A Considered Curriculum for Preparing Human Services Practitioners: Structuring Circles of Learning and Change

Abstract

Experience in the setting of the ‘real-world’ of practice is an invaluable component of students’ learning. Students are afforded the opportunity to make sense of theoretical knowledge, and, through such experiences, develop skills and abilities that pertain to the area of professional practice. However, just as these environments afford real practice experiences they are unpredictable situations because of their authentic nature, which presents many challenges for the development of professional expertise. Indeed, such experiences resist pre-specification and predictable outcomes. Professional practice in the human services is no exception and can be confronting and demanding. Hence, there are significant challenges to exposing students to real-life scenarios. In particular, students undertaking field placements in human service organisations often encounter experiences that are confronting for novices, yet comprise routine aspects of human service work. It is essential, therefore, for these students to engage with these experiences with some confidence about how to engage in both personally and professionally productive ways. Students’ learning needs are most likely to be effectively supported through such experiences if they are prepared in ways that allow them to respond appropriately to and maximise the professional learning from such confronting circumstances and experiences.