Improving Schools With Action and Living Theory Research

Improving Schools With Action and Living Theory Research Jack Whitehead, University of Cumbria, UK.

Ideas Concerning • i) Your present context of continuing professional development • ii) Creating Master Educators of Cyprus using: a) Action Research b) Living Theory research and living-theories • iii) Spreading the influence of Living Theory research with digital communications and multi-media narratives and evidence from http: //www. actionresearch. net and http: //ejolts. net • iv) Supporting the Creation of Master Educators of Cyprus with Living Theory Research and Action Research

Your present context of continuing professional development (A) • In general, current in-service training provision in Cyprus is mainly informal, individual and voluntary and has not evolved into structured practices. (p. 4) • Yiasemina Karagiorgi and Loizos Symeou (2006)

Your present context of continuing professional development (B) • At present I believe that you are in a period of educational reform with developments in teacher training involving a shift to schoolbased professional development with Headteachers increasingly involved in selfevaluation projects.

Master Educators of Cyprus A) • I think that I am right in claiming that at present your embodied knowledge as Master and Doctor Educators is not yet recognized within the accrediting and regulatory bodies of Cyprus. By your embodied knowledge I mean the professional knowledge that you express in your everyday practices as educators.

Master Educators of Cyprus B) • Showing how other educators have received their masters and doctoral degrees from a range of different universities for such enquiries. These resources are at: • http: //www. actionresearch. net/writings/mastermod. shtml • It is difficult but not impossible for an individual, working as an independent and autonomous educator to achieve these outcomes.

Master Educators of Cyprus C) • Jack Whitehead and Marie Huxtable (2014) ‘Creating a Profession of Educators with the living-theories of Master and Doctor Educators. ’ • http: //www. actionresearch. net/writings/jack/jwmh 151114. pdf • See Issues of Gifted Education International December 2013 and January 2016.

Action Research http: //www. actionresearch. net/writings/jack/jwarplan. pdf • Action Research is a systematic way of improving practice and generating knowledge with action reflection cycles of: • Expressing concerns • Imagining possible improvements • Acting • Evaluating • Modifying

Living Theory research • This is distinguished by: • Questions of the kind, ‘How do I improve what I am doing? ’ • Individuals explaining and judging their educational influence in terms of their ontological and relational values. • Validating their explanations in terms of comprehensibility, evidence, normative background authenticity.

A living-educational-theory • A living-educational-theory is an individual’s explanation of their educational influence in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of the social formations within which the practice takes place.

Spreading the influence of Action and Living Theory research with digital communications • ACTION AND LIVING THEORY RESEARCH • http: //www. actionresearch. net • THE EDUCATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIVING THEORIES • http: //ejolts. net • See Sally Cartwright’s contributions at: • http: //www. actionresearch. net/writings/jack/s allycartwrightmastereducatorjw 140415. pdf

Supporting the Creation of Master Educators of Cyprus with Living Theories and Action Research • Creating networks of support inside and outside schools • Gaining Accreditation for your livingeducational-theories.