I think it is very important to share Judit’s comment here because she thought forward the issue of CE paradox and pointed out some serious truths where from we must move…..
“I really enjoyed reading your post. I read it again, and again, and again. You raised a very important question. ‘So we are here, but what next?’The directions of CE will be determent on the clarity and focus we are prepared to invest in creating its future. Clarity is power. We know this from our work when we facilitate in a conductive way. Just when we look at how CE works at its best, what do we need for that? Amongst many other things we need a unified team who believes in, manifests and carries the same highest level of standards, with a clear outcome in mind. Wishing and hoping will not take us there. Do we want it badly enough to make us move and create such a team? Do we really want to have a professional body, which is prepared to publish the basic core values, standards and structures that would truly represent Conductive Education?We need more brave, talented and diligent people in the here and now to deal with this paradox and to help all of those who are trying to work with CE in different settings. If we really wanted to be taken seriously I think it is about time that we created something valuable for all of us and for the future generation to come.Once hearts and minds meet it will be done.”
First, it is not enough merely to discuss about the difficulties but some actions should be taken. The professional body must be efficient and directed by the real needs. Most importantly, CE professionals individually should reach a certain interest level and develop their own quality requirement for themselves. To sign a code of practice is not automatically means that we are living so….
Next to my everyday practice I work nowadays a lot towards science which makes me a bit capable to recognise some part of why we are still in a professional infancy, it makes me to be a critical viewer of everything what happens around CE. The acceptance of anything (a new medical method, pedagogical approach, philosophy, etc.) comes through science in the modern world. We live in an age where sciences are testable, and the results of careful studies are both replicable and generalizable. I sadly have to recognise that what we completely missed is the scientific appearance in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties about CE. This fact also caused that we pretty often turned to be so variable and so different in opposite part of Europe or the World. Everybody runs conductive education as she thinks CE is. That is a simple result of lack of scientific introduction and acceptance.
So, because the scientific method is so widely accepted, conductive education practices that are grounded in science will be easier to “sell” to the still sceptical public or potential clients, and especially to organizations that want reassurances that the service will be effective. My prediction is that conductors who can honestly claim to work from a foundation of the latest scientific research and theory will have a tremendous market advantage over their peers. Not only will prospective employers look favourably on them, they will enjoy the comfort of knowing that their interventions are effective (not only in front of them but widely) and obviously appropriate to their unique client base. The importance of science to our field was recently noted and hopefully will help to find the ground for a new start and identify our strengths better than in the past. Have a good day….
“I really enjoyed reading your post. I read it again, and again, and again. You raised a very important question. ‘So we are here, but what next?’The directions of CE will be determent on the clarity and focus we are prepared to invest in creating its future. Clarity is power. We know this from our work when we facilitate in a conductive way. Just when we look at how CE works at its best, what do we need for that? Amongst many other things we need a unified team who believes in, manifests and carries the same highest level of standards, with a clear outcome in mind. Wishing and hoping will not take us there. Do we want it badly enough to make us move and create such a team? Do we really want to have a professional body, which is prepared to publish the basic core values, standards and structures that would truly represent Conductive Education?We need more brave, talented and diligent people in the here and now to deal with this paradox and to help all of those who are trying to work with CE in different settings. If we really wanted to be taken seriously I think it is about time that we created something valuable for all of us and for the future generation to come.Once hearts and minds meet it will be done.”
First, it is not enough merely to discuss about the difficulties but some actions should be taken. The professional body must be efficient and directed by the real needs. Most importantly, CE professionals individually should reach a certain interest level and develop their own quality requirement for themselves. To sign a code of practice is not automatically means that we are living so….
Next to my everyday practice I work nowadays a lot towards science which makes me a bit capable to recognise some part of why we are still in a professional infancy, it makes me to be a critical viewer of everything what happens around CE. The acceptance of anything (a new medical method, pedagogical approach, philosophy, etc.) comes through science in the modern world. We live in an age where sciences are testable, and the results of careful studies are both replicable and generalizable. I sadly have to recognise that what we completely missed is the scientific appearance in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties about CE. This fact also caused that we pretty often turned to be so variable and so different in opposite part of Europe or the World. Everybody runs conductive education as she thinks CE is. That is a simple result of lack of scientific introduction and acceptance.
So, because the scientific method is so widely accepted, conductive education practices that are grounded in science will be easier to “sell” to the still sceptical public or potential clients, and especially to organizations that want reassurances that the service will be effective. My prediction is that conductors who can honestly claim to work from a foundation of the latest scientific research and theory will have a tremendous market advantage over their peers. Not only will prospective employers look favourably on them, they will enjoy the comfort of knowing that their interventions are effective (not only in front of them but widely) and obviously appropriate to their unique client base. The importance of science to our field was recently noted and hopefully will help to find the ground for a new start and identify our strengths better than in the past. Have a good day….
4 comments:
Dear Laszlo,
Thank you for your response. It opened up a more complex way of looking at the issue. I don’t see that there is a controversy between us. I really don’t.
Laszlo:
“CE lacks a coherent, widely agreed on definition, conductor training varies in content and its interventions differ sometimes greatly. In short, CE is still a broadly defined endeavour in need of refining.
Judit (agreeing suggesting):
“The directions of CE will be determend on the clarity and focus we are prepared to invest in creating its future. Clarity is power. Amongst many other things we need a unified team who believes in, manifests and carries the same highest level of standards, with a clear outcome in mind. . Do we want it badly enough to make us move and create such a team? Do we really want to have a professional body”
(team? the word team is inserted for clarification purposes only) , “which is prepared to publish the basic core values, standards and structures that would truly represent Conductive Education?”
Laszlo:
“The profession of conductive pedagogy is fortunate to have many skilled and imaginative people working toward a great end.”
Judit agreeing:
“We need more brave, talented and diligent people in the here and now to deal with this paradox and to help all of those who are trying to work with CE in different settings.”
Judit suggesting:
“The way I believe we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we will get there is to first know where we are right now and what our level of satisfaction is for where we are. So first it would be a good idea to take some time and think through and write down our current situation regarding the issues related to the definition, quality and standards of Conductive Education. Then ask this question on each key point - is that okay?
The purpose of this evaluation is twofold. First, it would give us an objective way to look at the accomplishments; secondly, it is to show us where we are now so we can determine where we need to go. In other words, it would give us a baseline which to work from.”
I was only using a basic gall setting technique, which we use in CE and also which can be found in any other goal setting literature.
Laszlo:
“First, it is not enough merely to discuss about the difficulties but some actions should be taken”.
We never focus on the difficulties in CE’s goal settings, but we have to know what was already done so we could redefine a better, desired way which lead us to an agreed desired outcome.
I whole-heartedly agree with you Laszlo about finding scientific proofs. They exist and there is a vast literature to access as science greatly developed over the 60 odd years since Andras Peto introduced the concept of CE. There must be a right balance between taken in all relevant aspects of human research and development.
I feel and I believe that we are on the same waive length, but it is hard to express and equally hard to interpret what we might be trying to communicate to each other without direct, personal contact. Please can you e-mail me your recent e-mail address and contact telephone number? My e-mail address is judit.szathmary@virgin.net.
So again my question is: Is any one out there who would like to do something about your valid question.
So, we are here, but what next?
Kindest Wishes, Judit
Laci,
I absolutely agree with the thoughts in this thread of postings and since your original entry I keep thinking of the issue you highlighted.
Yes, we live in a world in the 21 century when anecdotal evidence is not sufficient enough to move CE forward. If we want to strengthen CE by identifying, proving and making the strength and uniqueness of CE more widely acceptable we have to do two things: firstly disseminate our values, experiences and expertise in an academic manner; secondly identifying the weaknesses too.
Over the last 30-40 years in English language so many people have said their thought and perspectives on conductive education: therapists, psychologists, educators but unfortunately less heard from conductors themselves.
Would a professional body be helpful to change this? Would it be influential enough first of all to have members? I seem to remember that in the last 20 years there were sooooooo many attempts to establish a professional body! Sorry for being pessimistic but I see the role of a professional body something different.
I think the advancement of CE and the establishment of a proper academic discourse is emerging, perhaps not in a pace as it is anticipated by those who just passively wait for its outcomes.
Working for and 'doing' proper research, seeking and writing about evidence based practice seem to be something alien for the majority of conductors, but this perception needs to be changed and opportunities and support have to be given to those who feel confident and interested to be involved. Hard to believe this can take place without the support from CE organisations, managers and others in a decision-making position.
Andrew writes a lot about the economic depression and I do not want to reiterate any of his thoughts accept that in recessions education always do well because people see a way of getting out from the situation by gaining new knowledge and experiences. Perhaps for those involved in the strategic level of managing CE services it would be a time now to rethink what would be useful as a long-term investment; how could they support their conductors to cope with this ever-changing world. To do this it needs long term vision, understanding and commitment to CE and belief in its values.
A very final thought if conductors do not articulate CE, will not look into how it should be developed further it is hard to envisage that it will survive in a long term. Others will not do instead of us.
Best wishes,
Tunde
Hi Judit,
No controversy endeed, I did not mean it :))
Laci
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