ABSTRACT
This final section brings us to practice in social work, and it does so from the perspective that practice is much more than a set of skills and methods that can be taught and replicated in all settings. Instead, practice is context specific. What is regarded as ‘good practice’ changes across settings and times, and it reflects the values, culture and history of individuals and societies. In that sense it is political, as well as personal and professional. A better word for this might be ‘praxis’, because it demonstrates that theory, values and skill come together as practice is enacted, embodied and takes place in the very particular ‘real world’ in which we find ourselves. As David Kolb argues:
[…] the creation of knowledge and meaning occurs though the active extension and grounding of ideas and experiences in the external world and through internal reflection about the attributes of these experiences and ideas (1984: 52).
