A Call for Participation

Attention AI practitioners working with schools:

Book Title:  Exceeding Expectations: Stories of Appreciative Inquiry in the Schools
Editors: Dawn Dole, The Taos Institute; Lindsey Godwin, Morehead State University and the Taos Institute; and Matt Moehle, Morehead State University

 
Book Overview/Vision: We live in a world where no one knows what the next education headlines might bring  - from further budget cuts to education to new legislative programs that re-prioritize the focus of entire school districts to teacher lay-offs that the erode community morale.  Yet, despite the topsy-turvy environment that permeates our educational communities, there are many shining examples emerging from across the country and the world of how teachers, staff, administrators, parents and community members are collaborating in new ways to create positive outcomes in an otherwise unsettled environment.  This book aims to showcase for the first time in one collection, the shining examples of how Appreciative Inquiry inspired methodologies are helping to create a positive transformation in our educational communities focused on school-aged students (approximately ages 3-18).  Aimed at being both inspirational and practical, the book will be filled with rich examples of appreciative, relational and collaborative practices in classroom methods, school leadership, teacher training, community engagement, and much more.  It will be a must read for anyone who is interested in creating positive change in their own educational community.


To make this book a reality, we need YOUR STORIES!  We invite you to consider sharing your work, your story, your best example of AI in schools and education for inclusion in this exciting new book.


An INVITATION to SHARE:
We are inviting you to submit a story/example which shares how you are working with schools and educational settings for school-aged students (approximately ages 3-18) using Appreciative Inquiry and other appreciative practices to create positive change and to transform the teaching/learning process, student engagement, leadership and management practices and community involvement.  Your contribution may address any story, example, approach, practice, project or method for bringing Appreciative Inquiry into the educational process for the betterment of the students, teachers, parents, administration and community.  The book will include examples of how AI is being used at the individual student/teacher level, the classroom level, the school level, district-wide and community level.  We are seeking a mix of examples that showcase the formal and informal ways that Appreciative Inquiry and AI inspired methods are being applied across all grade levels in our schools.


How to submit
Please share the details of your story with us by using our on-line easy submit form at:

http://www.taosinstitute.net/ai-schools-submit-your-story

You will be asked to include the following in your submission:

• Your name and contact information
• The name and contact information for any co-contributors you want to list with your submission
• The school or organization where your story occurred (if you need to protect the identity of a school, you may choose to use an alias)
• The type of example your story represents (you can choose from a range of options including: individual student, classroom-level, school-level, district wide, etc.)
• The age group(s) of the students impacted by your story
• A summary of your story. In this summary, PLEASE BE SURE TO INCUDE THE FOLLOWOING IN WHAT EVER WAY FITS WITH YOUR NARRATIVE RECOUNTING: The “who, what, where, when, and why” of your example – what was the inspiration behind your work? Who was involved, when and where did it occur?  What were the impact and outcomes?
• Your own reflections and learnings from the story
  
  We anticipate stories to be approximately 1,000 – 3,000 words, and selected stories will be invited for further editing per the timeline below.
  
  NOTE: You may email any additional resources used for the project that you would like to share as a compliment to your story to: AIschoolsbook@gmail.com  This may include: tools, interview guides, letters, proposals, articles, news stories, project materials, pictures, powerpoints, and other resources. These will be organized and posted on the AI Commons as additional materials for readers.
  
  Review timeframe and process

• Story submissions due: August 1, 2011
• Notification of your story’s acceptance into the book: October 1, 2011
• The editors will work with individual authors editing and finalizing their contributions: October 1, 2011 through December 1st, 2011
• Final version due to editors: December 1, 2011

Papers not accepted for inclusion in the Book:
Depending on the number and diversity of stories we receive, we may not be able to include them all in the proposed book as we seek to balance the many types of examples that exist in the field.  However, we still hope that your story can be showcased by being uploaded to the AI Commons along with any supporting resources, tools, and materials from the project. This will create an avenue for all the stories being shared with the world.  All authors’ works can be recognized and promoted online.


Further contact information:
 
If you have any questions about the book or submission process, please contact the editors at: AIschoolsbook@gmail.com
 

Published by Taos Institute Publishing

Editors:
Dawn Dole
Director, Taos Institute
440-338-6733
info@taosinstute.edu
and
Knowledge Manager, AI Commons website
http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/ 

Lindsey Godwin
Assistant Professor of Management, College of Business & Public Affairs, Morehead State University (through May 2010)
Associate Professor, Division of Business, Champlain College (beginning July 2010)
440-537-0961
l.godwin@moreheadstate.edu  
 
Matthew Moehle
Instructor of Education, College of Education, Morehead State University
440-537-0961
m.moehle@moreheadstate.edu