Making use of podcasts is the topic for SSSC23Things 'Thing 10'. Podcasts are very versatile as the listener can access them at a time that suits them. This could be a good use of travel time. During normal (non pandemic) circumstances I have quite a bit of alone travel time to and from work. Using podcasts could be a way of filling that time more productively. There are loads of topics out there once you look for them which is great for leisure but also for work.
For my own work related learning there are many out there that have content related to social care whether it be topics related to mental health, disability, Scottish policy etc. This is really useful medium for me to add to my knowledge on topics on social care and my ability to share that knowledge with staff but to also support them to translate it into skills that develop practice positively for the benefit of people who use the service. My role includes supporting staff with their learning and development so I need to keep myself up to date and be able to sign post colleagues to relevant resources. What is also useful to me is the ability to rewind and re-listen to a podcast as it helps embed learning by repetition. I can also clarify I heard the content correctly. A bit like re-reading a hand-out or an article. With hand-outs and articles I can make my own notes on the page but I cant do that with a podcast (as far as I know!) so have had to make notes on a pad making sure I take a note of the link and title. The other work side that is useful to me is practice based for learning and development. Being able to hear from professionals outwith my organisation supports my practice development in L & D. Others who have tried different delivery methods or who are more experienced in those delivery methods would particularly useful for me to understand the benefits and challenges with those ways of working. We are living in a fast paced world and change in the delivery of knowledge and skills practice is being dictated by the external environment-including using digital methods. It is interesting that a crises on this scale is pushing creativity and openness to new ways of working towards outcomes.
As part of the 'Thing' I listened to a couple of blogs. The first one I picked from the SSSC list was poor on audio so I gave up after 2 or 3 minutes unfortunately. There were several speaker sand it was difficult to know who was speaking. Despite having the sound on my device turned right up I could hardly hear them and there was background noise-sounded like a phone was ringing in the room for quite a period of time-which no-one dealt with. This was so off-putting I switched it off and picked another from the SSSC list.
The podcast from the list that I did listen to was https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-future-of-learning-and-development/id1433606460?i=1000428930322. (The Future of Learning & Development) This is from the SSSC's own digital team interviewing Donald Taylor the Chairman of LPI. What I found interesting was the discussion about the changing perception of the role of L & D-the move from getting information to people to helping people do their job better. I liked the quote that L & D function should not just be a "conduit for content". I agreed with the discussion that L & D is about transformation and using facilitation to that end. The idea that organisations can see L & D as somewhere to get problems solved rung a bell which shows L & D needs to market better. The whole idea of sense making really resonated with me. This podcasts helped me articulate in my own head some concepts.
I also sought out a podcast that was not on the list. The one I happened upon was https://soundcloud.com/rip-ripfa which was entitled 'Person-centred approaches to adult mental health'. This was an interview by Lydia Guthrie with Katy Shorten who is a research and development manager at Research in Practice who recently wrote a 'Frontline Briefing' of the same title. This was an interesting discussion on how people have different relationships with their mental ill health diagnoses. There was focus on how the person's perspective on their diagnosis is meaningful to them and how workers should extend understanding and respect when listening to a person they are working with.
There was also discussion of issues such as ethnicity and gender-thinking about how these factors can affect a person's experience within the mental health system. Another key one for me was the mention of Attachment Theory when working with people who are using the service. I think this another useful framework when working in a person-centred way and understanding the person's experience and perspective of the diagnosis they have been given and their wider experience of the mental health system. For me this also links in with considering people's trauma experience-this includes the worker as well as the person using the service. We all bring our histories to each interaction with people we support and we can only work mindfully with that if we acknowledge it.
Going forward I will use podcasts more now as a way of learning and developing my practice (and that of others) as well as for leisure.
