Action inquiry resources
We had our first Project Community Steering Group meeting yesterday which really got my senses going (I don’t know how else to put it; it was quite an emotional event for me and I was quite nervous leading up to it for a range of reasons). I’m really warming into this!
I’m collecting web resources about activist learning and development here on Delicious. I’d love to hear of sites you’ve used or seen that would be helpful too!
One article I’ve just read titled “Lucienne Roberts: A is for Activism” (2011) is a commentary by Roberts on the idea of design activism. She reflects on her work as a graphic designer and whether or not she sees herself contributing to activist movements and the social good.
Image : Steve Rhodes (flickr)
I’m sensing that given the participatory nature of the Project, it seems logical to develop an activist education design approach in service to the participants. Not only logical, but it FEELS right. I’m seeing many connections between ‘good’ education design and participatory action research both in shared principles and similar practices.
Briefly, shared principles might include:
- user participation and centredness
- collaborative design and development
- transformation and change
- emergent design (i.e. research design and ed design framework)
- critical reflection
- activism
- action inquiry
Some similar practices might include:
- ongoing consultation and feedback (dialogical)
- workshopping design elements using group processes
- developing mini scenarios and case studies
- (meta) reflection on the process(es)
- telling stories and active listening
- ensuring safe spaces to work together
I’m sure I’ll be delving into these points and more as my involvement in the project grows!
