Transcript Preparation for Practice –Constructing a Framework for

Preparation for Practice
Constructing a Framework for
Learning
Bob Cecil Senior Lecturer
Canterbury Christ Church University
Louise O’Connor Senior Lecturer
London South Bank University
January 2008
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Outline
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Developments in social work education
Defining ‘Preparation for Practice’
Module overview
The evaluation & findings
Key themes
Unpacking the findings:implications for
Curriculum Planning
• ‘PREPARES’: a framework for practice
learning
• Final thoughts
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“I dunno,” Arthur said, “I forget
what I was taught. I only
remember what I’ve learnt.”
(P.White The Solid Mandala 1966)
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Developments in social work
education
• Modernisation agenda- to improve status /
confidence in social work
• Regulation - Codes of Practice Employers &
Employees (General Social Care Council)
• New Training Framework – National
Occupational Standards (Key Roles)
• SCIE: “Better knowledge for better practice”
to develop & sustain the social care knowledge
base (evidence-based practice)
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Key themes
• Generic Degree
• Inter-professionalism
• Partnership Working & Collaborative
Practice
• Service User & Carer Participation
• Theory & Practice Integration
• Evidence Based Approach & Research
Mindedness
• Practice-focussed Curriculum
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Preparation for Practice
Providers must:
‘ensure that all students undergo assessed
preparation for direct practice to ensure
their safety to undertake practice learning
in a service delivery setting. This
preparation must include the opportunity to
develop a greater understanding of the
experience of service users and the
opportunity to shadow an experienced
social worker’ (authors’ emphasis) (DoH, 2002:3).6
4 key aspects led to further
questions:
• What are the key elements of preparation?
• How could students best learn about the experience of
service users?
• What personal & professional learning would result from
work shadowing?
• What knowledge underpins safety to practise and in
practice?
• What would the evaluation tell us about students’ levels
of knowledge & understanding in initial stage of training?
• How would we recreate / revise the PFP curriculum?
• How are the first steps as part of an incremental &
coherent approach to students’ learning?
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Literature
• Preparation for practice learning remains largely
undefined
• Research into effective field education is still in
its infancy (Parker, 2007)
• Views of first line managers & perceptions of
newly qualified practitioners –readiness for
realities of practice ( Marsh & Triseliotis, 1996)
• Some exploration of concepts of ‘ competence’
& ‘capability’
• Need differentiation between ‘competence for
practice’ (prior to practice) & ‘competence in
practice’ (post-qualification (Preston-Shoot, 2004)
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The Module
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A series of taught workshops on the nature of professional
social work: social work roles, duties & responsibilities, ethical
dimensions, service user perspectives, reflective practice &
the use of theory in practice.
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Completion of a Virtual Placement CD-Rom & Quiz.
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Work Shadowing a qualified social worker (minimum of
3 days.
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Completion of Work Shadowing Observation Journals
including demonstration of understanding of core social work
roles and responsibilities & the GSCC Codes of Practice
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A Written Assignment.
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The Evaluation
• To evaluate if and how students felt the module
prepared them for their first practice learning
experience.
• To highlight significant aspects of personal and
professional learning identified by students.
• To begin to identify the key features of an
effective Preparation for Practice Learning
framework
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Methodology: questionnaires and focus
group
Student profile:
41 students
24 different languages were spoken
28 minority ethnic backgrounds
Average age was 32 years (range 20 – 50)
4 men in the group.
Average length of pre-course social care
experience was 2 years
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The Nature of Social Work
• The first thing I learned ….. it is not always about helping
people as not all people who come into contact with
social workers do so voluntarily… social workers help is
not always wanted.”
• “Social worker intervenes to help people take control of
their lives, providing them with assistance …… it is not
about taking charge and disempowering the service
users.”
• "I was surprised at just how much paperwork is involved
as well as the write- ups”
• “It is very authoritative. People are said to be given
choices but how do they choose when resources are
limited?”
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Skills, Knowledge & Goal Setting
• “Social work practice can be pressured
and require strong organisation of time
and good analytical skills in clarifying and
taking in large amounts of information.“
• “Needs a lot of commitment, one has to be
aware of (one’s) values and it can be
contradictory in relationship to the (social
work) values.”
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Key Themes
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Addressing the nature of social work
Professionalism
Reflective Practice
AOP / ADP- power, empowerment &
principled practice
• Professional requirements & work based /
practical realities
• Observational learning
• Communication and interpersonal skills /
approach & style in practice / emotional
literacy
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Unpacking the findings
• Importance of critical reflection in articulating the
theoretical
• Fook :‘fragmented and diverse contexts’
(2003:1) &
dangers of ‘constructing theory & practice as
separate entities’ (2002:26)
• Usher’s (1989) typology of knowledge:
- Theoretical - to discover the nature of the world & what
‘necessarily exists’
- Technical - (‘know-how’) - instrumental or ‘means end’
reasoning
- Practical knowledge - purpose to act appropriately &
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ethically in the world
Unpacking the findings
• Cree ( 2003) – becoming, identifying &
conducting self as a professional practitioner
• Eadie & Lymbery (2002) - personal development
as part of process of professionalisation
• Emotional intelligence (Mayer & Salovey 1993;
Morrison, 2007)
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Planning the Curriculum
• Balance between teacher- centred (‘classical’) & studentcentred (‘romantic’) curricula ((Lawton,1973)
• Andragogy & pedagogy debate – the need to use
students’ experience i.e.. Jarvis’ (1993) major variable is
experience not chronological age
• Bines’ (1992) 3 fold typology of professional education
training models:
- Apprenticeship
- Technocratic
- Post technocratic model of initial professional
education - builds on the experience of practice &
reflection on same
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Teaching & Learning Strategies
Learning through Observation
• Observational learning well documented
(Bandura,1977 )
• Child observation (Trowell & Miles,1991; Briggs,1999,
Tanner & Le Riche,1998)
• Le Riche (2006) - the pedagogical value of a work
shadowing experience allowing access to the
subtleties of communication, culture & antioppressive practice
• Brearley (2007:94) - the need to refine one’s
observation skills in understanding ‘the complex
medium which constitutes the workplace’
• Hinshelwood & Skogstad (2000) - promoting
understanding of organisational transactions &
processes in health settings
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Teaching & Learning Strategies
• Importance of stories, metaphors & practice based case
examples as a necessary part of the learning process to
communicate knowledge & understanding – finding the
space for reflection. (Osmond & O’Connor 2004)
• Teaching of theory - the theory circle ‘theory to
understand’ & ‘theory to intervene’ (Collingwood et al
2008)
• Student-centred group methods - discussion / debate /
fishbowl to facilitate group learning (Jarvis, 1993) &
foster trust & cohesion for a newly forming and diverse
group
• Controlling & pacing learning – Computer assisted
learning (Singh Cooner & Doel, 2003) individual student-19
centred method
‘PREPARES’ Framework
P
R
E
P
A
-
Personal Skill & Development
Reflective Practice
Exploration of Theory and Knowledge
Professionalism
Anti-Oppressive / Anti-discriminatory
Practice: Social Work Values
R - Reality of Social Work Environments
E - Emotional Intelligence
S - Service User & Carer Perspectives ©
(O’Connor, Cecil & Boudioni 2007)
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Final thoughts
• Importance of evaluating students’ learning as part of
the first steps on their professional journey - ‘evidenceinformed practice.’
• Model offers a foundation & framework on which to build.
• Changes implemented:
 Strengthen level 1 input on interpersonal skills and
communication to address emotional literacy, skill
development, personal agency & effectiveness
 Addressing reflective practice within the curriculum
using explorative writing and group work (Bolton, 2001)
 Identifying & strengthening trans-module learning
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Final thoughts
Effective learning:
‘allows structures of meaning to be
recognised, and to be open to change,
in a way which facilitates a different
(and perhaps more constructive)
professional response’
(Yelloly & Henkel, 1995:9)
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Bibliography
Bandura, A.(1977) Social Learning Theory. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Bines, H. (1992) ‘Issues in course design’, in Bines, H. & Watson, D. (eds) Developing Professional
Education Buckingham: SRHE and Open University Press
Briggs, S. (1999) ‘Links between infant observation and reflective social work practice’. Journal of
Social Work Practice, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 147-156.
Brearley, J. (2007) ‘A psychodynamic approach to social work in Lishman, J. (2nd ed) ( 2007)
Handbook for Practice Learning in Social Work and Social Care London :Jessica Kingsley
Publishers
Bolton, G.( 2001) Reflective Practice: Writing and professional development. London: Sage.
Collingwood, P.,Emond,R.,& Woodward, R. 2008 The Theory Circle: A Tool for Learning and for
Practice Social Work Education vol 27, no1,pp. 70-83
Cree, V. (2003) Becoming a Social Worker. Routledge, London.
Department of Health (2002) The Requirements for Social Work Training. Department of Health,
London.
Eadie, T. and Lymbery, M. (2002) ‘Understanding and working in welfare organisations: helping
students survive the workplace’ Social Work Education, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 515-527.
Fook, J. (2002) Social Work: Critical Theory & Practice. Sage:London .
Fook, J. (2003) Negotiating for Social Justice. Plenary delivered at the
28th Australian
Association of Social Workers National Conference, 30th September 2003. Canberra, Australia.
General Social Care Council (2002) Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers and Employers.
General Social Care Council: London
Hinshelwood, R.D. & Skogstad, W. (2000) Observing Organisations:Anxiety, Defence and Culture in
Health Care .London:Routledge
Lawton , D. (1973) Social Change, Educational Theory and Curriculum Planning London: Hodder and
Stoughton
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Bibliography
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Le Riche, P. (2006) ’Practising observation in shadowing: curriculum innovation and learning on the
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