A couple of thoughts were brewing in my head all at about the same time right before Thanksgiving in 2013.  This was also updated in November 2014.

Event 1:  Dr. McNaughton made a comment at an AAC Faculty meeting that in the SPED department, they use a “CONE” approach — trying to be mindful of the Content of the Next Environment — to review whether or not students are prepared to move forward.  “Prepared” is something of a trigger word for me.  Students have either told me directly or provided in written feedback that they very much appreciate our discussions, my guidance, resources I share, etc.; however, that they worry that they are not prepared for the Real World, for how things actually go in the schools.  I work very hard to align what I teach them through clinical practicum experiences to what they learn in their courses, I hope to model EBP with my supervision just as I hope they will apply it in their clinical careers (and, over time, as they have opportunities to mentor or provide supervision themselves).  So I have struggled with how to reconcile the idea that some students suggest they feel more ‘principled’ than ‘prepared’ when we’re done.  At present, I’ve come to the notion in my own mind that my role is not to prepare them how to DO the work — it’s a mistake to think that’s even possible — but how to THINK THROUGH the work.  Uncertainty is part of the gig:  there will always be an unfamiliar diagnosis, or an unusual presentation of skills/needs, an unexpected confluence of personal and work events.  My goal isn’t to share with them every possible scenario, it’s to hopefully put a foundation of problem solving skills and coping strategies that will support their efforts.

Event 2:  A surprising number of second year grad students have expressed the notion, “I just want to know what you know.”  I have had a surprisingly emotional reaction to that idea — that’s simply not fair.  I didn’t know what I know now when I was where where they are — I’ve worked hard to know what I know now.  I’ve earned it.  Further, I am certain I don’t know everything:  I’m very much committed to being a learner yet myself.

So given these thoughts, I wanted to present an activity to the students I am working with to engage them in an experience.  In a general sense, my goal was oriented around the notion of “Trust the Process.”  To not get to caught up or rushed in knowing it all, to not feel like that is the goal, to not consider uncertainty and the disquiet that comes with it as indicators of failure/weakness.  In addition, since it was in front of the Thanksgiving holiday and at a stressful point of the semester (the stampede to the end), I also wanted it to be very different than the assignments they get in their courses.  The following is the email I sent.

“We are at an interesting place in the semester, and I would expect everyone is feeling a degree of tension about getting from here to the next point.

For everyone I am working with through the clinic, I would like for you to please set aside 15 minutes to BRIEFLY review the following, choose one, and email me a 1-paragraph response.  There are no right/wrong answers.  I want to repeat that:  There is no specific answer I am looking for other than authentic consideration.  Due to me by November 30th.

(1).  In 2011, Alan Kamhi established a Clinical Forum on “Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty in Clinical Practice,” and posed the question, “How certain are you that your clinical decisions and practices are the most optimal ones for your patients?” Although I found the whole forum to be excellent and thought-provoking, attached is a three-page response (also in hard copy in your box):  Finn, P. (2011).  Critical Thinking:  Knowledge and Skills for Evidence Based Practice.  Language Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools, 42: 69-72.

((2).  This 5:22 minute clip from Between the Folds on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlbneFIcXyU.  I highly recommend the entire documentary if you have access, but for now I’m especially interested in this segment.

(3).  A diagram on OODA.  (Note:  The link here includes text and discussion but I just send the diagram itself as an attachment to the email.)

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I chose these because they do speak to the value of critical review, of being systematic and engaged in learning/questioning/evaluating specifically as an SLP (the Finn article); because the origami sequence is amazing in Between the Folds and he specifically talks about the process and the tension that exists within it; and the diagram comes from a business website but actually illustrates a flowchart of how to engage EBP.  I chose these because they inspire me, and I was interested in reaching the students in different ways (clinical/research-based; artful; graphic).

The responses have been truly great — I have loved the reflections and conversations we’ve had, and this lent itself very well as a lead into a discussion on actively Engaging in Learning (Lesson Plan available in Resources).

So it’s been a wonderful and exciting learning experience for me, too.   I’ve so enjoyed their perspectives into all of this, and how different it is from the other things they do while in the graduate program or that we have done together with their clinical practicum.   Some of them haven’t gone exactly down the path of “Trust the Process” but that’s okay — there were no right or wrong answers.

End blip.