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Convener: Tod Sloan (Theodor) Participants: Gabriel, Natasha, Elaine

We basically brainstormed on how academics and researchers can support dialogical practices such as open space.

Here's what we came up with:

- model less monological approaches in the classroom - get out of the way of practitioners! don't assume that academics know more than practitioners - Nexus for Change conferences were good model for scholars and practitioners working together - we need research that supports and examines particular forms of practice, examining the value constructs that are mobilized in each model - and this research needs to be emergent, engaged, and quick, ethnographic and critical, a form of action research - can help define terms, like types of 'systems' - could focus on various aspects of deliberative democracy, such as its real inclusivity and forms of participation - need to develop models for collaboration between colleagues in academic and the field - all learning about practices needs to be collaborative and not individual - academics/researchers could set up moments for reflection and metacomment within processes, as a way of studying them - it is okay for academia to defend intellect and rigor - these have their place, along with heart

Participants seemed to feel that this session added an important and missing dimension to the work of the weekend.