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Preparation for Practice Constructing a Framework for

Learning

Bob Cecil Senior Lecturer Canterbury Christ Church University

Louise O’Connor Senior LecturerLondon South Bank University

January 2008

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Outline• 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).

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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

• 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.

• Completion of a Virtual Placement CD-Rom & Quiz.

• Work Shadowing a qualified social worker (minimum of 3 days.

• Completion of Work Shadowing Observation Journals including demonstration of understanding of core social work roles and responsibilities & the GSCC Codes of Practice

• 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 • 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 & ethically in the world

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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’) & student-

centred (‘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 & anti-oppressive 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-centred method

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‘PREPARES’ Framework

P - Personal Skill & DevelopmentR - Reflective Practice E - Exploration of Theory and Knowledge P - ProfessionalismA - Anti-Oppressive / Anti-discriminatory

Practice: Social Work ValuesR - 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 - ‘evidence-informed 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 berecognised, 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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BibliographyBandura, 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

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