Forte workshop su from theory to practice creative teaching strategies feb 20 15

From Theory to Practice:
Creative Strategies for
Teaching Practical
Theorizing
Professor Jim Forte
The Fifth Annual Salisbury University Teaching & Learning
Conference
Salisbury University, February 20, 2015
Forte’s From Theory to Practice

Module 01:
Emulating Role Models and Hearing
Memorable Words

“He who loves practice without theory is like
the sailor who boards ship without a rudder
and compass and never knows where he may
cast” Leonardo da Vinci

“In theory, there is no
difference between theory
and practice. In practice,
there is” Yogi Berra

Module 2:
Barriers to Integrating Theory &
Practice

6 Communication Barriers to
Moving from Theory to Practice
 Differing Conceptions of Ideal Knowledge in Academy and Field
(Language and assumptions of basic science versus language and
assumptions of applied science)
 Scientific Languages (Translation difficulties, jargon, scientific
communication conventions)
 Stake in Primary Theoretical Language (Resistance to learning new
language, investment, embedded locally, schema perseverance)
 Communication and Status Differences (Status and power battles across
disciplines, professions, theoretical traditions)
 Organizational Context for Learning Theoretical Languages (Work
demands, lack of support & incentives, disagreements about preferred
knowledge)
 Education-Professional Training in Theoretical Languages (Gaps in
education, new knowledge issues, lack of continuous education)

Translating and Practical
Theorizing:
Take Down the Barriers

Pragmatism and Using Theoretical
Knowledge
 Theories are tools for making sense of and solving puzzling,
problematic situations. Practical theorizing is the action of using
these tools.
 Practical theorizers / practitioners can demonstrate knowledge,
skill, and values including
 1) extensive “theory content” in their toolboxes,
 2) a range of theory translation competencies
 3) a range of theory construction competencies, and
 4) critical thinking convictions and capabilities for judging
theories and their uses.

The Integration of
Theory and Practice
Theory
Practice T-------------------------------------ITP--------
----------------------------P
Integration
of Theory and Practice
Theoretical Thinking & Acting Creatively
& Critical Reflection In Local Situation

Practical Theorizing: Definition
 = the process of making sense of and organizing
observations, perceptions, intuitions, thoughts, and evidence
for the purpose of developing a careful, considered, logically
structured explanation of a puzzling practice event
 an explanation that is subject to correction and
improvement or rejection on the basis of further
systematically presented information – either through
empirical research (science) or through the rigorous
explication of logical implications (philosophy)
 an explanation that guides the gathering and
interpretation of case information, assessment formulation,
intervention selection and implementation, and evaluation
of effectiveness.

Practical Theorizing: Features
Practical Theorizing requires the use of theoretical, research,
and personal knowledge in skillful and creative ways to
construct theoretical products for professional purposes
 suited to accomplishing tasks at hand
 focused on both universals and particulars of case
 relevant to the local context
 suggestive of new courses of action
 supportive of improvisational adaptation by practitioner &
client

1) Practical Theorizers as
Collaborative Knowledge Users -
Theoretical Knowledge for the
Toolbox

Using Disciplinary Theories as Part of
a Grand Puzzle Solving Process

Translators: Universal Translation
Tools

15 Core Theory Translation Skills
General Skills for Multi-Theoretical Practice
 01 Translate theories for theory-informed description
 02 Translate theories for theory-informed classification
 03 Translate theories for theory-informed prediction
 04 Translate theories for theory-informed explanation
 05 Translate theories for theory-informed control (action/system change)
 06 Translate theories for theory-aware communication and collaboration
Specific Skills-Multi-Theoretical Practice Across Phases of Planned Change
Process
 01 Translate Theories to Guide the Engagement Process
 02 Translate Theories to Guide the Information Gathering Process
 03 Translate Theories to Guide Informational Question Formation
 04 Translate Theories to Guide the Assessment Formulation Process
 05 Translate Theories to Guide the Goal Setting Process
 06 Translate Theories to Guide the Specification of Change Theory & Logic
Model
 07 Translate Theories to Guide the Identification, Selection, and Implementation
of Intervention Strategies
 08 Translate Theories to Guide the Evaluation Process
 09 Translate Theories to Guide the Ending Process

3) Practical Theorizers as Theory
Builders (Deconstruct and
Reconstruct) - Theorizing Skills

Theory Critics: Dispositions,
Ethics, Values

Using Standards (Marks of Excellence)
to Critique Theories
 Critical thinking involves a judgment about the
quality of our thinking activity by reference to
standards.
 In the case of theorizing, practical theorizers can
turn to established sets of standards for
determining the worth of theorizing and theories.
These are norms agreed to by members of the
scientific community.
 Appraising theory by standards is useful when
deciding whether to use a particular theory, when
verifying a theory and its claims, and when
attempting to theorize well.

11 Theory Critique Capabilities
(Dispositions, Ethics, & Values)
 Use Critical Thinking Standards (Logical, Free of Thinking Errors)
 Use Ethical Standard of Competence (Evidence-Base)
 Use Ethical Standard of Competence (Proficient Performance)
 Use Value Standard of Dignity (Affirmation of Difference)
 Use Value Standard of Dignity (Emphasis on Strengths)
 Use Value Standard of Justice (Sensitivity to Inequality)
 Use Value Standard of Holism (Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual
Orientation)
 Use Pragmatic Standard (Useable and Useful)
 Use Scientific Standards (Theory Goodness, Scientific Soundness)
 Use Scientific Standard (Advancement of Knowledge Base)
 Use Contextual Standard (Historical and Cultural Grounding)

Module 03
Mysteries: Theorizing as
Puzzle Solving

Practical Theorizing as Puzzle
Solving (Kuhn)
 Thomas Kuhn (1970), the distinguished philosopher
of science, asserted that
 “the problems of normal science are puzzles” (p.
37) and
 “many of the greatest scientific minds have
devoted all of their professional attention to
demanding puzzles” (p. 38).
 Scientific paradigms and theoretical traditions
provide the criteria for choosing puzzles to solve
and the tools for solving these puzzles.

Theoretical Puzzle
 A puzzle of inquiry = something about human
behavior and the social environment that is “odd,
unusual, unexpected, or novel” (Abbott, 2004
Methods of Discovery)
 Progress related to theory application is stalled until
the practitioner and client solve the puzzle

Theoretical Puzzle: Types
 Empirical puzzle – how do we assemble puzzle
pieces (data) to identify and characterize pattern?
 Theoretical puzzle - how do we assemble puzzle
pieces (theoretical interpretations) to explain
pattern?
 Practice puzzle (Empirical and Theoretical) –how do
we assemble and use evidence (empirical data) and
theory (interpretations) to solve “client system
interacting in environment” puzzles.

Theoretical Puzzles: Illustrations
1. The processes related to drug use resulting in addiction
2. The causes of changing rates of homelessness in the United States
3. The causes of shifts in norms regarding premarital sexual behavior
4. The factors attracting persons to fundamentalist religious organizations
5. The processes related to the development of an attachment disorder
6. The personality factors increasing vulnerability to the formation of an
eating disorder
7. The social causes of violence against women
8. The cultural factors contributing to debt and bankruptcy
9. The causes of declines in political involvement & activity by citizens
10. The changing prevalence of types of the “family form” over last 2 decades
11. The differences in autistic children’s interaction with their caretakers
compared to non autistic children
12. The vulnerability of adolescent girls to mental disorders and social
difficulties

Module 04: The Metaphorical
Imagination: Playing with
Theory-Related Words and
Images

Root Metaphors
 Stephen Pepper was inspired by the pragmatist
philosopher William James and his reflections on
theoretical pluralism
 James (1909) wrote that "All philosophers...have
conceived of the whole world after the analogy
of some feature of it which has particularly
captivated their attention.” A Pluralistic Universe

Worldviews and Root Metaphors
 Worldview - basic philosophical position or outlook
about reality; drawn from common and concrete
experience but useful for understanding abstract
notions.
 Root metaphors = a conception of broad generality;
the most comprehensive type of comparison, used
to comprehend an entire aspect of the physical
environment or human experience;
 comparisons from which specific theoretical perspectives
are generated.
 comparisons that shape the outlooks and activities of
professional theory users

Root Metaphors: Uses
* Root Metaphors –
* Use to Group Various Theories by Meta
Theoretical Similarities
* Use to Facilitate Communication Within and
Across Disciplinary and Theoretical
Communities
* Use to Stimulate Theory Construction,
Elaboration, and Application

The Metaphorical Imagination
* The Imaginative Use of Comparisons
Between Theoretical Ideas and Events,
Objects, Processes, People

Using the Metaphorical Imagination:
Examples
Systems Theory
Exchange Theory
 A system is like a
machine
 A system is like a
human body
 A society is like a
marketplace
 A relationship is like an
investment

Module 05
Theoretical Modeling:
Constructing a Creative Narrative
about Puzzle Solution

Theoretical Models: Defined
A theoretical model is a theory-informed representation of a portion of
the social work case either as a structure or a process summarized in
such a way as to highlight the key elements or parts of the structure or
process and the connections among them.
A model can be a representation of the process of reconstructing a
social network after a husband dies or the steps that social workers
follow to find knowledge and translate it for use in practice. These
theoretical models provide a narrative story and/or visual display of the
application of a scientific theory.
 Competent practical theorizers frequently use models to make sense of
important aspects of “person interacting in the environment with a
challenge” puzzles.

Theoretical Model
 Types include
 Mathematical model
 Conceptual model
 Research model
 Path model
 Structural model
 Functional model
 Classification model
 Personal practice model

A Useful Theoretical Model:
The Middle Range Theory (MRT)
 A middle range theory (MRT) is a theory that lies
“between the minor but necessary working
hypotheses that evolve in abundance during day-to-
day research and the all-inclusive systematic efforts
to develop a unified theory that will explain all the
observed uniformities of social behavior, social
organization, and social change” (Merton, 1949, p.
39).

Middle Range Theories: Features
 Middle range theories are often built with a limited number of
elements - theoretical assumptions, a limited number of concepts
(less than seven, for instance), and a limited number of relationships
between these concepts.
 Middle range theories also specify their concepts in concrete rather
than abstract ways. Concrete and specific concepts are easier to
attach to empirical indicators and to operationalize using valid and
reliable measurement procedures than very abstract concepts.
 Compared to grand theories, middle range theories have limited
applicability and scope relative to historical time, ecological space,
system size, and social problem specification.
 The accurate and detailed specification of the theory and its way of
resolving a theoretical puzzle or problem in both narrative and visual
model contributes to its usefulness to practical theorizers.

Positivist (Causal) Middle Range
Theorizing
 Identify the Explanatory Puzzle
 Develop the Elements of the Causal Theory
 Transform the Causal Theory’s Elements into
Operational Form
 Apply the Causal Theory
 Evaluate the Use of the Causal Theory
 Refine and Adapt the Theory for Future Use
 Summarize and Share the Causal Theory.

Interpretive (Grounded) Middle
Range Theorizing
 Identify the Interpretive Puzzle
 Develop the Elements of the Interpretive Theory
 Transform the Interpretive Theory’s Elements into
Operational Form
 Apply the Interpretive Theory
 Evaluate the Use of the Interpretive Theory
 Refine and Adapt the Theory for Future Use
 Summarize and Share the Interpretive Theory.

A MRT Narrative Answers Questions about
a Puzzle like
 Who are the people involved in this puzzling situation?
 Where does the puzzling situation occur?
 When is the puzzling situation happening?
 What factors best explain the puzzling situation?
 How are these factors related to each other in your theory?
 Why did you select these factors and specify their relationship
in a particular way? (Based on Whetten)
 What are the processes or phases leading to the puzzling
situation?

The Use of MRT Theoretical
Models in Practice
A theoretical models can organize our observations and help
us identify the key variables and their relationships explaining
particular life / developmental experiences or challenges
A theoretical model can guide all phases of a theory
application process / practice. The practical theorizer can use
the model to
Guide assessment (and connect biological, psychological,
social, and spiritual factors (PIE) to case as explanatory
hypotheses
Guide selection & formulation of change hypotheses
Guide intervention selection
Guide practice evaluation

Module 06:
Mapping: Constructing a
Creative Display of the
Puzzle Solution

On Theoretical Maps
(Diagrams)
Diagrams “give a firmer grasp of many important
principles than can be got without their aid; and that
there are many problems of pure theory, which no
one who has learned to use diagrams will willingly
handle in any other way” Alfred Marshall (1890).
Principles of Economics.
“A metaphor for good information design is a map. Hold
any diagram against a map and see how it
compares”. Edward Tufte (2015) Workshop.

Theoretical Mapping
 Theorists are mapmakers and use maps to
represent theories and theoretical models
 Theoretical maps are similar to directional maps
 Both document and describe some aspect of reality
 Both include elements specific to the map type
 Both vary in detail and scope
 Both follow explicit mapping conventions

Theoretical Mapping:
Display Conventions
Use shared conventions (vocabulary of signs and rules for
use)
 Start with a bounded space (paper or computer screen)
 Identify and label variables (in cells, circles, or blocks)
 Use symbols (arrows, lines, line length, line thickness,
line direction) to depict connections between variables
 Use mathematical figures - plus sign for positive and
minus sign for negative (inverse) relationship
 Arrange the theory elements spatially (independent on
left, dependent on right, moderating on top, for
example)

Mapping Causal Theory – Mid-Range
Conceptual/Research Models
Independent Variable (x) - an action, event, process, or
pattern that influences or causes changes to happen
Dependent Variable (y) – effect, that which is influenced or
changed by the operation of the independent variable.
Moderating Variable - a variable that has a strong
contingent effect on the relationship (direction or strength)
between independent and dependent variables like sex,
race, class, or educational level.
Mediating (Intervening) Variable (m) – a variable that
accounts (how–process, why–mechanism) for the
relationship between independent & dependent variables.

Inventory of Causes:
Illustration (Fawcett & Downs,1986)

Inventory of Effects:
Illustration (Fawcett & Downs,1986)

Mapping Interpretive Theory:
Process Models
Arrange events horizontally, and use arrows to connect
each event in the sequence from left to right with
the point of the arrow toward the right.
- The display may be vertical and arrows are
used to connect events from the first event at the
top to the final event at the bottom of the display.

Walker’s Phase Model of Abuse

Theoretical Mapping: Forte’s Symbolic
Interactionist Process Model of Coping Choice
Situational Characteristics Dyadic Interaction Psychological Processes
Coping Style
- Power/Status Differences (Symmetry) (Blame Attribution) - Exit
- Resource Dependency + -Voice
- Social Support Self-Evaluation -
Neglect
- Access to Alternative Perspectives + -
Loyalty
Daily Emotionality

Module 07
Marks of Excellence:
Thinking Critically about Borrowed
and Constructed Theories

Theory Critics as Csicops
 The Center for Inquiry supports Csicops – Members
of “The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of
Claims of the Paranormal”
 Theory critics needs to become a different kind of
Csicop - Members of The Community for Scientific
Investigation of Claims of Phony Theories

Example: Judge Theory By
Science Marks of Excellence
 Clarity of Formalization
 Testability & Evidence
 Internal Consistency
 Power – Explanatory &
Predictive
 Scope
 Parsimony

Module 08
Metatheorizing and
Mantras: Itheorize

Method: “Pedagogy of
Theorizing” Class Template
 Theory = ___________________ (Related discipline (s)/partners)
 Learning objectives as competencies/practice behaviors
 Mystery / puzzle – Team presents theory-informed middle-range
model of puzzle faced in practice
 Memorable words
 Exemplary models, focal mysteries/puzzles and major terms
 Root metaphors – person, interaction, environment, change
 Theoretical map – metaphors, assumptions, concepts, propositions,
links
 Theoretical map – theory translated into social work eco-map
 Marks of excellence used to judge theory and its application -
(Thinking critically about theory lesson – online discussion)

Mantra: ITHEORIZE
 I Identify as a practical theorizer – be creative,
critical, practical, reflective, scientific.
 T Think theoretically-purposefully use a system
of concepts with scientific meanings to reconstruct a
borrowed theory or construct a new theory.
 H Habituate for intelligence-in-action- cultivate
habits of critical thinking, scholarly study, scientific
inquiry, and open-minded theoretical puzzle solving.
 E Excel – engage in drill, rehearsal, and
experimentation over a significant period of time in
the use of discrete theorizing skills

Mantra: ITHEORIZE, continued
 O Overcome dualisms and related obstacles –
integrate instead of dividing by practice versus
theory, academy versus field, theory versus
theorizing, theorist versus practitioner, theory-
guided versus evidence-informed practice
 R Reconstruct knowledge for professional use
– deconstruct pre-existing theoretical knowledge
(assumptions, concepts, propositions, models) &
reconstruct such knowledge for the achievement of
specific purposes in specific places with specific
clients

Mantra: ITHEORIZE, continued
 I Integrate knowledge and styles of theorizing -
blend theoretical knowledge, research knowledge,
practice wisdom, and personal knowledge and alternate
between positivist, interpretive, critical approaches to
theorizing as needed by case.
 Z Zone theorizing projects – be sensitive & adjust
practical theorizing to ecological and temporal contexts or
zones.
 E Explain theory and theorizing in clear ways – learn
to enter “knowledge trading zones,” search for & select
useful knowledge, & translate the knowledge so it can be
used to help people improve their lives and environments.

Resources

My Name is Forte

Key References
 Forte, J.A., Franks, D.D., Forte, J., & Rigsby, D. (1996). Asymmetrical role-
taking: Comparing battered and non-battered women. Social Work, 41(1), 59-
73.
 Kuhn, T. S. (1970). The structure of scientific revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
 Merton, R. K. (1949). Social theory and social structure. New York: The Free
Press.
 Pepper, S. C. (1942). World hypotheses: A study in evidence. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
 Rigney, D. (2001). The metaphorical society: An invitation to social theory.
Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
 Swedberg, R. (2014). Theorizing in social science: The context of discovery.
Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
 Tufte, W. R. (1997). Visual explanations: Images and quantities, evidence and
narrative. Cheshire, CONN: Graphics Press.Forte’s From Theory to Practice

Teaching Theory
and Theorizing Resources
 To continue today’s conversation, contact me at
jaforte@salisbury.edu
 For information about my scholarship in area of the pedagogy
of theorizing and various theory and theorizing resources, go
to http://jamesaforte.com/
 For resources related to my MMMMMMM approach, go to -
https://app.box.com/s/2ppny2xhvg8cisnvtqvj
 For this PowerPoint and resources (in progress) related to
my Skills for Using Theory book, go to
https://app.box.com/s/xy63zspjac6436z413v9

Forte workshop su from theory to practice creative teaching strategies feb 20 15

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