Understanding practitioner research as a form of life: an Eastern interpretation of Exploratory Practice

Abstract

Allwright and colleagues around the world have been developing Exploratory Practice as an approach to practitioner research different from the familiar notion of teacher research. EP offers a set of principles devoted to understanding, in a collaborative mode, the quality of language classroom life. Several underlying points, such as ‘quality of life’, ‘incommunicable understandings’, ‘puzzlement’, and so forth often go beyond the common meanings of the terms. The paper ventures to make a philosophical inquiry into such underlying ideas, combined with ethnographic investigation of an actual case based on a teacher-initiated research project. The inquiry is made in the light of both Western and Eastern philosophical thought, and its outcomes are analysed and presented in the form of stories. I propose that Exploratory Practice is best seen as a venture of experiencing authentic being through critical practices for understanding the quality of classroom life in terms of ‘what is inherently so’ (yin qi gu ran) and by searching for a language of Tao (the nameless). Following the route of ‘being’, ‘understanding’ and ‘naming’, this venture aims at the harmonization of teachers’ professional lives, where teaching is revealing being through words, and ‘then conversely, learning is experiencing what a teacher’s words reveal’ (Thomson, 2001: 259).

Intercultural teaching and learning strategies for global citizens: a Chinese EFL perspective

“…This means that Chinese students wishing to engage and empathize within an English (and generally Western) cultural context need to think and learn in a different way. This requires both an individual and cultural paradigm shift to achieve intercultural competence in the cross-cultural learning context, a move away from thinking of themselves as part of a collective identity and "voice", and transformation towards uniquely thinking of themselves dissimilarly as individual persons in their new found writing "voice" (Shen 1989;Gale 1994;He 2002;Wu 2006;Zhao 2009). Developing and authoring in a unique personal voice enables the Chinese EFL student to cross cultural boundaries and produce a more authentic piece of written work in English.…”

Maintaining the Efficacy of Warm-up Activities in EFL Classrooms: An Exploratory Action Research

“…The focus on quality of life in classroom, involving everybody as practitioners, and working cooperatively for mutual development are emphasized (Wu, 2006;Hanks, 2015). Collaboration between students and teachers is similarly voiced as unavoidable and inseparable from each other (Raimann & Mongomery, 2007;Dar & Gieve, 2013).…”

“…From these two concerns came what we see as an ethically motivated approach to create learning opportunities in the classroom for developing local understandings. Wu (2006) points to the basic understandings of EP as "quality of life, incommunicable understandings, and puzzlement" (p. 1). EP is the understanding of life in classroom, it is questioning 'what is inherently so?'…”

“…EP is the understanding of life in classroom, it is questioning 'what is inherently so?' (Wu, 2006;Hanks, 2015). EP gives learners opportunity to rethink their goals, share their reflections with others in groups, use their own strengths, and explore their own ways of learning (Chu, 2013, p. 5).…”

Eu Não Tô Só Participando. Tô Usufruindo Também: Prática Exploratória Na Formação Do Professor-Pesquisador

“…Acredito que uma justificativa para o foco precoce no tema da mudança é que essa preocupação da Prática Exploratória ocorreu no momento da ciência em que ela precisava marcar sua posição epistemológica no paradigma da pesquisa do praticante (Miller, 2001;Wu, 2006;Perpignan, 2001apud Allwright, 2005a Esses autores buscam maneiras de trabalhar em grupos com populações marginais que desenvolvem diversas atividades, envolvendo-as na reflexão sobre suas questões, com a finalidade de eliminar as práticas injustas, promovendo a prosperidade humana (Lincoln & Guba, 2006). Apesar de não ver na PE a promessa de "cura" (cf.…”