ABSTRACT
This chapter by WISR alumna, and member of the administrative and instructional staff at WISR, Dr. Marilyn Jackson discusses her learning odyssey with transformative action research methods. Some of her main insights were:
There are many models for action research we can all draw upon by reflecting on our life and teachers.
We don’t know where our research will take us, once we begin the journey—and it is important to not give up digging for the truth and to see where it will take us.
It matters to be open minded in listening to other peoples’ stories, to make sure we are hearing them accurately. Engaging in this process helps them to reflect and learn about themselves and the subject matter as well.
It may be important to consider engaging in this kind of research before launching into a long writing project based on the knowledge one already has.
Intuition is a quality to foster in the search for knowledge.
The process of action research is creative and potentially transformative.
It is important to realize that opposing viewpoints exist that we need to take into account as we expand our minds by “kneading knowledge.”
