[20 Dec] Recherche-action-formation: Rethinking research as praxis as accompaniment
Dear Students,
You are cordially invited to attend the seminar on “Recherche-action-formation: Rethinking research as praxis as accompaniment” jointly organized by the Graduate School and the Department of English Language Education (ELE). Details are as follows:
| Date | 20 December 2023 (Wednesday) |
| Time | 12:00 noon -1:20 pm |
| Format | Hybrid Mode In-Person Venue: D2-LP-09, Tai Po Campus, EdUHK Online via Zoom ( The Zoom link will be sent to participants who have registered) |
| Registration | Registration Deadline: 19 Dec, 5:00 pm Please see the registration link here: http://bit.ly/4aef4SZ |
Speaker
Dr. Sunny Man Chu Lau, Full Professor at Bishop’s University in Quebec, is Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Integrated Plurilingual Teaching and Learning (since July 2021) and the recipient of the 2012 International Society for Language Studies’ Founders’ Emergent Scholars Award. Her recent research projects (SSHRC, FRQSC, and The Higher Education Hub—Estrie) examine the use of translanguaging pedagogies in promoting students’ critical bi/multilingual learning. Disrupting the university-school and theory-practice divides, Dr. Lau pioneers participative action research studies on cross-language and cross-curricular teacher collaborations to promote not only mobilization of languages for knowledge-construction but also metalinguistic and metacultural awareness for critical literacies education. She co-edited Plurilingual pedagogies: Critical and Creative Endeavors for Equitable Language in Education (Lau & Van Viegen, 2020) which engages critically with the theories and pedagogies related to plurilingualism across educational contexts. She is also a co-editor for Critical Inquiry for Language Studies.
Abstract
Recherche-action-formation (literally translated as “action-research-training”) (Beaumont & Moore, 2020; Charlier, 2005) is a participatory-based research methodology that underscores integrated research praxis as/for sustainable teacher development. Teachers as school-based researchers/field informants are accompanied by university-based researchers, both engaging in cycles of reflexive planning, teaching, and evaluating to co-develop instruction and assessment responsive to contextual needs. Recherche-action-formation offers a rigorous method for dialogic construction of “living” theories and knowledge from the ground up and intensive reflective practice fundamental to teacher development (Lau & Stille, 2014). Further, it aims to challenge positivist scientism in present research culture to recover people’s knowledge through a participatory capacity-building process to meet community’s situated needs (Reason & Bradbury, 2006). It disrupts the theory-practice divide, promoting a more egalitarian process of relationship and theory building to improve practice.
This talk elaborates on a multi-year project with ESL and French college instructors who through cross-language and cross-curricular collaborations identified and promoted use of transferable language teaching and learning strategies to support immigrant students’ academic and social integration (Lau et al, 2020). I focus on how recherche-action-formation supported 1. The teachers’ self-study of own daily pedagogical actions and choices; and 2. the team’s collaborative co-development and implementation of crosslingual reading and writing strategies, 3. all contributing to our broader inquiry into ways to empower immigrant students’ learning and identity.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Best regards,
Graduate School and Department of English Language Education
The Education University of Hong Kong
