reflexivity in development: a case study of the police service: ron lawson

“The problem with teaching the police is…”

Reflexivity in DevelopmentA case study of the police service

The most radical leadership and management reforms of the last 50 years (Neyroud, 2011 p.8)

Old ways of investigation are no longer standing up to the rigors of the legal system.

Move from in-house delivery of training courses to higher education provision in a university setting.

At Sunderland University Business School we specialise in the delivery of investigative programmes at degree and masters level for professional police investigators.


Our aim is to help professional students break free of the ‘mental grooves’ that can often constrain their development as life-

long learners.(Thera, 1997, cited in Weick & Sutcliffe,

2006)

A Pedagogical Problem


Within the higher education sector in the UK and worldwide there is much pedagogical

discourse around identifying the ‘threshold concepts’ which students need to grasp to

fully make sense of the rest of their professional behaviours (Meyer and Land,

2005)

Threshold Concepts


We believe that it is crucial to the success of an individual’s learning programme for them to be very clear about the profession within which they are contextualising their studies and the professional experiences that have

shaped their professional identity.

Professional Identity


The emancipatory nature of freeing ourselves from the formative learning

limitations is often transformative… and emancipatory knowledge is gained through

critical self-reflection (Mezirow, 1991)

Transformative Learning


How do professionals learn from these unfortunate mistakes?

Reflective and reflexive discourse embedded in the care services

Yet to be fully permeate the police service

Reflective & Reflexive Practice


Tripp (1993) summarises the process as asking learners to identify an event they consider to be critical, an event of significance and importance, from which they would hope to gain a better understanding.

This technique proved particularly problematic with the police students

Critical Incident Technique



Table of contents Pg

Chapter 1 – Silversmith turns sheet metal worker: reality defies the dream............... 1

Chapter 2 – From steel to copper: keeping the Queens peace ................................... 3

Chapter 3 – From fighting crime to fighting poachers, and other macho jobs............ 5

Chapter 4 – Back in heavy industry: A push to get educated....................................... 7

Chapter 5 – The MBA ticket to success........................................................................ 9

Chapter 6 – “What big teeth you have”: Corporate bullying....................................... 12

Chapter 7 – Unmasking the artist: the dream returns................................................. 15

Chapter 8 – Teaching is the true learning.................................................................... 20

Professional Biography: We are the stories we tell

McDrury and Alterio (2003) assert that storytelling in education is a highly reflective learning process with subsequent learner transformation or insight, and one that approximates real-life experiences.

Storytelling


In modern western culture many of our traditional rites of passage have been lost and as such the transitions between professional identities are missing that liminal space in which there is dedicated time to reflect and contemplate the change

Liminality


Identity and Art


“I think I have become a victim of identity theft. My professional identity has been stolen and I don’t think she’s going to give it back.”


“I wasn’t keen on this ‘Jackanory’ stuff, I’m not a kid I’m a Detective Inspector, I came here to be taught not tell stories! Then I realised my whole career is based around stories, proving them and disproving them, sorting the facts from the fiction. I didn’t realise how much my interpretation of stories, my own included, was influenced by who I am and how I see myself professionally”.


reflexivity in development: a case study of the police service: ron lawson

Education