Session Information
Contribution
Educators of diverse professionals - notably in education, health, and social services must rapidly adapt their programmes in the United Kingdom to address the Every Child and Youth Matters agendas. Higher education institutions are faced with the challenge of preparing tutors to educate diverse student professionals concerned with the well being of the child for a radical raft of new responsibilities, imperatives and processes; the challenges of multi-professional collaboration in the context of complex, diverse perspectives and ways of working. Health professionals regard well being from a holistic perspective but English educationalists have for many years looked at the end game of well being as raising achievement. Yet the new policies put education in the driving seat. The future of the remoulded professional remit is uncertain - for example, it accords with just one of six OECD scenarios for schooling.This paper reports on an action research project based on a grant funded initiative in higher education in which a cross faculty team drawn from educators of professionals, set out to design and deliver a programme to prepare colleagues for the ethos, implications, practicalities and challenges of the new agenda. The sessions proved to be a rich source of insights and evidence about emergent problems and developing effective practice. Evidence was sought about the perceptions; interactions; reflections and actions of different educators of professionals from health, education and community faculties and support staff.The research questions included1. How do professionals from the different faculties and professional perspectives interact in response to the new agenda?a) What issues are identified in relation to collaboration between different professional specialities? With what aspects of collaboration are issues associated (e.g. culture; resources; time; balances of power)? What are the implications of such issues for programmes of professional preparation?b) Do the sessions enable people to appreciate where those from other disciplines are coming from, and their common purposes? Are professional 'jealousies' being broken down? Is there evidence of that increased willingness to change is associated with sessions? If so, how does this happen?2. What do the sessions enable each participant to do which they would not otherwise have been able to do?3. What impact have the sessions had on the work of educators of professionals? Have they changed their courses; reflected on and thought about these in a different way; taught students differently?Action research. Data was collected from transcribed audio tapes of, and notes taken at, a representative sample of sessions. Data was also collated from activities during sessions and post session evaluation sheets. The 'assessment' data completed by attendees, anonymously, was included in the data set. Individual semi structured interviews with a sample of attendees were undertaken, taped and transcribed when they had completed the staff development sessions.The data was analysed by a team of volunteers drawn from the designers of the course, attendees and researchers; the findings are being used to inform future development of programmes for staff and students.The research findings provide evidence about the effectiveness of a programme of preparation of educators of professionals which aimed to embed the Every Child Matters agenda in the design and delivery of programmes; to raise awareness of the potential challenges and how these may be met. In this area of rapid change the findings and the outcomes of the funded programme promise to be of substantial interest to other providers of professional education. National journal
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