Thinking like a scholar

The goal of the DSW program is to form scholar-practitioners who will play an important role in addressing complex social problems. Scholar-practitioners are those who operate in the space of convergence of theory and practice and thus rely on one to inform and shape the other (Wasserman & Kram, 2009). Successful scholar-practitioners have the necessary skills to conceptualize problems and ideas, make connections between new and previously learned information, reconcile divergent thinking on critical issues, and develop research-informed expertise in one or more areas of practice. These and other skills, such as inter and intradisciplinary collaboration, are developed through the implicit curriculum. Unlike the explicit curriculum, which includes course texts, learning objectives, and assignments, the implicit curriculum involves the values, attitudes, messages, policies, and expectations that are conveyed implicitly through regular interactions (Bogo & Wayne, 2013).

To develop these skills, you will learn to move from higher-order thinking skills (e.g., problem-solving) to systematic and critical analytical thinking (e.g., argumentation, problem-posing, and justification). In developing scholarly thinking, you will move beyond conceptual thinking and knowledge consumption (i.e., the what) to embrace critical reflective skills on self and on self-in-practice (i.e., the why and the how) and develop deeper self-awareness. In this chapter, we will focus on some of the skills that will support your development as a scholar-practitioner.