ABSTRACT
In class, we applaud the courage of students who are willing to share their work with their fellow students. They take a risk in having that work examined from theoretical and practice perspectives quite different from what they have learned thus far in the program in which we teach. We try to set a tone that is respectful of the work. At the same time, we want to promote thoughtful and critical examination of a student's work with a client. This tone is critical because there is often an element of competitiveness among students. Many students are too quick to point out failings, real and imagined, in the work of others. We want to discourage that practice. We insist that reflection and dialogue be a part of the process, including reflection and dialogue about their competitiveness. Using ourselves as role models, we note that we both have been working for quite a number of years but still need help to recognize places where we make errors in our work. Reflection and dialogue allow us to find ways in which we could have been more useful than we were. As students and as teachers, our work is to learn from our own and others' mistakes. It is in this critical spirit that we hope to examine practice, including our teaching.
