Hull: Profiles and Portfolios title
Facilitators
Issues with facilitating a profile
Developing a profile is different from almost any other learning activity, in that the subject studied is not an outside body of knowledge but the learner him/herself. If you are helping someone to construct a profile, it is not enough to point at a pile of books and suggest that they read them to learn more about certain topics. Rather, from the very outset, you will be helping the profiler to make sense of the knowledge and skills they have already learnt and to make decisions about what the profile should include.
In order to develop skills as a facilitator, you need to understand how adults learn. Some put up barriers that stop them from learning whilst other are open to new ideas and concepts. Each learner is unique with a wide range of experience, knowledge and skills that they will want to identify and explore.
The person you may be assisting may feel hesitant about completing a profile, perhaps because they have not studied for some time or they lack confidence in their knowledge, abilities and experience. Almost all adults returning to study after a break feel unsure of their ability to retain knowledge, write for academic purposes, take notes and read effectively. They may have long-held, rigid views which mean it is difficult for them to continually question personal assumptions and beliefs about themselves, as profiling requires.
If people are resistant to returning to study, they will identify a host of reasons why their profile will not be successful. These may include: ageing, tiredness, lack of concentration. However, research has demonstrated that if people are excited, motivated and involved in what they are studying, these factors are usually overcome. Identifying topics that are personally and professionally motivating will improve these skills enormously.
Your first task as facilitator is to assist the profiler to remove any blocks to learning and go through the process of unlearning past experiences of education. Work on getting rid of any negative self-image and beginning to instill confidence. Identify those blocks to learning with the profiler and devise strategies to overcome them. But remember it is always up to the profiler to determine what help they need from you in order to develop.
This involves certain key skills:
1) Enabling
- Supporting the profiler through the development of their profile
- Listening carefully and helping them to articulate their thoughts and challenging the profiler to review, analyse and make sense of these thoughts. This is termed active listening
- Create an environment in which the profiler feels able to speak freely, openly and in confidence
2) Educational counselling
- Helping the profiler to discover, clarify, assess and understand his/her learning in order to plan current and future educational aims and goals
- Suggest ways in which the profiler can get independent career and personal development advice (http://www.lifelonglearning.co.uk is a useful site)
3) Advising
- Helping the profiler to interpret information and make decisions based on his/her planned learning needs
- Simple advice on where to go for specific information or how to construct a request for a reference letter (‘The Mature Student’s Guide to Writing’ is a useful guide, /products/title.aspx?is=0333725204)
4) Assessing
- Self-assessment is an essential component of profiling
- Through careful facilitation, you will help the learner to develop confidence in self-assessment and to evaluate the depth of his/her learning
- This will, in turn, help the profiler to take control and make informed choices
5) Informing
- Providing information about learning opportunities and professional development policies that may inform the development of the profile
- At the same time, you must avoid the profiler becoming dependent on you as facilitator to make all the decisions about how and what s/he should be learning
- The initial stage of helping the profiler to move from being dependent on the facilitator, to becoming an independent learner, is one of the most valuable aspects of profiling
Lifelong learning: Theory and Practice
The concept of lifelong learning is widely recognised, not only in health but also in wider society. However in health care, developments in knowledge and available treatments and technologies mean it is important for health care professionals to continue to learn throughout their careers. Health care professionals have been encouraged to change the way they develop care practices and processes and to ensure they take account of the latest evidence and acknowledged best practice. These developments mean that, more than ever before, health care employers demand and expect their employees to be flexible, self-motivated and able to transfer skills into new situations with ease, so they can meet the demands of clinical governance and evidence based practice. They also expect employees to understand their own strengths and weaknesses, identify their learning needs and ensure they never undertake procedures they are not capable of doing safely.
For many health care professionals the most effective way of meeting most of their learning needs is through day-to-day practice. By identifying needs as you go along, and meeting them and then putting the learning into practice, you can make your working day a learning opportunity. The skills involved in developing a profile will enable development as a life long learner.
In 1994, the English National Board for Nursing and Midwifery described lifelong learning in ways which are relevant to the context of current health and social care. According to this description, lifelong learners are:
- Innovative in their practice
- Flexible to changing demand
- Resourceful in their methods of working
- Able to work as change agents
- Able to share good practice and knowledge
- Adaptable to changing health care needs
- Challenging and creative in their practice
- Self- reliant in their way of working
- Responsible and accountable for their actions
One of the best ways to achieve these characteristics is through developing a profile approach to learning.
The government has introduced a number of initiatives to support lifelong learning and continuing professional development. These include:
Cadet schemes: These schemes combine work experience with theoretical learning, leading typically to a NVQ in Care at level 3
NHS Learning Accounts (Las): The NHS Plan published in July 2000 said that over the following three years NHS staff who did not have a professional qualification would have access to either an NHS LA of up to £150 or dedicated training and assessment to NVQ levels 2 and 3.
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs): These are a mix of work based training and education that include an NVQ, key skills and a technical certificate.
Basic Skills: The Skills for Life Strategy has allocated funds to improve literacy and numeracy skills.
Foundation Degrees: These offer a two-year vocational degree worth at least 240 credits that will be delivered flexibly including part time or through distance learning so that you can continue to learn at work.
For more information, visit www.doh.gov.uk/lifelonglearning
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