“Sticky moments” – how action learning can help YSJ Talking about Teaching Conference Jane Rand, January 2016

Action learning is a philosophy of: …a continuous process of learning and reflection that happens with the support of a group or ‘set’ of people with diverse perspectives (McGill and Brockbank, 2004: 11) who, typically, meet regularly to explore their ‘experienced problems’ (Coghlan and Pedler, 2006: 129) It can help people who feel they are “stuck” to become “unstuck”…or at least less “sticky”!

How action learning can support our students’ development …as learners…as researchers…as job- hunters… How action learning can support our own development as teachers…as learners…as researchers…as writers…as coaches…as artists…as practitioners…as musicians…as ??? How I am using action learning in Higher Education How we might use action learning more widely at YSJ

An idea of a project, or an issue/challenge that you would genuinely like to spend minutes on. It can be work-related or personal. It should be something you are currently thinking about, that matters to you, and that you’re not sure how to proceed with (within your influence but not capable of straightforward solution…. or “sticky”! ) Something to write on, and with.

6 Thinking of the issue or challenge you currently face ….. ~20 questions, based on a model used by David Langston at Oxford Brookes University [write brief notes only]. Start by writing down a brief summary in a sentence or two: 1. What is the issue/challenge?

7 2. What are you trying to achieve? 3. Imagine you have successfully addressed the issue. What does success look like? 4. What does success feel like? 5. What do you really, really want? Draw a line across the page, underneath your answer to Q5.

8 6. What is going on that makes this an issue for you? 7. Who is involved? 8. What assumptions are you making? 9. What, if anything, have you already done to address the situation? 10. And what has been the effect of what you have done so far? Draw a line across the page, underneath your answer to Q10.

9 11. What options do you have? 12. What else might you do? 13. If you had absolutely no constraints – of time or money, or power, or health – what would you do? 14. If you had a really wise friend, what would they do in your shoes? Draw a line across the page, underneath your answer to Q14. Rate on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is really practical.

From your list of options, which will you actually pursue [you can choose >1]? 16. For each chosen option, what specifically will you do? 17. What help or support do you need? 18. What deadlines will you set for yourself? 19. What’s the first step you will take? Draw a line across the page, underneath your answer to Q19.

11 One final question: 20. What was the effect of these questions?

Issue Clarify & define your desired outcome Think about the present…what you have done (or not) so far An opportunity to think creatively and explore alternative practical solutions Identify next steps and the particular action you would like to take O P E N

13 The effect of the questions? They are designed to help you: Raise awareness of the breadth and depth of your issue/challenge/project Identify your responsibility in an atmosphere that is: Non-judgemental Supportive Facilitative Action learning is suited to people who are pragmatic and suitable for people who would like to [or really need to] develop a more pragmatic approach to learning. Could you use Action Learning in your professional life?

A “typical” action learning set: Emphasis on learning from critically reflecting on experience and then acting on that learning; often facilitated; issue-holders speak, uninterrupted, for <10 minutes; set-members use questions to help the issue-holder identify/ view their issue differently/critically/in reality, rather than as perceived, and identify actions they want to take; often “no suggestions allowed” [10-20 mins]; the next meeting begins with an update from each issue- holder since the last meeting. suggestions

Top 3 words: Nervous (~16%) Excited (~7%) Worried (~5%) Top 3 words: Nervous (~9%) Anxious (~7%) Worried (~6%) New words: able, confident, content Session 5 [February] Session 2 [October] Indicative of affective states. Emotions can become “sticky” (Ahmed, 2014:11). It’s common to feel “stuck” (Todd, Smith & Bannister, 2006; Todd, Bannister & Clegg, 2004) Treated uncritically, the impressions created by emotions could underpin students’ “towardness” or “awayness” (Ahmed, 2014) in relation to their identities as researchers [or learners]. How I am using action learning in Higher Education “Thinking of yourself as a researcher, list 3 words which describe how you feel”. Undergraduate Education Studies dissertation students

How I am using action learning in Higher Education How action learning can support our students’ development Action Learning Sets can create structure(s) for beginning social science researchers that enable them to both enter communities of practice (peripherally) and also create communities of practice of beginning researchers. Treated critically, talk can mediate a deliberative ‘towardness’ in relation to social science undergraduates’ identities as researchers. Rand, 2015 Set members write questions on a post-it note; issue-holder chooses the questions they feel will best help them.

How I am using action learning in Higher Education How action learning can support our students’ development How action learning can support our own development We are learners….researchers…writers…leaders… How might we use action learning more widely at YSJ with learners within teams as researchers …as writers …leaders

References Ahmed, S. (2014) The Cultural Politics of Emotion. 2 nd ed. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. Coghlan, D., & Pedler, M. (2006) Action learning dissertations: structure, supervision and examination. Action Learning Research and Practice, 3 (2), pp Langston, D. (2012) An Introduction to Action Learning. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 21 June 2014] McGill. I., and Brockbank, A. (2004) The Action Learning Handbook. Powerful techniques for education, professional development & training. Abingdon, RoutledgeFalmer. Rand, J. (2015) Researching Undergraduate Social Science Research. Teaching in Higher Education. [Under review] Todd, M.J., Smith, K. and Bannister, P. (2006) Supervising a Social Science Undergraduate Dissertation: Staff Experiences and Perceptions. Teaching in Higher Education, 11 (2), pp Todd, M., Banister, P. and Clegg S. (2004) Independent inquiry and the undergraduate dissertation: perceptions and experiences of final-year social science students. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29 (3), pp