Abstract
Currently, there is a renewed focus on enhancing the capacity of individuals to have positive interactions with others as well as the institutions which govern society. This chapter describes how the fusion of pedagogical knowledge, expertise and shared practice enabled two educators, one working at an Australian university and the other working at a Turkish university, to create opportunities to activate, guide and strengthen learners’ democratic participation and competences in the classroom. In providing this analysis, the nature and value of Exploratory Practice and international collaboration are critically examined through the lens of third space theory which was found to be an important conceptual frame for navigating this process. In conclusion, this chapter evaluates the key elements of Exploratory Practice which can be used to enable educators to foster a democratic space within their classroom. In doing so, this work also identifies how adopting this pedagogical approach can transcend cultural differences to deliver a more dynamic and engaging learning space.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Allwright, A. (2015). Putting ‘understanding’ first in practitioner research. In K. Dikilitaş, R. Smith, & W. Trotman (Eds.), Teacher-research in action (pp. 19–36). Kent, UK: IATEFL.
Allwright, D. (2003). Exploratory practice: Rethinking practitioner research in language teaching. Language Teaching Research, 7(2), 113–141.
Allwright, D., & Hanks, J. (2009). The developing language learner: An introduction to Exploratory Practice. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
Becker, T. L., & Couto, R. A. (Eds.). (1996). Teaching democracy by being democratic. West Port, CT: Praeger Series.
Bîrzéa, C. (2000). Education for democratic citizenship: A lifelong learning perspective. Strasbourg: Council for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe. Retrieved from http://www.nefmi.gov.hu/letolt/nemzet/eu/Education%20for%20Democratic%20Citizenship.pdf
Council of Europe. (2010). Council of Europe charter on education for democratic citizenship and human rights education. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Retrieved from https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=09000016803034e3
Council of Europe. (2016). Competences for democratic culture: Living together as equals in culturally diverse societies. Executive summary. Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe Publishing. Retrieved from https://book.coe.int/eur/en/human-rights-democratic-citizenship-and-interculturalism/6871-competencies-for-democratic-culture-living-together-as-equals-in-culturally-diverse-democratic-societies.html
Duerr, K., Spajic-Vrkaš, V., & Martins, I. F. (2000). Strategies for learning democratic citizenship. Strasbourg: Council for Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe. Retrieved from http://www.storiairreer.it/sites/default/files/norme/2000%2007%2019%20Duerr.pdf
Gerrevall, P. (2002). Proceedings from the European Conference on Educational Research 2002: Assessing Democratic Competence. University of Lisbon, 11–14 September 2002. Retrieved from http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00002202.htm
Hanks, J. (2015). Language teachers making sense of Exploratory Practice. Language Teaching Research, 19(5), 612–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168814567805
Healey, M. (2005). Linking research and teaching: Exploring disciplinary spaces and the role of inquiry-based learning. In R. Barnett (Ed.), Reshaping the university: New relationships between research, scholarship and teaching (pp. 67–78). McGraw Hill/Open University Press.
Miller, I., & Cunha, M. (2016). Exploratory Practice in continuing professional development: Critical and ethical issues. In K. Dikilitaş & I. H. Erten (Eds.), Facilitating in-service teacher training for professional development (pp. 61–85). IGI Global.
Moje, E. B., McIntosh-Ciechanowski, K., Kramer, K., Ellis, L., Carrillo, R., & Collazo, T. (2004). Working toward third space in content area literacy: An examination of everyday funds of knowledge and discourse. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(1), 38–71.
Tracey, D. H., & Morrow, L. M. (2012). Lenses on reading: An introduction to theories and models. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Webb, R., Sarina, T. (2018). The Role of Exploratory Practice and International Collaboration in the University Classroom: A Guide to Fostering Students’ Democratic Competences. In: Dikilitaş, K., Hanks, J. (eds) Developing Language Teachers with Exploratory Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75735-3_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75735-3_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-75734-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-75735-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)