Children as “research centers” in inclusive schools: inspirations from Korczak and the promises of Appreciative Inquiry

• Authors: Jagiełło-Rusiłowski, Adam Jagiełło-Rusiłowski

Abstracts

EN

The purpose of this article is to present Appreciative Inquiry as a potential method for empowering teachers and their schools as organizations. My main argument is that any transformation in schools requires the ownership of teachers and other stakeholders, including the children. Their common engagement has to go beyond the dominating focus on deficiencies and reliance on problem solving methodologies. The idea of involving children in transformative action research can be traced back to Korczak’s pedagogy. Combined with principles of Appreciative Inquiry teachers may succeed in tapping the potential of children, their parents and key community members to give them more ownership and responsibility for the schools as their organizations. AI is grounded in social contructionism and the theory of direct involvement which links AI with the use of generative metaphors. I point to drama techniques as useful research tools allowing the inclusion of children’s voices. Although I cannot offer a proper academic research report but only incidental examples of my pilot uses of AI in educational contexts, I hope to incite the interest of those inspired by Korczak, like myself, to adapt the method to their needs for transforming early education in their local schools, particularly where social exclusion of children and their families creates extra barriers to their academic achievements.

Keywords

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• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Pedagogiczne
• Journal: Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 10(2)
• Pages: 199-213

Contributors

author

Jagiełło-Rusiłowski, Adam Jagiełło-Rusiłowski

Identifiers

DOI

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