PPT Feedback: From monologue to dialogue + Let’s talk? Critically informed feedback in practice learning paper presented at conference

This article presents a general treatise on feedback theory and practice as it relates to tertiary education before specifically examining feedback practice in social work education and practice learning. The article argues that despite guidelines on what is ostensibly know as good feedback practice being in existence for some time, social work educators still struggle with providing effective feedback that meets the requirement of social work students who are obliged to meet both the academic and practice standards contained in degree in social work. The article proposes that one way of improving feedback practice in social work education may be to utilise Nichol and Macfarlane-Dick’s (2006) model of dialogic feedback. However, whilst recognising the utility of Nichol and Macfarlane-Dick’s model, the article posits that the model lacks a critical context, possibly weakening its application to social work practice. The article therefore provides this context by incorporating German philosopher Jürgen Habermas’s Theory of Communicative Action (1984) thereby enhancing the original model. The article finishes by giving some practical examples of the adapted model in practice to illuminate its real-world applicability to social work education.