Appreciative Analysis of Practices

“Everything you pay attention to grows”

What is Wanda? (Valuing – Analyzing – Doing)

Co-reflection method (group) (Bove, 2009; Mortari, 2009)

Critical analysis of practices from different perspectives

Goal

Gaining new insights and new practices → improving quality for children, families, staff (wellbeing)

through a reflection process

Wanda in practice

Wanda =• 5 steps to reflect on a situation from different

perspectives

• Within one session of 1,5 -2 hours – every 4-6 weeks

• A guided process by a facilitator

• Working on confidentiality and safety (process)

• Accentuating professional and institutional change

• Part of a bigger process

Phase 1: Looking back

What do we still remember about the last session?

What did we learn from the session?

Did we put anything in practice? Contributor Group

Only applicable after the group has already done at least one previous session

Phase 2: Selecting a case Situation that “moved/surprised/shocked” something

inside the person

Concrete case (like explaing a photograph)

The group decides which case will be handled Urgency Group value

The contributor is the “owner” of the caseand has a specific question (can still beundefined in this phase)

Phase 3: Questioning

Explorative open questions (who, where, what, when, how) to make the case more clear

Questions about all the people involved and the context

No interpretation or judgment

Try to find out why the contributorselected this case, what is his need?

We don’t change the others, we change our perspective on the situation

Try to define the positive learning questionof the contributor

Phase 4: Collecting ideas

What are the possible different perspectives, usefull in this case?

Use glasses, or any other method to help participants to take the position of somebody else

What are all the possible differenthypothesis’s

It is not about who is right or wrong

Contributor listens

Phase 5: Giving various kinds of advise

New possible ways to proceed with this situation

Advice on different levels: To the contributor, To the team, To the organisation

Not ‘the’ solution but opportunitiesto explore

Contributor chooses which adviceshe wants to put into action