How to ... be a reflective practitioner.

The third way: the renewal of social democracy

One day, you will discover a new adventure and knowledge by spending more money. But when? Do you think that you need to obtain those all requirements when having much money? Why don't you try to get something simple at first? That's something that will lead you to know more about the world, adventure, some places, history, entertainment, and more? It is your own time to continue reading habit. One of the books you can enjoy now is all you need to know about action research here.

All You Need to Know about Action Research

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Becoming Critical: education, knowledge and action research

The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research

This article examines the relationship between confidence and risk in relation to the initial education and continuing professional development (CPD) of teachers. The context for this examination is the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLS) in England, which sits between secondary schools and universities, and the discussion is illustrated with data gathered from trainee teachers in this sector. Understandings of confidence are considered and it is argued that the inculcation of confidence through risk-taking is important for new teachers in their journey to praxis. The article concludes by arguing that the transformative potential of critical engagement with professional knowledge on teacher education courses and through work-based learning (WBL) should be balanced with the need for the good and appropriate time necessary for the risky political act of reflection, not merely the immediate technical evaluation of practice.

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Confidence, risk, and the journey into praxis: work-based learning and teacher development

There are increasing demands for Higher Education (HE) students to play a role in research-active communities and, similarly, for College Based Higher Education (CBHE) lecturers to develop their research practices. A cross-consortium Student Research Festival was designed to create a collaborative 'community of discovery' (Coffield and Williamson, 2011) and enable final year students to disseminate their research studies to a wider audience. The Festival drew on current HE pedagogies to build an open communicative space in which the three dimensions of practice architecture (Kemmis et.al., 2014) were embodied. The Festival was evaluated through a Collaborative Action Research project in order to establish how the sharing of research contributed to the participants' identity as researchers. Data were analysed using the a priori categories afforded by the practice architecture framework. Valuable insights emerged into the students' conception of research, as detached from the 'real' world and belonging to the privileged few. These views were challenged by the experience of the Festival, which narrowed the gap between student and researcher and unsettled existing roles. Recommendations include widening the scope of the Festival to include other stakeholders and embedding further research building opportunities in the undergraduate curriculum.

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'No research is insignificant': implementing a Students-as-Researchers Festival

Aim: This paper aims to explore notions of confidence and risk in the context of professional knowledge and practice for trainee teachers in the lifelong learning sector. It will argue that the inculcation of confidence through risk-taking is an imperative for an emancipatory journey into praxis.
Content: This paper explores notions of confidence and risk in the context of professional knowledge and practice for teachers in the lifelong learning sector. It draws upon Marianna Papastephanou’s (2006 and forthcoming), work on school teachers and discourse, who argues for the “accommodation of risk in the teacher–pupil relationship and against the managerial narrowing of educational endeavour to the sphere of the secure and the predictable” (2006: p48). She also raises important points about risk in education more generally, “What is missing from such discourses is the acknowledgement of unpredictability and non-calculability (true risk, that is) as an inherent, disruptive and creative force of teaching and learning, as many educational philosophers have convincingly pointed out” (2006: p50). In this respect confidence, whether imbued in the self or inculcated by the processes and products of continuing professional development, correlates with both the developing teacher’s capacity to take risks and their vulnerability when submitting to both course assessment and work-based audits of practice. The paper suggests a tension between learner participation in a higher education course of study, and corresponding participation in skills development in the workplace for trainee teachers, whether on placement or in-service. In this respect the nature of professional knowledge and practice, confidence, and work based learning (WBL) are discussed. This paper will argue that the inculcation of confidence through risk-taking is an imperative for the journey into praxis.

The role of HE in teacher education: It explores the tension between learner participation in a higher education course of study, and corresponding participation in skills development in the workplace. While the focus is on teacher education in the Lifelong Learning sector, colleagues in the school sector will recognise these tensions, and the discussions relating to confidence and risk for trainee teachers and their journey into praxis. 
Hoped for impact on practice: It is hoped that the discussions will cause colleagues to strive for a greater emphasis on the inculcation of confidence and risk-taking between the workplace (placement or in-service), and the teacher education curriculum as an imperative for an emancipatory journey into praxis.
The country/ies to which the presentation relates: England and Wales

Confidence, risk, and the journey into praxis: work-based learning and the teacher education curriculum

•	Crucial to the blended learning approach of a part –time BA Education and Professional Development is the emphasis on ensuring that our mature learners maintain a proactive community of practice based on Humanist principles whilst engaged in F2F and online activities. – To support richness of learning. 
•	Students are typically employed in full time in education or training capacities and study on a part-time basis, currently over 3 years (next year 2) with 8 day schools in year 1; 6 in year 2; 4 in year 3. 
•	A strong investment in encouraging critical friendship groups, both early in the programme and throughout, has re-enforced positive working and social structures supporting interactive learning. This is essential in time constrained conditions (study, work and home commitments). 
•	Whilst tutor time is also being reduced, the need for interaction between peers becomes more essential. 
•	The previous weekly model (evening sessions) established group identity and critical friendship opportunities quite quickly through regular face-to-face exchange. Reflecting principles of andragogy, and engagement in positive learning cultures, the structure, content and assessment strategies of the programme were designed to foster meaningful reflective, collaborative learning.

Jane Wormald

Papers

Confidence, risk, and the journey into praxis: work-based learning and teacher development

'No research is insignificant': implementing a Students-as-Researchers Festival

Confidence, risk, and the journey into praxis: work-based learning and the teacher education curriculum

The value of 'soft skills' for blended learning.

Students as researchers: A student research festival designed around the principles of Kemmis et al.’s (2013) concept of practice architectures