Practice teaching: Problem to solution

This article sets out to explore the relevance of solution-focused approaches to practice teaching within the specific framework of the Diploma in Social Work. It summarises some of the key principles of solution-focused work and discusses their relevance for the tasks undertaken by practice teachers within the competence framework of the Dip SW. The principles and methods of solution-focused approaches are applied to the stages of placement with the aim of generating ideas for practice teachers. While the article introduces a modified learning cycle it also includes a discussion of some of the similarities and differences between task-centred and solution-focused approaches.