The Action Learning, Action Research Association Inc. (ALARA) will host its 14th Participatory Action World Congress on the Norwich University campus in Northfield, Vermont June 17 to 20, 2018. Set to coincide with the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies’ Residency Conference, the ALARA World Congress will offer panel discussions and speeches featuring a slate of internationally-renowned scholars and action research practitioners.
Headlining the 2018 lineup of keynote speakers is Her Excellency (H. E.) Professor Hassana Alidou, Ambassador of the Republic of Niger to the United States and Canada. Dr. Alidou possesses a lifetime of experience as a professor, scholar of sociolinguistics and education, and a policymaker for UNICEF, UNESCO, and other influential organizations around the globe. Dr. Alidou has written and published numerous books and articles, and frequently gives lectures on the role of gender in international development, as well as the promotion of African languages in education. She has collaborated extensively with other specialists in the field of socio-linguistics and is one of the leading promoters of bilingual education in Africa. Dr. Alidou will serve as the ALARA 2018 World Congress Keynote Speaker for the track “Action Learning, Action Research for Global Initiatives.”
Joining Dr. Alidou, are several prominent scholars and esteemed fellows of the participatory action research community, who will serve as the ALARA 2018 World Congress Keynote Speakers for additional topical tracks.
Dr. Hilary Bradbury, a scholar-practitioner whose work focuses on creating collaborative learning communities, will serve as the keynote speaker for the track “Action Learning, Action Research Experiences of Individuals.” Dr. Bradbury obtained her undergraduate degree in German and Theology at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland before continuing her education at the divinity schools at Harvard University and the University of Chicago; she received her Ph.D. in Organizational Studies from the Management School at Boston College, with a focus on change and transformation. Dr. Bradbury was recently named the 2018 Jubilee Professor at Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden.
Providing the keynote address for the topic track, “Action Learning, Action Research Experiences of Professionals” is Jack Whitehead, a Living Educational Theorist based in the United Kingdom. Whitehead advanced the notion that the process of constructing knowledge (understanding) depends on the individual's subjective interpretation of their active learning experience, and he pioneered the use of digital multi-media as a means for studying, clarifying and providing feedback on individual modes of constructing knowledge.
Dr. Mary Brydon-Miller will serve as keynote speaker for the track, “Action Learning, Action Research for Communities’ Developments.” Dr. Brydon-Miller holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, and is a professor at the University of Louisville. Her current work focuses on research ethics in educational and community settings, and on transforming higher education through action research. Dr. Brydon-Miller is the co-editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Action Research and is in the process of co-authoring a book on ethical challenges in the context of participatory research. Her major upcoming project is designed to galvanize middle-school students from around the world to engage as “citizen scientists” in order to better understand the impact of global climate change.
Dr. Ernie T. Stringer will give the keynote speech for the track, “Action Learning, Action Research for Organizational Advancements.” Dr. Stringer has an extensive background in education and has made significant contributions to action research by authoring numerous influential texts. He has worked extensively with the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Australia and was contracted by UNICEF to direct a community engagement project for the East Timor Department of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports. Throughout the past decade, he has served as an Associate Editor of the journal Action Research, while leading action research activities with local Aboriginal people in the Ngaanyatjarra school system in Western Australia.
The five action learning action research tracks will converge at the end of the World Congress, culminating in a collaborative panel discussion featuring the five keynote speakers outlined above. The World Congress is open to all practitioners of action learning and action research, as well as all Norwich faculty, staff, students and alumnae, and the general public. Registration is now open; for more information and a full listing of events, visit the ALARA World Congress event page.
