Zoekresultaten

Learning together

n research (2010-2012) conducted by the research group Lifelong Learning in Music into instrumental lessons for elderly learners, a ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP; Wenger & Lave) was set up in which instrumental music teachers exchanged expertise and reflected together on their actions in lessons with elderly pupils. Meetings of the CoP centred on the exchange and development of knowledge. In 2012-2013 a follow-up study was conducted which looked into the transfer and development of knowledge within this CoP. Central in this follow-up study were the questions: “What learning takes place in the CoP?” and “Can collaborative learning contribute to the professional development of teachers?”

Learning together

n research (2010-2012) conducted by the research group Lifelong Learning in Music into instrumental lessons for elderly learners, a ‘Community of Practice’ (CoP; Wenger & Lave) was set up in which instrumental music teachers exchanged expertise and reflected together on their actions in lessons with elderly pupils. Meetings of the CoP centred on the exchange and development of knowledge. In 2012-2013 a follow-up study was conducted which looked into the transfer and development of knowledge within this CoP. Central in this follow-up study were the questions: “What learning takes place in the CoP?” and “Can collaborative learning contribute to the professional development of teachers?”

A collective biography on working relationships in inclusive research teams

In this article we explore our own experiences on working relationships in inclusive research through a collective biography. We aim to contribute to the understanding of how collaboration in inclusive research teams works, and how to realise transformation in ways of working together. In the collective biography we reflected on challenges in inclusive research, and how working together has impacted each one of us. In doing so we draw on Fine’s concept of ‘working the hyphens’: the conscious exploration of what happens where formal and informal roles or contexts overlap. We found that for us, ‘working the hyphen’ means: allowing time for togetherness, which is crucial for the construal of an ‘us’. We experienced the necessity of a permanent meta-conversation on accessibility, growth, and thresholds in our working relationships. By consistently being alert to and transparent about the moveability in the hyphen-space, the relational work between researchers can be deepened and made productive. Finally, we elaborated on several dilemmas in sharing responsibility between researchers.

On the Road Together

Inclusive research practices can lead to progress towards an inclusive society. With this study, we aimed to gain insight into dilemmas and catalysing processes within the long-term collaboration of an inclusive research duo: one non-academic researcher who lives with the label of intellectual disabilities and visual impairment, and one academic researcher. Both researchers kept personal diaries about their collaboration process. Inductive thematic analysis, individually and as a group of authors, was employed. Our findings reveal six necessary conditions for diversity-sensitive work in inclusive research: (a) experiencing belonging within the research group, (b) empowering people in a team through growing self-awareness and competence-building, (c) having room for reflection and searching for various ways of communication, (d) sharing power and ownership of research processes, (e) having enough time to foster the above conditions, and (f) joining in a mutual engagement in accommodating vulnerability in dialogue and collaborative work. Awareness of stigma-related issues and the risk of tokenism is also required.

Television’s undoing of social distancing

At this critical moment in time, April 2020, when we are living with the cataclysmic event of Covid-19, television – a medium declared almost dead at the beginning of this millennium – has become a vital resource for solace, daydreaming, social ritual, knowledge and storytelling. In conditions of lockdown, we turn towards television, not away from it (Ellis, 2020; Negra, 2020). We are checking news on national channels, and tuning to live broadcasting for campaigns to help the health services and communities in need, such as with the globally broadcast One World: Together At Home special. We are curling up on the sofa to engage with gripping drama, like Ozark streaming on Netflix, re-watching favourite series from the beginning, such as Buffy or Breaking Bad, and taking part in television quiz shows like Pointless, even watching repeats, to recreate a pub quiz atmosphere in the living room. On a darker note, we are also overloaded with corona news; the ritual evening news bulletin can be a source of anxiety and a cause of sleeplessness. Television infrastructure can break down, from broken satellite dishes to lost remote controls, which are tricky to fix when technicians are not so readily available to help; and television can be an economic burden. The cost of streaming Breaking Bad can push the limits of monthly contracts and data packages. Television both lightens and darkens the mood of domestic spaces and social relations in lockdown culture.

The bumby roads to togetherness