Practical Social Pedagogy

Theories, Values and Tools for Working with Children and Young People

Storø, Jan

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781447309857
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

Social pedagogical work is a field of practice that is indebted to and illuminated by aspects of knowledge from sociology and psychology, but many practitioners feel that social pedagogical theories are too abstract and distant from the challenges faced in practice. In Practical Social Pedagogy Jan Storo shows the reader for the first time how the theories and practices of social pedagogy interlock. The book combines social pedagogy theories, psychology, sociology and social work with a social constructionist perspective to help practitioners guide children and young people to cope better with the challenges they face as they grow up. The author emphasises that the actualities of practice are first disclosed in the meeting between the professional practitioner and the client. The book uses many practical examples to help make the application of social pedagogy more accessible, and is ideal for students on courses covering work with children and young people. This translation has been carried out by Kirsti Spaven and is published with the financial support of NORLA.

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CHAPTER ONE

Introduction – why social pedagogy?

Social pedagogy is a concept that is used in several different professional connections, which can be understood in many different ways. My starting point is that it constitutes a perspective for working with people with different problems, with its main focus on children and young people. Other Norwegian language literature about social pedagogy deals mainly with underlying theoretical issues and, to a much lesser extent, with social pedagogic practice. Students training to become child welfare pedagogues, but also others with similar training, need literature that will widen this picture. This book is intended as a basic text on the more practical aspect of social pedagogic practice. In his book of 1979, Ivar Frønes writes about social learning in a way that is parallel to what this professional practice is about. He writes that ‘It is training in, participation in and understanding of social life. Not in any deep, therapeutic way, but in terms of skills for the participation in various social contexts, the ability to master different situations’ (Frønes, 1979, p 36).

I have written this book in order to try to find a link between the practice and the theory that together shape the social pedagogue’s professional reality.¹ I wanted to investigate what this practice and theory might be able to achieve together. No occupational group in Norway has appropriated the professional title of ‘social pedagogue’, and the concept is thus ‘available’ to those who want to claim it. It is also partly open to those who want to define it. This book is a forum for such attempts at a definition. The title of the book hints at such an attempt. It states that this practice is about what you do. At the same time, you will be reading that social pedagogic action is not arbitrary. It has to be constructed on theory, and be connected to specific professional values. Only then can we talk about professional actions, about an informed practice.

Let us meet Trond and Mette. They happen to be sitting next to each other in a crowded lunchtime cafe. Trond notices that Mette is reading a book called Social pedagogic perspectives. He thinks: “I’d like to meet her, and this is a way to start a conversation”.

“Hi, what are you reading?”

Mette looks up. The man next to her leans towards her, alluding casually to the book she is absorbed in.

“What, this? Well, it’s about social pedagogy. You probably think it’s a bit of a weird subject. On a hot summer’s day, I mean.”

Mette smiles at him and returns to the book, thinking: “I can’t be bothered to chat, I really want to look through this new book. I’ve finally managed to get out of the office to get some peace, and now someone is trying to disturb me here as well.”

“Actually, you’re wrong.”

Trond doesn’t give up easily. Mette looks up and sighs.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re wrong. I don’t think it’s weird at all. You see, I caught a glimpse of the title of the book, that’s why I said hello. We are practically colleagues.”

Trond smiles cheekily and lifts his coffee glass in a ‘toast’ to Mette.

“I see. What makes you think that?”

Trond leans over towards the neighbouring table.

“Actually, I’m a social pedagogue. Quite simply. And if that’s what you are too, then we are sort of colleagues. So we could have a coffee together, as colleagues do.”

Mette understands that this is not the right place to look at her book, and she puts it away. She decides to drink the rest of her coffee with the enthusiastic ‘colleague’, and to try to find somewhere else to look at the book later. No point in getting upset about being interrupted on a day like this.

“OK, so tell me: if we are colleagues, where do you work?”

“I work with young people in outreach teams, here in the town. I’ve been doing it for many years. Some of the worst young drug addicts are my clients. I particularly work with this group because several of the people I work with would rather not have too much to do with those who are that far gone. But, personally, I like them. Do you have experience from outreach?”

Mette shifts in her chair.

“I’m not so sure that we are colleagues after all. You are right that I am a social pedagogue. But I don’t work with young people. Nor with children.”

“Really? Tell me more.”

“Right, well, I understand that you use the same professional title as me, but we are actually working on completely different things. I’m a writer. Right now I am sitting here leafing through my new book. Published today. Hot off the press. So you see, my type of social pedagogy isn’t the same as yours.”

“OK … so you’re a writer?! A woman with her head screwed on the right way, obviously. Impressive. May I have a look?”

Trond leans over towards the book, and takes it when he sees that Mette is not resisting.

“Social Pedagogic Perspectives. By Mette Grevstad. Great photo on the back!”

Trond holds the book up to Mette, and smiles while looking from her to the photo and back again.

“Really impressive. I’m Trond Frantsen.”

“Hello, Trond Frantsen.”

Mette smiles and extends a hand.

“Tell me what you write about.”

Mette decides to give her conversation partner something to chew on.

“OK, the book is an attempt to understand the social pedagogic perspective in a contemporary context. I am particularly focusing on various marginalisation processes in post-modern society connected to the development of new media, with emphasis on the tools that are available to schools in order to promote integration and inclusion processes.”

“Wow. That’s quite something.”

Trond leans back with a hesitant smile.

“Listen, maybe we are not colleagues after all.”

Social pedagogy as work with people; social pedagogy as a theoretical perspective. Or, formulated slightly differently: on the one hand, an orientation towards clients with problems; on the other, an orientation towards science. We are beginning to sense the essence of the greatest confusion when trying to understand this concept. Maybe the conversation between Mette and Trond will develop in such a way that they arrive at a common frame of reference. Maybe they will be able to have a professional conversation with starting points in their quite different perspectives, nodding in recognition at the various terms they are using in their everyday lives. Maybe they can, but it is by no means certain.

I will, as early as Chapter Two, try to throw some light on the question of what social pedagogy actually is. As we have seen, there is no easy answer to this. The topic is constantly discussed among professionals with an interest in the fundamental questions about social pedagogy. It is not my aim to give you the final answers to the questions I pose, mainly because I believe that there are few final answers in this field. Social pedagogic theory and practice are areas that have to be created and recreated in the various contexts in which they are used. Therefore, one of the most important areas of competence for the social pedagogue is linked to the ability to analyse and reflect.

I have used a broad brush to define the social pedagogic arena. I am using the concept ‘social pedagogic practice’ about work in a wide range of situations where clients meet helpers. I can see no reason to limit this broad understanding. It is the content of what is practised, not the places where the practice is carried out, that determines what it is.

Non-pedagogic?

As a rule, a field of practice is characterised by clear norms and methods, and by weighty specialist theory. Normally, these will provide relatively comprehensible answers to difficult questions in the field. However, the social pedagogic field of practice is not quite like that. It is not a distinct field, and there are not that many easily available answers.

At the same time there is a lot to say about this field. Otherwise, there would be no point in writing this book. Pedagogy, or education, is about learning and the process of learning. This implies that social pedagogy must be about learning in social situations. But not everyone can see what is pedagogic in everyday social situations. It seems one has to be somewhat pedagogically oriented to focus on the learning aspect in all the ordinary situations when people come together.

Ruby and Rigmor each have a 15-year-old son. One day, they are discussing their sons and their messy rooms. Ruby feels it is important that she, as a mother, should not go in and tidy up after her son. She hopes that he will learn to tidy up when he sees the consequences of all the mess. Rigmor, on the other hand, is happy to tidy up after her son when he is not at home. For her, it is important that the room is clean and tidy. She says to Ruby: “You are always so pedagogic. Can’t you just do what is necessary?”. But Ruby is adamant: “No way, I am NOT tidying up. Otherwise he will learn that it is fine not to do it himself.”

It is not obvious who of these two is right. What is clear is that one is more preoccupied with learning than the other. For Rigmor, it is wrong to be ‘pedagogic’ in a situation like this. For Ruby, it is unthinkable to ignore the boy’s responsibility for doing things at home.

Read the dialogue between Ruby and Rigmor one more time. Imagine this time that they are colleagues at a residential youth centre, and that they are talking about two of the young people who live there. Does the dialogue change when it is moved to a different context? As milieu therapists, they are both defined by a social pedagogic role. They are supposed to think pedagogically. But Rigmor’s arguments can still be regarded as useful points of view in the discussion.

The social pedagogic field of practice is sometimes characterised by the paradox that what appears to be professionally the right thing to do isn’t right at all. One source of error may be found precisely in the pedagogic perspective on everyday situations. Sometimes, the pedagogic needs to be toned down and something else toned up. It may be that the interpersonal relationship between helper and client becomes more important than learning and teaching. Social pedagogic relationships are always social in the sense that the helper and the one needing help find themselves together in such situations. The question is whether they are always pedagogic. It may be worthwhile to say that trying to be ‘non-pedagogic’ occasionally can be a good kind of social pedagogy. General collaboration between people in everyday situations consists of much more than learning, even when one person is a social pedagogue and the other a client. This implies that the social pedagogue needs to make sure that the learning aspect is included in the social situation. More often than not, we find this in the normal interaction between parents and children. Parents are always pedagogues in the sense that they bring up their children. But that does not mean that parents are only pedagogues, they are also carers, they play with their children, they spend time together without any other purpose than having a good time. It is exactly in such situations that the social pedagogic element – upbringing – is present in the ordinary and everyday.

It may sound as if I am saying that being pedagogic is contrary to being human. Let me emphasise strongly that this is not what I mean. In my effort to understand a social pedagogy that is human, I have reached the conclusion that pedagogy is important to people. But it isn’t ‘everything’. There is an inherent danger in pedagogic practice, namely, that the pedagogic element overshadows the general. We must remember that, as a rule, the pedagogue, or someone with a pedagogic orientation, is an administrator of power. This may be because the person in question has power in his role as an educator, as is the case with milieu therapists for example. Or it may be because the pedagogue, by definition, has the power to control others because they ‘need to learn’. We need to be on our guard against this.

So, pedagogy is not contrary to being human and ordinary. Let me put it like this: luckily, pedagogy has the strength to allow us to scrutinise it on a more general, human level. However, we can only do this by being alert. Making ethics a companion to our everyday practice contributes to such alertness. In other words, the social pedagogue must always include a critical perspective on his own practice, as it happens. He must always be willing to submit the central professional principle – pedagogy – to potential criticism.

I would already here, in the very first chapter, like to emphasise that I think social pedagogy is an exciting perspective. I think social pedagogy is important. However, inherent in ‘the pedagogic’ is also the possibility of limiting general situations between people to only being about learning. As I see it, the best social pedagogue has both an eye on the pedagogic and a fingertip sensation for situations when the pedagogic view becomes too narrow, and additional views are required.

About terminology

I am using certain terms that I will explain as I go along. However, I would like to hone in on a few of them already here in the introduction. Our choice of terms is not arbitrary. We are guided by various preferences when using one particular term over another, without necessarily being aware of the factors that influence us. That is precisely why it is important to try to be conscious of our use of terms. Language, and therefore also terms, is a particularly important component of social pedagogic work. I will return to this in Chapter Seven, which deals with the social pedagogue’s working tools.

Some of the terms I use are more complex than expressed by me in this book. This means that some readers may feel tha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface to the original Norwegian edition
• Preface to the English edition
• Dedication
• Chapter One: Introduction – why social pedagogy?
• Chapter Two: Theoretical perspectives on social pedagogy
• Chapter Three: From theory to practice
• Chapter Four: Who is the social pedagogue?
• Chapter Five: What does the social pedagogue do?
• Chapter Six: Where does the social pedagogue work?
• Chapter Seven: What are the tools of the social pedagogue’s trade?
• Chapter Eight: Afterword
• Bibliography