This book is about action learning in the service of social action and social change. The contributors are all engaged in developing new approaches to the wicked problems found in the world today, including the climate emergency, the circular economy, food poverty and insecurity, homelessness, disadvantage, active citizenship, social entrepreneurialism, and the learning of young women abducted by Boko Haram. They reflect a great diversity of settings in South Africa, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, Mozambique, Hungary, Poland and the UK. At this time of global crisis rapid technological and social developments sit side by side with apparently impossible challenges needing urgent action. In the Global South, conflicts, terrorism and climatic changes have forced millions of people to abandon their homes and to migrate in search of food and safety. In the Global North, neo-liberal and market-based policies have pursued deregulation, privatisation and the shrinking of the state with consequent increases in homelessness, poverty and ill-health. Action learning was devised to help people work together in challenging situations to bring about changes from the bottom-up. The people in these stories and cases are not passively awaiting brighter futures but are acting together to create a better world for themselves. They are taking back control in local community regeneration schemes, local energy and housing projects, setting up co-working spaces and inventing new ways of doing business and learning new ways to inhabit the earth. They demonstrate a confidence in an action learning idea that is alive and evolving. The chapters in this book were first published in the journal Action Learning: Research and Practice.

Throughout their careers, social work students and practitioners need to demonstrate an understanding of critical and reflective practice. The Professional Capabilities Framework sets out how newly-qualified social workers can achieve this, and become 'critical practitioners' who are able to make decisions in fast-moving situations. This book is a complete guide for those practitioners who wish to engage with action learning as a way of developing critically reflective practice. The authors use Action Learning to explore fundamental aspects of good social work including for example person centred and anti-oppressive practice. The notions of social and emotional intelligence and being critically reflective are also explored in the context of action learning. This book is practical, skills-based and essential reading for all social workers who wish to extend their understanding and knowledge.

Action learning is a continued process of learning and reflection with the support of a group of colleagues, working on real issues. The action learning method is increasingly used to bring innovation to many different fields of work. The principles of action learning can achieve improvement and transformation in a wide range of applications and disciplines, including professional training and educational contexts. This book is a comprehensive guide to action learning which maintains an accessible, practical focus throughout. It is packed with useful resources, including case studies and ideas for workshop sessions. Key topics covered include: * action learning in professional and educational settings * setting up, facilitating and evaluating an action learning programme * the roles and skills required to practice successfully * use of action learning in relation to the individual, the group and the organization * the role of reflection; and action learning theory. Newcomers to the area of action learning will find this an essential introduction which can be put to use straight away, while more experienced practitioners seeking a deeper understanding will value the thorough analysis of action learning theory.

This comprehensive guide covers all aspects of action learning, one of the most widely used development methods in health, social and community care. The book addresses the theory and practice of action learning in these fields, and considers action learning as an adult educational ethos as well as a helpful tool. Based upon emerging experience, it identifies good practice in action learning and offers a wide range of resources to enable individuals and organisations extract maximum benefit from this approach. Offering practical tips grounded in sound educational principles, this book is invaluable reading for all senior managers and professionals considering using action learning for leadership, management and organisation development purposes, including organisation development practitioners and action learning facilitators, and for medical and healthcare educators and their counterparts in social and community care looking for a general introduction to this growing field.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Teaching is becoming increasingly complex in the 21st Century, creating a need for more sophisticated frameworks to support teachers’ professional learning. Action learning is one such framework and has been used for workplace learning in business settings for many years. It is now becoming increasingly popular in school and university settings, but it is often misunderstood. This book clarifies what action learning is, linking key concepts to illustrate that it is not merely a process, but a dynamic interaction between professional learning, communities, leadership and change. The book brings together more than a decade of the authors’ research in school-based action learning. Rich and diverse, the research draws on more than 100 case studies of action learning by teams of teachers in schools. The authors: provide practical advice on how to initiate and sustain action learning; explain the interaction between action learning, teacher development, professional learning, community building, leadership and change; and illustrate how action learning can link to classroom practice so closely that it becomes part of what teachers do, rather than an added impost. Addressing the highs and lows, the successes and failures, and their underlying causes, Action Learning in Schools provides insights into theories of cooperation, innovation, leadership and community formation to inform individual projects and large-scale school improvement initiatives. It will be of interest to teacher educators, pre-service and experienced teachers alike, as well as school and education system managers and policymakers keen to enhance teacher professional learning and educational outcomes for students.

Comprises 13 contributions on praxiology, the study of working and doing from the point of view of effectiveness. The three components of praxiology are addressed: analysis of concepts involving purposive actions; critique of modes of action from the viewpoint of efficiency; and normative advisory aspects in recommendations for increasing human efficacy. Representative topics include critical systems heuristics, applications and case studies in learning by action, the relevance of action learning for business ethics, and the case of the Polish environmental movement. Intended for sociologists, philosophers, managers, and researchers of all disciplines. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)