From little things big things grow: From Australia-South Africa links to international learning partnerships in action

his presentation takes the form of an interview between the presenters to set the
scene for the Congress. It provides background explanation and a personal view of
the origin and growth of ALARPM as a network organisation – from its beginnings
as a tiny group in Brisbane, Australia, to a worldwide network of people from all
sectors of society and from a wide range of interdisciplinary fields. In response to
Tom’s questions, Ortrun outlines seven commonly shared values and principles of
an action learning and action research (ALAR) culture captured in the acronym:
ACTIONS. She then explains how these seven principles can actually be translated
into concrete actions, giving examples from ALAR programs. The matching actions
are captured in another acronym: REFLECT.
Tom Kalliath presents a multi-level model of learning through ALAR: at the
individual/professional, group/team, organisational and inter-organisational levels.
Examples and evidence are provided by participants in the Australian-government
funded Links Program on “Leadership Development of Academic Women in South
Africa through Action Learning and Action Research”, designed to help sow the
seeds for sustainable development in South African Higher Education.