Toward a practice theory of learning through experience in social work supervision

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptualization of the learning component in social work supervision. Based on Dewey's concept of experiential continuum, a model with five components, each emerging from the other, is introduced. These components are: (1) placement of the supervisee in a demanding reality context; (2) emergence of the supervisee's need to learn and to master new, applied skills; (3) utilization of newly acquired skills in responsible challenging action, coupled with (4) opportunities for critical analysis and reflection, which inspires the (5) formation of abstractions, principles, and generalizations. Each component is briefly discussed, as is the viability of this practice theory model for learning through supervision.