Karen McArdle

The Demands of the Double Shift: Communities of Practice in Continuing Professional Development.

Discussion of communities of practice in workplace learning is widespread. Here the authors seek to consider how we can make use of communities of practice theory in practical teaching in a formal undergraduate educational context. The concept of what the authors call the double shift is discussed; a shift from the workplace as community of practice to the educational institution then the shift back from the educational context to the workplace. The authors describe methods used to manage the transition between different communities based on reflection linked to the development of Continuing Professional Development programmes. They conclude that the learning that takes place in an educational context is in a dynamic relationship with the community of practice of the workplace and the methods proposed can contribute positively to this relationship.

A strong core of qualities—a model of the professional educator that moves beyond reflection

This paper seeks to move beyond reflective practice as an approach to continuing professional development in teaching and related professions. Drawing on experience of working with teachers in a Scottish Higher Education context, consideration is given to what makes a “good” teacher, leading to a new model proposal that emphasises the importance to continuing professional development of sense making. A strong core of qualities is identified as an important characteristic of teachers able to grow and develop practice. The composition, characteristics and action of this strong core are identified.

Voice, Discourse and Transformation: Enabling learning for the achieving of social change

This paper proposes that transformative social change by community educators is not achievable unless they can challenge the social, economic and political discourses that have an impact on the practice of community education. As educators of community workers, the authors regard the development of voice to be a prerequisite for the challenging of discourse. Voice provides the foundations for understanding what it means to be who one is and how change is needed and possible. Voice, we argue, is inseparable from criticality and we draw on Brookfields (2000) four traditions of criticality, in particular pragmatic constructivism, to link our understandings of voice. It is important, we conclude, to allow students to develop distinctive voices so that they become critically reflexive professionals who can work towards transformative social change. Shared and contrasting views on the development of voice are presented in a dialogical format to reflect the sometimes shared and sometimes contrasting voices of the two authors.

Does a nurturing approach that uses an outdoor play environment build resilience in children from a challenging background

Children from challenging backgrounds were brought to a woodland for a programme that sought to promote resilience at Camphill School. This qualitative study of one programme uses an ethnographic approach to research the effectiveness of this type of intervention. Case studies of three of the children are used to illustrate the ways in which resilience has been stimulated using the PERIK observation scale. The nurturing and outdoor dimensions of the project are considered instrumental in promoting resilience in early years children from a challenging background.

Developing a discourse of the postmodern community development professional

This article seeks to promote the generation of a discourse of the postmodern community work professional. A shared discourse will lead, we propose to shared capital. We argue that there is a tension between the modern and postmodern for those of us engaged in the profession of community learning and development (CL&D). We need to value reflexivity which allows the community worker to make sense of multiple discourses and to make the transition from modernism to postmodernism. We need in the CL&D profession to recognise that Marxist principles that we espoused in the 1980s may be enhanced by a new theoretical base that still values change.

Reflections on ethical dilemmas in working with so-called ‘vulnerable’ and ‘hard-to-reach’ groups: experiences from the Foodways and Futures project

Abstract This article reflects on ethical limitations and dilemmas encountered during fieldwork of the Foodways and Futures project (2013–2016). Foodways and Futures is a qualitative action research project aimed at exploring the food choices of former homeless young people (aged 16–25) in Aberdeenshire. In Scotland, where over 13,000 young people become homeless every year, Foodways and Futures aims to address social injustices as well as the implications of malnutrition in young people. Four interrelated main themes surrounding ethics became apparent during fieldwork: issues of communication, trust, issues with consent forms and power relations. Reflecting on these themes makes it clear that ethical guidelines are not necessarily beneficial for researchers as well as participants, especially if they are part of so-called vulnerable groups.

When practice takes precedence: conceptions of inquiry and the link to ethical posture

Using participatory action research (PAR), this paper explores the ethical practice of students engaged in practitioner research in a higher education context. Using narrative enquiry, the paper explores the participants’ experiences of practitioner research, including ethical dilemmas that resulted from a conflict of values between the practitioner and research roles. We postulate a multi-dimensional approach to ethical practice known as ‘ethical posture’ emerging from our consideration of conceptions of inquiry that resulted in contrasting ethical behaviour.

What makes a successful rural regeneration partnership? The views of successful partners and the importance of ethos for the community development professional

This case study of a rural regeneration project, known as the Mearns Area Project in the North of Scotland, explores how partners of the project define success. Drawing on interviews with the partners, I discuss how they define success and explore their perception of the underpinning causes of a successful project. I conclude that whilst outcomes as expected by funders and government authorities are important, ethos is an important contributing factor to the success of the project. Ethos, it is proposed, can be facilitated by community development professionals and should be an important part of their role in supporting similar rural regeneration partnerships.

Strategic Research Funding: A Success Story for Medical Mycology

The Wellcome Trust Strategic Award in Medical Mycology and Fungal Immunology is a unique investment that aimed to bolster capacity, training and research activity throughout the UK. This article summarises the rationale for collective collaboration of multiple institutions to achieve synergies and address a common medical problem.

Creating Meaning and Communication

When thinking about Values, it is important to remember that analysis and interpretation of data requires that the researcher keep in mind assumptions and is careful to be clear about his/her own Values. This is the time when Values play an important part in analysis and interpretation of data as the researcher is the instrument that is making the decisions and choices about what is chosen to be included in a write-up and how far the findings are going to be interpolated or extrapolated. The analysis of a qualitative interview contains the story told to the researcher and the story told by the researcher to those who will read it or hear it. Brinkmann and Kvale (2015) refer to the triple hermeneutics of the interview, for example, where the understanding of the interview by the interviewee is the first hermeneutic. The second is the interpretation of the meaning of this by the researcher. The third hermeneutic put simply is the change the meaning may have for people’s understandings of the everyday world when it is reported or the change it may make to the original interviewee’s understanding of their reality. Communication of our findings also requires choices and clarity of Values.