1. Sue Lyle and Nick Andrews
Facilitating meaningful dialogue around diverse kinds of knowledge
The Community of Enquiry
University of St. Andrews, March 21, 2016
Sue Lyle and Nick Andrews

2. Background
The DEEP approach to improving health and social services with older people was developed and tried-out in five places in Wales and one place in Scotland, in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) during 2014/15.
Research findings were synthesized into accessible narratives for dissemination to stakeholders working in social care with older people including front line staff, managers, policy makers commissioners etc.
Nick met Sue and together they used the COE approach to disseminate the research narratives.
JRF wanted to ensure the research was shared with those working in the field and supported the proposed approach.
Developing Evidence-Enriched Practice

3. The Community of Enquiry
In a COE a group of people come together to explore a question they raise themselves.
ctions

4. The Enquiry Process
A COE takes place ideally with participants sitting in an open circle, facilitated by a trained facilitator.
Initial activities provide an introduction to the conceptual nature of the process.
A stimulus is presented to provoke individual reflective thinking
Pairs and small groups formulate questions.
One question is democratically chosen as the focus for enquiry.
The facilitator seeks to support, not direct the group enquiry.
Following the enquiry participants have time to review and reflect on the process and the outcomes.

5. Key purpose of COE
To help both homogeneous and heterogeneous groups explore their attitudes, perceptions and values towards things that are important to them in order to identify underlying assumptions and consider the implications of the views held.

6. Intellectual roots in philosophy
Plato
Practical wisdom;
Sophia: ethical contemplation;
episteme: scientific knowledge.
Socratic approach to dialogue
The unexamined life is not worth living – what is a good life?
Aristotelian virtue ethics
Phronesis
Aesthetics: the rational and affective
- the unexamined life is not worth living –
- what is the good life?

7. Ethical considerations
Underpinned by principles of participatory democracy
All voices are valued across power divides.
Respect and open-mindedness support ethical listening and speaking.
Difference is valued and alternative interpretations expected
Respectful disagreement is the engine of enquiry

8. The 4Cs of Thinking Critical thinking Caring thinking
During enquiry emphasis is placed on the quality of thinking with an explicit focus on:
Critical thinking
Evidence and reason
Caring thinking
Virtues e.g. respectful listening, social justice
Collaborative thinking
Commitment to dialogue
Creative thinking
Thinking outside the rational box

9. The 4Cs of concepts
Questions must be conceptual and meet the 4Cs criteria:
common,
central
contestable
connectable to experience
Can care workers be friends with residents?
If we have a policy on restraint will it become the first rather than the last option?
Does emotions have a place in the work place?
When does a group of people become a community?

10. Role of the facilitator
The process draws on philosophical tools to drive the enquiry.
Procedural questioning
questioning to improve the quality of thinking, e.g.,
asking for reasons
calling for clarification,
asking for examples and counter-examples,
calling for distinctions
identifying assumptions and implications
calling for agreement and disagreement
Substantive questioning
questioning to improve participants’ exploration of the concepts embedded in their questions for enquiry

11. Example
If we have a policy on restraint will it become the first rather than the last option?
The COE values the tacit knowledge of front line staff
Facilitation:
Called for critical incidents
Toileting
Bank manager
Revealed phronesis – practical wisdom – in action.
Toileting: wants versus needs

12. During enquiry participants:
Challenged managerialism and instrumental accountability; questioned its ability to promote well-being.
Problematised rules when they are barriers to meeting expressed needs.
Demonstrated practical wisdom and commitment to social justice and care for the vulnerable
. Demonstrate emotional sensitivity and empathy to arrive at good judgement.
Bank manager. It reveals the structures and processes that can be barriers to acting wisely. The source of his anger was injustice and by tearing up the form she showed her commitment to do what she judged to be right and thereby broke the rules.  A Rational approach proved inadequate and was balanced by phronesis. Her concern was the well-being of the man and her actions were informed by both reason and affect. By bringing this example to the COE she was able to talk with others about the ambiguity she experienced and her uncertainties.

13. What do we gain from the COE?
Through the process of enquiry participants:
Clarify and explicate personal conceptions
Better understand the enquiry topic and the conceptions of other participants.
Arrive at better conceptions than they could have articulated alone.
Become better at philosophical and collaborative enquiry.
Develop a stronger community.
Golding 2014/5?

14. Different uses for the COE
An ethical tool to inform the study of everyday wisdom to inform praxis in the workplace.
Staff development tool
Consultation tool
Values clarification tool
Qualitative research tool

15. Training The role of the facilitator is crucial to the process.
We have developed a two-day training programme for facilitators adapted from the SAPERE model used to train teachers.
There is a need for a ‘training the trainers’ pathway so experienced facilitators of the COE can train other facilitators

16. Epistemological assumptions
Narrative understanding is the primary meaning-making tool.
Dialogic engagement is the key to self-knowledge and intersubjectivity.
Knowledge is not fixed and should be subjected to careful scrutiny through dialogue
There are different ‘truths’ in the world that depend on culture, settings, context and experience.
Reason and emotion are important components of dialogue.