The document describes the chronicle workshop method, which facilitates structured group discussions centered around an organization's history. Participants reflect on topics through writing notes on a timeline, sharing their perspectives. The process is documented and can provide data or serve organizational aims. An example project used workshops to collect cases on inclusion processes in kindergartens. Participants realized their practice had shifted from focusing on individual children to their ability to include all children through relationships and organizational development. The method works best for reflective practitioners comfortable with group discussion who have a shared experience to examine.

1. Chronicle workshops
Doing it differently
Sisse Grøn
sig@teamarbejdsliv.dk
IEA Melbourne, 2015
Nuremberg Chronicle Woodcuts

2. THE POTENTIAL
”Wow, we have come a long way, we are quite good…it takes
professionalism to do what we have done. It shows how easy it
is to let things get out of hand and how important we are in a
child’s life…the child’s ambassador”
(Reflexion from a cronicle workshop for child-care workers)
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3. INTRODUCTION
• A method to facilitate a structured group-based process
centered around the group’s history
• Inspired by action research, narrative sociology,
organizational theory
Participative
Democratic ideal
• It can be data collection
• Or serve the aim of the organization
• It is strongly engaging and rewarding for the participants
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4. HOW TO DO IT - PREPARATION
• Selection
Variety
Group size
• Clarify objective and expected outcome
• Write a detailed program
• Set the scene
Bare wall and round circle without tables
Establish a pre-defined time-line
Write headings
Bring post-its in different colors and pens
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5. • Round one
Ask participants to reflect on a topic and write a word on a note (fx
What were the significant events?)
The participants in turns place their note on the time line and explain it
briefly
The facilitators reflect on the story they see unfold, suggest
interpretations and invite discussion
• Round two
Repeat the process with a different but still specific topic (fx Who
where the significant agents?)
• Round three
Repeat with a reflection inviting topic (fx pros & cons)
• Round four
Instruct the participants to divide the story in chapters and give their
chapters headings (in groups) and to explain why
Again the facilitators reflect on the story they see unfold, suggest
interpretations and invite discussion
Topics should
provide anchorage
and specificality.
Start out with the
what, when and
who facts.
A transparent
analytical process.
The visual timeline
makes the story
shared and
accessible to all.
A discourse.
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HOW TO DO IT – THE PROCESS

6. HOW TO DO IT – FOLLOW UP
• Document the process (two or more facilitators works best)
• Report it to the organisation – write it up
• Use it as data
For the participants the proces is usually a positive experience, but the
knowledge is internalised, thus it can be an invisible result.
For researchers it serves well as data, if the process is documented.
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7. THE FIREFLY
• A project to collect best practice cases of inclusion
processes in kindergardens
• The data for the 10 cases was collected via cronicle
workshops (two per case)
• In the Firefly we had two workshops with the same six
participants
First workshop: Centered on an early inclusion process
(one child)
1. actual events 2. significant agents 3.
successes and failures
Second workshop: Same process, but centered on a later
inclusion process
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8. THE FIREFLY
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9. • The workshop made the
participants realise that
their practice had changed
The story that was created
was:
Initially their focus had been
on the specific child ->
Shift to focus on the child’s
relations ->
Shift to focus on their
organisation and its ability to
include
Double loop learning
The reflective practitioner
Working with people
A formulated development process
and practice
And knowledge about preconditions
for succesful inclusion for us
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THE FIREFLY

10. LOOP
”Wow, we have come a long way, we are quite good…it takes
professionalism to do what we have done. It shows how easy it
is to let things get out of hand and how important we are in a
child’s life…the child’s ambassador”
(Reflexion from a cronicle workshop for child-care workers)
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11. LIMITATIONS
• Works best with reflective practitioners
• Who likes to talk
• And a group that actually has a shared story
• It tends to disguise discrepancies
• Bullying and harassments are not suitable topics
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