Quality and Competence Working Group Reports From the May 2000 IFF Assembly

by Daniel Clénin

Working groups did the main part of the work linked with quality and competence at this year's Assembly. Each of the six groups met three times and reported back to the entire Assembly after each session. The tasks of the groups emerged from the preparation process which took place throughout the year. After having heard an introduction about each the group's tasks, presented by the respective facilitators, Representatives chose which group they wanted to participate in. During the third and final sessions, each group received a set of tools to help in the future concrete development of their topic. Possible tools included maintaining an ongoing working group, publishing articles in the Newsletter, using space on the website, and many other ideas. Each group chose which tools would be most valuable or they created special new tools.

Groups A, B and C were the so called "theoretical" groups. Their tasks were to clarify the meaning of competence (group A), discuss processes to actually name competencies for a Feldenkrais practitioner (group B) and look for (Feldenkraisian) ways of documenting and assessing such competencies (group C).

From experiences at former Assemblies, it was very obvious that in spite of the outcomes of groups A, B and C, we already have tools in use that strongly link with aspects of competence. Therefore, we set up group D, to discuss questions around the Supervision model, which is very present and holds a strong interest in many parts of our community.

Group E experimented with examples of peer group learning and discussed its relevance for competence questions. Finally, group F looked at Feldenkrais Standards of Practice, to discuss how they can be applied as a first approximation to competencies for practitioners.

Following are reports from all six groups. Groups A, B and C combined their reports into one, for they felt a strong inner connection between their tasks.

In addition to the different outcomes from all the groups, it was decided that a special committee of the IFF be established to follow, throughout the year, the different aspects of quality and competence related questions, and prepare ways to continue the process. Because a committee had not been established by the close of the Assembly, the Board of Directors appointed Barbara Pieper (Germany), Rob Black (Canada), and Daniel Clénin (Switzerland), in the Board post-Assembly meeting.