As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am using miro to help me gather, map, structure and plan my research. However I am becoming aware that because of the living nature of this mapping, some of my process might get lost in the past. Today especially, after our 2nd workshop, I felt the need to change my timeline and readjust it in accordance to the Action research cycle. I am therefore documenting this as a way to share and record my process.

For reference, I am using the bellow action research cycle as a basis for designing my own (McNiff & Whitehead, 2009):

Initially I had designed my timeline in a slightly more organic way, structuring in in accordance to the different tasks I was picturing doing. See bellow:

However, as we were encouraged to consider our research in relation to the Action Research Cycle I found myself struggling to clearly delineate where in the cycle I found myself. To me, all stages of action research are happening at all times, though arguably to varying degrees. Therefore, much in the same way that the earth looks flat to a person living in it, I decided to restructure my timeline, but using the Action Research Cycle from a first person perspective.

The arrows above my timeline represented my vision of the cycle. They look flat, but in fact, they are a very zoomed in section of a much large action research circles. They swell and thin depending on how active each stage is at any given time, but accommodate for the fact that even though I might be in a stage of gathering data, I am also reflecting at the same time. Something which I felt the other cycles struggled to visualise. Bellow, my lists and tasks are categorised according to the cycle stages, also giving a visual representation of which stages I am in during any given week. All items in red are yet to be actioned. All items in orange are in the process of being completed, and all other coloured items are completed.

Parallel to this, I am mapping all of my research and thoughts into a diagram, so that I keep track of my readings, my thought process and research journey. A bibliography of thoughts and theory if you will.

All of these will change and evolve as my research does.