Professor Nona Lyons, Editor explains:
“Primarily the Handbook is a review of how people today in a range of
professions are being educated to think, especially to be reflective about
their own professional work. Recent world-wide catastrophes in several
professions have raised questions about the education of professionals. Their
practices have revealed to observers deep concerns about professional education
and the sense that present practices are mis-managed, short-changing both the
profession as well as the professional.”
What is being critiqued?
There is especially concern for how the ethical is or is not a part of
professional learning and professional development across a career. In the
past, professionals were seen as the guardians of doing what is right or just,
but that is no longer true. There
have been omissions in thinking critically as well as in acting to address ills
of bad practice that seemed blatant.
What is being recommended?
Observers and researchers, including this author and researchers of the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, in a recent study of the
professions have converged on reflection and ethical education. What is being
called for is ethical education steeped not simply in legal issues—similar to
how lawyers are trained through the case method, but rather steeped in the
issues arising from the actual life experiences of the individuals involved.
More intense clinical experience is being suggested so that people are immersed
in the complexities of actual life situations.
How does the Handbook address
these issues?
The Handbook documents what is going on today in the education of
professionals particularly addressing those professions which profess to
support reflective practice:
teaching, teacher education, the law, medicine, nursing, social work,
occupational therapy, adult education and probation services.
UCC authors include: Tony Ryan, Martina Kelly, Anne Rath, Carmel Halton,
Maria Dempsey and Marian Murphy.
Picture L-R: Dr Carmel
Halton, Department of Applied Social Studies, UCC with Professor Nona Lyons.
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