I initially thought this was going to be easy… I’ve heard the term “best practice” for years… and used it often. But now, I had to think about what it meant. So, I went looking for a definition. Ha… not as easy as I thought. I spent several hours searching for this elusive definition, and came up with nothing that felt comfortable.
So, I turned to colleagues and friends and asked them for their input… and this is what I received. Let this be my starting point in our discussion. Names have been omitted to protect the innocent, but I have thanked each one personally for their contributions to my post.
Best practice is defined within a personnel prep system that is chronically underfunded and simply not able to afford the best technology available. The problem with ‘best practice’, a phrase which is used so often, is that it is so subjective to the person. Try to put it in a rubric. What does it look like? Does best practice depend on the setting? Is it the same across the board? Unfortunately, I think the phrase ‘best practice’ is one of those cookie cutter phrases and that it depends on other things. What it does look like to me is high, clear expectations; academic rigor and student engagement. “Best practice” seems to be tossed around in the schools. Usually, administrators use it when referring to schools with exemplary programs or success or a strategy that is being generally accepted and hasn’t been standardized or universally accepted by all. For better or worse, it is usually the current trend. If, for some reason it becomes unpopular, then it does not become a standard practice for all. Sometimes it is a piece of a bigger picture. Most reading programs adopt phonics as part of the approach to teaching reading as a “best practice.” And of course, best practices = standardization for sighted students is not always the best practice for students who are blind or visually impaired. Try explaining that to regular education faculty and staff. I’ve thought a LOT about “best practice” and on the one hand how to establish it, on the other hand how to revise it or drop it when it’s outlived its usefulness. I’ve come to the conclusion that “best practice” can be a godsend (setting guidance and standards, and protecting us in liability issues) and it can stifle creativity and suppress badly-needed change. Lack of outcome research Validate practices (from the National Agenda) Best practice should ideally be based on research; on what we know works. That would be pragmatic. In reality it is much more philosophical, and based on what we think we know works. Which is one reason that prevailing practice now is to name such things promising practices, thus admitting that we don’t know what is truly best, and so we’re trying what we think may have promise instead. Try this site, the real question is why are you working so late?
Teachers have never been more discriminating about what resources they will use. This is partly because of the constraints of time and partly because there have never been so many educational resources flooding the market.
My professor has stated that one needs empirical data to prove that it is a best practice. My professor wants to know what makes this concept a best practice and how can you prove it (loosely translated) If your professor wants a best practice that is empirically based, you will find limited resources in the field of vision and blindness.
There has been a lot of research done in inclusion. You can use that data and bring in some recommendations from the field if it applies to your topic. Good luck.
http://oma.od.nih.gov/ma/bps/db/faq.asp
