Not sure why there are so many emergency vehicles, police, fire, ambulance, and other unmarked vehicles with flashing lights awaiting a US Airways plane, but when it finally landed, all seemed in order. More pictures here.
Category: Culture
Seeking Integration: Spirituality in the Context of Lifelong Learning and Professional Reflective Practice
Cheryl Hunt from the University of Exeter is linking spirituality to adult education. The spiritual turn from Houtman and Aupers (2007), as there is decline in conventional religions but there is a search for grass-roots spirituality. Her theoretical framework is from Heron’s ways of knowing and the Orientation to Reflective Practice (Wellington and Austin, 1996). She also uses Dreary and Forman (2004).
For adult educators, she engages in this via professional reflective practice. Reflective practice can help us be more effective in the exercise of individual professions. There are the 5 areas of reflective practice, as per Houtman and Aupers.
- Immediate
- Technical
- Deliberative
- Dialectic
- Transpersonal
There is more about this model within the proceedings than she is listing here in the session, especially based on a large chart that was on a slide and is in the paper.
There are a number of concerns that link academic / professional knowledge and practice something “deeper.” In a seminar series, she got a sense of the fragmentation in many people’s lives, and to link all levels of oneself, and all parts of oneself. Some of the feedback that was received came in the form of creative writing and poetry.
Thinking about the theory that underpinned the results was Heron (1996) on cooperative inquiry, where the use of language is rooted in deep experience and non-linguistic understandings.
Transpersonal perspective to spirituality is more of a secular spirituality in her work.
There are some really nice next steps, including the British Association for the Study of Spirituality (BASS), a new international conference: Spirituality in a Changing World in May of 2010, and a new journal, Spirituality. Right now, discussions about spirituality are held in different silos, and they are trying to bring those various contexts and meaning together.
For questions, one person said that there is a lot of perceived need for this and that it is very fractured in the various professions and disciplines. Somebody shared that she was from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), and how they integrate with many of the models and frameworks that Cheryl discussed. Libby Tisdell asked about an example, and Cheryl discussed her experiences of community which got lost when she studied it during her dissertation. The look at her first child at birth was like the “shimmering moment” that looks back and looks forward almost at once. Interestingly, the management theories in academia tend to move far away from these discussions. However, the more recent work on spirituality and management is getting more developed than it is in education.
There was an additional question about how spirituality and religion is kept separate, and this is a significant issue, both in the US as well as in the UK.
Having spoken with Cheryl via email in the past, I am really looking forward to reading her paper.
Moving without Moving: An Exploration of Somatic Learning as Transformative Process in Adult Education
This presentation is about using movement in adult education and learning. Hiroyuki Aoki (of Shintaido) “What is received by the body will . . . ” Just as we started in the session, and Luis had us stand and do two physical movements with sounds of A and O as we were moving. Somewhat strange feeling for me, so I am interested in how he is going to work this into his presentation. As his background, he is interested in martial arts, experiential learning, and movement and physical theatre classes.
How has this movement influenced and engage in learning and reflection?
Somatic learning includes five elements:
- breath
- stillness
- sound
- movement
- touch
I have experienced some somatic work before, and think it is all over the place in psychotherapy and meditation right now. It is interesting to see how this will relate with learning.
Social construction is another theoretical perspective that is being used, such as generate meaning together with dialogue and inquiry.
Affirmative competence was also used; it is an imagery technique through discipline and practice that athletes use to increase their performance. This is positive reinforcement and focusing on what is being done right.
Telling stories with our body (as per Shintaido):
- Creates positive images
- A repertoire of body movement constructs an expanded sense of self,
- Posture translates into a way of being
- Enhances relationships with others and nature
- Encourages fluidity and reflection
He is now speaking about imagination and metaphor as meaning making. OK, now I am getting lost. I know a bit about somatic work, though I am a bit confused. I am not sure I would be following this much if I did not already come in here knowing a bit off it. Getting distracted. I think I would leave if I were closer to the door, but too far away without distracting everybody. To be kind, I removed the presenter’s name from this session; I think he is just speaking about a topic that is in some way far beyond me. Too bad, as this seems processing. Perhaps reading his paper will be helpful for me getting his point?
In non-Western ways of thinking, there is a holistic wisdom that already lies in the body. some initial movement is needed to tap into this wisdom.
I cannot figure out how he is linking these martial art disciplines with research. I see them related to somatic experiences. We then did one more somatic experience, standing up and touching a single finger with another person with eyes closed and then one person moving the finger with the other following with eyes closed, and then switching, and then both people having eyes closed and leading / following back and forth.
He ended the session doing an example of this as action research, with the knowing, learning, doing, etc.
Somebody asked a question about how the methodology, which involved interviewing 10 people within the context of a retreat.
I really need to read this paper. Something about it seems filled with promise and possibility, but I think I need to understand it better.
Unwell; Too Much Learning?
Last night I struggled home (or to the hotel, at least) after the AERC 2009 pre-conference yesterday that was facilitated by my colleague, Matt Eichler. Here it was, 4:00 in the afternoon, and I had recently gotten a headache greater than any I recall experiencing before. It was so bad it put me to bed, finally to get up a bit after 10 pm (even without dinner, good gods!). The pre-conference was excellent (with Andre P. Grace, Tonette Rocco, and Kathy King, among others, how could it be otherwise?). The papers and presentations were all wonderful (I liveblogged them, of course), the conversations were good, ideas were shared, research interests were focused, and new possibilities were considered.
With such a good day, what happened? Perhaps back-to-back conferences are taking a toll on me? Perhaps the heat in the room (how I abhor sitting in a constant oppressive hot room, it recalls getting bronchitis a few years back in July) contributed? Anxiety with a third paper to present literally in a week’s time period? Maybe the work I am doing with the doctoral class I am teaching at Pace University right now and is mostly being facilitated by my teaching partner (Lucille, you are wonderful!; everything else stops for me this weekend, and then I can fully attend to our class to give you a break)? Perhaps my head just could not take any more new ideas that I could employee a room of research assistants to help me realize? Perhaps I am just learning too much too quickly?
As I am getting ready to leave for today’s session, I take consolation in my planned reflection and recharge this evening—I am treating myself and will visit the Art Institute of Chicago. Art always makes me feel better and renewed, especially when it comes with free admission after 5:00 tonight!
Sexual Identity Development Through Performance Art
Ted McCadden (at Penn State) discussed how identity formation occurs through performance work, especially with pop culture and mass communication.
He uses psychoanalytic branches of transformative learning theory (Boyd and Myers, Dirkxx) and critical media literacy as the theoretical overview. Take the transformative learning model and add on how the receiver of the message who receives a message and acts upon it (from critical media literacy and method acting). Add to this how the actor is involved in the process.
American theatre either reflects American culture or satirizes it. In this way, theatre can reinforce the entire hegemonic notions that it seeks to criticize. He is showing various video clips (not a single one, surprise . . . surprise, do I recognize!).
Method acting has an actor in the center of the I / Me / Character, so the actor feels and experiences what the character is experiencing, in order to make it convincing. How does a character portray something about which they have no experience.
Transformative learning theory focuses on the positive, though what happens when there is negative learning or negative experiences? God questions that were just raised and about which I need to think a lot about.
The discussion around what rights people have with transformative learning, when frames of reference are intentionally challenged.
Verisimilitude—your culture that is the recipient of the message must understand your message. Really interesting concept from method acting.
I think I need to know more about critical media literacy. This is around the mass media, so the people who are receiving the messages are interpreted in our own ways through our own lenses.