Module 4 – Background

Required Material

First, start out with these short animated videos that gives you an overview of action learning:

Action learning. (2014). Learning Series. NGO Learning Centre, Liverpool, Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRnw1MguS6o:

McLuckie, R. (2014). Action learning. WIAL Global, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpLheyQV4Es:

This is the probably the toughest topic of this class so make sure to take some time to carefully go through all of the readings. The following book chapter will give you a general overview of action learning and is a good place to start:

Passmore, J.(2011). Chapter 3: Action learning supervision for coaches. Supervision in Coaching: Supervision, Ethics, and Continuous Professional Development. London: Kogan Page. [EBSCO eBook Collection]

Now read up on action learning in much more detail in these following readings:

Pedler, M., & Abbott, C. (2013). Chapter 1: Action learning: Its origins and principles. Facilitating Action Learning: A Practitioner’s Guide. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education. [EBSCO eBook Collection]

Marquardt, M. J. (2004). Chapter 8: Introducing, implementing, and sustaining action learning. Optimizing the Power of Action Learning: Solving Problems and Building Leaders in Real Time. Yarmouth, ME, USA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. [Ebrary]

Action learning is one of the tougher topics of this module, so if you are still have some difficulty with the concepts you may want to take a look at some of the optional materials below.

Optional Material

Clifford, J., & Thorpe, S. (2007). Chapter 4: Learning and development methods. Workplace Learning & Development: Delivering Competitive Advantage for Your Organization. London: Kogan Page, pp. 29-32. [eBook Academic Collection. Note: You don’t have to read the whole chapter, just the section on action learning]

Sethi, B. (2014) Action learning for executive coaching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If2cxABYLNo:

Peters, M. (2013). Accomplish two for one with action learning. T + D, 67(2), 52-57. [ProQuest]

I need at least a 150-word comment on this discussion

Action Learning Gurus

 Actions for ‘Action Learning Gurus’

In the background materials you viewed two short animated videos that helped introduce you to the basics of action learning. For this discussion take a look at some more “serious” videos from some of the leading authorities on action learning.

Reg Revans is one of the early founders of action learning and his videos tend to be extremely serious in tone. Several of his classic videos are available on YouTube. More recent videos are also available by Michael Marquardt, another leading authority on action learning and author of one of the required background readings. Take a look at some videos from both of these action learning experts and share the links to couple videos that you found the most interesting or at least kept you awake.

What are your overall impressions of Drs. Marquardt and Revans? Which one seemed to be more authoritative or better at explaining the concepts? Anything useful in the presentations that helped you learn or absorb the concepts covered in the required background materials? Or did you just have trouble staying awake? Let your classmates know what your recommendations are regarding these videos.