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the voices of experience keep coming

October 29th, 2005 · 3 Comments
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There is something about this idea… reaching out and asking folks what they thought about “best practice” that intrigues me. I am learning more from listening to their voices of experience than I would have learned if I had read about it in a textbook.

Is true knowledge the collection of voices of experience?

I believe “best practice” has to be about attaining goals. The desired end result will show what the best practice is when a number of methods are tried out. The most useful and functional method to the goal will be the “best practice.” Best practice has to be situational.
After years of working in the system as a substitute teacher grades K-12, as a teaching assistant, as a teachers’ aide, as a technology teacher, as an English teacher, a TVI and a special ed teacher, I was reluctant to answer your question at first.  I have seen so many educational terms and fads come and go.  The sad thing is that each new revelation is treated as if it were the second coming.  Everything that was done in the past is eliminated, even if it was working well.  As I said once, educators tend to continually throw out the baby with the bath water.
 

I don’t know what the so-called experts would term “best practice,” and honestly, I really don’t care.  To me it means whatever works best for that particular child.  As each child is unique, we have a constantly-expanding universe of best practices.

 

 

In addition to research based practice, I would suggest that “best practice” is something that through experience we know works effectively even though there may not be research to back up the practice. I would further suggest that “best practice” for the field would be something that works in many similar situations; it is the best response that practioners in the field have used. In rehab. teaching, we have a number of best practices that are not reseach based but are definitely practical & successful, and are used by many people. “Best practice” might be considered the “tried & true” way for this time.  Hope that this idea adds to the discussion.

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3 responses so far ↓

  • 1    Nate // Oct 29, 2005 at 12:48 am

    NCLB Section 1203 requires each state have a plan in place that explains, among other things, how “the State educational agency
    will ensure that eligible local educational agencies receiving subgrants under section 1202 will use practices based on scientifically based reading research.”

    The “scientifically based” meme is reportedly used 79 times in NCLB.

    “Best practice” as outlined in these blog entries – annecdotal, hunch-based, even experience based tho it may be — is a violation of that statute.

    Fun, huh?

  • 2    Administrator // Oct 29, 2005 at 1:00 am

    I remember using a similar argument once with some of the administrators of the National Federation of the Blind. I was upset with the ongoing assumptions that teachers are unqualified in braille. They cited their anecdotes and personal experiences to support their contention. I countered with my belief that anecdotes and personal experiences were not equivalent to quantifiable data.

    They came back with the statement that the sheet quantity of anecdotes, all saying the same thing, were irrefutable data.

    if it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, is it a duck?

  • 3    Nate // Oct 29, 2005 at 4:20 am

    Not according to the government.

    http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/rigorousevid/rigorousevid.pdf