Teaching Theory in Practice

By Nicki Moore and Siobhan Neary

Researchers from the UK found a way to make compulsory training in career theory and reflective practice palatable – and efficient – for time-strapped practitioners

Recent work by career development professionals across the UK has resulted in a new agenda for professionalization. This includes a new professional body, a national register for practitioners and higher-level qualifications, including the requirement to study three additional areas of professional practice: labour market information, reflective practice and career theory. This has created a need for new approaches to training and professional development for career practitioners.

Staff at the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS) at the University of Derby have developed two pedagogical approaches to deliver the topics of reflective practice and career theory: one in which both topics were delivered as stand-alone themes, and one which integrated elements of both career theory and reflective practice in a single program. We will explore the different outcomes for those undertaking the programs, and for ourselves as teachers and practitioners.

Approach one: Delivering programs independently

Teaching reflective practice can be a challenge as it is very difficult to switch reluctant learners on to the idea of being reflective. This is particularly the case when their practice offers them little time or resources to think, write or share feelings, ideas or evidence-based practice. Teaching reflective practice as an isolated topic can be a two-dimensional route through theory and discussion of its application in the abstract. Including reflective activities in these sessions has some success in that it encourages practitioners to reflect on a selected activity or issue using a variety of models, but it can create a very pressurized and false environment for reflection. Although the program was well received and learners left with the knowledge and understanding to meet the assessment requirements, we are not persuaded that we have won the hearts and minds of the practitioners and transformed them into more focused and thoughtful individuals able to reflect on their own continuing professional development needs. This is especially the case since we have had no opportunity to follow up with this group of learners to determine the longer term impact of their learning.

Teaching career theory can also be difficult as many learners consider the idea of studying theory a dull prospect. To meet the new learning requirements, practitioners need to demonstrate that they are able to understand and apply theories and concepts in their own practice. While it is possible to teach these in isolation, applying difficult ideas to abstract situations can result in switched-off learners who understand but don’t apply their learning.

Approach two: An integrated pedagogy

An alternative to delivering topics in isolation was to combine and integrate both areas of learning into one program and use the concept of reflective practice as a vehicle to learn about, apply and reflect on career theory. By reflecting on life and professional experiences, learners enrich their understanding of these situations and develop new insights and knowledge as a result. This, of course, is one of the principles of reflective practice and it seemed logical to us, when developing the program on career theory, to use this principle to help learners create new knowledge and understanding for themselves. Our approach encouraged learners to apply and reflect on theory and its application in a range of situations and to share this with their colleagues, very much in the spirit of a “career theory community of practice.” There have been implications for us as teachers in this respect, as we became part of the community of practice and learned a great deal about ourselves as teachers and practitioners in the process.

Our program was structured to include an introduction to reflective practice followed by three days of theory, each separated by a number of weeks. Each session was structured to include small bursts of teaching followed by a series of projects designed to stimulate creative and critical thinking. Learners were encouraged to reflect on their insights and to apply these in their practice during the time between each session, reflecting on their findings and feeding back to the group at the next session. Learners were also invited to join an online community of practice to reflect on their learning. The program ended with a further session of reflective practice during which learners were asked to reflect on their learning journey.

Learners became increasingly engaged as we progressed through the program. The final presentations demonstrated that many reluctant learners had engaged in theory in unexpected ways. They had moved from situations of profound frustration and mediocre practice, constrained by perceived employer expectations and dogmatic systems, to a new position of empowerment and understanding. Our approach to teaching theory has caused many to examine the application of career theory to their own personal context, and many had gained new insights into their own lives, relationships, influences and motivations for personal career development. Some of the outcomes of this approach included:

• A greater understanding of clients’ aspirations, motivation and engagement in career planning based on an understanding of theory and its application;
• More insight into the impact of career development activities on clients, business, community and society;
• A drive to share practice with colleagues, including the implementation of a number of new local communities of practice; and
• A greater awareness of issues of quality, including a refocusing on client entitlement and client centredness.

We perceived a change in the way our learners were approaching their practice. They all achieved a level of enlightenment far exceeding our expectations in terms of their professional identity and intellectual engagement. Our integrated approach created a new understanding of what it means to be an autonomous professional. Our learners had transformed from simply seeing themselves as employees to regarding themselves as true professionals with a grasp of theory and its application, which transformed not only their professional practice but also contributed to their own personal development. Many of our learners expressed a renewed commitment and enjoyment in their work, and sought opportunities to shape and influence their professional context.

Our reflection on the differences in these pedagogies suggests that, while there is considerable merit in teaching career theory and reflective practice as separate disciplines, teaching them together as a self-supporting theoretical and conceptual framework reaps dividends in terms of both formal learning outcomes and in individual personal development.

Nicki Moore and Siobhan Neary both work for the International Centre for Guidance Studies and have many years’ experience working as practitioners, teachers, trainers and researchers in the field of career development. Their work includes consultancy for organizations across the world including, most recently, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia and Croatia.