1. Work Based Reflective Practice 1
Session 4
Chris Thomas

3. Aims To review the Learning Outcomes and assignment requirements
To consider areas we need to develop professionally
To consider work based events
To share reflective events.

4. Learning Outcome 1
Demonstrate an understanding of professional development and reflective practice, identifying their own work-based areas of expertise and identifying areas of knowledge, skills and understanding for development.
(Module Handbook, p3)

5. Learning Outcome 2
Reflect upon work-based events and demonstrate areas of learning and development.
(Module Handbook, p3)

6. Professional Development and it’s links to Government Changes - Activity
List as many relevant government policies and changes that you can.
Discuss how they impact on your practice?

7. Reflection on the envisaged government changes
What do you need to develop to meet the changes?
Begin to list.
How does this relate to LO1?

8. Child and young person development
The skills and knowledge are described under six main headings:
Effective communication and engagement with children, young people and families
Child and young person development
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child
Supporting transitions
Multi-agency working
Sharing information 8

9. Guiding principles for front-line staff:-
The well-being of children and young people is everyone’s business
Be proactive – identify concerns as early as possible and initiate actions
Follow appropriate procedures
Be holistic – think about the big picture - the overall needs of the child, young person or family 9

10. Guiding principles (cont’d)
Consider all potential sources of support, within your own agency, other agencies, the family itself
Involve children, young people and those caring for them in decisions that affect them (unless it is not safe or appropriate to do so)
Understand the importance of information sharing within the context of children and young people’s well-being and safety

11. Additional skills, knowledge that we need for the role
Communication
Application of Number
IT skills
Working with others
Management of own learning
Problem solving
Conflict resolution

12. Effective communication
The need to communicate
Questions to explore
Effective use of skills
Working one to one
Useful listening responses
Literacy skills

13. Why listen? To help others feel that they are heard
To facilitate communication between you and others
To gain a rounded picture of event or problem
To show that you are attending to the needs of others
To understand a problem more fully

14. What skills are needed for active listening?
Hallet in Macleod-Brudenell, (2004, p56) notes the important skills needed:
“Communication will be more successful if the sender gives as much attention to what they hear as what they say. Being a good listener, takes skill and practice. You not only have to hear the words children, staff and parents are saying, but also have to understand them and then respond in an appropriate way.”

15. Management of own learning
Drummond in Fisher (2002, p194) ‘the importance of self knowledge….she defines effective practitioners as those who understand themselves, their knowledge, their feelings and the framework within which they understand children.’ 15

16. Problem solving Overcoming problems
Reflecting on the success of a project
Assessing your attitude to risk-taking
Taking the initiative
*Think about your immediate response
when a problem occurs.* 16

17. Key skills for listening include:
‘Listen’ with eyes as well as ears in order to recognise the verbal and non-verbal clues
Try to be yourself – be natural
Take time to build your relationship
Give full attention and watch for body language
Show interest by asking simple direct questions
Let other people find their own answers – don’t be too quick to jump in with your answers

18. Non-verbal skills for listening/communication
Posture & Gestures
Gaze
Proxemics
Facial Expressions
Silence
Appearance
Touch (possibly the most important)
*All these can be positive and negative* 18

19. The Communication Cycle2.
Message
coded
4. Message
perceived 1.
Ideas occur
5. Message
decoded 3.
Message sent 6.
Feedback
understood
Stretch & Whitehouse (2007, p16) 19

20. Activity
Task: test out your listening skills in threes:- Choose who will listen, speak and observe
The observer needs to note down what happens in task – you can use the evaluation sheets if you wish.
The speaker and listener should sit back to back and hold a conversation
Try both roles as listener and speaker
What did you notice happened? Reflect on this.

21. Application of number
A key skill that can be used in a wide range of situations
Employers put great emphasis on this as a skill
Effects on the children
Is this an area you need to develop? Remember your diagnostic tests and your starting to study learning contracts.

22. IT skills Essential to ability to study and employment
Need to be able to word process, present information to an audience, , manage folders
E.g. Electronic (CAF) / other electronic forms

23. Working with others Teamwork Cooperation Share ideas and information
Links to effective communication

24. Bolton (2010:3)
“Reflective practice can enable practitioners to learn from experience about themselves, their work and the way they relate to home and work, significant others and wider society and culture.”
“It challenges assumptions, ideological illusions, damaging social and cultural biases, inequalities and questions personal behaviours.”

25. Consider
Bolton (2010:4) “I did that because my senior instructed me to…”
“Oh I’ve never thought about why I do that..” Bolton (2010:5)
We’ve always done it that way.
What is missing?

26. To consider work based events
Briefly describe a work based event.
Why did it happen?
Who was involved?
Relate this event to Schon
Relate this event to Kolb or the Gibbs cycle or another
(Dewey, Schon, Taggard)
Find a reference that links to this reflection
What did you learn from this event / or what would you do the next time anything like this happened? How might your views and values have impacted on this event?

27. To share reflective events
Peer feedback
How could you improve your reflective piece of writing?
Which level do think the other person is working at is it dialectical / contextual / technical?

28. Any questions