Tonight in class, the subject of "best practices" came up. We discussed the phrase at length. The majority of the class was not in favor of the widely used words in the education and youth development field. I understand their arguments, as it implies that there is only one or two ways to accomplish a goal. Due to our society's love affair with electronics, we should take a lesson from the computer's ability to become obsolete almost once a month, if not more frequently.
However, I don't want to get stuck on the terms. I would rather figure out an effective means to accomplish our goals, regardless of the amount of times I've used it. To simplify the issue, I like to think about peeling an orange. Now, everyone, for the most part can peel an orange--but there are many different ways to do so. The question lies in which way is the most effective? Which strategy for peeling the citrus gives us the most edible matter? The least stringy, annoying pulp on the outer levels of the tasty fruit?
He or she who can do this has the ability to alter the "best practice" for peeling an orange. Additionally, this person can get more and more effective, each time they take part in this activity. This person .has the ability to minor the practice to make it more effective. Nonetheless, this is applied to youth work in that the one who can identify successful past experiences and make them co-exist with new, revolutionary strategies holds the key to best practices.
No comments:
Post a Comment