Lost in Practice offers a further development of the notion of Nordic educational action research (as described in a earlier volume Nurturing praxis 2008), aiming to deepen and enrich understandings of the Nordic educational tradition and its various practices. It explores Nordic traditions and theories, such as bildung, practical knowledge regime and translation theory, with the aim of furthering a seminal conversation between practice theory and action research. Furthermore it illuminates the use of these theories in the context of Nordic countries by presenting a number of case studies on professional development practices, in which specific forms and arenas for enhancing dialogue and meaning making are in focus. The practices of study and research circles, peer group mentoring and dialogue conferences, as developed in the Nordic countries throughout the 20th century, are presented and discussed, both in terms of established traditions and of practices of collaborative development. The book also reflect on the “regional” traditions and educational practices in the Nordic countries are reflected on in the third part of the book.
The volume addresses teachers at all levels in the educational system, particularly those who are interested in understanding educational action research and furthering collaborative forms of professional development, based on insights from different traditions for understanding and furthering the development of educational practices without getting lost.
Cuprins
Series Introduction: Pedagogy, Education and Praxis; 1. Traces of Nordic Educational Traditions; Part 1: Background; 2. The Practical Knowledge Regime, Teachers’ Professionalism and Professional Development; 3. Action Research and Translation Studies – Understanding the Change of Practice; 4. The Nordic Tradition of Educational Action Research – In the Light of Practice Architectures; Part 2: Case Studies; 5. The Practice of Peer Group Mentoring – Traces of Global Changes and Regional Traditions; 6. Research Circles – Constructing a Space for Elaborating on being a Teacher Leader in Preschools; 7. From Transmission to Site-Based Professional Development – On the Art of Combining Research with Facilitation; 8. The Power of Risk-Taking in Professional Learning; 9. Development Teams as Translators of School Reform Ideas; 10. Research Partnership in Local Teaching Programme Work – Translations of Competence Aims; Part 3 Refl ections; 11. Refl ection on Practice-Theory, Critical Friendship and Teachers’ Professional Development; 12. Refl ections on How the Theory of Practice Architectures Is Being Used in the Nordic Context; 13. Refl ections on how Folk Enlightenment Is Used in a Nordic Context; 14. Refl ections on the Politics of Practice – From Folk Enlightenment to Traditional Knowledge; Contributors; Index.