Working with Uncertainty: Reflections of an Educational Psychologist on Working with Children

Mercieca, Daniela

doi:10.1080/17496530902951939

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Thus, what teachers 'do' during COVID-19 lockdown is at the heart of this paper. The uncertainty brought about by this unprecedented situation makes us think again about practices which have become procedural; indeed, uncertainty makes us better professionals because it makes us judge afresh [36,37]. Teachers who have rolled back their sleeves and attempted to grapple with teaching during lockdown have engaged with uncertainty, and asked 'what should I do in this constantly changing situation?'…”

Section: Acting With Phronêsismentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers Working in Special Schools in Scotland Acting with Practical Wisdom: Supporting Children with Additional Needs in COVID-19 Lockdown

Mercieca

Ward

2021

Education Sciences

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The COVID-19 lockdown has substantially disrupted the established facets of teacher engagement with their students, and, given the significance of this multidimensional interaction, it brings into question what we know as teachers’ identity. The lockdown has offered a dilemmatic context where the processes of teaching and learning and being(s) a teacher are being re-visited and re-negotiated. This paper looks specifically at the perceptions of two teachers of their lockdown experience working within a special education context in Scotland, supporting children with disabilities and/or learning difficulties while at home. The question that this paper addresses is: what is the understanding of these two teachers of their role in a specialised educational context while in COVID-19 lockdown? This paper uses ‘practical wisdom’ (also known as phronêsis) as its theoretical basis, where the focus is on teachers’ judgements at precisely those moments where guidelines and procedures are unclear, and the criteria open to multiple interpretations. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly provided this context. Richard Smith’s interpretation of phronêsis as ‘attentiveness’ are central to this paper. In-depth interviews carried out with teachers are analysed through this theoretical framework and two themes are discussed.

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Section: Acting With Phronêsismentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers Working in Special Schools in Scotland Acting with Practical Wisdom: Supporting Children with Additional Needs in COVID-19 Lockdown

Mercieca

Ward

2021

Education Sciences

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“…EPs as scientist-practitioners are in a good position to choose measures appropriate to each case and context in order to collect information for evaluation. As professionals with the capacity to embrace uncertainty (Mercieca, 2009), EPs may also use reflective practice as a means to process their sense that things have gone well or poorly. Including practitioners' reflections in evaluation reasserts the value of "expertise" within evidence-based practice as described by Sackett et al (1996) as well as the importance of the practitioner voice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rocket science: an exploration of what information is of meaning to educational psychologists when evaluating their work

Lowther¹

2013

Educational Psychology in Practice

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Evaluation is a central feature of educational psychologists' (EPs) work. Different evaluation tools have been used in the published literature but a consistent approach is yet to emerge. Informed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this research asks what information EPs find meaningful when they evaluate their work. Six EPs working in a local authority educational psychology service were interviewed about their experiences of their work and how they knew they had made an impact. A diverse range of information drawn upon as evidence that there had been change was described. It is thus proposed that a tool which enables EPs to collate different types of information from a number of sources may be useful when evaluating their practice.

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“…To be able to have the space to tolerate not knowing and the ambiguity of working with people, especially when they might be vulnerable like these children and families is not something that is prioritised in most schools. The space to not know can be the way to open up to uncertainty and where making sense of things actually happens (Mercieca, 2013). This is a way of enhancing professional practice in some jobs, for example psychologists, and yet those working directly with the children every day (i.e.…”

Section: The Relationship With the Child And Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

Containment and denial: raising awareness of unconscious processes present when teachers are working with children and families where there is domestic abuse

Ellis

2018

Educational Psychology in Practice

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Working with Uncertainty: Reflections of an Educational Psychologist on Working with Children

Cited by 12 publications

References 6 publications

Teachers Working in Special Schools in Scotland Acting with Practical Wisdom: Supporting Children with Additional Needs in COVID-19 Lockdown

Teachers Working in Special Schools in Scotland Acting with Practical Wisdom: Supporting Children with Additional Needs in COVID-19 Lockdown

Rocket science: an exploration of what information is of meaning to educational psychologists when evaluating their work

Containment and denial: raising awareness of unconscious processes present when teachers are working with children and families where there is domestic abuse

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