LdC Template #13
Influential Practitioners (Leadership Challenge): Leading in a COP
Enhancing Action Research and Leadership Possibilities
through the Development of your Collaborative Skills
Module 13 Name:
James D. Lett
The process below relates to the following new Leadership
Provocative Question(s):
What
does the literature suggest we should do to make our conversations about
research meaningful to use as change agents/action researchers? Include Wenger and one other author.
To make our conversations
about research more meaningful, we need to recognize and understand that
learning is a process of change. Alexander and Schallert (2009) would say that
learning is change. As action researchers, it is important for us to not become
frustrated with ourselves, the research process, or our participants. We are
changing our practice. That means that we are voluntarily changing our role,
potentially affecting the roles of others, and disrupting some cultural norms
within our situated context. According
to Alexander, et al (2009), learning occurs at all stages of life. John-Steinter
and Maher (1996) and Hadwin and Osige (2011) applied the Vygotskian theory more
explicitly to learning outcomes both within formal and informal settings. They
addressed the internalization of learning. They detail how the context plays a
pivotal role in an individual’s learning and development. John-Steiner and
Maher asserted that human development begins with a reliance of on others. As
we develop we depend on others such as our parents for valuable contextual
knowledge. Even though we are not yet active participants we pick up valuable
cues that we will later use in more overt participation (Steiner and Mahn,
1996). According to Hadwin and Osige, adults must provide learners with a
guided learning experience incorporating both personally and culturally
meaningful activities. We must be open to this guided learning as we move
through this new circumstance. In many ways, we experience this child-like
newness each time we embark upon a new journey in our lives. Being open to all
of the possibilities helps us develop a comfort with the new circumstance.
Essentially,
as Wenger (1998) would state, we are seeking a new identity within our community
of practice. From this perspective, identity represents a combination of the
familiar and the unknown. The author further states that we experience the
world based upon concepts we can easily interpret and those concepts that are
difficult to grasp (1998). This recognition piece has been key to my growth throughout
this program because I am investigating theories and applying them to my local
context for the first time. It has been haphazard and I have battled through
great uncertainty. Therefore, I would add development of a comfort with
uncertainty (as encouraged by our instructors) is also an essential aspect of
our learning.
Alexander, P. A., Schallert, D. L., &
Reynolds, R. E. (2009). What is learning anyway? A topographical perspective
considered. Educational Psychologist, 44(3), 176–192.
Hadwin, A. & Oshige, M. (2011).
Self-regulation, coregulation, and socially shared regulation: Exploring
perspectives of social in self-regulated learning. Teachers College Record,
113(2), 240-264.
John-Steiner, V., & Mahn, H. (1996).
Sociocultural approaches to learning and development: A Vygotskian framework.
Educational Psychologist, 31, 191-206.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning,
meaning, and identity. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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Quote/ideas from the book; applications/instances from
your workplace setting
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Page number
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In practice, we know who we are by what is
familiar, understandable, useable, negotiable.
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153
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We know who we are not by what is foreign,
opaque, unwieldy, unproductive.
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153
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In a community of practice, we learn certain ways of
engaging in action with other people.
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152
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We develop certain expectations about how to interact, how
people treat each other, and how to work together.
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152
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We become who we are by being able to play a part in the
relations of engagement that constitute our community.
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152
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As we invest ourselves in an enterprise the forms of
accountability through which we are able to contribute to that enterprise
make us look at the world in certain ways. It moves us to understand certain
conditions and to consider certain possibilities.
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152-153
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In my context, I started as an outsider with no identity as
an educator. I leaned on all of the knowledgeable others within my work
setting for learning and growth. Since that time, I have grown significantly
and I have developed some automaticity to much of the language, policies,
tasks, procedures, and general workplace culture
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During this term, I have felt a bit under siege. Still, I
have persevered and I am learning a little each day about living with
uncertainty and redefining my identity. Still, I will need to to continue to
improve going forward in order to engage more meaningfully and fulfill my responsibilities
as a cohort member.
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f. Holding an on-line
Conversation
After
participating/viewing the “fishbowl” conversation record notes here (below)
about your responses to your peers or new thoughts based on their
postings. Be certain your notes here are
comprehensive, as were your responses to peers. (If you participate as a
“fish,” in the fishbowl your notes, which should be entered below, can be much
more succinct.)
Michelle related to design thinking because it allows us to
review and apply concepts at a faster pace. This will allow us to view what we
have missed. She referred to the Aristotle article on ethics. She spoke about
the need to be make ethical considerations throughout, focusing not only on our
research and our role, but also on the participant’s role. Lynne spoke about
gaps in practices and how we don’t always know how to solve the problem. She
spoke about how the readings are often just in time and she has used them to
discuss real issues within her workplace. She provided an example of how a
general conversation around positive deviance with a coworker became a
knowledge building exercise and opportunity to discuss ways to address current
problems. Kevin spoke about how to make research tangible. Rather than focusing
on data, we can begin putting a face to the data and using it to arrive at more
meaningful change. Michelle talked about the opportunity for grassroots change
efforts and how those lead to more sustainable solutions. Kevin addressed “what
does professional learning look like?” Lynne offered some quotes highlighting
how as action researchers we are learners before “we are educators.” She spoke
of how professional development is embedded in the process. Additionally, we
have to be open to new possibilities. Otherwise, we may continue getting the
same results.
g. Determining your
Leadership Challenge/New Leadership Challenge
Based on your own quotes/ideas from Wenger, your workplace
experiences, and new insights you developed as you reflected on your peers’
work, what behavior do you want to experiment with/try out for your leadership
challenge in the next few days?
Managing Uncertainty
I have a tendency to hold
information and speak when it is completely certain of an outcome. It is a
holdover approach from my days in the Army. Early on as a supervisor, I would
give my soldiers the okay to take leave only to have to go back and tell them
to cancel plans. Sometimes this occurred after they had already bought plane
tickets. Other times, I would okay a soldier to to perform a task, only to be
told something completely different. I would tell those soldiers to go back and
start over. We tried to salvage where we could but these changes would often erase
the work that had already be done. I admit that there were instances of poor
leadership. However, in many circumstances, the situation in the world changes
and we had to change with it.
Still, I
have become an information holder not willing to share until completely certain.
It has caused some frustration within some of my older staff members who prefer
to have constant communication. I have been addressing it with quarterly
professional development check-ins (in conjunction with the yearly evaluation),
scheduled meetings, and timely emails. However, for this week’s leadership
challenge, I instituted the “quick pow-wow.” We cannot always get together for
a formal meeting, so I asked my team to come chat about a few things. At first
assessment and evaluation, it seems that it is quite effective. We discussed my
absence, the events of that day, their roles, any questions they may have about
the roles, and any other questions that were not addressed. This personal touch
seemed to settle some anxiety. I have some verbal communicators. Therefore,
written communication is not always best. The verbal interaction gave us an
opportunity for immediate feedback, group information sharing, and building a
rapport with each other.
