The Action Research Podcast

About The Action Research Podcast

In the first podcast dedicated solely to Action Research, Adam and Joe do a deep dive into the lives, experiences, philosophies, and - of course - investigations of the most well respected action researchers in the field. Throughout our four seasons, come hear about successes and challenges, and learn about what makes Action Research unique. If you are passionate about social change, engage in research, or are a budding scholar, then this is the perfect podcast for you. The Action Research Podcast aims to offer unique and valuable insights for the field through accessible and engaging conversations about the “what” “why” and “how” of Action Research. The Action Research Team: Adam Stieglitz, Co-host Joe Levitan, Co-host Shikha Diwakar, Production manager/Co-host Cory Legassic, Co-producer/Co-host Vanessa Gold, Sound technician and voice-over specialist

Publisher

Adam Stieglitz & Joe Levitan

Category

business · education · science

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

1 Sept 2020

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

59 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Oct 2026

   Title: Rethinking Education at Scale: The Udhyam Approach

   What if education were less about grading students and more about helping every young person discover and realize their potential? In this episode, we sit down with Mekin Maheshwari (02:00), who helped build Flipkart before stepping away in 2016 to co-found Udhyam Learning Foundation. Today, Udhyam works through India’s government schools to nurture agency and entrepreneurial mindsets among young people, reaching 4.7 million students across 15 Indian states in 2026. In this first episode of Season 6, we explore the foundations of Udhyam (04:25) and dive into a big question: What is the true purpose of education? At 14:00, Mekin challenges the idea of education as a grading and selection system, opening up a conversation about how we can put student growth, agency, and meaningful learning at the center. We then look at what Udhyam is working on and the thinking behind its approach (20:44). How do we know whether students are truly learning and growing to reach their potential in life after school? At 36:44, we unpack Udhyam’s evaluation and assessment processes and what students experience through these activities. At 48:00, we explore a mixed-method, quasi-experimental study through the lens of action research. Then, at 59:39, we zoom out to examine the wider education ecosystem—schools, teachers, principals, communities, and policy—to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and how stronger connections can support student growth. Finally, at 01:09:00, we wrap up with Mekin’s reflections and a heartfelt recognition of the Action Research team, Syeda Asia, Lakshay Talwar, and Kunal Mishra, whose collective action research efforts are supporting the larger Udhyam teams to bring their vision to life. Tune in for a thoughtful, energizing conversation about reimagining education and creating opportunities for every young person to thrive! Thank you Mekin for sharing your time and work with us. And thanks for tuning in to this episode of the Action Research Podcast, created by Joe Levitan, Shikha Diwakar, Cory Legassic, Vanessa Gold, and Adam Stieglitz. Produced by Shikha Diwakar. Subscribe to our podcast on most major podcast distribution platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. How have you found yourself in the world of action research? Want to be interviewed or share one of your projects? Get in touch with us. Resources https://udhyam.org/ (https://udhyam.org/) https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2025/04/kaushalam-program-study-findings.html (https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2025/04/kaushalam-program-study-findings.html) https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/channels/news/joseph-levitan-dise-presents-kaushalam-program-study-results-scert-uttarakhand-364896 (https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/channels/news/joseph-levitan-dise-presents-kaushalam-program-study-results-scert-uttarakhand-364896) [Hindi only] https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026.html?m=1 (https://scertuk.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026.html?m=1)

2. 

   1 Aug 2026

   Collective and Critical Territory Mapping in Action

   Be sure to check out the grand finale of our Eco-Justice and Climate Action Mini Series! Throughout the last few months, we’ve explored everything from outdoor education in Canada, to a global storytelling initiative, to resilience building in coastal island communities, and more. Today, Joe and Blane explore the story behind “Crystallizing Territorial Visions and Claims: Critical Mapping with Amazonian Kichwa Communities in Climate Change (https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/article/view/755). We are joined by authors Anke and Maritza, and co-investigator, Bequer Tuanama, from San Martin, Peru. The interview is bilingual, Spanish and English, with translations. The episode is full of meaningful reflections, candid anecdotes about the process, and a deeper look at their research project. Enjoy! The team begins by tracing how the partnership with Kichwa communities in San Martin, Peru came into being, and was built from existing relationships [3:13]. This leads into a discussion of critical mapping itself, and how a participatory research tool gradually became something more [5:57], providing a space for collective reflection, negotiation, and the reimagining of territorial claims in the face of state-led conservation efforts. The power dynamics involved and their negotiations are very insightful [10:32]. Afterwards, the team walks us through what the mapping process actually looked like, and the connection between mapping territory and climate action, using stories, timelines, and imagery of non-human beings which were included, beyond geographic boundaries [14:00]. The team then shares some of emergent practises from collaborating with a diverse group of collaborators on the project, including different layers of knowledge on map, as well as a vision for the territory in the future, along with practical challenges of the logistics of budgeting, transportation, bringing in elders and women, and providing an intercultural approach to the work [22:56]. The episode closes with learning and outcomes from the project, from the universities changing their approach to action research and impact, how mapping is an important tool of dialogue and collaboration across different sectors, bringing women’s voice to the forefront, and engaging different levels, particularly for communicating with the state [35:04]. Thank you Anke, Maritza, and Bequer for sharing your work with us in this episode. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this episode of the Action Research Podcast, created by Joe Levitan, Adam Stieglitz, Shikha Diwakar, Cory Legassic, and Vanessa Gold. Produced by Shikha Diwakar and Vanja Lugonjic. Subscribe to our podcast on most major podcast distribution platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. How have you found yourself in the world of action research? Want to be interviewed or share one of your projects? Get in touch with us. Photo Credit: https://www.machu-picchu.org/location/ (https://www.machu-picchu.org/location/) Resources: Exhibition Blog Post (https://justiciaclima-ppii.pucp.edu.pe/en/encuentra-nuestra-exhibicion-caminar-el-territorio-mapas-que-se-habitan-territorios-que-se-narran-ahora-en-digital/) Maps (https://justiciaclima-ppii.pucp.edu.pe/en/multimedia/mapas/) Atlas of Critical Mapping in Latin America (https://desmensuras.com/atlas/?query-72-page=2) Biographies: Anke Kaulard holds a PhD in sociology and teaches in the Department of Social Sciences at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and currently at the University of Cologne. She is a former fellow of the trAndeS program (PUCP/FU Berlin) with a focus on inequalities and sustainable development in the Andean region, interested in political economy and ecology. She is a researcher in the action-research project: “Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice” (PUCP/University Diego Portales/TNC, funded by IDRC) and in the project: “Beyond Certification. From voluntary sustainability standards to sector transformation” (PUCP/University of Melbourne). Since 2003 she has been working in action-research, previously in development cooperation projects in the Andean region, Mozambique and Jordan. She works with producer associations and Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon to make visible their demands for climate, economic and social justice. Maritza Paredes is a Full Professor, and Researcher in the Department of Social Sciences, Sociology Section, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Her expertise lies in political sociology and environmental sociology. Paredes has extensively studied the impacts of extractive industries on the institutions and environmental justice of local communities and indigenous peoples, as well as the effects of climate policies at the local level, particularly among indigenous communities in the Amazon. She obtained her PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford in the UK and a Master's Degree from Columbia University in the USA. Bequer Tuanama Lumba is a Kichwa leader from the community of Kawana Sisa in San Martin, Peru. He served as apu of his community in 2008 and later contributed to the creation of the Kichwa Huallaga Dorado Federation (FEKIHD), which he chaired from two terms starting in 2016. Certified as a professional technician in 2023, he worked as a territorial researcher in the project: "Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice" and made significant contributions to the co-creation of the "Buen Mapeo" process in San Martin. -- This episode is part of our Eco-justice and Climate Action Series. Authors from journal articles in a Special Issue of the Canadian Journal for Action Research hop behind the mic and share the inspirations, process, and findings from their projects. Join Joe Levitan, Shikha Diwakar and special guest host Blane Harvey, as they interview an inspiring group of researchers, educators, organizers, and more, navigating the process of action research.

3. 

   13 Jul 2026

   Fostering Solidarity Through Storytelling

   Buckle up for a podcast episode—about podcasting. This time, co-host Blane Harvey switches roles, and is the interviewee alongside Jon Langdon and Sheena Cameron, authors of the The Storytelling Initiative: Community Podcasting at the Frontlines of Climate and Environmental Crises (https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/article/view/784). Joe and Shikha take on co-hosting to unpack storytelling, community podcasting, and the wonderful connections to action research. The episode begins with the team tracing how the project grew out of a research grant to collaborate with Community Radio in Ghana and Student Social Justice Radio in St. Francis Xavier University. The team starts by explaining the deep emphasis on relationship building, then moves onto the what and how of community radio, storytelling, and action research. Joe asks how, in their view, stories are a form of action [15:04], opening into describing the framework for Stories to Change Systems (https://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_story_to_change_systems). During the discussion, Jon calls for a broader view of how we view action [25:20]. We explore together how in their research, storytelling was action research, beyond knowledge mobilization, as the scaffolded design for initiatives involved for podcast episodes created meaningful action and learning opportunities. Departing from sanitised and linear conventions of academic work, Shikha asks the team about behind-the-scenes of the Storytelling Initiative. Sheena, Blane, and Jon share the messiness behind the process, from language and time zone barriers, to inequitable funding mechanisms, to the technical difficulties, and the vulnerability of asking people to share their stories [29:09]. Shikha prompts the group to reflect on how the teams were able to connect seven community groups across vastly different contexts, and the team describes a recurring David versus Goliath dynamic, and moments of trans-local solidarity that emerged when people saw their own struggle reflected in someone else's story [41:29]. Lastly, as a continuation of this work, Blane shares the importance of investigating Canadian universities’ approaches to ethics and funding to better support grassroot initiatives across the world, and Jon and Sheena reflect on their work in bringing podcasting into classrooms and research methodologies [48:26]. Thank you Sheena, Jon, and Blane for sharing your work with us in this episode. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this episode of the Action Research Podcast, created by Joe Levitan, Adam Stieglitz, Shikha Diwakar, Cory Legassic, and Vanessa Gold. Produced by Shikha Diwakar and Vanja Lugonjic. Subscribe to our podcast on most major podcast distribution platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. How have you found yourself in the world of action research? Want to be interviewed or share one of your projects? Get in touch with us. Resources: Listen to the available episodes of The Storytelling Initiative here (https://soundcloud.com/user-229053016/sets/transformations-2023-podcasts)! The Storytelling Initiative: Community Podcasting at the Frontlines of Climate and Environmental Crises (https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/article/view/784) Stories to Change Systems (https://ssir.org/articles/entry/using_story_to_change_systems) Biographies: Jonathan Langdon is a Professor and the Canada Research Chair for Sustainability and Social Change Leadership at St Francis Xavier University, in Mi’kma’ki or Nova Scotia, Canada. For the past 20 years, he has been working with social movements in Ghana to document and deepen their learning in, through and to struggle. More recently, this work sparked a partnership network amongst social movements in Ghana, South Africa, Guatemala and Canada that focuses on how movements can learn from each other from one locale to another, or translocally. Langdon’s writing has been published in leading international and Canadian development, participatory action research and adult education journals. He is also the author of African Social Movement Learning (Brill, 2020), and editor of Indigenous Knowledges, Development and Education (Sense, 2009). Blane Harvey is an Associate Professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University (Canada), where he leads the Leadership and Learning for Sustainability Lab. He is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work spans across the social and natural sciences on the themes of learning, collaboration, environmental change and education for sustainable development. Dr. Harvey’s research investigates how climate change knowledge is produced, validated and communicated, and how facilitated learning and knowledge sharing can support action on climate change, especially within communities most vulnerable to its impacts. He serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Climate and Development. Sheena Cameron is a PhD Candidate (ABD) in the Social Justice Education program at OISE, University of Toronto and teaches part-time with the Development Studies Program at St. Francis Xavier University. She holds a Master's in Communication and Social Justice from the University of Windsor ('13) and has 20 years of experience in community development and experiential learning. Areas of current research include transformative adult learning in the climate/environmental justice movement, Indigenous/settler relations, and podcasting for social change. -- This episode is part of our Eco-justice and Climate Action Series. Authors from journal articles in a Special Issue of the Canadian Journal for Action Research hop behind the mic and share the inspirations, process, and findings from their projects. Join Joe Levitan, Shikha Diwakar and special guest host Blane Harvey, as they interview an inspiring group of researchers, educators, organizers, and more, navigating the process of action research.

Reach and audience

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings