scholarly journals (Re)presenting the creative potential of learning plans

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-47
Author(s):  
Sabina Leitmann ◽  
Marion Palmer
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Learning Plan ◽  
Learning Plans ◽  
Learning Contract

Field education is central to social work education as it is here that students bring alive their classroom-based learning through supervised professional practice. An important part of structuring students’ learning on placement is the development of their learning plan. A learning plan links professional activities to be undertaken with learning outcomes to be achieved along with how these are to be assessed within a specific time frame. Whilst the benefits of a well articulated learning plan (sometimes referred to as a learning contract or learning agreement), for structuring teaching and learning on placement (practicum) are generally acknowledged, there is a paucity of research evidence of such benefits in the literature. This article reports on a small qualitative study undertaken with a cohort of fourth year social work students from a Western Australian university, who had completed their final placement. Utilizing a mixed method of textual analysis of student learning plans and focus interviews we sought to understand how students construct and utilise their learning plan in developing their knowledge, skills and values in and for professional practice. Drawing on the findings we conclude with ways to make learning plans a more effective tool for field education placements.

Gaps between academia and practice: Perspectives on new graduates’ readiness for social work practice in Georgia

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282110263
Author(s):  
Inga Saitadze ◽  
Darejan Dvalishvili
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
New Graduates ◽  
Readiness For Practice

The study explores the perspectives of social work students, faculty, and the main employer of social workers with regard to new graduates’ readiness for social work practice in Georgia. The results of focus groups and in-person interviews revealed significant gaps and tension between academic programs and professional practice contributing to students’ low levels of readiness for practice. Participants identified various concerns regarding academic program curricula, field education, and professional practice; although, reasons for new graduates’ lack of readiness for practice highlighted by the main employer and academic program faculty were conflicting and pointed need for further actions.

scholarly journals Planning for learning and learning about planning in social work fieldwork

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-66
Author(s):  
David Hodgson ◽  
Heather Walford
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
Learning Plan ◽  
Crucial Component ◽  
Conceptual Clarity ◽  
Learning Plans ◽  
Work Education

Fieldwork education is a crucial component of social work education. Many social work students regard their placement experiences as the most profound learning experiences of their studies. The students undertake their field placements in a diverse range of organisational contexts, and in so doing perform a myriad of tasks, adopt a variety of roles, implement a range of practices, and engage with numerous people. Needless to say, social work students have a rich set of learning opportunities within such diversity. An important part of the fieldwork process is the development of learning plans; these plans guide and direct the students’ roles, tasks and learning, and are often an important framework by which assessment of competency and learning takes place. However, learning plans presuppose a logical and conceptual clarity, which needs to be learned if they are to be functional and effective documents. This then poses many challenges in relation to how students might develop a learning plan for fieldwork. This paper explores some of the problems, and offers practical guidance, for students and fieldwork educators to develop rational learning plans in diverse and complex contexts.

On a Wing and a Prayer! An Exploration of Students’ Experiences of External Supervision

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Cleak ◽  
Ines Zuchowski ◽  
Mark Cleaver
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Supervisory Relationship

Abstract Field education is a core component of social work courses globally and has been recognised as providing significant learning opportunities to develop professional practice. Evidence highlights the strong correlation between student satisfaction with their supervisory relationship and their satisfaction with placement, but current practices have resulted in more reliance on placements with a variety of supervisory arrangements, which may be compromising a quality and supportive supervisory relationship. This article reports on an Australian online survey of 284 social work students about their experience of supervision, focusing on 119 students who received external supervision. Both quantitative ratings and qualitative comments showed that students generally described their external supervision as valuable and offered space to reflect critically on practice. Nevertheless, many felt disadvantaged without a social work presence onsite and not being observed or observing social work practice. Concerns were raised about task supervisors who offered supervision ‘on the run’ and had limited understanding of social work roles and values. Many students struggled on placement and felt that, once placement was confirmed, they received minimal support from University staff. Findings should alert field education programmes that students require consistent and ongoing involvement.

Social Work Students’ Experiences of Ethical Difficulties in Field Placements: A Qualitative Study in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wu ◽  
Yunong Huang ◽  
Qiang Chen ◽  
Yu Shi
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Field Staff ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
Social Work Values ◽  
Supportive Environment ◽  
In The Beginning

Abstract Field placements provide social work students with opportunities to learn to handle ethical difficulties in a professional manner. In many developed countries, field staff are generally employed to supervise social work students’ field placements. ‘Code of Ethics’ and other ethics documents have also been developed to guide students’ professional activities. However, there is a lack of field staff, ‘Code of Ethics’ and other ethics documents in China, which may lead to ethical difficulties amongst students during their field placements. Based on the interviews of twenty-four social work students who completed field placements in 2016 at a university in China, this research revealed that students encountered many ethical difficulties in field placements. They tried to handle the difficulties in the beginning, but gradually adapted to the difficulties passively due to the lack of support. Most students also reported that they adhered to social work values and ethics in field placements and learned from field placements. The findings suggested that social work profession associations, Departments or Schools of Social Work, social work agencies and social work academia in China need to collaborate to create a more professional and supportive environment for students’ field placements.

“Technology and Boundary Concerns in Social Work Field Education”

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Allan Barsky
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Role Modeling ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Supervisory Relationship ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Professional Boundary ◽  
Boundary Issues ◽  
Social Work Field Education ◽  
Support Students

Field educators and social work students use technology in various realms of practice, including provision of services to clients and provision of supervision for students. This article identifies how professional boundary issues may arise when social workers, field educators, or students use technology. This article also explores four ways that field educators can educate and support students in relation to pre-empting and managing technology-related boundary issues: policy clarification, role modeling through interactions with clients and others, role modeling within supervisory relationship, and advocacy.

Keeping the Boss Happy: Black and Minority Ethnic Students’ Accounts of the Field Education Crisis

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 2168-2186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinthu Srikanthan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
Racial Categories ◽  
Accredited Schools ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
Ethnic Students ◽  
Social Work Field Education ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Abstract Social work field education, the mandatory, practice-based component of accredited schools of social work, is in a state of crisis. Welfare state retrenchment has reduced the social and health service sectors’ capacity to provide field education placements. Concurrently, increasing student enrollment in and the expansion of social work programmes in the academy have increased the demand for field education. Whilst the service and academic sectors have developed a range of formal and informal relationships to cope with the crisis that often benefit workers in both domains, the implications for students, especially those who are Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), remain largely unknown. This article reports findings from institutional ethnographic research based on textual analyses and interviews with five BME students from a school of social work in Southern Ontario who were engaged in securing field education placement. A central finding of the study was that racial categories and hierarchies are reproduced across placement settings and in the sorting process of students into placement settings itself, adding to the work of BME social work students. The findings implicate the institutional practices and context of field education in the production of a racially stratified labour market in social work field education.

Teaching for Transformation: Master of Social Work Students Identify Teaching Approaches That Made a Difference

2019 ◽  
pp. 154134461986594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thecla Damianakis ◽  
Betty Barrett ◽  
Beth Archer-Kuhn ◽  
Patricia Samson ◽  
Sumaiya Matin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Master Of Social Work ◽  
Engagement Strategies

Transformative learning captures the process by which students engage in their learning, experience a change in perspective, of themselves or society, and then enact their new understanding. The purpose of this 4-year, four-cohort study was to identify the transformative learning experiences of Master of Social Work students and specific student engagement strategies they felt made a difference in preparing them for professional practice. Six focus groups ( n = 40) were conducted using established focus group methodology. All focus groups were audio recorded, professionally transcribed verbatim, and subject to qualitative content analysis. Students identified six themes in student engagement strategies that facilitated their transformative learning, including transformative aspects of the curriculum, experiences with peers, qualities in their relationships with faculty that fostered critical reflection, a sense of identity, and mentoring. This study will help educators better identify teaching strategies to engage students in their personal and professional transformative learning.

Evaluating Social Work Field Instruction: Rotations Versus Year-Long Placements

1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Cuzzi ◽  
Gary Holden ◽  
Peter Chernack ◽  
Steve Rutter ◽  
Gary Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Evaluation Study ◽  
General Sense ◽  
Field Instruction ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Academic Year

A replication of a previously reported fieldwork evaluation study is presented. The study involved a comparison of a typical, year-long fieldwork placement composed of three distinct rotations, each approximately 10 weeks in length. The sample included 23 social work students in a large, urban, public hospital. Changes in students' general sense of self-efficacy, self-efficacy regarding specific professional activities, and perceptions of both their ideal and actual work environment were assessed. In general, results very similar to the original study were observed. There were ho significant intergroup differences and virtually no changes in students' general sense of self-efficacy. There were no significant intergroup differences in student's self-efficacy regarding hospital social work, but for the group as a whole, there were significant increases over the course of the academic year. The trend was for rotation students to view the work environment more positively.

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