Ideas to Blend Theory and Practice

2. Resources for Thinking about What Influences Learning, Theory and Practice

Linda Purrington

a. Living Theories

McNiff and Whitehead (2010), discuss living theory as follows:

"Offering explanations is the ground for creating your own theory of practice....Your theory of practice is not static; it is living, part of your life...Your living theory or practice is your explanation of why you are doing things the way you are. You are making your practice problematic by questioning taken-for-granted assumptions (yours and others), and by questioning whether you are living your values in your practice. You are stating reasons for action in terms of your values, and showing how you can justify your action in terms of what you believe is a right way of living. You can then go on to show the potential significance of your living theory for wider social and political debates. Your living theory is created from within your work and represents your best thinking. It is always developing because you are always in a process of development" (p. 47)

In order to spark thinking about mental models, mental maps, different kinds of learning (single, double, and triple/transformational), theories of action (espoused theory and theory in action), and barriers to personal and organizational learning, I invite students to read, think about, and discuss a number of books and articles. The purpose of these readings is to discover the importance of continuously surfacing and challenging the beliefs, values, and assumptions that underlie our actions as action researchers in order to engage in transformational learning and new ways of being.

• Adams, M. (2009). Change your questions, change your life: 10 powerful tools for life and work. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

Highlight Quote: "Question thinking is a system of tools for transforming thinking, action, and results through skillful question asking--questions we ask ourselves as well as those we ask others" (p. 26)

• Costa, A., Kalaheo, H. & Lipton, L. (2001). Holonomy: paradox and promise. ( need to finish reference citation)

Highlight Quote: "A holonomous system captures the promise of stability, growth and learning. However,because all life forces are simultaneously independent and interdependent, self-assertive and integrative,whole unto themselves yet always a part of systems larger than themselves—holonomy also presents a paradox. This article presents holonomy, the paradox and the promise, as the fountainhead of continuous human growth and intellectual development. Its purpose is to identify and describe both the dynamic tensions inherent in the paradox, as well as the systemic resources necessary for its resolution" (p.?).

• Dweck, C. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Highlight Quote: "Mindsets are an important part of your personality, but you can change them. Just by knowing about the two mindsets (fixed and growth), you can start thinking and reacting in new ways" (p. 46

• Knight, J. (1998). Do schools have learning disabilities? Focus on Exceptional Children, 30(9), 1-14.

Highlight Quote: "The fact that teachers learn and implement research-validated practices at a disappointing rate is the premise for the observation that organizations may fail to learn because they are structured or cultured in ways that inhibit organizational learning" (p. ?).

• Lindsey, Roberts & Campbelljones. (2005). The culturally proficient school: An implementation guide for school leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Chapter Seven: Leading in a Culture of Learning and Transformational Change

Highlight Quote: " In single loop learning, an individual does not question the appropriateness or rightness of an action or the assumptions from whit it derives; the single change made is in the manner in which an individual performs the action. In double loop learning, an individual questions the assumptions or frames of reference from which the action emerged: the two levels of change are reshaping ways of thinking and learning to do different things. The triple loop pattern of learning adds another level of learning by engaging an individual in examining his or her perception of who he or she is and what his or her role or purpose is, and transforming that self-image into new ways of seeing himself or herself and his or her purpose" (p. 148)

• Smith, M. K. (2001, 2013). ‘Chris Argyris: theories of action, double-loop learning and organizational learning’, the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/chris-argyris-theories-of-action-double-loop-learning-and-organizational-learning/. Retrieved: 9-24-17.

Highlight Quote: "Our starting point is Argyris and Schön’s (1974) argument that people have mental maps with regard to how to act in situations. This involves the way they plan, implement and review their actions. Furthermore, they assert that it is these maps that guide people’s actions rather than the theories they explicitly espouse. What is more, fewer people are aware of the maps or theories they do use (Argyris, 1980). One way of making sense of this is to say that there is split between theory and action. However, Argyris and Schön suggest that two theories of action are involved".

• Smith, M.K. (1996, 1999). 'Reflection, learning and education', the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/reflection-leaering-and-education/ . Retrieved: 9-24-17]

Highlight Quote: "The act of reflecting-on-action enables us to spend time exploring why we acted as we did, what was happening in a group and so on. In so doing we develop sets of questions and ideas about our activities and practice".

Surfacing Assumptions

Surfacing and challenging assumptions are an important and ongoing aspect of action research. James, Milenkiewicz, & Bucknam (2008) communicate,

It is a natural human foible to assume that we know and understand any context or circumstance in which we find ourselves, whether we base that assumption on verifiable data or not (presumption, arrogance). Indeed, if people could not assume that their understanding was correct, they would spend all of their time verifying evidence and never move forward on projects. On the other hand, to base a research project on an assumption is to base its reasoning on unsure ground from the very beginning. For this reason, it is necessary to become conscious of what is an assumption and what is not. Finally, as with cultural proficiency issues, assuming we know something about the lives of other individuals without checking those assumptions before we make decisions creates a presumption and may be perceived as arrogant—the third definition above” (p.51).

c. Surfacing Assumptions Activity

The following Surfacing Assumptions activity was authored by James, A., Milenkiewicz, M. & Bucknam, A. (2008, pp. 50-52). For this activity, action researchers beginning to identify a focus for their study and a direction for their first cycle are invited to create a document and begin with a table with four columns.

In column one, list thoughts and beliefs about the proposed issue or topic. In the second column, describe the qualitative evidence that supports the statement in the first column. In the third column, list the quantitative evidence that supports the statement in the first column. In the fourth column, consider the strength of all evidence and rate the information on a scale of 1-10 to determine if it builds a convincing case for the truth or validity of the statements.

Table 1: Questions on Assumptions Template

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4

What you know Qualitative data Quantitative data Rate on a scale of 1-10

or think you know available to verify available to verify where 10 constitutes a

about your topic this knowledge this knowledge convincing argument and

1 is pure assumption

A rating of 8-10 suggests strong evidence for statement. This is an unlikely choice for future research. A rating of 0-4 indicates little or no evidence for statement. You will need to conduct a basic search of the literature before you can decide if you want to pursue this statement further. A rating of 5-7 may suggest this issue is an adequate choice for a first round of inquiry, as you would base research on some knowledge but need additional proof for verification.