STAR-C Chats

StoryTelling for Social Change and Action Research

The 15th  STAR-C Chat  took take place on  

Wednesday, Apr 3, 2024

Time: 10:00 am PST 

Guest Speaker: Melissa Rowker, Director of Global Education, The International Education And Resource Network (iEARN) 

iEARN-USA’s Storytelling for Social Change builds global leaders by engaging Algerian, Tunisian, and American high school-aged youth in global collaboration to tell stories about real world issues in their local communities. The virtual exchange draws on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to explore the transformative power of storytelling. Throughout the program, participants learn how to use several techniques and tools to develop, record, edit, and publish their stories. 

The current work builds on the   Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Digital Storytelling Workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh, hosted by iEARN-USA, iEARN-Bangladesh, and the YES program. Learn more about the workshop and view all four digital story telling films on YouTube. See first Link at the left. 

During the talk Carlos Chiu shares a video of students in Peru taking social action and using digital storytelling videos to share their work. It is also linked at the left. 

Climate Change and Youth Participatory Action Research 

The 14th  STAR-C Chat  took take place on  

Wednesday, Feb 7, 2024

Time: 10:00 am PST 

Guest Speaker: Carlos Chiu, Director of Colegio de Ciencias in Huanuco Peru with two high school presenters, Oriana and Gerson, who have recently returned from their presentation at the UN Climate Action Conference COP28 Conference in United Emerites. 

Two very dedicated high school climate change scientists from Peru- Oriana and Gerson shared their ideas about climate change and how they are taking action.  They shared their recent journey to the  United Nations Climate Science COP28 Conference in Dubia and their experience in presenting their ideas for addressing climate change and suggesting green roofs in Huánuco, Peru.  They shared their work before the conference and told us about the Manifest that the youth wrote collectively.   Finally, they reported on their learning from the #Decarbonize Project.  We appreciated the students taking the time to chat with us especially in a language, English, that they learned to be able to present at the World Conference. 

Some Climate Action Resources to help you design action research in this area:

https://www.weareteachers.com/climate-action/

Innovation, Education, and Artificial Intelligence 

The 13th  STAR-C Chat  took take place on  

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023

Time: 10:00 am PST 

Guest Speaker: Brian Arnold, Department Chair Global Innovation, Social Emotional Learning, and Educational Technology at Sanford College of Education, National University

Brian Arnold has his Ph.D. in Educational Technology and Educational Psychology. Brian spent the first half of his career focused on media arts (film, games, design) and later teaching / administration in those disciplines. His research interests include AI, the metaverse, media, motivation, innovation, learning, gamification, and play. Early career highlights include working as an editor for Nickelodeon Animation Studios in the late 90s on shows like SpongeBob SquarePants. 

The conversation moved from how AI can help students and also the large-scale concerns that such tools will be used in ways that promote inequities in our society and threaten democracies. 

            Resources for Exploring AI

The Use and Misuse of AI in Action Research Courses 

The 12th  STAR-C Chat  took place on  

June 2, 2023

Time: 9:00 am PST  (UTC -7 hours)

Teaching with and about Learning Machines

Prof. Margaret Riel, Director of the Center for Collaborative Actioin Research, provided a quick tour of AI and it possible uses and challenges for those who teach action research.  

AI is in YOUR future, so it is time to think about how you plan to interact with it and for you to develop your ideas about it. Join us for a session at the Action Research Network of the Americas Conference focused on

Teaching Action Research with AI tools.

Note: The chat  took place on FRIDAY, June 2 at 9:00am PST within the  Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) Conference

It is time to

• Learn how AI works (see below for a link an educational chatbot and resources)

• Explore what it can be used for- experimenting is a good learning strategy

• Evolve new prompting strategies to get the best results- what can you ask? - 

• Create thoughtful strategies for evaluating results- see AI created example

• Teach new ethical guidelines for using external collective thinking tools.

            Resources for Exploring AI

El Lesson Study -- una forma de Investigación Acción

The 11th  STAR-C Chat  took place on  

May 3, 2023

Time: 10:00 am PT  (UTC -7 hours)

The Chat (IN SPANISH ONLY) included two presentations about Lesson Study. Lesson study is a collaborative approach to learning how to teach.  It involves a strategic plan for teaching planned and implemented by teachers working together in a team.  Both presentations described the main aspects of learning and teaching in Lesson Study where teachers participate in the shared creation of a lesson that each of the teachers in the team implements in their own classrooms. 

In the first by Dr. Encarnación Soto Gómez, Faculty of Education, Universidad de Málagaand sharing information about Lesson Study from their new book:  Aprender a Enseñar  para Enseñar a Aprender (Spanish). Dr. Encarnación Soto Gomez presented aspects of the ten years of collaborative Lesson Study work at the faculty of Education of the Universidad de Málaga and the Universidad Nacional in Ecuador. (see Newsletter review of the book for more information, coming  soon) 

The second presentation was by Ellen Zhang an assistant professor of teaching at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Education University of Hong Kong. She  introduced how  lesson study is used in Hong Kong to promote teachers' professional development. Because she was in Hong Kong and time zones did not line up, she provided an annotated powerpoint that was translated into Spanish and her text was read with the slides. 

The Chat discussion center on understanding how this practical approach to building collective teaching knowledge has been transported across cultures and it's ability to create professional communities for learning.

Language Learning, Action Research and language education policies

The 10th  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on Feb 1, 2023

The discussion was moderated by a team of professors who support action research among teachers who teach languages.  

• Marjan Asgari from South Tyrol Italy, 

• Angela Gallagher from London, England, 

• Larisa Kasumagić- Kafedžić from Sarajevo, currently Cornell Ithaca and 

• Christine Lechner from Tyrol Austria, 

They shared their experiences working with teachers from many countries supporting their action research process to enhance the learning of languages.  They have also started a discussion in a blog entry. The blog is the place to go to continue the chat-- please tell us more about your experiences with language teaching and learning with action research. 

The slides can be viewed in the video, or viewed separately. There were some references shared in the chat during the chat that can be seen here.  Continue the discussion in the blog. 

Professional Development for College Professors through Action Research

The ninth  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on Oct  5, 2022

We invited representatives from two groups to share their effects on professional development through action research. Robert Moreno presented the first program, The Teachership Academy in El Paso, Texas, USA, where they have been supporting small cohorts (10-20 professors) doing action research on their teaching. This program has been in place for over a decade improving community college instruction through action research. The second program, presented by Alexandrea Rockey, focused on the newly formed Center for Learning and Applied Research at Bakersfield College in CA, USA, where they support faculty to engage in action research.  The discussion center on design and implementation features. 

Can the Development of a Revised Model of Innovative Practices Recreate Leadership in California Schools?

The Eighth  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  June 1, 2022

Our chat topic was facilitated by five researchers based on their current work within California's highest performing, low socioeconomic status schools. The team leading the chat will be Dr. Wayne Padover, Dr. Susan Belenardo, Dr. Donald Wise, Dr. William Loose, and Dr. Teri Marcos.  They are exploring the leadership to understand how the highly effective schools are making innovative changes. The goal is to create new models for educational equity in schools across the state.  There are a number of models of innovation but they lack the research-the empirical data that support the process of innovation.  How can we create learning organizations in schools? This Chat will help you think about how school districts have learned what works well in creating transformational schools. 

Action Research and the Attack on Democracy 

The Seventh  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  April 13, 2022

Dr. Lonnie Rowell challenged us to connect world events with our teaching of action research.  On Feb. 23, people in the US who were tuned in to the late evening news witnessed the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As historian Heather Cox Richardson (2022) wrote on Feb. 23 regarding the invasion, “It not only has broken a long period of peace in Europe, it has brought into the open that authoritarians are indeed trying to destroy democracy.”

Those of us who value action research and all forms of participatory and practitioner research find ourselves at critical crossroads. To the extent that we understand that the spirit of democracy lies at the heart of our approaches to knowledge production and dissemination, we understand that the terrible plight of Ukraine is our plight as well. The effort to destroy democracy, if it is allowed to proceed unchecked, will without a doubt come knocking at the doors of those who encourage, nurture, teach and engage in participatory research around the world. This chat focused on the challenges of this moment and what’s to be done. See slides and reading list. 

Inside Out: Understanding the Social/Emotional Implications of the Global Pandemic

The Sixth  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  Feb 9, 2022

This chat was moderated by Dr. Aubrey Uresti and Dr. Suzy Thomas, the Co-Chairs of Action Research Communities of the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA). They engaged the participants in online activities to explore the social-emotional issues of learning and how these might collide with online learning. They discussed ways to overcome isolation, increase productivity and normalize feelings of grief related to personal and professional losses during the pandemic. To learn more about this topic and Drs. Uresti and Thomas see the article they co-wrote Action Research Communities: Reimagining Networking and Collaboration in a Global Pandemic - Social Publishers Foundation

Education and Action Research for Sustainability 

The Fifth  STAR-C Chat  (password: VP?k8ZZi) was recorded on  Dec 1, 2021

Dr. Franz Rauch, Professor at the Institute of Instructional and School Development (IUS) at the Alpen-Ada University Klagenfurt (Austria) began the CHAT by describing action research as a toolbox for education for sustainable development and transformative learning. He shared the connection between the Institute’s projects on sustainable development and research activities in teacher education and schools. Carlos Chiu, Director of Colegio de Ciencias in Peru, introduced educators from Brazil and Kenya.  Educator Jorge Assad and his student team from Sao Paolo, Brazil described sustainable projects at their high school, including composting, recycling, and aquaponics. Educator Mary Gabriel from Kenya spoke about students' voices at COP26 and the importance of world leader support and resources for education and action for sustainability. Ideas were shared and discussed student networking, students as global citizens, disseminating student work, and awareness-raising. 

Technology and Data Collection 

The Fourth  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  Oct 6, 2021

Donna Benson described how the collection, organization, and analysis of data can be a stumbling block both for new action researchers and for teachers of Action Research.  Using no-code software tools such as the Microsoft Power Apps, Power Automate,  and Power BI suite --  can make it easier to work in teams to collect and organize data in a format that easily be retrieved and analyzed.  Donna described how she utilized these tools with a group of university students working on community-based food security initiatives. This led to a wider discussion of the role of templates and technology in organizing and supporting groups of students with different projects.

Ethics and Action Research 

The Third  STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  Aug 4, 2021 

Ethical issues in action research was a topic that was raised at our session at the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA).  Since this was one of the topics we explored as part of the resources for teaching action research we decided to make it the focus of our Chat.  Matthew Moors led the sessions by reviewing resources already on this website and adding some additional resources.  One was the Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics :  https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Note: Our June 3, 2021  scheduled Chat overlapped with the ARNA (Action Research Network of the Americas) Virtual Conference, and we held our discussion as part of the virtual conference.  The session was recorded as a part of the conference and will soon be available (check www.arnawebsite.org ) 

How to teach reflection skills to novice action researchers

The second STAR-C Chat  was recorded on  April 7, 2021 

Matthew Moors started us with a metaphorical trip through the forest in England to help us think more deeply about teaching reflection. He suggests a method of slowing his mind to feel connected to the earth and the sky. He called this relaxation in nature "forest bathing" and continues to use nature to help think about how reflection supports action research. Geitza Rebolledo called on a number of scholars to define the process of reflection thinking deeply from experience to practice.   She points us to different paradigms, epistemologies, and ethics around reflection. Teri Marcus shows the work on the STAR-C website around the topic of reflection. Each of these short discussions was used to stimulate a group discussion around reflection.