Politie training: verandering en weerstanden

Politie training in de UK (Personal Safety Training) is aan verandering toe volgens dit onderzoek. Het traditionele model (trainer gebonden en trainer centraal, oud motorisch leren, techniekgericht, van isolatie naar integratie, silo en blok) voldoet niet meer. De auteurs verkennen Scenario training (SBT) als alternatief – inclusief onderliggende filosofie want anders wordt het een truc met nog steeds dezelfde onderliggende waarden en aannames - en gebruiken vier lenzen (conceptueel, pedagogisch, cultureel en politiek) om de haalbaarheid van verandering te onderzoeken. Ik haal er vandaag x onderwerpen uit.

Traditionele training is “a behavioral and militaristic model of training rooted in obsolete and counter-productive practices long ago abandoned by educators and other occupational and professional communities” (Cleveland and Saville, 2007, p. 3) that is recognizable in the United Kingdom and internationally. A training model that, arguably, does not develop perception, judgement, decision-making, critical thinking, or competence (cf. Rajakaruna et al., 2017).

Deze simplistische linaire benadering “separates operational conditions and training, assuming officers are empty vessels to be filled, and trainers transmit training as a neutral media that delivers a prescribed and standardized ‘curriculum’ or ‘toolbox’ (Di Nota and Huhta, (2019), and O’Neil et al. (2019).

Een van de problemen – maar zie ook de vele publicaties over blok en silo training van bv Force Science Institute - is dat “ ‘isolation’ of parts only to integrate them later in a more complex movement, or isolating the movement from the operational context, has met with criticism from evaluation studies with regards to transfer (e.g., Jager et al., 2013; Renden et al., 2014; Renden et al., 2015a; Renden et al., 2015b; Staller and Koerner, 2019).

Framing isolated practices at the beginning of training dis-integrates the training, resulting in techniques being decoupled from decision-making and context. Research into learning (Soderstrom and Bjork, 2015) suggests such an approach may result in improvement in some performance in the immediate and short-term. However, performance gains fool trainers and learners that learning has taken place, and in police training can create powerful illusions of competence (cf. Cushion, 2020).

Om deze reden ben ik groot voorstander van de ecologisch dynamische benadering waarbij actie en perceptie altijd gekoppeld zijn. Daarom gebruik ik vaak CLA.

Andere quote over de traditionele benadering van training: “A linear or modular approach that positions techniques/skills first often results in ‘end-on-end’ or ‘blocked’ practice; reviews and evaluation studies have shown training in this way is a significant consumer, or even a waste, of training time (O’Neil et al., 2019; Bennell et al., 2020; Cushion, 2020; Staller et al., 2021)”.

Andere problemen in de traditionele benadering zijn “a combination of low level of engaged activity, limited number of repetitions, and ecologically weak practice conditions (lack of realism) make it less likely that police officers will perform under pressure. Learners need to accumulate experience by performing skills under complicated and realistic circumstances (cf. Andersen and Gustafsberg, 2016; Staller and Koerner, 2019).

Tot slot houden de auteurs een pleidooi voor goede SBT (zie ook mijn vorige opmerking over SBT als trucje): “Isolated skill development is utilized but not isolated or front loaded before taking part in a scenario. Instead, the scenario retains ‘perception and decision making’ so the learner understands when and why the skill is needed. Thus, cognitive development through decision-making and tactical exploration are combined with skill-development and knowledge-development, and advanced together in meaningful and realistic practice - progressed together in-context does not leave these connections to be made by the learner”.

In een volgende blog ga ik in op andere onderwerpen uit dit artikel: de vier lenzen om politie training te bekijken, het probleem met het veranderen van politie training, de kennis en kunde van politie trainers enz.

Bron  Cushion C (2022) Changing Police Personal Safety Training Using Scenario-Based-Training: A Critical Analysis of the ‘Dilemmas of Practice’ Impacting Change. Front. Educ. 6:796765. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.796765 

Ik sta altijd open voor feedback en andere inzichten.