Jane Maidment

Teaching Social Work Online: Dilemmas and Debates

The stampede towards delivering tertiary education online has been well documented in the academic literature and newspaper media. A great deal of this writing has been characterised by an acute division between those who support and those who deplore this paradigm shift in the way education is offered to students. Not withstanding a few notable exceptions, social work as a discipline has yet to fully engage in this debate, watching, as emerging technologies radically change the way education and social services are delivered. This article provides an overview of the literature related to online learning in social work. In particular the global context influencing the delivery of education is investigated; the major themes emerging from the literature are highlighted; the opportunities and obstacles for teaching and learning social work online are examined, and finally questions relating to the cultural implications for delivering social work education online are identified using a constructivist framework.

Using on-line delivery to support students during practicum placements.

Abstract Finding ways to effectively support students while on placement remains a continuing endeavour for those who teach in professional education programmes. In The present paper, the multiple challenges and learning opportunities that social work students encounter during practicum learning will be discussed. Next, drawing from constructivist pedagogy and using authentic examples from an online discussion board, ways to supplement the support and educational input provided to students on placement will be demonstrated. Finally, some of the risks and limitations in engaging with on-line delivery are examined with the view to understanding how e-learning can be facilitated most effectively for students during the practicum.

The quiet remedy: A dialogue on reshaping professional relationships

This article begins with an overview of the current context for the delivery of social/welfare services and goes on to consider client–worker relationship boundaries that fall within and outside conventional ethical parameters in professional practice. Alternative interpretations of “relationship” are discussed, noting in particular what consumers of services have identified as being beneficial qualities demonstrated by professional “helpers.” Using touch and adopting notions of compassion, love, and reciprocity are discussed, noting how these ideas collide with the current ethical thinking commonly used to guide Western social work practice. Finally, a reexamination of “professionalism” is proposed, including ways to facilitate worker–client connectivity. Throughout, the complex tensions between balancing ethical considerations with ideas relating to trust, risk, and authenticity are articulated.

The Impact of Emotions on Practicum Learning

Nine mature aged, experienced practitioners enrolled to gain a BSW qualification in social work were interviewed regarding a course requirement to complete the first placement. At the time of interview no recognition of prior learning for previous experience in the field was made possible for these students. As educators we had experienced considerable hostility from students who believed they should be exempt from completing this course requirement. This paper reports on interviews with the nine students, where we consider how student sentiment about completing the practice learning component might impact upon their learning experience. As anticipated, some students expressed strong negative views about being on placement. However, others were much more positive about the experience. These mixed views prompted us to explore further the relationship between emotion and practice learning. The article begins with a review of the literature concerning mature student engagement with tertiary education, followed by an overview of theory and research related to the ways feelings and emotion influence learning. Using passages from the interviews, expressions of participant anxiety, anger and excitement about the practicum are discussed with the view to extending discourse about practicum learning to include consideration of emotional intelligence and investment.

Craft groups: sites of friendship, empowerment, belonging and learning for older women

This article reports on a qualitative research project conducted in Victoria, Australia, with nine older women. The purpose of the research was to explore the womens experience of involvement in craft groups, and specifically, the impact of this involvement on their sense of well-being. Traditionally the health of older people has been examined in relation to medical markers of physical well-being, and often, decline. We were interested to widen this perspective to understand the impact of social connection, belonging and ongoing learning and development on the ageing experience. While the focus of the groups was on domestic craftwork, the process of coming together as a collective appeared to have significant bearing on the holistic health of the women involved. Consistent with feminist groupwork literature, the findings indicated that the women we interviewed experienced the group setting as affirming and generative in a number of ways. These include providing an avenue for mutual aid, addressing isolation, affirming individual and collective strength and wisdom, while acquiring new skills, and normalising concerns regarding health and family.

Is Social Work Supervision in “Good Heart”? A Critical Commentary

Three groups spend other peoples money: children, thieves, politicians. All three need supervision. (Armey, n.d.) In the above quote, former US economist and republican politician, Dick Armey, lef...

Older Women and Craft: Extending Educational Horizons in Considering Wellbeing

While the social work literature is broader and more holistic than many disciplines, we undoubtedly still limit the knowledge we draw upon in ways that stifle our creativity in conceptualising and attempting to facilitate wellbeing, which flows on to limit our teaching. In particular, the significance to wellbeing of place and social space, the value of informal networks to generate support and opportunities for reciprocity, and the inherent therapeutic value of creative activity appears to be neglected. In this paper we draw upon a small Australian research study around older women and craftmaking to explore how learning from diverse disciplines, such as critical gerontology and textile making, can illuminate our understanding of wellbeing. We relate this discussion to examining notions of ageing that go beyond a focus on illness and deterioration, to enhance positive and diverse concepts of health in the context of everyday life. We then discuss the implications for social work education, with particular emphasis on ageing, and argue that by engaging with a diverse range of disciplines, we are able to think about, teach and advocate for wellbeing in more expansive and useful ways.

Crafting Communities: Promoting Inclusion, Empowerment, and Learning between Older Women

Abstract While social policy and planning documents are replete with ominous warnings about the cost of an ageing population, this article tells a different story about the productive and self-sustaining networks that exist among older women in the community who do craftwork. From our research conducted in Victoria, Australia during 2007–2008 we discovered a resilient and committed group of older women quietly and steadily contributing to community fundraising, building social networks, and providing learning opportunities to each other in diverse ways. Through our conversations with nine craftswomen we have been able to articulate clear links between the theory and models commonly espoused in the community development literature and the life-enriching practices used in organising informal community craft group activities. From our interviews with the older women we provide evidence of sustained participation, the generation of social capital, and the fostering of life-long learning. While none of the women we spoke to were trained in community development and did not use language commonly associated with feminist ideology, the relationship between the informal group work with principles of empowerment and self-efficacy were unmistakeable. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for critical social work practice.

Selection of Social Work Students in New Zealand: Problems and Strategies for Change

The current environment in which social work takes place stresses the need for competent service delivery, incorporating consumer and professional accountability. Enhancing selection procedures for social work education is central to achieving greater competency in social work overall. This paper examines the way in which students are selected for social work training in New Zealand. It includes discussion on the current methods used for selection of students and concludes by suggesting ways in which the selection process may be improved.

Supporting quality supervision: Insights for organisational practice

This article reports on the findings of a mixed-method study exploring the experiences of supervision within Australian social work. It looks particularly at the ways in which organisational cultures support supervision as a mechanism of practice improvement. The research suggests the need to better understand performance within the practice and supervision sphere, and create ways in which workers can be acknowledged to develop their skills in a supportive organisational environment. It argues that within a neoliberal context, supervision has the potential to assist in the management of competing workplace demands.