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This paper is written in a personal capacity and mainly takes the form of a poem - in five sections - composed as a response to some of the ideas in the article by Hannu Heikkinen and colleagues in this same issue of "Educational Action Research": 'Action research as narrative: five principles for validation'. The poem takes its title and structure from that article: its coming-into-being as a piece of work is described in the short introduction. As the introduction mentions, the author-poet has discussed, in previous papers, some of the connections and disconnections between the practices of educational research and poetry. The present paper offers actual work-in-practice that illustrates how these have been played out in one context - which was as poet-in-residence at a conference on inter-professional learning and practice in healthcare. The author is very keen to tempt others into dialogue on these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how major breakthroughs in generating, analysing and disseminating action research about problem-based learning were made through the medium of poetry. I used poetry in three ways: as data, as an interpretive device and as a reflective medium. Poetry helped me to disseminate my research in provocative, memorable and challenging ways. Action research is conceptualised as a triple process of doing, thinking and being that incorporates the powerful use of poetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy feet of stone Seeking transformation Dancing rocks and flows Critical creativity is a paradigmatic synthesis linking critical social science with creative and ancient traditions. Our haiku summarises the essence of this three part paper. Heavy feet of stone describes the rationale for our creation of critical creativity. Seeking transformation sets out the background and methodology for our inductive, methodological development. Dancing rocks and flows unfolds a new methodological framework for action-oriented, transformational practice development and research that is concerned with human flourishing for those who engage in such work, as well as those for whom the work is intended. Through interplay of story, metaphor, poetry and critical dialogue, we present our methodological development approach for critical creativity and the evolving methodological framework. Within the framework, we focus on conditions and principles that enable our worldview of critical creativity to be used in action research and practice development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of participants' experience in practitioner research is often taken for granted, and its more tacit dimensions overlooked. Poetic expression is valuable in surfacing these tacit dimensions, enabling the researcher to engage with them more consciously and draw on them to strengthen the research. To illustrate, I draw on my own poetically expressive writing relating to the experience of leading an action research project - a text entitled A Gossamer Thread. I describe how I came to write in this way, and draw on the poet Robert Frost's account of 'the figure a poem makes' to show how the writing arises from within experience and is able to clarify its meaning. This process is linked to an understanding of Dewey's concept of integral experience. Ways in which poetic expression may contribute to practitioner research are discussed, exploring how the vitality of poetic expression can energise research and how writing poetically emphasises receptivity, stepping back from assumptions and opening up to possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]