Promoting Polyvocal Co-Creative Play for Qualitative Research Rationale Development

Our innovations include developing the polyvocal professional learning approach, which emphasizes the significance of multiple voices and stories in fostering profound professional growth. We recognized the generative potential of this kind of plurality, with the understanding that generativity involves studying one’s own practice to contribute to the improved learning of our students. In our teaching, we encourage the use of artistic methods and modes such as Haikus, lantern poems, metaphor drawings, and the creation of research artifacts to initiate qualitative research projects. These techniques propel students forward and foster collaborative and arts-inspired conversations that deepen their understanding of their research topics. We have designed a flexible template for peer responses based on a critical friend mentorship model, helping students refine their proposals and engage more deeply with their research topics. This approach has shown significant potential for adaptability and can be utilized by other instructors aiming to enhance their teaching methods and student engagement. In this chapter, we outline the goal of our co-creative strategy and the reasons behind its development. We introduce a flexible template for peer responses, anchored in a critical friend mentorship model that we have designed to support our students. The chapter also describes several artistic techniques for initiating qualitative research projects. We describe the creation of Haikus, lantern poems, research artifacts, and metaphor drawings, with student exemplars included for illustration. We conclude by discussing the implications of our strategy and highlighting its potential adaptability for use by other instructors.