Anette Olin

Understanding leading as travelling practices

In this paper, we propose the concept of leading as travelling practices in order to understand how enhanced pedagogical practices ‘catch on’ in educational sites. Drawing on parallel case studies in Australia, Sweden and Norway, we analyse how leading practices moved within and between settings, transforming the discursive, material and social conditions for teaching and learning. We examine the composition and ecological connections of these leading practices with professional learning and pedagogical practices in schools and pre-schools. We conclude that practice-informed lens can shed new light on the spread of practices, which foster the conditions necessary for transformed pedagogy.

Features of an Emerging Practice and Professional Development in a Science Teacher Team Collaboration with a Researcher Team

This study concerns teaching and learning development in science through collaboration between science teachers and researchers. At the core was the ambition to integrate research outcomes of science education—here ‘didactic models’—with teaching practice, aligned with professional development. The phase where the collaboration moves from initial establishment towards a stable practice is investigated. The study aims to identifying features of formation and exploring consequences for the character of contact between research and teaching. Specific questions are “What may be identified as actions and arrangements impacting the quality and continuation of the emerging practice?” and “What and in what ways may support teacher growth?” The analysis draws on practice architectures as a theoretical framework and specifically investigates the initial meetings as a practice-node for a new practice, empirically drawing on documented reflections on science teaching, primarily from meetings and communication. The results take the form of an analytical-narrative account of meetings that focused planning, enactment and reflection on teaching regarding the human body. We identify enabling actions such as collaborative work with concrete material from the classroom and arrangements such as the regular meetings and that the collaborative group had a core of shared competence—in science teaching and learning. Constraining were actions such as introducing research results with weak connection to practical action in the school practice and arrangements such as differences between school and university practice architectures and the general ‘oppression’ of teachers’ classroom practice. The discussion includes reflections on researchers’ roles and on a research and practice base for school development.

Bringing Ideals into Dialogue with Practices: On the Principles and Practices of the Nordic Network for Action Research.

In this article we present the Nordic Network for Action Research, established in 2004. We describe how the network has explored, bridged and nurtured the inherent action research dynamics of ideology and methodology. This has been done through an understanding anchored in educational traditions, and by focus on three important ideal-shaping Nordic educational concepts: bildung, folk enlightenment and pedagogy. The specific procedures used for learning based on dialogue have been scrutinized and transformed into activities. These activities are being developed in the network, and used in collaboration with researchers and with teachers and leaders in preschools and schools. The article concludes the importance of ongoing global conversations, based on openness, shared democratic values and collaboration between various participants.

Partnership and recognition in action research: understanding the practices and practice architectures for participation and change

Abstract This article is the first and introductory article of this special issue. The article gives a societist account of the principles of partnership and recognition as they are encountered and experienced in practices in action research. A societist account of practices requires a social theory for understanding practices. Therefore, the article utilises the resources of a contemporary form of practice theory, the theory of practice architectures and ecologies of practices, to lay down the foundation for conceptualising partnerships and recognition. Specifically, it introduces the theory as a foundation for the other articles in this special issue which, as a collective, examine the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that enable and constrain particular kinds of partnerships and recognition that exist or evolve in site-based education development. Additionally, the article presents theoretical considerations concerning the principles of partnership and recognition that emerge as enmeshments of one another which mutually form, reform and transform practices in action research.

Facilitating Democratic Professional Development: Exploring the Double Role of Being an Academic Action Researcher.

Abstract This article focuses on the double role of the academic action researcher working as facilitator and researcher in democratic professional development projects. The inquiry is based on three partnership projects: ‘research circles’ in Sweden, ‘dialogue conferences’ in Norway and ‘tailored professional development’ in Finland. In a self-study and through the lens of practice architectures, we, as action researchers, explore how our practices are enabled and constrained in, as well as are enabling and constraining, professional development partnerships with teachers and educational leaders. A critical perspective is provided on how and what democratic practices evolve. The inquiry opens up understandings about how the academic action researcher’s practices entails multi-faceted ways of working to be able to accomplish different and somehow contradictory objectives, yet at the same time enacting democratic working methods. Furthermore, the act of recognition as a connecting aspect between prefiguring arrangements and evolving practices will be elaborated on to supplement perspectives offered by the theory of practice architectures.

Editorial and dedication to Roslin Brennan Kemmis

The articles in this Educational Action Research special issue on ‘Partnership and Recognition’, whose authors are collaborators in the international Pedagogy Education and Praxis (PEP) research network, investigate questions concerning two key concepts: 1) different kinds of partnerships in site-based education development, and 2) the critical role of recognition – as a basic condition of humanity – as these are played out in the day-to-day experiences and practices of people participating and collaborating in educational change. These concepts of partnership and recognition are well reported in the literature to be central ideas that hold together the practices of action research as site-based education development. They are taken up variously by the authors of each article in their exploration of the ways in which practitioner learning and development (in schools, school districts, universities and workplaces) is held in place by practices and the practice architectures that enable and constrain their enactment. From this, therefore, practice theory is given a prime place in each article by illuminating how change, learning and development practices are experienced by people in a range of partnerships. The concepts of partnership and recognition are discussed theoretically, methodologically and empirically. They are taken up both in terms of the agency and actions of individuals and collectives as they encounter one another in change, learning and development, and in terms of the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political preconditions that make these practices possible. These preconditions are considered as both enabling and/or constraining the practices that they prefigure but do not necessarily pre-determine in different situations and circumstances. This is a view of the kinds of practices that each author considers to be intricately influential on partnerships and recognition. Before going further, however, the publication of this collection of articles pays tribute to the work of Roslin Brennan Kemmis. Ros Brennan Kemmis, affectionately known as Rozzie to her friends and colleagues, sadly passed away during the preparation of the articles for this edition. We pay tribute to Ros because, as an original guest editor of this special issue, without her wisdom, forethought and mentorship the articles presented herewith would not have materialised. Ros was a key member of the PEP international research network, and co-leader of the PEP Partnership and Recognition research group. Not only was Ros a champion for education, she was an inspirational woman whose humility, humour and genuine care and respect for everyone around her was admirable. She was a mentor and advocate. She truly embodied the vision for education declared by Charles Sturt University (where she worked for many decades):