my Practice?’

PART ONE: BACKGROUNDS AND CONTEXTS Background to Our Research: Reasons and Purposes What Are Our Concerns? Contexts of Our Research Why Are We Concerned? Looking for Data What Experiences Can We Describe to Show Why We Are Concerned? PART TWO: GATHERING DATA AND GENERATING EVIDENCE Monitoring Practice and Gathering Data What Kind of Data Will We Gather to Show the Situation as It Unfolds Interpreting Data and Generating Evidence in Relation to Living Critical Standards of Judgement How Do We Explain Our Educational Influences in Learning? PART THREE: ESTABLISHING VALIDITY AND LEGITIMACY Validity, Legitimacy and Moral Authority How Do We Show that Any Conclusions We Come To Are Reasonably Fair and Accurate? The Potential Significance of Our Research How Do We Show the Potential Significance of Our Research? PART FOUR: IMPLICATIONS, EVALUATIONS AND DISSEMINATION Case Studies How Do We Show the Implications of Our Research? Evaluating the Account of Our Research How Do We Evaluate the Evidence-Based Account of Our Learning? PART FIVE: TESTING OUR CLAIMS TO EDUCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE Into New Research How Do We Modify Our Concerns, Ideas and Practices in the Light of Our Evaluations?

Action Research: Living Theory

PART ONE: WHAT IS WRITTEN IN AN ACTION RESEARCH REPORT? What is Special about Action Research Reports? What Goes into an Action Research Report? What Does an Action Research Report Look Like? Producing a Good Quality Text: The Writing Process PART TWO: HOW IS AN ACTION RESEARCH REPORT WRITTEN? Writing an Action Research Proposal Writing Reports for Initial Accreditation Writing a Masters Dissertation Writing a Doctoral Thesis PART THREE: WHY SHOULD YOUR REPORT BE WRITTEN? The Significance of Your Research Report Some Implications of Your Research and Your Research Report

Jack Whitehead

Papers

You and your action research project

All you need to know about action research

Creating a Living Educational Theory from Questions of the Kind, ‘How do I Improve my Practice?’

Action Research: Living Theory

Doing and writing action research