2.3 Re-setting
In Session 4, you considered the conditions you needed for action to occur. But, as we have emphasised throughout this course, the improvisatory nature of an appreciative approach to inquiry means that through action (practices) your inquiry will continually morph, requiring you to respond and adapt both your aims and your planning. Session 4 discussed creating the conditions for inquiry and asked you to devise your own poster as a guide for your actions. These conditions will also change as you undertake your enquiries. As with Activities 3 and 4, you may want to embed Activity 5 regularly in your inquiry discussions.
Activity 5 Re-conditions of action
Individually or collectively review your ‘Conditions for action’ poster from Session 4, Activity 6 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
Amend your poster to reflect barriers/changes in circumstances/experiences so far that have impacted on the conditions of your inquiry. What do you need to address to ensure you have the necessary conditions to notice, take risks, improvise and map what occurs?
Comment
Reconditioning can be associated with nourishing, re-establishing or resetting. You may find that such a process is useful at various points of your inquiring as circumstances change, particularly if your enquiry is heavily reliant on a few key conditions being in place that change (e.g. someone leaving the team, a cohort of learners experiencing unexpected challenges, or a change in roles).
A key part of engaging in inquiry is to share the process and the changes that have occurred or are occurring as a result. A heavy weight is put on this in educational contexts where notions of ‘good practice’ or sharing practice are seen as cornerstones of the development of the profession. The next section will begin to explore how to share the story of inquiry with others.