How Did I Not Know That? Making Polyvocality and Collaboration an Expectation Across Educational Spaces

• In Event: Research as Whole Truth-Telling: Polyvocality and Collaboration as Necessary Disruptors in Educational Research

Abstract

“How did I not know that?” was a common theme that ran through both of the research projects, leading us to wonder if members of the wide range of groups engaged in the educational process are functioning like the blind men in the fable.
As an Asian-Indian faculty member with over thirty years of experience in teaching across all levels of education and director of the office for place-based education I am deeply committed to representation, democratic educational practices, and collaboration. In my presentation, I will focus on three key recommendations that allow polyvocality and collaboration to have powerful impact in the field of education: 1) Expectation and invitation; 2) Spaces and Rituals; and 3) Wholeness and Developmental Arcs
Expectation and Invitation: Roles and responsibilities within the traditional public-school structure are clearly defined and maintained with little expectations or support for collaboration across roles. Both research projects were undertaken to challenge the rigid role and responsibility definitions and show how critical it is to involve people with a diverse range of roles in decision making about their jobs and lives. Both research teams were built on the premise that the population most impacted by a program/policy must be involved in shaping it. Data from both projects supports a radical redefinition of student, teacher, community partners roles and responsibilities as well as advocating for increased expectation of involvement in decision making, implementation, and evaluation. While establishing expectations for collaboration is critical, ensuring that people whose perspectives have been historically marginalized are able to meaningfully participate is equally critical. I have detailed 5 effective steps for ensuring the invitation to participate is intentional, respectful, and empowering. I look forward to sharing these steps during my presentation.
Spaces and Rituals: In designing the research projects, implementing them and now in the data processing phase, the importance of creating and maintaining physical and emotional spaces that allow for democratic, respectful, and nurturing collaborations came to light. In my presentation I will share how we created physical as well as emotional spaces that encouraged the development of trust, support and allowed each of us to work at our highest capabilities. We found that rituals, like food and having time to do check-ins were critical to maintaining trusting and optimal work spaces. The fact that the process of developing and submitting this multifaceted AERA proposal went as smoothly speaks to the phenomenal relationships we have built.
Wholeness and Developmental Arcs: Understanding, respecting and responding to wholeness at several levels was integral to the research design: seeing researchers and participants as whole people with diverse needs, strengths, hopes, capabilities, etc.; respecting the wholeness of the educational process with school, university, community being integral to the whole; understanding data with the historical, political, economic, cultural, social, environmental whole. Understanding, respecting and responding to the fact that research and being human are a developmental process was key to successfully incorporating polyvocality and collaboration in both the research projects.

Authors

• Imandeep K Grewal, Eastern Michigan University
  Presenting Author

• Amory Zhou-Kourvo, Eastern Michigan University
  Presenting Author