Links to Action Research and Learning

Action Research

Introduction to Action Research. A simple outline of the basics.

Action Research Resources – gateway to articles and resources on action research. Also found here. Includes key articles - Action research: Action and research ", and A beginner's guide to action research, by Bob Dick.

Action Research – another gateway to articles and resources on action research.

Action Research – Yet another gateway to articles and resources on action research.

Action Research Method. Another comprehensive resource site on action research.

Action research for professional development: Concise advice for new action researchers, by Jean McNiff.

Participatory action research and people's participation: Introduction and case studies by Gerrit Huizer. Page on the FAO Sustainable Dimensions website.

Participatory Action Research page of the learning for sustainability website. Lead in to some nice resources (and check out the rest of the main site!)

The acoustics of social learning: Designing learning processes that contribute to a more sustainable world. By Arjen E.J. Wals, Noor van der Hoeven and Harm Blanken. A broad view with some practical examples from The Netherlands.

Experiential Learning

The Experiential Learning Cycle. Concise and easily readable summary of Kolb’s learning cycle, Honey and Mumford’s related learning styles, and related discussion.

Experience Based Learning Systems. The Kolb’s own website. Tools for assessing learning profiles and skills. An extensive bibliography on experiential learning theory.

Experiential learning articles and critiques of David Kolb's theory. Comprehensive review and list of experiential learning articles.

Learning Styles and Experiential Learning. Useful notes by: Niki Fardouly of the University of New South Wales, linking learning activities to different learning styles.

Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry Commons. Interesting portal on AI - "Appreciative Inquiry is about the coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them". Based on reflection of the strengths and best practices of a system, followed up by a visioning process to build on these. (Difficult know where to make this link in these pages, but here seems as good as anywhere).

Adult Learning - Andragogy

Andragogy. Introduction and critique of Knowles' theory by M.K. Smith, M. K.

Workshops that work: 100 ways to make your training events more effective. Useful 171 page book by Tom Bourner, Vivien Martin and Phil Race. Downloadable from Phil Race's extremely useful website.

Active learning manual. A series of short videos describing how to make learning more active. More videos are promised...

New approaches to Development

Issues and challenges for the farmer field school: an introductory overview, by Niels Roling. Paper for the International FFS Workshop held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 2002. Comparison of the approaches as represented by the “farmer field school” with traditional extension approaches. (pdf document).

Participatory Learning for Integrated Farming by Jules Pretty. From Proceedings of the Internet Conference on Integrated Bio-Systems . Concise paper on sustainable agriculture, participation and the new professionalism.

A view of science, agricultural science and farming systems research in these postmodern times by J.B Robinson et al from Australia. Short and useful overview.

Strengthening the links between research and management: From technology transfer to collaborative learning, and Future directions for research into collaborative learning - helping people maximise the use of technical information within multi-stakeholder environmental management contexts by Will Allen. Two good articles giving an overview of the evolution and compatibility of soft and hard” approaches to rural development and natural resources management. See also the Links on learning, change and knowledge as applied to NR management.

Relativism in agricultural research and development: is participation a postmodern concept? by Nour Sellamna of ICRA. An evaluation of the theoretical foundations underpinning participatory approaches (59 pages pdf - 196 KB).

Building blocks for sustainable development extension. Report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand (see also the complete report on Sustainable Development Extension , summarizing the state of the art for New Zealand.

The philosophy of science and research

Science education, by Svein Sjøberg. A broad look at the role of science and science education.

Constructivism

Constructivism. Pages from the School of Education at the University of Denver. Many links. Mostly constructivism as applied to learning.

See also links on participation