[Host's Note: DP Dash originally addressed this to my personal email
address on June 1. I now understand that he wanted it to go to the LO
list, so I am distributing it to the LO list. ...Rick]
Dear ALL,
Re: LEARNING COMMUNITIES, RESEARCH COMMUNITIES,
COMMUNITIES OF INQUIRY
Greetings! This is an effort to identify a research group for the
conceptual study and practical development of Learning Communities (or
research communities, or communities of inquiry). Of course I am aware
that this topic is being explored in many branches of social science and
in many applied disciplines too. It seems there are also biologists,
environmental scientists, systems theorists, communication theorists, and
philosophers who are working on this topic.
If the topic is of interest to you, and if you would like to form an
international research group on this topic, this message is especially
meant for you. I believe that there are a number of UNSOLVED PROBLEMS in
this area of study. For example: What minimum constraints are necessary
for the development of a learning community? What kind of effort is
necessary to maintain such a community in the face of internal and
external disturbances? What form of interaction between two (or more) such
communities contributes to the development of both (or all)? What type of
narrative (or linguistic) convention support the development of such
communities? What contributes to the mobility of the constituent members
within and among such communities? How can such communities address the
imbalance of power within themselves and in domains outside? How to
evaluate the ^Qmethodologies^R that claim to produce such learning
communities within organisations and society? Etc.
May I now request you to please send me your thoughts on this proposal to
identify a research group on the topic. To enable me to compare the
responses, may I request you to follow a common format please. Allow me to
suggest the following format:
About 400-500 words
Whether you would be interested forming this research group
The nature of your interest in this area
The sort of contribution you would like to make
On hearing from you, I will carefully read your response and compare it
with the other responses. I will then identify some issues emerging from
these responses. I will definitely get back to you with my further
proposals on how we can go on from there.
You may forward this message to any interested colleagues please. They may
be academic scholars or professionals (or other individuals) interested in
contributing to the theme of Learning Communities (or research
communities, or communities of inquiry).
Anxiously looking forward to your response,
Sincerely,
DP
Prof. D. P. Dash
Xavier Institute of Management
Bhuabaneswar - 751013
India
[I apologise in advance for multiple postings, if any.]
[Careful with the reply key. Please send your responses to
DP Dash <dpdash@ximb.stpbh.soft.net>]
--"DPDASH" <dpdash@ximb.stpbh.soft.net>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>