Towards thematic knowledge creation in Praxis-network

Today expertise is understood as a collective ability of networks and actors in organisations to solve together new and changing problems. This means that also small analyses of everyday life and co-development of work as... [ view full abstract ]

Today expertise is understood as a collective ability of networks and actors in organisations to solve together new and changing problems. This means that also small analyses of everyday life and co-development of work as small, but continuous practice research processes can be a solution for knowledge and know-how needs of social work organisations. Collaborative practice research process can enhance the role of social workers and service users as co-partners of research processes alongside academic researchers. This way they are co-learners.
We have started a thematic knowledge production as a collaborative effort between communities of Metropolitan Helsinki Area and the University of Helsinki within the Praxis work of the Heikki Waris Institute. It is based on the idea of trialogical learning (Hakkarainen & al. 2003). Our common theme during years of 2014-2016 is Preventing intergenerational negative transmission of marginalization. This theme connects social workers, university teachers, service users, students and managers, social work practice courses and the social work practice.
One of the main tools of the Metropolitan Praxis network are learning network meetings. They can be conceptualised as agora of mutual knowledge creation, trialogical learning. In our presentation we will show how this work is organised by utilising abductive, dialogical research process: 1) practice knowledge of social workers is gathered methodically from the “field” and analysed by social workers. 2) it is analysed whether there are existing relevant research, 3) during the multi-voiced network meeting synthesis of practice knowledge and relevant studies is presented to participants and reflected in dialogue. 4) This dialogue is then recorded and transcribed and again analysed together with social workers in the field. In our presentation we will reflect our experiences both about the outcomes of the process, and the process itself, through the analytic lens of robust knowledge building.