A collaborative inquiry: ‘how do we improve our practice with children?’

Abstract

A collaborative inquiry into how to improve the well-being of children was run over six months, as a partnership between Liverpool Hope University and a local authority Children’s Services. The collaborative inquiry was based on a living theory approach to action research in which practitioners became increasingly aware and reflective of their moment-by-moment practice. The Buddhist concept of mindfulness formed the basis of the practice, which Kabat-Zinn (1994, 4) describes as ‘paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally’. Schön’s notions of reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action were then developed as enabling means of being mindful in each present moment.

Keywords:

• collaborative inquiry
• living theory
• reflection-in-action
• child well-being
• mindfulness