Definition: Theory of Change is a comprehensive model that includes a description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. This model is mapped out in order to see what a program does and how these lead to desired goals being achieved, but the model works backward filling in the desired long-term goals and then filling in what must be in place to achieve the goals.
What is Theory of Change? (2013). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.theoryofchange.org/what-is-theory-of-change/
Application: Community organizers will often work with logic models that are centered on the theory of change in order to map out what is the goal and how that will be achieved.
Adaptation: This theory can be applied to the college application process. While college acceptance is the goal, applicants must map out how exactly they will be able to achieve that by taking the SAT, writing essays, asking for letters of recommendation, being involved in community service and maintaining good academic standing. Applicants often map out their application process to get into college.
Showing posts with label Colleen Huysman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colleen Huysman. Show all posts
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Globalisation Theory
Definition: Globalisation is the 'market-organized and imposed expansion of production that emphasizes comparative advantage, free trade, export orientations, the social and spacial divisions of labor and the absolute mobility of corporations' (Fisher and Ponniah, 2003, p 28). In other words, we find ourselves in a world where capitalism has reformed on a global level, exploiting the most vulnerable people and environments in the world in the interests of the dominant and privileged.
Ledwith, M. (2005). Community Development. Chicago: Policy Press.
Application:Globalisation plays out in community development because the idea that the western worldview is superior plays out in oppression of subordinate groups of people based on gender, race, age, sexuality, age, faith, ethnicity and disability play out both locally and globally. It is important for community organizers to understand these power dynamics and how they may play out in working with a community.
Adaptation: When one tries to call an IT support line, the call is often routed to an automated system or someone who may be in India or another country. This globalisation enables companies to outsource and have workers provide IT consult and services at an extremely low rate.
Ledwith, M. (2005). Community Development. Chicago: Policy Press.
Application:Globalisation plays out in community development because the idea that the western worldview is superior plays out in oppression of subordinate groups of people based on gender, race, age, sexuality, age, faith, ethnicity and disability play out both locally and globally. It is important for community organizers to understand these power dynamics and how they may play out in working with a community.
Adaptation: When one tries to call an IT support line, the call is often routed to an automated system or someone who may be in India or another country. This globalisation enables companies to outsource and have workers provide IT consult and services at an extremely low rate.
ABCD Model
Definition: The ABCD model is based on the fact that communities should be healthy, thriving places where people flourish in a more satisfying, equitable and sustainable way.
Ledwith, M. (2005). Community Development. Chicago: Policy Press.
Application: In community development, the ABCD model challenges community organizers working with community members to be clear about what they are trying to do, how to achieve it and how to embed evaluation into the process as change is effected at policy, program and project levels.
Adaptation: A model such as this should also be used in developing a new business model that is built upon a clear focus and incorporates bench marks for evaluation.
Ledwith, M. (2005). Community Development. Chicago: Policy Press.
Application: In community development, the ABCD model challenges community organizers working with community members to be clear about what they are trying to do, how to achieve it and how to embed evaluation into the process as change is effected at policy, program and project levels.
Adaptation: A model such as this should also be used in developing a new business model that is built upon a clear focus and incorporates bench marks for evaluation.
Transpersonal Theory
Definition: Transpersonal theory focuses on the spiritual dimension and how spiritual and religious aspects of human existence can be understood. Transpersonal theory goes beyond biopsychosocial
development and enables people to achieve levels of consciousness and functioning beyond self or ego.
Cowley, A. (1999). Transpersonal Theory and Social Work Practice with Couples and Families. Journal of Family Social Work, 5-21.
Application: This theory enables community organizers to understand the role of spirituality, religion and the potential for a higher power in communities. It stresses the importance of spiritual and religious support systems for life meaning and well-being, which is often factor to consider when entering a new community.
Adaptation: Often times one's spiritual or religious beliefs place out into politics and what individuals support in terms of policies. By taking into consideration one's spiritual beliefs, one may be better understood as a potential candidate.
Cowley, A. (1999). Transpersonal Theory and Social Work Practice with Couples and Families. Journal of Family Social Work, 5-21.
Application: This theory enables community organizers to understand the role of spirituality, religion and the potential for a higher power in communities. It stresses the importance of spiritual and religious support systems for life meaning and well-being, which is often factor to consider when entering a new community.
Adaptation: Often times one's spiritual or religious beliefs place out into politics and what individuals support in terms of policies. By taking into consideration one's spiritual beliefs, one may be better understood as a potential candidate.
Psychodynamic Theory
Definition: Psychodynamic theory explains how inner energies and external forces interact to impact emotional development. It emphasizes unconscious psychological processes (for example, wishes and fears of which we're not fully aware), and contends that childhood experiences are crucial in shaping adult personality.
The Psychodynamic Perspective. (2015). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychodynamic-perspective
Application: In community development, organizers must interact with many community members on a personal level, it is important to understand motivation, adaptation and interpersonal relationships within a new community. Through this theory, one is able to display empathy and establish, build and use the relationship to facilitate change.
Adaptation:Psychodynamic is used in mental health therapy to analyze unconscious and conscious mental activity that motivates human behavior.
The Psychodynamic Perspective. (2015). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychodynamic-perspective
Application: In community development, organizers must interact with many community members on a personal level, it is important to understand motivation, adaptation and interpersonal relationships within a new community. Through this theory, one is able to display empathy and establish, build and use the relationship to facilitate change.
Adaptation:Psychodynamic is used in mental health therapy to analyze unconscious and conscious mental activity that motivates human behavior.
Family Systems Theory
Definition: Family Systems theory is a theory of human behavior that views that the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit. It is the nature of the family that its members are intensely connected emotionally.
Kerr, Michael E. "One Family's Story: A Primer on Bowen Theory." The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. 2000. http://www.thebowencenter.org
Application: In community development, one does not just consider the individuals that are present at a community meeting, but also considers family members who may not be present at said meeting. The way one individual interacts within its family affects the way he/she interacts within the community.
Adaptation: When an individual is in palliative or hospice care, family members are often responsible for the fate of the patient. The interaction between family members greatly affects the treatment and care that is determined for the patient by the family members and hospital staff.
Kerr, Michael E. "One Family's Story: A Primer on Bowen Theory." The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family. 2000. http://www.thebowencenter.org
Application: In community development, one does not just consider the individuals that are present at a community meeting, but also considers family members who may not be present at said meeting. The way one individual interacts within its family affects the way he/she interacts within the community.
Adaptation: When an individual is in palliative or hospice care, family members are often responsible for the fate of the patient. The interaction between family members greatly affects the treatment and care that is determined for the patient by the family members and hospital staff.
Self Determination Theory
Definition: Self Determination theory is a broad framework for the study of human motivation and personality, it defines intrinsic and varied extrinsic sources of motivation and the roles they play in cognitive and social development and in individual differences. It focuses on autonomy, competence and relatedness and how they affect impact wellness within a setting.
Theory - selfdeterminationtheory.org. (2015). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
Application: This theory is important for community organizers to establish what will motivate community members to get involved with community development. Community members are agents of their own autonomy and will decide on their own whether or not they want to get involved in community change. Community organizers must be able to recognize what will motivate community members to get involved.
Adaptation: Self determination theory is used in mindfulness to make people aware and cognizant of what exactly it is they want and need to do in order to achieve that goal. Mindfulness always helps with stress management.
Theory - selfdeterminationtheory.org. (2015). Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/theory/
Application: This theory is important for community organizers to establish what will motivate community members to get involved with community development. Community members are agents of their own autonomy and will decide on their own whether or not they want to get involved in community change. Community organizers must be able to recognize what will motivate community members to get involved.
Adaptation: Self determination theory is used in mindfulness to make people aware and cognizant of what exactly it is they want and need to do in order to achieve that goal. Mindfulness always helps with stress management.
Social Action Theory
Deftinition: Society is a product of human activity. Social action is an action carried out by an individual to which an individual attached a meaning. It is an act which takes into account the actions and re-actions of others and is therefore orientated in its course. These actions are divided into: rational actions-leading to a valued long term goal (principled) and instrumental-leading to short-term goals (pragmatic).
Source: CN Trueman "Social Action Theory" hisotrylearningsite.co.uk The History Learning Site, 25 May 2015. 15 Nov 2015.
Source: CN Trueman "Social Action Theory" hisotrylearningsite.co.uk The History Learning Site, 25 May 2015. 15 Nov 2015.
Application: In community development, a social worker can enter a community and complete a needs assessment. This needs assessment is not just for the sake of doing a needs assessment, but rather to create community-driven change within a community.
Adaptation: Someone doing something with a motive, an intention behind that action, for example, someone shoveling snow in their driveway in order to clear the driveway and drive out into the street.
Community Capitals Framework
Definition: A way of to analyze community and economic development efforts from a systems perspective by identifying the assets in each capital (stock), the types of capital invested (flow), the interaction among the capitals, and the resulting impacts across capitals. (Emery and Flora, 2006: 19)
Emery, E. and Flora, C. (2006) Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation with Community Capitals Framework. Community Development 37(1): 19-35.
Application: When working in community development, community organizers must identify the strengths within a community and the interaction between different stakeholders, whether that be schools, churches, organizations, individuals and the implications for the community.
Adaptation:An adaptation for this theory would be within a school system, the superintendent must analyze the strengths of each school within the district and also the students within each school and how they progress through the school system.
Emery, E. and Flora, C. (2006) Spiraling-Up: Mapping Community Transformation with Community Capitals Framework. Community Development 37(1): 19-35.
Application: When working in community development, community organizers must identify the strengths within a community and the interaction between different stakeholders, whether that be schools, churches, organizations, individuals and the implications for the community.
Adaptation:An adaptation for this theory would be within a school system, the superintendent must analyze the strengths of each school within the district and also the students within each school and how they progress through the school system.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Strengths-Based Theory
Definition:
In contrast to the dominant approach to professional practice that focuses on problem identification and treatment, Saleebey supports a paradigm shift in which professional practice concentrates on the strengths of the people social workers serve.
Application: When entering a community as a community developer, it is important to take a strengths-based approach in order to see the assets a community possesses and what are some positive aspects of the community to build upon. As opposed to just pointing out the issues or problems within a community, the strengths-based approach provides valuable feedback for community members that often enables then to feel empowered and have the desire to build upon these strengths. The strengths based approach also takes the focus off the community organizer as the expert and places it back in the hands of the community by giving them an opportunity to showcase their assets.
Adaptation: The strengths-based theory can also be applied to the academic setting. The grading system within many classrooms is based on highlighting what students have done wrong in order to derive their grade. A quantitative grade reflects errors or mistakes made in an assignment explaining how the student did not achieve a complete 100%. However, it is in the feedback, more qualitative, whether on an assignment, at parent teacher conferences or on a report card that the teacher is able to take a more strengths-based approach.
In contrast to the dominant approach to professional practice that focuses on problem identification and treatment, Saleebey supports a paradigm shift in which professional practice concentrates on the strengths of the people social workers serve.
Central to the strengths-based approach to practice is the principle of empowerment, emphasizing the discovery and use of resources that are within the individual, group, family, or community and those resources that exist within their environments. Social workers assist clients in identifying such resources through collaborative methods that validate and assist the client in harnessing these resources toward their goals.
Soine, L. (2013, July 1). Warrior Canine Connection - Puppy Training Program Tackles PTSD and TBI. Retrieved October 13, 2015, from http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/070813p16.shtmlApplication: When entering a community as a community developer, it is important to take a strengths-based approach in order to see the assets a community possesses and what are some positive aspects of the community to build upon. As opposed to just pointing out the issues or problems within a community, the strengths-based approach provides valuable feedback for community members that often enables then to feel empowered and have the desire to build upon these strengths. The strengths based approach also takes the focus off the community organizer as the expert and places it back in the hands of the community by giving them an opportunity to showcase their assets.
Adaptation: The strengths-based theory can also be applied to the academic setting. The grading system within many classrooms is based on highlighting what students have done wrong in order to derive their grade. A quantitative grade reflects errors or mistakes made in an assignment explaining how the student did not achieve a complete 100%. However, it is in the feedback, more qualitative, whether on an assignment, at parent teacher conferences or on a report card that the teacher is able to take a more strengths-based approach.
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