TakingYourselfSeriously

=Taking Yourself Seriously= =A Fieldbook of Processes of Research and Engagement= Peter Taylor and Jeremy Szteiter Work in Progress, September 2008

> Commentaries
 * Introduction**

> Tools for each Phase > Tools Applicable Across More than One Phase > Illustrations
 * I. Phases of Research and Engagement**

> Overview > Elaboration of Aspects of Action Research > Case Study > Tools > Connections to other Frameworks for Action Research and Extensions in some notable organizations
 * II. Action Research Cycles and Epicycles**


 * III. Teaching/Learning for Reflective Practice**


 * Annotated Index**



Introduction
Why another book on research and writing? In short, because the approach presented here is not well covered by other texts. Whatever your level of confidence and comfort in research and writing, this book provides ways for you to become more "engaged." There may be a specific question or a general issue that you think is worth investigating, but how important is that inquiry to you personally? Does it reflect your aspirations, or is the inquiry more directed to meet the expectations of others? Will it help you take action to change your work, life, or wider social arrangements? Will it help you build relationships with others in such action, in pursuing the inquiry effectively and communicating the outcomes? For a car to run its gears need to be engaged with each other; so also your research and writing will progress well if you can bring into alignment your questions and ideas, your aspirations, your ability to take or influence action, and your relationships with other people. This integration of the 4H's—head, heart, hands, and human connections—is what we mean by //taking yourself seriously//.

The approach presented in this book originated in a workshop-style research course of Peter's in which the undergraduate students investigated issues that concerned them about the social impact of science. It has been developed further through Peter's subsequent work in a mid-career personal and professional development graduate program where he has advised over one hundred Master's "synthesis" projects and taught two research and writing courses that prepare students for their final projects. These courses have accommodated the very diverse interests of students—from the routinisation of prenatal ultrasound screening to preparation for working as an editorial cartoonist; from adult education for low-income women to improving communication in the operating room. The range of projects means that the courses cannot focus on specialized knowledge in any one discipline and students have to develop their projects without the instructor being an expert in each individual's area of interest. Four features of the courses have been key in addressing the challenges of this situation; they inform this book:

1. A framework of ten //phases of research and engagement// that the researchers move through, then revisit in light of: a) other people's responses to the writing and oral reports you share with others; and b) what you learn using tools from the other phases. This sequence and iteration allows researchers to define projects in which you take your personal and professional aspirations seriously, even if that means letting go of preconceptions of what you “ought” to be doing. These phases and tools are presented in Part I, together with illustrations of their use in the development of a project by Jeremy.

2. A framework for Action Research that emphasizes //reflection and dialogue// through which researchers revisit and revise the ideas you have about what action is needed and about how to build a constituency to implement the change. This reflection and dialogue adds “epicycles” to the traditional cycle of action research. This framework is presented in Part II. This is followed by excerpts from a second, related project of Jeremy's that illustrates the framework as it was experienced by someone learning to use it. Then follows a description of tools useful for the reflection and dialogue, constituency building, evaluation and inquiry, and planning that contribute to action research. Part II ends with a short discussion of Action Research and its extensions in some notable organizations.

3. //Dialogue around written work//—written and spoken comments on each installment of a project and successive revision in response—which allows the advisor (instructor) to accumulate a portfolio for you as advisee (student) that facilitates generative interactions even when your advisor is not an expert in your project's topic. By “generative” we mean that researchers bring to the surface, form, and articulate your ideas. This process is evident in the illustrations in Parts I and II and discussed further in Part III.

4. //Making space for taking initiative in and through relationships//: Don't expect to learn or change or to teach without jostling among six aspects of teaching/learning relationships: building horizontal peer relationships; negotiating power and standards; exploring difference; acknowledging that affect is involved in what you're doing and not doing (and in how others respond to that); developing autonomy (so that you are neither bowled over or impervious to feedback); and clearing away distractions from other sources (present and past) so you can "be here now." This perspective is woven into Part III's discussion of Teaching/Learning for Reflective Practice.

The book's approach to students' development as researchers and agents of change arose in interdisciplinary and non-traditional programs of study, but it should be helpful for students in regular fields or disciplines of study—as well as for researchers who are no longer enrolled formally as students. The kind of help the approach provides depends, however, where in the spectrum of students you lie. Just as some children learn to read with little instruction, there are some students who have little trouble learning to define a hypothesis that can be studied with the methods provided by their field or discipline, and to report on their research within the standard writing conventions and publication format. If you operate at that end of the spectrum, the integration of the 4Hs that emerges through the four features above should help you branch out in new directions rather than simply continuing along previous lines. At the other end of the spectrum lie students who seem alienated from the expectations of any one discipline and struggle to complete their research and writing. If this has been your experience, the prize you should keep your eye on is not the endpoint of the completed project, but the possibility of a project that engages you. To find this you need to push the expectations of others aside for long enough to explore connect your head with your heart, to give voice to your aspirations to build connections with others to change your work, lives, and wider social arrangements. In between these two poles there are many diligent students who eventually meet disciplinary standards, but ask for more input in generating research questions and editing written work than their advisors like and take longer than everyone hoped. These students are often susceptible to doubt and procrastination—am I really doing something worthwhile for society and for myself? If this picture fits you, paying more attention to the 4H's can also help you become more confident and comfortable about the directions of research and engagement that you choose. In summary, the variety of tools for research and writing presented here constitute an invitation to all kinds of student and researcher to take yourself seriously. 
 * **Comments from former students looking back on the influence of the research courses out of which this book has arisen**

//Jane, a healthcare professional and story-teller// "I learned is to 'hold my ideas loosely', which means accepting my own idea as a valid one but always leaving the space open to take in the counterarguments."

"I learned to give myself permission to be circular and come back to previous steps or thoughts, and I actually became more comfortable doing so."

"I was able to get engaged in a project that I was able to actually use in work, which was extremely satisfying. The whole process encouraged me, and I felt very empowered as a change agent, which could be an exhiliarating feeling."

//Michelle, a biologist-turned-web designer// "I really had not been used to thinking about my own thinking, so learning to do that also helped me to slow down and start to look away from the career path that I had been taking for granted."

//Laura, a teacher// "Doing good research involves not just letting the information of others supersede your own, but thinking about your own understanding as lying at the top of past research, standing beyond it but also being supported by it."

"I found that my experience in the courses helped me to accept feedback from other professionals. I am more comfortable with listening to why my own ideas might not work or need further evaluation. This even happens to the point where I find reasons now to seek out this kind of feedback."

"I have become much more patient with people, recognizing more fully that people have their own timelines and that students need to have some freedom to say when they have had enough during a learning experience."

"I now consider reflection and sharing an important part of evolution of a person in their learning. Reflection means not only thinking about our own experiences and retrieving memories or feelings, but also then sharing reflections with others as a way of allowing the self to receive feedback. Doing this shows a sophistication as a learner."

//Matthew, an adult educator// "I took away the idea of putting one’s action into a ritual, where the ritual is a way of helping oneself create some consistency in organizing the process of work and even developing habits of work that have a sacred quality."

"I had viewed research as a process of collecting information into a sort of database and reviewing it effectively. I have now revised my notions to include a more broad understanding of interconnectedness between people and ideas. An important part of research is to keep relationships going."

"I liked the way that the courses helped me to learn to play with confusion, and to consider this in my own teaching. I have come to see confusion mostly as an indication that people are uncomfortable with freedom and want to get comfortable by knowing what is expected."

//Cole, a teacher, currently working in publishing// "One of the most useful idea from the courses was the use of dialogue, which helps to slow down the procedures used by the company. There's a tension between management's need to make quick decisions and desire to have real dialogue around proposed changes—changes to the internal company operational procedures as well as to evaluating the quality of what the company is doing with its publications." ||

//insert more commentary from alums of the courses//