Donna Frost

Chapter 5 150 Period Focus Data generation activities NPI- 7 : Sep – Dec 2014 Mtg 11 : Oct 27 2014 Mtg 12 : Dec 14 2015 Inquiry focus during NPI- 7 Professional artistry powers our practice Deciding on new images / creative representations of current understandings Own creative expressions and journal entries (each individually) Diverse written recorded items of feedback, some unsolicited Collectively: revisiting earlier images and understandings and comparing them with current understandings, conclusion was ‘ transformation ’ CCCI x 1 including collective analysis and critique Final CCCI meeting – review and looking to the future Creative collaborative inquiry in practice settings In the NPI in particular there was a crossover evident between the ways of working and inquiring during the group meetings and the ways of researching together in clinical practice situations. I was not the onlymember of the NPI group to take on the researcher role in practice situations. All NPI members observed episodes of each other’s practice followed by critical creative conversations. These observations and conversations became part of the data pool and were a rich learning experience for all of us. Meeting together in each other’swork spaces to investigate and capture experience and generate data was initially very challenging, however, certainly in terms of finding a way to incorporate creative methods. In fact, although the creative methods were well received and valued during the CCCI meetings, NP inquirers were at first reluctant to use them during practice inquiry, particularly if I was not there to facilitate. I recognised the hesitance from my own experience as learner (Boomer & Frost, 2011 ) and as teacher (van der Zijpp et al., 2011 ). Cognitive ways of knowing and doing are so highly valued in our society as to be taken for granted. Apart from not wanting to be thought ridiculous by colleagues, it seemed to NPI members that it would be both awkward and time consuming to organise using creative methods in practice settings after having observed nursing encounters. It appeared logical that if the step of ‘creative response’ was left out of the practice inquiry cycle, that the cycle would take less time.