How can professionals support children and young people’s mental health?

As a society, our current approach to mental health is damaging and limiting. There is a tendency within the media and support agencies to assume a continual rise in emotional difficulties among the young. We are told—in very general terms—that it is virtually impossible to escape mental health damage caused by factors such as engagement with social media, the fallout from Covid-19 lockdowns, and peer pressure. While some children and teenagers have negative experiences, this is not the case for all children and teenagers – yet we act as if it is. One problem with embracing this deficit model of mental health is that it leaves little space to show children and young people how to develop resilience in the face of life’s challenges.

Over a four-year period, I worked with teenagers to develop supportive and creative techniques which we used to work through difficulties and build emotional resilience.  

We found that if we single out individual children and young people who already consider themselves to have poor mental health, we perpetuate the otherness of experiencing emotional difficulties. This can further exacerbate poor mental health as an isolating experience, which in turn can create a myth that other people are doing alright. This creates a binary set of ideas about mental health as being either poor or good and gives children and young people the false impression that we are either happy or sad, coping or not coping.  

I believe that this attitude towards mental health is contributing to us losing sight of the emotional complexity of the human condition. In reality it is normal to feel a wide range of emotions—including feelings such as worry, sadness, contentment, anger, happiness, and relief—but we are not teaching our children and teenagers this. Instead, we pathologise and catastrophise difficult emotions when they arise, and escalate and create potential crises by speaking in limited diagnostic terms (currently our societal focus is on anxiety and trauma).   

For now, I believe that children and young people’s mental health will only improve if we broaden our treatment of mental health and move away from our current deficit model which is very individualistic in focus. Instead, it would be far healthier to work with all children as part of a not for profit or school curriculum and to include the psychology of happiness, satisfaction, and what makes for a meaningful life alongside addressing challenges in our everyday treatment of mental health. 

Drawing upon case study examples I show that it is possible to work creatively with children and teenagers in group settings and that given the opportunity, most young people enjoy taking part in a wide range of activities designed to create change in how they think about themselves and respond to others. I know from working in this way that the process makes a positive difference to how individuals feel and how they go on to cope with problems when they arise. The work that young people and I did together also challenges an overt societal focus on the individual with mental health issues, and shows the benefit of learning from peers, and also celebrating acts of kindness in ourselves and others.  

Rather than problematise childhood surely, we would all rather children and young people foster hope about themselves and their futures? It is exactly this that my book sets out to do and show a wide range of practitioners how to replicate. 

Rachel Burr, 2023

Rachel Burr is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex. An anthropologist and social worker with an international background in child protection, her overarching focus is on developing practitioner-orientated techniques for working with and enhancing emotional strength among children and young people who are living in challenging and difficult circumstances.

Her most recent book Self-worth in children and young people – Critical and practical considerations challenges the dominant approaches to children and young people’s mental health, and provides straightforward practical strategies that can be used to address emotional upset, loss and aid recovery.

Buy now

Tackling Anxiety in Primary Mathematics Teachers

by Karen Wicks

Adults often have a love-hate relationship with mathematics like marmite- but those feelings come from previous success or failure with the subject. Karen tackles those with less than positive concerns about the subject head-on. Karen Wicks has produced a thorough review of the issues around mathematics anxiety for adult learners’ intent on teaching. This carefully structured text will be helpful for anyone teaching mathematics to initial teacher training students. Karen’s book is based on her detailed doctoral studies and her experience of teaching this group of students. The links to further reading will provide any lecturer with recommendations to develop their own knowledge of this aspect of teaching mathematics.

Mary Briggs, Principal Lecturer and Programme Lead for Childhood and Education (ECS and Ed Studies) at Oxford Brookes University

We are excited to announce that Tackling Anxiety in Primary Mathematics Teachers will be available February 15 in Paperback, EPUB, Kindle and PDF for just £20.00!

For more, click below!

https://www.criticalpublishing.com/tackling-anxiety-in-primary-mathematics-teachers

We are so excited to announce…

How to Thrive at Work, Mindfulness, Motivation and Productivity is out today!

By Stephen J Mordue

An essential read for anyone experiencing low level anxiety or stress, this book pulls together the various individual strands of business logic, scientific research, self-care, spirituality and common sense to provide a one-stop guide to thriving at work.

From the fundamental principles of self-care, all the way through to maintaining motivation once you have it, Stephen applies the experience he has gained from 19 years as a social work practitioner, lecturer and team manager, to give a comprehensive guide to getting the best out of your work life.

You will see as we go through the various chapters of the book that developing a mindful way of approaching things is crucial. This is nothing scary. Mindfulness is simply being able to focus yourself in the moment to the exclusion of everything else. All of the things I’ll talk about will help you develop this way of being. Because mindfulness is just that. It’s not a thing you do it’s a way you ‘are’. We shall see that mindfulness fuels motivation, and that a range of self-care activities and ‘being-organised’ techniques beat procrastination and keep you moving forward. This is an idea for work but also for things beyond work so that we can have productive lives whatever we are doing. It’s a whole life approach.

Introduction: mindfulness, motivation and productivity

1. Self-care: the fundamental principles

To mention a few, this chapter explores the theory, basic principles and context of self-care:

‘When identifying solutions to work related stress, interestingly, respondents in Marc and Osvat’s (2013) research cited solutions to the problem as being outside of the workplace – for example, movement therapy, family support, conversations with colleagues and friends, walks and unplanned vacations.’

2. Rest: don’t just do something

Rest can feel counter-intuitive when we are trying to be productive, instead, Stephen looks at its essential role in workplace productivity and therefore workplace well-being.

‘Rest is essential as it generates two other ‘r’s’, recovery and recuperation. For those of us working in the knowledge and information roles that dominate workplaces, or creative roles that are essential in the economies we labour in, then our ‘legs’ are our brains. We need to rest effectively to recover our psychological capacity in the same way Hoy rests for a physical recovery.’

3. Sleep: nutrition for the mind

This chapter addresses the importance of sleep for thriving at work, covering its various elements, including: the language of sleep, getting to sleep, the quantity vs quality argument, the impact of sleep on productivity, the benefits of routine and the impact of external influences such as alcohol and caffeine.

4. Nutrition: the impact of what you eat and drink

The focus in this chapter is less on calories in and calories out and more on the impact that what you eat has on your well-being overall and, as a consequence, your productivity.

5. Exercise: how moving more means you do more

Deep dives into the known benefits and variables of exercise. Areas of this chapter include: addressing the question of what do we mean by exercise, and how much should we do? Considers the psychological benefits of exercise, the impact of stress on our motivation to exercise, and what types of exercise work best.

6. Mindfulness, meditation and reflection: giving yourself space

This chapter covers mindfulness topics including spirituality, the cognitive triangle, the origins of mindfulness, awareness, breathing and living in the present, to name a few.

7. Being organised to fuel productivity: how do you know what you need to do and how do you do it?

Diary management, prioritising, planning ahead and thinking work tasks through is not common sense and people have varying degrees of skill in these areas. These skills are crucial in managing in any workplace. We have to balance the competing needs of our organisation, and often other organisations, while trying to meet deadlines and be focused and ‘in the moment’. More than this I feel we’ve lost the ability to plan. We live in a world where many things are available in an instant.

8. Finding your motivation mojo: making a start’s the hardest part

Looks at impacting factors such as procrastination, self-determination theory and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation .

Motivating yourself to get started – or ‘making a start is the hardest part’, as I’m fond of saying to my wife,
which doesn’t annoy her at all – can be difficult.

9. Maintaining the thrive state

The most crucial part of productivity is consistency, here Stephen offers tips for how to keep up the momentum so that we can implement positive changes for the long-term.

How to Thrive at Work will be available in Paperback, Kindle, EPUB and PDF for just £14.99 on Friday 15 January 2021 here! – https://www.criticalpublishing.com/how-to-thrive-at-work

#work #career #job #business #office #worklife #selfcare #mindfulness #wellbeing #careerprogression

Four tips for a head of year to support students returning to school

Student well-being has always been a priority for any head of year, the school closures and subsequent lockdown in the United Kingdom following the outbreak of COVI-19 will bring to the fore an increasing range of issues for pastoral teams in school to face up to as plans are created to bring more students back to school.

There are four key things you as a head of year can do to support students in their return to school over the next academic year.

1. Re-build positive relationships

At the heart of being a great head of year is an ability to build positive relationships with pupils, staff and parents. Time apart will have an effect on previously established relationships, you would be foolish to assume you can pick up where you left off before closures. These relationships will allow you to provide guidance, support your year group and provide challenge where it is needed. Building up positive relationships is more than smiling at everybody and saying hello; much of your work as a head of year will be building up key relationships through listening to the worries of others, giving people your time and showing that you care about their issues.

Your students will undoubtedly be in a heightened emotional state when they return to school and find their way back into a routine. Relationship building will be key in re-building the trust between you, your students and your team.

2. Be alert to bereavement

As a head of year, you will naturally be closely monitoring students who have suffered a bereavement and at times may feel that additional support is needed to help the student deal with their emotions. Some suitable support interventions could be art therapy, forest schools, sports activities or indeed anything that can allow the student space and time to be reflective whilst also providing a means to channel their thoughts and energy away from any outbursts. Your students may have had a lot of time to reflect upon their loss at home but now they are trying to adjust to life in school whilst still dealing with their grief.

Being available to talk and to listen to the student will of course be of real benefit to them. Be careful not to attempt to fix all of their problems or try to protect them from everything. Instead, you should listen to what the student has to say and allow them to work through their issues by expressing their thoughts and feelings to you in a trusted manner. This is why building positive relationships with members of your year group is vital.

3. Be consistent

Being consistent is key to your success. But it is also key to helping your students return successfully to school. Inconsistency causes confusion and leads to accusations of favouritism, indecisiveness and injustice. It destroys trust, community spirit and a positive school climate. In the privileged position of a head of year, you must make sure that rewards and sanctions are applied fairly and consistently in order to drive improvements within your year group.

Make it crystal clear what students are expected to do but also have secure procedures in place to support when things go wrong.

4. Develop your own resilience

Be under no illusion, being a head of year can be tough. As a great head of year, you have set yourself aspirational targets and at times and you will feel as though they are unachievable. You need to be able to push on when times are tough and you feel like no progress is being made. The hard truth of being a head of year is that so much of what goes on in school is beyond your control while you may feel that you are left picking up the pieces.

Take care of your own well-being and that of your team. You will be operating in unfamiliar territory and no doubt will get some decisions wrong. Learn where you need to and recognise the positives in your work.

Being a head of year is a real privilege at the best of times, even more so when so many students will look towards you for support and guidance as they return to school.

Michael Power

Michael is the author of The Head of Year’s Handbook: driving student engagement and wellbeing. You can find out more at http://www.criticalpublishing.com/the-head-of-years-handbook

New series to support the Policing Degree

We have recently launched a new series of Study Skills books which are ideal for anyone undertaking a policing degree. Here one of the authors, Martin Wright, gives an idea of his motivation for writing the series.

It is a real pleasure to be invited to write a short note regards the new study skills books for policing degree students. Together with my excellent co-authors, Jane Bottomley and Steve Pryjmachuk we have prepared four texts that we believe provide a great introduction to help you succeed in your studies. The books provide essential guidance and instruction on how to study for a policing degree, how to think and write critically and how to communicate effectively. The books have been specifically designed to complement the three degree entry routes into policing and are both topical and challenging.

With the police and policing never seemingly out of the news and the recent announcement of increased funding for the establishment of a large number of new constable posts universities are well-placed to support both the education and professionalisation agenda set by the College of Policing. For lecturers and course leaders the books provide a really accessible set of formative tasks that can assist their teaching. With the increased focus and investment by universities in policing there could not be a more opportune moment for staff to utilise within their programmes. In turn, any student applying to undertake a policing degree at university the books will provide them with a real head-start on their course and clear guidance as to how to succeed in their studies.

We do hope the books are found to be of very real benefit to university staff and students alike and in time assist in the professional development of policing.

Find out more about the series by clicking here.

Sample Chapter 5: Applying law in practice

The final extract from ‘Innovations in Practice Learning‘ is taken from Chapter 5: ‘Applying law in practice: Weapon, tool, manual or barrier?’ written by Allan Norman.

It’s not all about law: Let’s not kill all the lawyers

An understanding of law is compulsory for the social work student. The requirement has arisen out of historic concerns arising out of research (Ball et al, 1988) and service failures, that social workers have failed to demonstrate an adequate understanding. When the Diploma in Social Work was introduced, legal knowledge was the one area where there was specific and detailed guidance about what should be covered and how it should be assessed (CCETSW, 1995). Recent social work standards documents explicitly refer to the requirement to have an understanding of the law.

In particular, the Standards of Proficiency for Social Workers in England (HCPC, 2017) require at Standard 2 that social workers are ‘able to practise within the legal and eth- ical boundaries of their profession’, which includes the following:

2.1 understand current legislation applicable to social work with adults, chil- dren, young people and families

• be able to manage and weigh up competing or conflicting values or interests

to make reasoned professional judgements

• be able to exercise authority as a social worker within the appropriate legal and ethical frameworks and boundaries
• understand the need to respect and so far as possible uphold, the rights, dig- nity, values and autonomy of every service user and carer
• recognise that relationships with service users and carers should be based on

respect and honesty

• recognise the power dynamics in relationships with service users and carers,

and be able to manage those dynamics appropriately

My selection of these parts of that standard is intended to reflect that the require- ment to understand law is interwoven with an understanding of the nature of profes- sional judgement, of power and authority, of ethics, and of rights, among other things. The priority given to the different parts of this Proficiency Standard may well affect whether law becomes weaponised, seen neutrally as a tool or manual, or perceived negatively as a barrier.

The reference in the opening of this chapter to ‘authority generally, and to legal authority in particular’ reflects that when I introduce students to law, I start not with the idea of the law, but the concept of legal authority. This can convey both that it is a characteristic of law that it carries some kind of authority, and also that the law is not alone in possessing that characteristic. In turn, to view law as carrying some kind of authority invites thinking about the nature of law, and indeed critical thinking about whether and why the law should carry authority.

Rodriguez-Blanco (2014, p 11) observes:

Law transforms our lives in the most important way: it changes how we act and because of this it gives rise to fundamental questions. One such question concerns legal authority and individual autonomy and asks: if we are autonomous agents how do legislators, judges and officials have legitimate authority to change our actions and indirectly change how we conduct our lives?

This question, posed in respect of the relationship between law and the individual, takes on an added piquancy when revisited in the context of the relationship between law and social work: is social work an autonomous profession if its actions are tightly bound within the four corners of a restrictive legal framework?  Ife  (2012,    p 12) observes that the social work role manifests itself in different ways throughout the world, but that:

In societies such as that of the United Kingdom, social work has been seen as the implementation of the policies of the welfare state through the provision of statutory services …

Social work in the United Kingdom is thereby singled out as an example of a model constrained within the legislative framework and purpose. Social workers and students will need to be particularly astute to understand the framework of legal authority which governs their role.

One approach to opening up the different kinds of authority which the social work student will encounter is to consider the different types of question that might invite reflection in a practice situation. Table 5.2 introduces, alongside legal authority, some of the other kinds of questions that the law is not appropriately placed to address.

 

Table 5.2 Different sources of authority

 

Law	What am I allowed or required to do?
Ethics	What is the right thing to do?
Research/Evidence-Based Practice	What has been observed to happen? What works?
Professional Standards and Codes	What is considered professional behaviour?
Comparative Practice	How is it done elsewhere?
Government Policy	What does the government want me to do?
Policies and Procedures	What do other people want me to do?

 

Students arriving on placement may have been taught law in a variety of different ways. In some institutions, legal knowledge and understanding is integrated throughout the course; in others, it is a discrete element of the course (Braye and Preston-Shoot, 2005, pp 23–4). In some institutions, law is taught alongside ethics (Braye and Preston-Shoot, 2005, p 66). In others – and indeed within the pages of this book – law and policy are grouped together. Sometimes, law is compartmentalised, with the law relating to different areas of social work practice separated out.

Table 5.2 invites certain reflections on the law with which the student arrives equipped on placement. If law and ethics for example are answering different kinds of question, then they might not point towards the same conclusion as to the right way for the social work student or practitioner to act. Practitioners cannot always avoid such dilemmas. Take, for example, the Withholding and Withdrawal of Support Regulations 2002. As their name hints, these regulations require social workers to withhold or withdraw social services support from certain categories of individuals on the basis of their immigration status. This is legislation, but there is good reason to think that there might be some conflict between such a legal obligation and one’s eth- ical or professional obligations. Humphries (2004) powerfully articulates that social workers operating such laws:

 

… have not resisted the gate-keeping and inhumane role thrust upon them. It is no wonder they are despised and feared by the people they purport to help. We can safely regard the rhetoric about anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice as harmless delusion.

If, however, law is no more than a manual telling you how to perform the social work role, then there might be no critical engagement between legal and other forms of authority such as professional and ethical authority.

A similar point might be made in relation to research into the effectiveness of different forms of intervention: the fact that a particular form of intervention is shown to be effective does not necessarily mean that it is ethical, nor that it is lawful.

Law and policy are so frequently elided that it might be surprising within Table 5.2 to see the suggestion that they are answering very different kinds of questions, and indeed that policies seem to be held out as having little authority. That, however, is an important point for the student to grasp. Policies and procedures play a prominent role within many agencies in shaping practice. Sometimes they are indeed conflated with the law in the practitioner’s imagination. However, the critical and reflective prac- titioner will understand that policies do not in themselves have any legal authority, and will reflect on issues of ethics, professional role, rights etc rather than turning uncritically to an agency policy as a manual determining how to act.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading these sample extracts from ‘Innovations in Practice Learning! For more information or to purchase your copy of this book click here.

 

Sample Chapter 3: Supervision within placement

The next sneak preview from ‘Innovations in Practice Learning‘ is taken from Chapter 3 entitled ‘Supervision within placement: Achieving best practice’ by Heidi Dix.

Students may find that they have a practice educator who is based within the agency and from whom they will receive weekly supervision. However, in other placements the practice educator is not based within the agency and an on-site practice super- visor will be appointed to provide day-to-day support and guidance. Students who have an on-site practice supervisor in addition to their practice educator may find that supervision will be given on alternate weeks by the practice educator and the on- site practice supervisor. The nature and content of supervision provided within these roles is slightly different. For example, supervision with an on-site practice supervisor could focus on the direct work the student is undertaking and have more of a man- agerial focus, for example, ensuring that the student is working within the agency’s eligibility criteria. However, supervision with a practice educator may have more of an educational and reflective focus, supporting the student to apply the knowledge they are learning in university and their self-directed learning to the work they are undertaking in placement.

Below are some comments from students in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of off-site and on-site models of practice education which I have heard over the years. Of course, these are generalisations and will not apply in all situations, but it is worth noting the strengths and limitations of both models. However, the most important thing is that the practice educator and practice supervisor work together to meet the learning needs of each individual student.

 

Advantages of having an off-site practice educator and on-site supervisor	Disadvantages of having an off- site practice educator and on-site supervisor
‘If practice educators are not directly working within the agency they can provide greater objectivity and support students to question agency policy, procedures and practice.’	‘Practice educators may not have direct practice experience in the area of social work that students are placed in.’
‘Off-site practice educators often bring experience from other areas of social work, enabling students to  compare and contrast their placement with other aspects of social work practice.’	‘Off-site practice educators are often not available outside scheduled supervision times.’
‘Off-site practice educators, particularly those who work independently, will often support a number of students and will often provide group supervision which can be beneficial.’	‘Contact with practice educators will be limited, particularly within the 70-day placement.’

 

Advantages of having an off-site practice educator and on-site supervisor	Disadvantages of having an off-site practice educator and on-site supervisor
‘Practice educators will have direct practice experience of the work required within the agency.’	‘Students can learn from different approaches and styles, eg “two heads are better than one.”’
‘They are often available for both formal and informal supervision,’	‘Practice educators can be immersed in the culture of the agency and could be adverse to the student asking questions that demonstrate critical reflection.’
‘Supervision will be offered on a weekly basis with the same person.’	‘Students will need to ensure there are opportunities to shadow other colleagues, not just their on-site practice educator.’

 

The majority of supervision students receive will be on a one-to-one basis, although there may be occasions when group supervision is used. Students often find this helpful as it enables them to share learning with other students in a practice setting and provides another form of support (Doel, 2010). However, one-to-one sessions are critically important in enabling a student to focus clearly and in depth on issues specific to their individual learning needs, particularly if a student has additional learning needs (see Chapter 8). There are also different expectations of students in their first and final placements as they build on the capabilities demonstrated in the first placement. Although students will still be offered guidance and support in their final placement, they should be given more autonomy as their confidence and ability increases. Students often find that their learning needs change as their confidence increases and consequently require different things from supervision. For example, in early supervision sessions, students may require support to develop their self- belief. However, as students develop in confidence, they may require less of this type of support and supervision could focus more on developing critical thinking skills.

An insight into what students can expect from their supervisors and practice educators

As adult learners, Rogers and Horrocks (2010) suggest that although we will have similar characteristics we also have differing needs depending on a range of factors. These include issues of diversity such as gender, ethnicity and class as well as the level of experience, skills and knowledge that students bring to the programme. Depending on our personality types (Rogers and Horrocks, 2010), the attachment experiences we have received in childhood (Howe et al, 1999) and whether we are operating from a secure base (Bowlby, 1973), we may require more or less support in particular areas of development. Therefore, as part of supervision sessions, students can expect their practice educators to ‘tune in’ (Taylor and Devine, 1993) to their needs to assist them to identify previous skills and experience in order to assist them appropriately. Research conducted with social work students by Lefevre (2005) suggested that stu- dent learning is enhanced when students feel listened to and respected by practice educators; therefore, developing a professional relationship to facilitate effective supervision is helpful to both parties. It is important that each party understands what is expected of the other and this needs to be clarified if there is any confusion.

There are many ways that we learn and take in information. Many of us prefer to have information presented to us visually, some of us find if we hear things we retain them better, others prefer to see things written down, and some of us learn best if we can move around and utilise our senses (Fleming, 1995). For some of us, experien- cing something and thinking about it afterwards is the best way that we learn (Kolb, 1984). There are a number of questionnaires that are available to help us under- stand our learning styles (Honey and Mumford, 1992; Fleming and Baume, 2006) and it may be helpful for students to complete one of these and share the results with their practice educator to enable them to tailor their support to help maximise the student’s learning. Although we often have a preferred way of learning, it is important that we have the ability to be receptive to new ways of understanding, because as practitioners we will often work with service users who will have a different way   of learning to ourselves. We may need to present information to service users in a way that best meets their needs; practice educators may model this by encouraging students to be flexible and to begin to adopt new ways of receiving and processing information.

 

Organisations have different policies in relation to the amount of supervision to which employees are entitled. Students may find themselves placed in organisations where supervision is not something that is routinely offered to employees or volunteers. However, qualified social workers employed by a local authority are entitled to regular and consistent supervision (LGA, 2014). As social work students, the frequency of supervision will be determined by the university and negotiated with the placement provider at a Learning Agreement Meeting. In addition to formal supervision sessions, students should be able to ‘check out’ any questions they have in between sessions by utilising the experience and knowledge of other practitioners within the organisation. If students believe they are not getting the length and quality of the supervision they are entitled to as a social work student, they should be encouraged to inform their university tutor who may need to revisit this with the placement provider or practice
educator as part of the Learning Agreement.

Click here to be taken to our website where you can purchase the full copy of ‘Innovations in Practice Learning’.

Sample Chapter 1: Generation Y

Here is today’s sneak preview from ‘Innovations in Practice Learning‘. This extract is taken from Chapter 1 ‘Generation Y: Reflections on our current generation of learners’.

Chapter 1 | Generation Y: Reflections on our current generation of learners

Caroline Hills

All supervisors want their student(s) to develop the requisite skills, attitudes and knowledge that are essential for graduating with competency in their profession. Indeed, taking a student on placement is indicative of the supervisor’s desire and commitment to mentoring and guiding the student towards the attainment of these essential skills and attributes. From the student’s perspective, the most successful placements are those in which the student has had a good relationship with their educator and have been facilitated towards independence with some degree of autonomy in that particular work setting. While many studies have reported that the most preferred characteristics of the supervisor are that they are enthusiastic and approachable (Francis et al, 2016; Perram et al, 2016), students have also used the term ‘belonging’ in their descriptions of successful placements (Hills et al, 2016a). ‘Belonging’ is the human need to be accepted, recognised, valued and appreciated by a group (Maslow, 1943). Social scientists have defined ‘belongingness’ as a feeling of being respected and appreciated and having an integral role in an environment, which is achieved through participation in that setting (Anant, 1969). People who experi- ence ‘belongingness’ feel they ‘fit in’ as they feel needed, valued and accepted (Hagerty et al, 1992). However, it is not only the relationship with the supervisor that facilitates this essential feeling; it is also being part of the team, feeling like a colleague – and for students it has been reported as a prerequisite to both enabling and optimising their learning (Levett-Jones and Lathlean, 2008).

In order to create a feeling of ‘belongingness’, the placement must begin with consid- eration of the student’s attributes in relation to their learning needs and preferences. This recognises that we do not all learn in the same way. To begin with acknowledging difference enables individualised learning approaches to be adopted. Considerations such as learning style, gender, cultural and family background, or the presence of a health condition or disability, may be important starting points, in addition to the student’s life and previous work experience relevant to the area of practice (Larkin and Hamilton, 2010). However, age or ‘generation’ has been noted as another factor that can affect student learning in placement (Larkin and Hamilton, 2010).

 

In her book Generation Me (2006), Jean Twenge describes the fundamental premise which underpins a generational perspective:

 

Everyone belongs to a generation. Some people embrace it like a warm familiar blanket, while others prefer not to be lumped in with their age mates. Yet, like it or not, when you are born dictates the culture you will experience. This includes the highs and lows of pop culture, as well as world events, social trends, economic realities, behavioural norms, and ways of seeing the world. The society moulds you when you are young and stays with you the rest of your life.

(Twenge, 2006, p 2)

 

Defining differences in generational cohorts was first proposed by the German soci- ologist Karl Mannheim in the 1950s. Mannheim (1952) postulated that each gen- eration has a similar worldview due to exposure to common historical and social events during their formative years. Every member of  a  specific  generation  will not have experienced the same life events, but they will have a shared awareness which creates a type of ‘generational personality’. This is attributed to belonging to the same generational age group and sharing a common location in the social and historical world. Subsequently, generational classifications have been developed by social commentators in westernised countries. These include the ‘GI Generation’ (born 1901–1924); the ‘Silent Generation’ (1925–1942); the ‘Baby Boomers’ (1943– 1960); ‘Generation X’ (1961–1981); ‘Generation Y’ or ‘Millennials’  (1982–2002)  and ‘Generation Z’ from 2003 onwards (Prendergast, 2009). Supporters of a gener- ational perspective have argued that each generation’s personality has a unique set of characteristics, developed as a result of their experiences during their formative years. These characteristics comprise beliefs, values, attitudes and expectations, which affect behaviour in general, as well as in educational and work settings (Boudreau, 2009; Lavoie-Tremblay et al, 2010).

Foster’s (2013) analysis of the narrative discourse of workers confirmed that being part of one generation or commenting on other generations is a reality in contem- porary society. For example, in this author’s research, participants used language such as ‘that generation’ or ‘the younger generation’ and ‘my generation’, when discussing approaches to doing things differently in the workplace. However, many qualified these stereotypical comments by stating that not everyone of a particular generation fits the generalisation. Foster (2013, p 211) concluded that a generational perspective:

 

… proves particularly useful when people attempt to understand and convey perceived differences in older and younger contemporaries, and the social, cultural, and especially technological changes affecting their lives. It is a one-word lens through which both choice and determinism are rendered visible in the lives of others.

 

Table 1.1 Societal influences during the formative years of generations

 

	Baby Boomers (1943–1960)	Generation X (1961–1981)	Generation Y (1982–2002)
Notable occurrences	Civil rights movement	Rise of mass media and consumerism, end of Cold War	Globalisation, digital age, age of terrorism
Major influences	Family and education	Media, AIDS, nuclear disasters as well as family and education	Witness the growth of millionaires. Digital explosion. Family major influence. ‘You are special’.
Entertainment	Television	Multiple TV channels, VCR, Nintendo, cinema	YouTube, live streaming,  multiple media and technologies. Social media.
Communication and technology	Touch-tone phones, calculators	Mobile phones, beepers, laptops, email	More complex mobile technologies, WiFi, social media, creation of apps, more interactive video gaming and computer programs. Most homes own a computer.
Spending styles	Buy now pay later – with plastic	More cautious –pessimistic Security	Growth in designer labels and personalised items, ie phone covers
Value	Regularity, predictability	Fun, want challenges	Fun but want to achieve
Work ethic	‘It pays to work hard’ – workaholics	Satisfying teamwork	Likes teamwork but wants to achieve. May have multiple careers.

(Adapted from Prendergast, 2009)

You can purchase your copy of ‘Innovations in Practice Learning’ here.

Sample Chapter Six: Keep up to date

The final extract from Daniel Scott’s book is taken from his chapter, ‘Keep up to date’.

Introduction

As an educator it is important to keep up to date with your subject-specialist expertise and emerging teaching practices. This is a process known as continuing professional development (CPD): retaining, maintaining and developing your professional credibility with your learners and organisation. While it can be challenging to find suitable and appropriate training and the time to participate, it is essential for your professional growth and to ensure that your learners are taught up-to-date knowledge, skills and rel- evant legislation. CPD is also important in learning about new tools and resources that can enhance your practices. However, it’s not just about knowing the latest thing, but about designing great teaching and learning though technology. It’s good to be on top of your game, to keep abreast of changes and emerging and trending digital technologies.

This final chapter summarises how you can keep up to date with the growing abundance of digital technologies and their potential contribution to learning. It introduces you to some ways that you can get up to speed on the latest ILT trends, engage and collaborate with other professionals, promote your own good practice and join courses or profes- sional bodies/associations.

Continuing professional development

CPD is not just about staying current in your specialist subject, but includes face-to-face, blended and online pedagogies and organisational and national policies. All of these    will positively impact on your job role and improve and enhance your practices. Another reason to embrace CPD is to stay current and validated, especially in the use of ILT, as those who use ILT most effectively are agile when meeting the demands and challenges of twenty-first-century learning.

To effectively plan and facilitate your CPD, it’s useful to have an action plan of the things you wish to experiment with, develop, implement and evaluate to enhance your practices. At the same time, keep an eye open (or have others do it for you) for new ideas in designing teaching and assessment. Having a plan makes it more likely that you will investigate and apply what you set out to do and reflect on its success. It’s important to not become complacent in your knowledge, skills and experience – be proactive and take the lead on your own development. The more effort and involvement you put into your professional development, the richer your knowledge, skills and experience will become.

Below is a list of organisations and bodies that offer professional support and are rele- vant to the further education and skills sectors.

» Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education (ARPCE) – http://arpce.org.uk

» Association of Colleges (AoC) – www.aoc.co.uk

» Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) – www.aelp.org.uk

» Chartered Institute for Educational Assessors – www.herts.ac.uk/ciea/chartered- institute-of-educational-assessors

» Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) – www.cipd.co.uk

» The Chartered Institution for Further Education – www.fecharter.org.uk

» Chartered Management Institute – www.managers.org.uk

» Education and Training Foundation (ETF) – www.et-foundation.co.uk

» Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE) – https://ec.europa.eu/epale

» FE News – www.fenews.co.uk

» FE Week – https://feweek.co.uk

» General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI) – www.gtcni.org.uk

» HOLEX – http://holex.org.uk

» The Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL) – www.itol.org

» International Professional Development Association (IPDA) – http://ipda.org.uk

» Learning and Skills Research Network – https://lsrn.wordpress.com

» Learning and Work Institute – www.learningandwork.org.uk

» National Education Union – https://neu.org.uk

» Society for Education and Training (SET) – https://set.et-foundation.co.uk

» Tutor Voices – https://tutorvoicesblog.wordpress.com

» University and College Union (UCU) – www.ucu.org.uk

» Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) – www.wea.org.uk

Reflective Task » Using Appendix 6.1 (and considering Appendix 1.1), reflect on your current practices and the contents of the previous chapters. Identify and list areas you wish to explore further or imple- ment in your practices. For example, what new digital tools and resources do you want to try out? How do you want to digitally enhance your curriculum offering? Perhaps you want to iden- tify people to collaborate with or observe others’ use of ILT? You might like to take this time to think about: What digital capabilities would you like to develop? What barriers may affect you in developing your digital capabilities? » As well as preparing a Personal and Professional Development Plan, you may want to include digital capabilities in your own appraisal process to track progress and development. » Use Appendix 6.2 to log your progress and evaluation, and update it frequently.

CPD opportunities

Higher education courses are good opportunities to learn about underpinning theories and pedagogies, build new professional relationships with like-minded others, and learn about new kinds of ILT and how to use them in the classroom. Several universities offer distance, blended, taught or research-based ILT programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. If this interests you, do research locally and nationally to see what different institutions have to offer and the potential costs. Alternatively, you may be in- terested in the following vocational qualifications that may be offered locally:

» Level 1 Award in Digital Technologies for Learning

» Level 3 Award and Diploma in Digital Learning Design

» Level 4 Diploma and Extended Diploma in Digital Learning Design

» Level 4 Award in Digital Learning for Educators

» Level 4 Award for Technology Enabled Educators

» Level 4 Certificate in Technology in Learning Delivery

 

Free CPD programmes

Many organisations and universities offer free online courses, called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which are often short or ‘taster’ courses. MOOCs are delivered online or in a VLE and are usually open internationally, meaning that the courses typi- cally have a large cohort, giving you the opportunity to connect with like-minded individ- uals from around the world. You are expected to be self-motivated and navigate yourself through the course; however, there are online tutors to help. The more aspects of a MOOC you participate and collaborate in, the more you will gain from it.

Most MOOCs are free; however, some charge for obtaining a certificate of completion and course materials. Below is a range of free online courses that you can join and participate in.

» Alison – https://alison.com

» Coursera – www.coursera.org

» edX – www.edx.org

» FutureLearn – Blended Learning Essentials: Getting Started – www.futurelearn.com/ courses/blended-learning-getting-started

» FutureLearn – Blended Learning Essentials: Embedding Practice – www.futurelearn. com/courses/blended-learning-embedding-practice

» FutureLearn – Blended Learning Essentials: Developing Digital Skills – www. futurelearn.com/courses/blended-learning-digital-skills

» FutureLearn – Blended Learning Essentials: Digitally-Enriched Apprenticeships – www. futurelearn.com/courses/blended-learning-digitally-enriched-apprenticeships

We hope you have enjoyed these samples of Daniel’s book ‘Learning Technology’. You can purchase his book on our website here.

Sample Chapter Four: Assess

Today’s sample extract from Daniel Scott’s book is taken from Chapter 4, ‘Assess’.

Giving feedback

At the summative stage for assessment of learning, you may be using online submission tools such as a VLE assignment upload, Dropbox and Turnitin tools. Often, assignment upload tools will allow you to leave short or long comments and have options for leaving audio and annotated feedback. Annotated feedback is where you can leave interactive place markers such as question marks, ticks and crosses. These are good for drawing learners to your comments for them to act upon. You may even be able to grade work using criteria you have set.

Additionally, you may have the added bonus of having a plagiarism detector (Turnitin offers this feature). Once a piece of work is submitted, the plagiarism software will scan the text for any similarities against other people’s work nationally and internationally who have submitted through that system. Systems like these can also annotate the    text to show where text may have been copied from the original source. This is ideal to prompt a discussion with your learners about plagiarism and originality, and for you to decide the best course of action.

Online submission tools are ideal for providing final feedback on assignment or pro- ject work as you can leave overall comments on the collection over a period of time. However, bodies of work like this may be better presented as ePortfolios, which are a popular way for learners to demonstrate their achievements and competencies, partic- ularly in apprenticeships.

Collecting work-based evidence

Work-based learning is a topic on its own; however, an important issue when embedding eAssessment in the workplace is choosing appropriate digital technology that minimises learner interruption to their work. Work-based learning is naturally focused on ‘real work’ and acquiring industry knowledge, skills and experience, so assessment and feedback should be wrapped around this concept rather than being an intrusive addition. A digital experience for apprenticeships is achievable; however, you should aim to use a wide range of blended and flipped approaches.

When designing for work-based learning, it is highly important to identify on-, off- and near-the-job learning first, then decide on the most suitable digital technology to facilitate each process. Holistic assessment is advantageous here as it allows learners to dem- onstrate different criteria and units at the same time. Designing holistic assessment for work-based learning is time-consuming but is very effective once set up. You  can add     a digital layer to it by using links to the VLE for resources and activities for learners to complete as well as independently submitting evidence. This allows for a wide range of holistic evidence demonstrating both cognitive- and skills-based competencies. It also makes the process a more learner-centred approach and self-directed, allowing you more time to focus on other assessment activities. Visit the links at the end of this chapter for further guidance.

ePortfolios

An ePortfolio is a digital tool or system that enables learners to collect and organise multi- media artefacts such as text, hyperlinks, images, video and audio to present their work and learning experiences. An ePortfolio becomes a product of learning and achievement which learners can build upon throughout their learning journey. ePortfolios support an array  of learning approaches such as reflection, self-directed learning and assessment of and for learning. The main benefits of ePortfolios are that they encourage reflective learning, support personal development, and increase the self-awareness and esteem of learners. This is because the ePortfolio is the product of the learner by ownership by demonstrating their individuality, abilities, aspirations and ambitions, containing learning, knowledge, experiences and achievements. Additionally, an ePortfolio can act as a transferable dem- onstration of achievement if a learner moves to another institution, progresses into higher education or employment. As well as the advantages of digital technology previously men- tioned, the following are significant benefits of using ePortfolios:

» Excellent for encouraging reflection and evaluating own work.

» Supports lifelong learning; the ability to use it before, during and after the programme.

» Can represent different starting points on a learner journey/achievement.

If ePortfolios can be effectively designed and integrated at the centre of a learner’s assessment, it will enable the learner to be more independent and in control of their learning and development. Figure 4.1 illustrates a typical flow of a learner working with an ePortfolio, a process which they can enter at any point. Access a range of available  ePortfolio  tools from C4LPT (http://c4lpt.co.uk/directory-of-learning-performance-tools/notetaking-pim).

Figure 4.1. Illustrating how an ePortfolio is constructed.

 

ILT in quality assurance

With the right choice of digital technologies, you can use them to improve quality assurance systems and processes. Table 4.2 describes some ways of using digital technology in your quality assurance practices.

 

Table 4.2. Describing some ways to use digital technology in quality assurance practices.

Digital technology	Sampling	Standardisation
ePortfolios	You could ask  assessors  to send you hyperlinks to the ePortfolios which have been selected for sampling. Plus you are not carrying physical files with you.   Most ePortfolios have the ability to allow you to  leave  assessor or internal verifier comments for others to see, but not by learners.	This will allow assessors to remotely check other assessor and internal verifiers’ judgements and feedback wherever you have an internet connection. You could also create an exemplar ePortfolio for learners to aspire to and for assessors to  know  what to look for.
Online discussion	Microsoft Skype (www.skype. com) is a useful tool to keep all assessors and internal verifiers up to date as well as share samples of learners’ work, whether they are on site or not.   Each assessor could send you samples of work or use webcam live to show what is being done. It could also provide a really good question-and-answer function for assessors not on site.	All assessors could  join  a webinar and take part in a virtual standardisation meeting with a discussion and reviewing samples of work and practice.

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