Creating a Living Poster
Developing a Living Interactive Poster
What is a Living Poster?
A living poster is more than a traditional research poster, it is a living expression of your educational research journey. It captures your values, questions, learning and educatioanl influence as you live your theory into practice. It is called living because it grows and transforms like your practice itself.
'A living theory is an explanation produced by an individual for their educational influence in their own learning, in the learning of others, and in the learning of social formations' (Whitehead, 1989)
Whitehead, J. (1989) Creating a Living Theory From Questions of the Kind , 'How do I Improve My Paractice?' Cambridge Journal of Education, 19(1), pp. 41-52.
Core Elements of a Living Poster:
Title, Research Question
- Your central research questions
- 'How am I improving my practice to live more fully, my value of ................................... .................................'
Who I Am and My Context
- A short introduction
- 'I am a secondary science teacher working in a multicultural school in South Africa. My passion is helping students see themselves as capable scientists'
- Include a small photograph or emblem of your setting
My Living Values
- Identify the values that guide your educational influence, e.g. care, critical thinking, respect, social justice
- 'I hold nurturing responsiveness as I connect with others, as a central value in my practice'
My Living Contradictions
- Moments when you actions did not align with your values, this is where growth and transformation begins
- 'I value inclusion and student voice, yet I noticed quieter students were often left unheard during discussions'
Methodology
- Introduce Living Educational Theory Research as your research methodology and the core elements that make this methodology unique
- Share any aspects of other methodologies you will draw upon, for example a narrative style from Narrative Enquiry, as research methods
Evidence of Educational Influence in Learning
- Show how your practice made a difference to yourself, to others and across a social formation you are part of
- It is important you include your educatioanl influence in learning for all 3 aspects
My Living Theory
- Summarise your learning as a concise statement
- 'I understand my educational influence in learning as creating spaces where learners and I co-create meaning through nurturing responsiveness and co-creasearch'
Contact - Sharing
- add your name and setting
- Link to your website and URLs
- Optional link to previous research papers, studies
- Consider including an e mail address
Design Tips
- Use visual metaphors to represent your research journey, growth - trees, spirals, rivers etc.
- Make your values visible through colour, photos, video and quotes
- Include your own voice - a 2 minute video explaining your living poster
- Keep the layout clean and relational to engage the reader fully
Living Interactive Posters
Created during the research process a Living Interactive Poster is an in-depth focus on your research. It is designed to communicate in-depth all aspects of your research. Living Interactive Posters in Living Eduational Theory Research have been validated as a module assessment at Master's level - L7. A Living Interactive Poster is interactive in two ways:
- Through creating interactive URL links to your website to share extended writing s, video, audio etc.
- Interactive with your critical friends in your Peer Validation Group, defending and strengthening your your research and living interactive poster
Living Interactive Posters can be shared as an academic piece of work at conferences, published in EJOLTs and for the researcher personally as a consolidation point in your research journey.
Living Posters to Living Interactive Posters - PowerPoint
*Learn more about Living Posters and Living Interactive Posters*
