Welcome to Prof. Norijuki Inoue from the University of San Diego who joins the e-seminar today. Last Friday Nori presented to the 7^th Annual Action Research Conference, hosted by the School of Leadership and Education Sciences of the University of San Diego, on the topic ‘Infusing Non-Western Epistemology into Action Research: A Way of Embracing Complexity of Mind and Situation’. Professor Satoshi Suzuki the Director of Japan’s Association for Action Research supported Nori in the communication of the meanings of the following concepts.

•思い (omoi)

–Integrated form in thinking, feeling and passion that serve as driving force of an individual or a group

•場 (Ba)

–Communicative space for deepening understanding and building consensus characterized by bounded instability

•反省 (Hansei)

–Reflection on one’s moral obligation and duty

•絆 (Kizuna)

–Enduring bond built among colleagues, friends, and family

•匠 (Takumi)

–Sophisticated skill built on advanced wisdom and experiences

Nori explored the implications of East Asian Epistemology for Action Research with some practice-linked cultural concepts from Japanese culture, including the above ideas.

You can access Nori’s powerpoint presentation from:

http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/NonWesternAR2010.ppt

The 7^th Annual Action Research Conference was preceded by the first Collaborative Action Research Network (CARN) study day in North America. This was organised by Prof Lonnie Rowell from USD (a most memorable day Lonnie – many thanks). You can see Lonnie’s 4:50 minute introduction to the day on video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytkto2S3aU4

As you listen to Lonnie do watch the slides changing over Lonnie’s left shoulder. These had been left playing from a presentation the previous evening on a project in Kenya, with staff at USD, to enhance the educational opportunities of girls from a rural school in higher education. The communicative space opened up with this video, of the beginning of the CARN study day and the images of the young people from Kenyan with their teachers and context, may help to bring the Japanese concept of Ba into action research accounts whilst providing further support for Alan’s idea of natural inclusionality as a relationally dynamic awareness of space and boundaries as continuous, connective, reflective and co-creative.

You can access my notes for the keynote on the 14^th May to the 7^th Annual AR conference at USD at:

http://www.actionresearch.net/writings/jack/jwsandiego10.pdf

I’m writing this note on the 19^th May from the workshop in Zagreb, Croatia (Branko is also here with teachers whose action research he is supporting) on ‘Action Research in the Function of the Professional Development of Teachers’. The sessions on Monday and Tuesday were led by Tim Cain from the University of Southampton, UK, and Alan Markowitz from the College of St. Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. Tim is a contributor to the list and I’m encouraging Alan to join because of the work he has done in establishing the systemic influence of action research in the leadership programmes at the College of St. Elizabeth. I’m encouraging Alan to look at Margaret (Riel’s) work at Pepperdine, Margaret (Farren’s) work at Dublin City University and Lonnie’s work at USD. I’ll give more details of the workshop following its conclusion on Friday. The relevance to ALARA can be judged from just one of the discussion groups of yesterday constituted by 6 action researchers from Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Croatia, UK and Romania. I’m hoping to help to establish an e-forum for the sharing of the developing action research projects of all the 55 participants. I’ll also give more details of the CARN study day in San Diego and the visit to the San Pasqual Academy with a video clip of the Guidance Counsellor Juan Orozco who gained his masters degree with Lonnie’s supervision. Juan’s action research has been influenced by both Paulo Friere and Che Guevera. Lonnie is also working with Maria Mercedes Veyna Figueroa from Mexico on a Binational Action Research Collaboration (BARC) on ‘Empowering cross-cultural understanding through collaborative action research’.

Geisha also presented at the conference on her reflections on a ‘High School Teachers Action Research Workshop in Caracas, Venezuela'. I am hopeful that Geisha will share this presentation on the web together with her account of working as president of a neighbourhood community in Caracas. I’m also hopeful that Margaret (Riel) will post the contributions from herself, Tanner Ragland, Anne Smith and Daniel Wood from the session she convened at the San Diego AR conference on, ‘Action Research Facilitated by Collaborative Technology: Personal Transformation, Organizational Learning, and Service Leadership’.

Looking forward to receiving more of your urls to add to the other homepages of interest section at the bottom of the left hand menu of http://www.actionresearch.net .

Offers of help with reviewing and also contributions for the Educational Journal of Living Theories are welcome at http://ejolts.net/

Love Jack.