Rescheduled: 30-31 August 2018
Action research is action and research. It is a process for personal and professional and organisational (and community) improvement. And at the same time it is a research methodology that allows change to be both achieved and researched.
But above all it is an attitude or mindset. It is about being prepared for whatever happens. It combines intense curiosity about what is actually happening with a willingness to seek excellence through informed and ongoing trial and error.
It is therefore a relevant way of engaging with work, and play ... and life.
In an increasingly faster-paced and complex world it is becoming even more relevant.
Who is it for?
This workshop is designed for people who wish to improve their own practice, their own situation, or who wish to research a changing environment. It allows change to be achieved with others in ways that are genuinely democratic and collaborative.
People who will benefit include:
- Practitioners in any field who wish to improve their own practice
- Managers and team leaders (including in the public and community sectors) who wish to improve their team, unit or organisation
- Workers in community development who wish to bring about community improvement
- Researchers who wish to do very applied research that achieves both relevance and rigour
- Qualitative researchers who wish to enlarge their knowledge of research techniques and skills, or involve their informants more directly in the research
- Research candidates enrolled for applied higher degree theses and dissertations
- Supervisors whose supervisees wish to do action-oriented field research
- and anyone who wishes to deal more confidently with ambiguity and uncertainty.
When is it?
Two days: Thursday-Friday 30-31 August 2018. Thursday, 8:30 for registration, with the workshop running from 9:00 to 4:45. Friday, 9:00 - 4:30.
Where?
Public workshops are currently run at "Walkabout Creek", a beautiful venue surrounded by bushland in Brisbane's western suburbs. The address is 60 Mt Nebo Road, The Gap.
What?
Action research is a package of cyclic processes supported by a flexible mindset. It is well suited to responding to situations that are unpredictable, ambiguous, or fast-changing. It can also achieve high participant involvement, suiting it to situations where high commitment is desirable.
Workshop content will be developed partly in consultation with participants. It is likely to include skills, concepts, processes and techniques for
your own personal and professional development, one improvement at a time building ongoing improvement into whatever you dogenerating effective change through participation and involvement
building quality into the processes for collecting and interpreting information, evidence and feedback
achieving deeper understanding in fluid situations in ways that assist and are assisted by action and change
choosing research which is flexible and responsive to the actual research situation
choosing between full participation and representative methods, and increasing involvement when using representative methods.
How?
Participants will help to determine the process and content of the workshop. Subject to this negotiation they can anticipate an involving process which provides a mix of theory, discussion and practice. There will be small group work to help participants consolidate the skills, techniques and concepts.
There will be appropriate handouts.
Facilitator?
The workshop facilitator is Bob Dick, a Brisbane-based educator, facilitator and consultant. His international reputation in action research is based on over four decades of relevant experience in a variety of settings.
Those of you who are familiar with his work will know that his style is casual and participative. His processes are robust and learnable. Accompanying documentation is clear, readable and practical. His workshops are characterised by an integration of theory and practice. There is equal emphasis on the development of skills and understanding. The processes and models he helps others learn are those that he uses in his own work.
Cost?
The per person fee for the two days is $770.00 payable in advance, or $660.00 if received at least 17 days in advance. To help publicise this workshop there's a special rate of only $495 for payments received at least one month before the workshop. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars and include GST. (For in-house workshops consult us about rates.)
Cancellations will result in a 90 per cent refund if notified at least 10 days in advance, and a 50 per cent refund if notified at least 5 days in advance. Participants who are unable to attend are welcome to substitute someone else.
To subscribe
Telephone Camilla at +617 3378 5365 to arrange a bank transfer or to charge your attendance to your Visa or MasterCard. Or print out and complete the subscription form (PDF), and fax it to Interchange, +617 3878 4338.
Negotiate your own in-house workshop
If you would prefer to have a workshop specifically designed to meet your particular needs, and run for you in your organisation or community, Interchange would be pleased to do that. Important advantages of in-house and in-community workshops include their relevance (we fine-tune them to your needs), and their greater ease of application to real local issues.
Interchange 37 Burbong Street Chapel Hill Queensland 4069 Australia
Telephone +617 3378 5365 Fax +617 3878 4338 email camilla@bigpond.net.au
Maintained by Bob Dick. This page last revised 2018 07 15.
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