Community Practicum Learning Agreement I-III

The Community Practicum is part of the Camphill Academy’s full-time academic programs and is integral to students’ development towards professional competency in the field of Inclusive Social Development. The Community Practicum is one of two practica offered in years 1, 2, and 3, which all full-time students are required to take to complete their respective programs. Taken together, these two practica help integrate concepts acquired in classroom-based coursework with real-life experience in inclusive community.

The Community Practicum can take place in any setting or across multiple settings and comprises a minimum of 375 hours. The concepts, skills, and dispositions emphasized and consciously developed during this practicum complement those in the Professional Practicum.

Each Community Practicum prepares students to work collaboratively and inclusively in community contexts, including intentional communities like Camphill as well as in other community-based organizations. The specific learning goals are broken into two parts:

1. Fundamental attitudes of Inclusive Social Development – The fundamental attitudes align with the Academy’s overall Program Goals and are the same for both the Community and the Professional Practica. Students can use these fundamental attitudes as a tool to assess their self-development, and they guide the Mid-year and Final review conversations. These fundamental attitudes are:

FUNDAMENTAL ATTITUDES

• Empathy: The willingness to meet others' experiences and perspectives without judgement.
• Flexibility: The openness to change, and a readiness to draw on a wide range of practical, social, educational, and therapeutic approaches as situations require.
• Imagination: The willingness to respond to individual situations in new, creative ways, rather than always defaulting to "recipes" or rules.
• Self-initiative: The commitment to seeking out and engaging in opportunities for continuing personal and professional development, grounded in ongoing self-reflection.
• Active interest: The openness to practice curiosity about the human being and the world, pursued through direct, lived experience, and observation, in conversation with anthroposophical understanding.
• Resilience: A commitment to staying grounded and present under stress, drawing on effective strategies, maintaining self-care, and supporting others in building their own resilience.
• Integrity: A commitment to working within the professional, social-political, and regulatory context of the field in service of human flourishing.

2. Practicum-specific competencies and concrete skills –  Each practicum highlights four competencies specific to its focus. While practicum settings can vary widely, the basic competencies in each practicum remain the same. Together with their Practicum Supervisor, students will describe the concrete skills for each competency they will develop during the practicum. Articulating concrete applications in this way is an opportunity for students to apply and integrate concepts, skills, and attitudes in practice. Therefore, students should have the opportunity to practice each specific skill at least weekly for the duration of the practicum. The Community Competencies are:

 COMMUNITY COMPETENCIES

• Area expertise & general management: Skills related to the specific practicum placement and general management that are not included in other categories that enable that space/activity to be a site for Inclusive Social Development. Ie. cooking skills if in a culinary space, woodworking skills in a woodshop, etc. Ability to effectively develop one’s individual competencies in light of community needs, rather than developing skills entirely divorced from their social context.
• Relationship building: Skills related to developing and facilitating relationship building between individuals. Includes active listening, verbal and non-verbal, non-violent communication, self-reflection, asking questions, and welcoming others.
• Social responsibility: Skills related to inclusive community processes and wellbeing. Includes facilitating inclusive meetings, ecological awareness, engagement with the broader community and social issues, community/group reflection and assessment, ability to assess resources.
• Cultural engagement: Skills related to cultural development in community with others. Includes engagement with festival life, individual interpretation and contribution to community spirituality, supporting others’ contributions, inclusive arts and celebrations, presenting ideas in accessible ways for all.

Learning Agreement and Regular Communication –

Initial Meeting - At the beginning of the practicum period, the student and the primary practicum supervisor will meet to review and discuss the learning agreement, the commitments and responsibilities expected of the student and practicum supervisor in this relationship, and other aspects of the learning and review process as they relate to this practicum. 

During this conversation, the student and the practicum supervisor make a commitment to regular meetings, which are opportunities for the student and the practicum supervisor to check in, air questions and concerns, review responsibilities and debrief on recent events, and review basic expectations of the practicum. The student is also expected to participate in any scheduled or emergency team meetings relevant to their practicum placement and should communicate to their practicum supervisor, or the person responsible for the applicable practicum setting, if they are unable to attend. Additionally, the student should contact their practicum supervisor regarding any concerns that may affect their tasks and responsibilities associated with the practicum placement as soon as they become known. The student or practicum supervisor should also notify the practicum coordinator/class advisor of any extenuating circumstances or performance concerns immediately.

The outcome of this conversation should be summarized on the “Community Practicum Learning Agreement” form for documentation, and a copy submitted to the program administrator to be filed in the student’s record. The student should also retain a copy of the completed, signed form.

 

Mid-Year Review – The Mid-Year Review is a formative conversation between the student, the practicum supervisors, practicum coordinator/class advisor, and personal tutors (‘the Group”) to assess and evaluate the student’s performance so far and provide feedback or direction to support the student to meet the objectives of the practicum and satisfy the learning agreement. This meeting occurs halfway through the practicum period and allows the Group to (1) review the learning agreement, (2) evaluate the student’s progress towards objectives, and (3) adjust the learning agreement and/or the student’s activities, if necessary. Mid-Term Review includes the student and practicum supervisor, and may include the practicum coordinator/class advisor. If applicable, the primary practicum supervisor will collect and bring feedback to the review on the student's progress from the individual(s) responsible for any additional practicum settings.

The outcome of this conversation should be summarized on the “Community Practicum Mid-Year Review” form for documentation, and a copy submitted to the program administrator to be filed in the student’s record. The student should also retain a copy of the completed, signed form.

 

Final Review – The Final Review is a summative conversation between the student, the practicum supervisor, and the practicum coordinator/class advisor to assess and evaluate the student’s performance at the conclusion of the practicum. In a conversation, facilitated by the practicum coordinator/class advisor, the student and the practicum supervisor give each other feedback on their working relationship and fulfillment of the learning agreement. If applicable, the primary practicum supervisor will collect and bring feedback to the review on the student's performance from the individual(s) responsible for any additional practicum settings. The student’s performance is evaluated against the objectives of the practicum and the learning agreement. At the request of the student, the practicum supervisor, or the practicum coordinator/class advisor, the student’s personal tutor/mentor and/or other member of the Core Faculty may also participate. 

The outcome of this conversation should be summarized on the “Community Practicum Final Review” form for documentation and submitted to the program administrator to be filed in the student’s record. The student should also retain a copy of the completed, signed form.

With your Practicum Supervisor, outline the placement(s) or activity(ies) that will be part of your Community practicum. Your practicum should cover 10-12 hours of supervised, guided practice per week, or 375 hours total for the academic year. The information below should include the setting/placement (ie, a household, a recreational club, a vocational program, etc.), as well as your typical schedule (ie, weekdays from 9:00-11:00, Fridays from 2:30-3:30, etc.), and the placement supervisor or team lead (ie, the leader of that particular group or the person your Practicum Supervisor would contact for input or questions). Your primary Practicum Supervisor may also be the lead for one or more settings.

The "Fundamental Attitudes" align with the Academy’s overall Program Goals. These objectives help to inform and guide the Mid-year and Final review conversations. Refer to the resource titled 'Fundamental Attitudes Overview' for more detail.

FUNDAMENTAL ATTITUDES

Empathy: The willingness to meet others' experiences and perspectives without judgement.
Flexibility: The openness to change, and a readiness to draw on a wide range of practical, social, educational, and therapeutic approaches as situations require.
Imagination: The willingness to respond to individual situations in new, creative ways, rather than always defaulting to "recipes" or rules.
Self-initiative: The commitment to seeking out and engaging in opportunities for continuing personal and professional development, grounded in ongoing self-reflection.
Active interest: The openness to practice curiosity about the human being and the world, pursued through direct, lived experience, and observation, in conversation with anthroposophical understanding.
Resilience: A commitment to staying grounded and present under stress, drawing on effective strategies, maintaining self-care, and supporting others in building their own resilience.
Integrity: A commitment to working within the professional, social-political, and regulatory context of the field in service of human flourishing.

The Academy's Core Practica--the Community Practica and the Professional Practica--support students to develop distinct competencies: 

• Professional Competencies enable students to support and advocate for individuals with disabilities and others who face marginalization.
• Community Competencies enable students to work collaboratively and inclusively in community contexts, including intentional communities like Camphill as well as in other community-based organizations. 

Taken together, these comprise the competencies needed as a practitioner of Inclusive Social Development.

The general benchmarks for student progress in each stage can be found in the Learning Goals - Fundamental Attitudes rubric document. This can help you assess your own progress throughout the practica, and will also be used for overall assessment in the mid-year and end-of-year reviews.

In addition to these general benchmarks, you will identify specific areas for learning and improvement based on your self-reflection. This will help you bring these areas of learning into special focus and will also serve as a way to individualize your own learning process. Examples of concrete skills for each area can also be found on the Fundamental Attitudes rubric.

 COMMUNITY COMPETENCIES

Area expertise & general management: Skills related to the specific practicum placement and general management that are not included in other categories that enable that space/activity to be a site for Inclusive Social Development. Ie. cooking skills if in a culinary space, woodworking skills in a woodshop, etc. Ability to effectively develop one’s individual competencies in light of community needs, rather than developing skills entirely divorced from their social context.
Relationship building: Skills related to developing and facilitating relationship building between individuals. Includes active listening, verbal and non-verbal, non-violent communication, self-reflection, asking questions, and welcoming others.
Social responsibility: Skills related to inclusive community processes and wellbeing. Includes facilitating inclusive meetings, ecological awareness, engagement with the broader community and social issues, community/group reflection and assessment, ability to assess resources.
Cultural engagement: Skills related to cultural development in community with others. Includes engagement with festival life, individual interpretation and contribution to community spirituality, supporting others’ contributions, inclusive arts and celebrations, presenting ideas in accessible ways for all.

Stage/ Year I practica must include a concrete skill for:

• Relationship building
• One additional COMMUNITY competency

Stage/ Year II practica must include a concrete skill for:

• Relationship building
• Cultural engagement
• One additional COMMUNITY competency

Stage/ Year III practica must include a concrete skill for each competency area.

By signing this Learning Agreement, you agree to the mentoring process and the plan described above.

Once the student and practicum supervisor have signed, this learning agreement will be forwarded to the Class Advsior/Practicum Coordinator for review and approval. Once the Learning Agreement is approved, you will receive a copy via email. You should retain a copy for reference throughout the practicum, and specifically during your mid-year and final review conversation.

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