Action Learning

	Children, on-line learning and authentic teaching skills in primary education
	Action Learning

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Knowing and Action
'… knowing begins and ends in experience; but it does not end in the experience in which it begins.' [C.I. Lewis in Experience and meaning, Philosophical Review, vol xciii p. 134, 1934.]

Action Learning is the notion of pedagogy developed by Prof. Reg Revans. For the purposes of this research, his basic notions (developed originally for industry) have been adapted to the present context.

His basic proposition is that we have two sources of learning. We learn from 'experts' and from thinking about our own (shared) experience.

For Revans: Learning = P + Q where...

P = 'Programmed knowledge'. We learn from what we are told or shown by others by accepting explicit knowledge. This kind of knowledge is necessary but is not sufficient to enable us to deal with the complex, situated messy ever changing reality of our own experiences. Programmed knowledge can be a basis for being 'clever'.

Q = 'Questioning insight'. We also learn from what we can think for ourselves. This kind of learning is required to make sense for our unique and sometimes unusual experiences, that is, from our experience we gain tacit knowledge and on reflection we are able to make it more explict. Such knowledge includes insights about ourselves (including our own knowledge and ignorance) as well as knowledge of the world in which we live. This can be a basis for 'wisdom'.

Our own thinking is derived largely from insight into our own experience. This requires some questioning techniques that extend the insight to be achieved

What don’t I know?
What are the concepts involved?
How does it work?
How did my actions help?
Is this consistent with what we know?
How does this explain our experiences?
Where are the obstacles, constraints...?
To what extent are my purposes realistic, feasible, desirable..?
What questions might I ask in order to begin finding out?
How does this add to our what we know?
Who else is struggling, as I do, with the complex problems of reality?
What are our values, motivation, lived experiences?

Insight = ?

Thus the processes involved in insight are largely

deconstructing and relating experience and existing knowledge, in order to
reconstruct 'new' knowledge and
prepare to test the new knowledge through new activities and experiences

Action Learning redefined

Technology is used for doing things and in doing things we undertake actions and acquire experiences. For the purposes of this project we have 'redefined' Revans' notion of action learning to more explicitly include experience and the actions (A) from which the experiences arise

For this project: Learning = P + Q + A

There is a logical link between action learning and the use of ICT. The use of ICT in teaching and learning can enable students to have easier and more extensive access to existing ('programmed') knowledge and undertake a wider range of activities with richer experiences from which to learn.

In addition ICT provides some tools that may assist in the development and resolution of insightful questions, eg, concept mapping, databases...