Provisionally approved May 21, 2002

CRITICAL PRACTICE

Level III

RATIONALE:  The CPCS curriculum prepares students to think critically as they enter fields of professional practice.  Professionals serving workplaces, and people in other types of communities, may approach their work from different value bases and ideological perspectives.   In most fields, knowledge, values and skills reflect particular historical trends and social and political contexts.  Practice is based on particular views of people and their problems. Thus in addition to learning the theoretical knowledge, skills, and values of a particular area of professional practice, students are encouraged to become reflective practitioners who have the capacity to assess their chosen career practice from a critical perspective.  This enables them to more deliberately work with people in ways that encourages individual and community empowerment and social justice.

In becoming a reflective practitioner, students learn to analyze career roles in the context of a number of factors, which will enable them to think about practice that can more effectively serve its intended beneficiaries.  This involves an understanding of the history of current practice in the chosen field with awareness of who has benefited and who has been harmed by the practices held to be ideal at any given point in time.  Social differences are key factors to be considered in the analysis. The analysis also places the chosen role in the context of prevailing and alternate ideologies.  For example, if the chosen role is social worker, the analysis might examine the extent to which the social worker serves as an agent of social control or, alternately, as an agent of individual or group empowerment.  A look at changes over time in the balance of benefit and harm, taking into account the factors of social difference, provides additional perspectives on the role. 

COMPETENCY:  Can critique past and current practice in a chosen career field and present a fully developed assessment of an example of the work of practitioners in the field, particularly as it relates to the concept of social justice. 

CRITERIA:

1.        Identify and define a career role in the broad arena of public and community service.

2.      Identify current practice in the selected career role.

3.      Identify a point in time when the ideologies and practice identified in Criterion 2 were formulated.

4.      Assess which groups benefit and which may be harmed in the "best practice" (as defined by professional associations) at the present time and the prior point in time you have chosen.

5.      Critically analyze the role played by current practitioners in maintaining or challenging the benefit and harm as you assessed it in criterion 4.

6.      In the context of this analysis, take a stand regarding what should be the best practice for the role, particularly as it relates to social justice.

PORTFOLIO LINKS:  You are expected to use the Writing Portfolio criteria and standards as guidelines for the written products required by this competency. Papers written for this competency may be considered for submission to the Writing Portfolio.

STANDARDS:

1.      For criterion 1, the chosen career role may be one you currently fill, or it may be based on interviews with someone currently in the role, or it can be based on case study or other textual material.  With whatever option you choose, your presentation must identify and define the role and indicate your sources of information about the role.

2.      For criterion 2, indicate the sources you used and their importance within the literature of critical practice in the career role you have chosen.  You should use at least two different sources containing at least two contrasting points of view and indicate:

a.        Prevailing and alternative ideologies

b.      "Best practice" as defined by leading practitioners

3.      For Criterion 3, you may select the time the career field emerged or some intermediate point provided that informs the formulation of the current practice. In discussing the development of ideas and practice, describe the history and discuss the reasons for the developments. Address any changes in prior practices and the social context in which the present practices were developed, including alternative ideologies held about the role at that time and at the present time.  Include reference to leading practitioners in the field at the present time and of the time of formulation.

4.      Where pertinent under Criterion 4, include in your analysis consideration of social differences such as social class, race and ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical and cognitive ability.  Your analysis should include a comparison of any changes in the benefit and harm that has occurred in the implementation of the present practice and over the time period that the present practice has been in affect.

5.      For Criterion 5, your critical analysis should consider:

a.       the nature of the practice

b.      institutional supports and limitations

c.       strengths and limitations of personal interactions required by the role

d.      social and political values that underlie the practice

6.      For Criterion 6, you must prepare and present an argument for what you consider best practice should be at the present time based on values you hold and your conception of social justice.  Indicate sources/references used for building your case.

EXAMPLES OF DEMONSTRATION:

1.      Prior Learning:  The director of a regional DSS office restructures a paper she had presented at a national conference on foster care so that it reflects the competency's first three criteria; reworks an in-depth evaluation she did at the end of a new case worker's first six months to meet the fourth criterion; and submits the outline of a training she gave her staff about best practice to address criteria 5 and 6.

2.      Independent Learning:  An experienced probation officer does a directed study of the roles played by probation workers since probation was first established in the nineteenth century; critically evaluates the role today; and argues, in a paper or oral presentation that the balance between serving the state and serving the client needs to be tipped more towards the latter.

3.      Course:  A student takes a CPCS course that meets the criteria and standards of this competency.

4.      Field Project:  A group of students collaborate with caseworkers, in a residential treatment center for drug-addicted persons, who are interested in redesigning their program. They conduct research and speak to people in the field to understand the different roles played by those who have worked and who currently work to help people with a narcotics addiction.  They meet regularly with the caseworkers to report back and discuss the issues that emerge and write a report with recommendations.