Module 8: Learning from encounters
Congratulations! You have reached the final module of this online training program.
Let's take a moment to summarise and reflect on what we've learned.
Congratulations! You have reached the final module of this online training program.
Let's take a moment to summarise and reflect on what we've learned.
From online learning
to learning from experience
To recap, the program covered a number of issues:
The training program was meant to bring these issues to your attention, and to offer you some specific ideas and tools on how to support people with intellectual disability to experience more meaningful social inclusion and 'encounters' with other members of the public.
But this is not the end of your learning journey - just the beginning! The most significant learning will come not from online training but from 'real life' experience and practice!
Every encounter that you and the person you support experience is an important opportunity for learning.
One way to improve your own practice is to make time at the end of a shift to reflect on the encounters you and the service user experienced. Try to think about what went on there and what might have been different if you had done things differently. Try to think about what you have learned from that encounter, and what can be improved in terms of planning, initiating and managing future encounters.
It is important to also talk about these encounters with the person you support. Make time when you return home or at the end of your shift to 'debrief' by talking about their encounters during that day or week . This could be a good topic for a casual conversation over dinner or coffee at home.
Talking about more challenging encounters can be a way to release some of the tensions and negative emotions that may have come up. For example, if a stranger treated the person you support with disrespect, it is important to ask how they feel about this. Talking about these issues openly and emphatically can help make sure such negative incidents do not undermine a service user’s confidence to continue and engage with other members of the public.
It is also important to talk about the more pleasant encounters and the moments of humour, joy and conviviality shared with strangers. Such encounters are important achievements that are worth celebrating!
To recap, the program covered a number of issues:
- The importance of 'convivial encounter' with strangers as a significant part of social inclusion
- The various barriers to social inclusion and to 'convivial' encounters
- The principles of good planning before going out
- Ideas of how to support service users to initiate encounter
- Ideas of how to support service users to manage encounter with strangers, including in more challenging situations.
The training program was meant to bring these issues to your attention, and to offer you some specific ideas and tools on how to support people with intellectual disability to experience more meaningful social inclusion and 'encounters' with other members of the public.
But this is not the end of your learning journey - just the beginning! The most significant learning will come not from online training but from 'real life' experience and practice!
Every encounter that you and the person you support experience is an important opportunity for learning.
One way to improve your own practice is to make time at the end of a shift to reflect on the encounters you and the service user experienced. Try to think about what went on there and what might have been different if you had done things differently. Try to think about what you have learned from that encounter, and what can be improved in terms of planning, initiating and managing future encounters.
It is important to also talk about these encounters with the person you support. Make time when you return home or at the end of your shift to 'debrief' by talking about their encounters during that day or week . This could be a good topic for a casual conversation over dinner or coffee at home.
Talking about more challenging encounters can be a way to release some of the tensions and negative emotions that may have come up. For example, if a stranger treated the person you support with disrespect, it is important to ask how they feel about this. Talking about these issues openly and emphatically can help make sure such negative incidents do not undermine a service user’s confidence to continue and engage with other members of the public.
It is also important to talk about the more pleasant encounters and the moments of humour, joy and conviviality shared with strangers. Such encounters are important achievements that are worth celebrating!
Final remarks
Before you leave…
We would very much appreciate your feedback on the training program, so that we can continue to improve it.
We would very much appreciate your feedback on the training program, so that we can continue to improve it.