Defining Signature Pedagogy in Social Work Education: Learning Theory and the Learning Contract

In 2008 the Council on Social Work Education identified field education as the signature pedagogy of social work. In doing so, it designated field education as the synthetic, integrative curricular area in which students are socialized to the profession. This article examines challenges and opportunities this designation presents. How field education can be designed and delivered as social work education’s signature pedagogy is discussed from a learning theory framework. A learning contract is described that integrates class and field in attainment of the core and advanced competencies. Use of this integrated learning contract by the field instructor and student serves to structure the field experience in a manner consistent with a signature pedagogy. The teaching role of the field instructor is recognized as a key component of the signature pedagogy.     

A Call for Field Coordination Leadership to Implement the Signature Pedagogy

This article presents an overview of how social work leadership skills can assist field coordinators to implement the signature pedagogy in their schools. Although this call has been made before, no other article has described specific planning steps to implement this initiative. This work fills a distinct void in the literature about this subject. The main assumptions are that (1) schools must adopt and clearly operationalize field education as their signature pedagogy and (2) field coordinators need to lead this initiative. We provide field coordinators and schools with recommendations about how to lead this important and necessary organizational paradigm shift. The article addresses social work leadership, developing a more field-centric curriculum to operationalize the signature pedagogy, shaping a school’s culture to embrace this important and required initiative, and offers suggestions to proactively plan this process.     

Political Social Work

This article contributes to discourse on signature pedagogy by reconceptualizing how our pedagogies are understood and defined for social work education. We critique the view that field education is social work's signature pedagogy and consider what pedagogies are distinct about the teaching and learning of social work. Using Shulman's work on professional education, we offer a conceptualization that rests on the belief about the necessary outcome of our pedagogy—it must enable students to think and perform like social workers through the development of the professional self. We present a framework that focuses on three integrating features: thinking and performing like a social worker, development of the professional self, and characteristic forms of teaching and learning.     

Potential of Field Education as Signature Pedagogy: The Field Director Role

In light of the assertion that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education, this Internet-based study explores field director demographics and questions the fulfillment of this potential, examining BSW and MSW field education through the lens of the field director position. Field directors (159) and deans/directors (150) were asked to express their opinions on the role, function, and status of the field director. Variables included salary, job security, privileges, and authority. The findings provide evidence of a modest but statistically significant difference in perceptions between field directors and deans/directors. If field is intended to carry the prominent position of signature pedagogy, the field director and factors associated with the role will influence the trajectory.     

Letter to the Editor

ABSTRACT

The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field supervisors’ Evidence Based Practice (EBP) behaviors using a modified version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale-Short Version. Supervisors (N = 129), from two undergraduate and one graduate program were invited to complete an electronic survey, resulting in a final 34% response rate (N = 44). Results indicated participants were somewhat familiar with EBP techniques, but did not think it feasible to carry out EBP in their settings, nor did they frequently demonstrate EBP behaviors in practice. Recommendations for overcoming barriers to implementing EBP behaviors in agency settings are discussed.     

Theoretical Perspectives in Online Pedagogy

SUMMARY

Sound pedagogy supported by strong theoretical foundations is of key importance in online learning. Yet because this literature is largely situated in the field of education, it is not always well articulated in human services education. This article provides an overview of major theoretical approaches in the education field and links these with both online learning and human services education, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between theory and practice.     

DIALOGUE

In light of the common mission of social studies education to prepare future democratic citizens, the field continues to be rooted in didactic and monologic practices. Finding an alibi in the current accountability movement that favors teaching about democracy instead of teaching through democracy, many social studies teachers have reneged on their responsibility to engender the democratic capacities of students. In this article, I draw on the writings of literary scholar Mikhail Bakhtin to examine the possibilities that emerge when grounding pedagogy in dialogue. Based on Bakhtin's writings, I sketch three possible pathways that a dialogic pedagogy allows social studies educators to explore: (1) nonneutrality of language, (2) testing of authority, and (3) development of voice. Through my discussion of Bakhtin's history, pedagogic action, philosophy, and sociology, I argue that pedagogy in social studies grounded in dialogue provides an aesthetic for democracy as a means to an end.     

The development of intercultural pedagogy and its influences on primary schools: conclusions and perspectives

The integration debate in Germany is closely connected to the education debate. Both are related to recent societal changes. Discussions at the social and political level in the past couple of years have shown how highly emotionally charged attitudes towards migration and integration in this country truly are. This article aims to provide an overview of intercultural developments in German educational contexts, especially those related to primary schools, against the background of societal change. We trace the developments in Germany from foreigner pedagogy and intercultural pedagogy to a pedagogy incorporating antiracism elements and subsequently a pedagogical approach focused on diversity (diversity pedagogy). We conclude that though many gains have been made, there is presently a danger that we will lose sight of cultural heterogeneity as diversity pedagogy in Germany has expanded to incorporate social inclusion.     

Social education and social pedagogy: reclaiming a Scottish tradition in social work

Social pedagogy is the discipline underpinning work with children and youth across most of Europe. The concept has struggled to find a place within social work in the English-speaking world, partly because of difficulties in translation and partly as a result of different welfare traditions. In particular there is a limited conception of education within the Anglo American Saxon tradition and a consequent bifurcation of education and care. This article argues that ideas enshrined within social pedagogy have a resonance with Scottish approaches to social welfare, which culminate in the Kilbrandon Report of 1964. We argue that there are recurrent themes in the Scottish tradition with roots in the Reformation and the Scottish Enlightenment. Foremost amongst these is the focus on education as a vehicle for both individual improvement and social cohesion. Social pedagogy or social education offers an integrating conceptual base from which to develop models of social work practice which promote social wellbeing through socio-educational strategies. The current review of social work in Scotland offers opportunities to reclaim a socio-educational tradition.     

Social Work Field Educators' Views on Student Specific Learning Needs

Each year a significant proportion of students withdraw from placement in time to avoid penalty, while others fail. This article reports on a small field education research project that identified common learning issues for first placement students. Eighteen experienced supervising field educators (FEs), participated in semi structured focus groups, and identified repeat areas of difficulty in student learning that they had managed as supervisors. They also identified strategies that had been efficacious in supporting student learning. The research undertaken in 2010–2011 identified three specific themes relating to difficulties in student learning: specific student characteristics that required additional support; the university/FE partnership; student proficiency in using supervision. The findings suggest that a students' right to privacy must be considered in the provision of educational support, and that support is most effective when there is a strong partnership between the FE and university. In addition, further development of field education pedagogy may be needed to embed theory and skills related to the use of supervision and reflective learning.     

Evaluations of Social Work Education: A Critical Review

Since the introduction in England of the social work degree in 2002, there have been a number of significant changes to social work education culminating with the implementation of the Social Work Reform Board's innovations in 2013. This article critically explores the role of evaluations of changes in social work education and their implications for social work pedagogy. Evaluations can be linked to wider trends in society such as modernity, reflexive modernity, and the audit society. These wider influences affect the use of evaluations. A way forward for social work is proposed. Social work education needs to develop a critical pedagogy of hope to transform the profession's relationship not only to evaluations but to practise as well. The key message of this article is that evaluation studies of social work education mirror the underlying tensions of late modernity. Therefore, social work education needs to adopt a critical pedagogic approach to the use of evaluation research.     

Are We Making the Most of Learning From the Practice Placement?

It is almost universally accepted within social work education that placements are a defining feature of training and ‘… have a more profound and lasting impact than classroom teaching’. Consequently the placement is regarded as the signature pedagogy in social work education. However, it is also asserted that universities pay little attention to this aspect of teaching and concerns about a ‘significant level of disjunction between academic and practice learning’ are expressed.

The development of a new distance learning MA social work programme in which units are studied alongside part-time placements afforded opportunities for innovation in curriculum delivery, alongside increasing connections with learning on placement. Practice educators were invited to respond to an online mixed methods survey exploring their perceptions of the programme and views as to how greater integration of academic and practice learning can be achieved in social work education generally. Analysis of the results identified the important role which supervision with the practice educator can play in integrating learning on placement with the academic curriculum. The paper concludes that a greater focus on learning from practice may offer opportunities to maximise the learning potential of the placement as social work's signature pedagogy.     

Towards standardization of field work practicum: experiential reflections from Delhi,India

ABSTRACT

Field work is the signature pedagogy of social work. As a central form of instruction, it enables the course of learning by enabling the students to perform the role of practitioner. Field work contains pedagogical norms with which students learn to connect and integrate theory and practice. The current paper delineates the pedagogy of field work practicum in the Indian context and attempts to explore the challenges in transaction of field work curriculum with respect to placement agencies, at the levels of supervisor and supervisee and the ever evolving and dynamic relationship between the two. Based on authors’ experiential accounts, the paper recommends few strategies for enhancing the scope of professional growth and learning within the broad realms of field work placement.     

STUDENT DISTRESS IN A WEB-BASED DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE

Many advocates of computer-mediated distance education emphasize its positive aspects and understate the kinds of communicative and technical capabilities and work required by students and faculty. There are few systematic analytical studies of students who have experienced new technologies in higher education. This article presents a qualitative case study of a small graduate-level web-based distance education course at a major US university.This paper examines students' distressing experiences due to communication breakdowns and technical difficulties. This topic is glossed over in much of the distance education literature written for administrators, instructors and prospective students. The intent is that this study will enhance understanding of the instructional design issues, instructor and student preparation, and communication practices that are needed to improve web-based distance education courses.     

DEMOCRATIZING EDUCATION

This paper offers a strategy for teaching street children aged 13–18 to be professional youth workers via a six‐month post‐secondary college‐level program. There would be no literacy or academic prerequisites for entry to the program. During their involvement, the children would be given free room and board in the college student residential facilities; the cost being covered by international development organizations such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The model incorporates incentives provided to employers to hire these youth workers. A small contingent of the street children educated as youth workers would be retained as permanent, salaried members of the college faculty. This innovative pedagogy is thus a vehicle for social integration for these marginalized children, pulling them back from the fringes of society. In this model, the possibility for development of basic literacy skills is expected to arise efficaciously and naturally once the children are placed in a secure environment where their basic needs are met.     

FIELD INSTRUCTORS AND ONLINE TRAINING: AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY

Despite field placement being the signature pedagogy of the social work profession, little research exists regarding methods for training field instructors. This study captures their perceptions regarding the use of online training. An online survey of 642 field instructors from 4 universities produced 208 responses. Less than 4% rejected the idea entirely, 14% responded they "would probably not participate," another 50% said they "might participate," and 32% indicated that they "definitely would" participate. Respondents reported extensive use of various Internet communication tools and displayed comfort with computing skills. Our findings challenge assumptions about social workers' reluctance to use online technology and suggest that online training programs are a viable option for field instructors. Implications for creating online programs are presented.     

The Core Competency Movement in Marriage and Family Therapy: Key Considerations From Other Disciplines

There is a growing movement to define competency within the field of marriage and family therapy (MFT), particularly with respect to the training of practitioners and the evaluation of clinical practice. Efforts to define competency, however, transcend the practice of MFT and much can be learned from the experiences of other disciplines. Professions such as education, law, and medicine have made strides toward addressing the complex issue of competency standards in their respective fields. This article describes some ways in which the issue of competency has been approached in other professions, as well as some common dilemmas posed by adopting a competency-based orientation, to shed light on the process of defining competency in MFT. Moreover, this article identifies some of the more useful conceptualizations, modes of pedagogy, and evaluative practices found in other professions.     

Mobilizing betrayal: Black feminist pedagogy and Black women graduate student educators

This article addresses Black women graduate students' educational labor in higher education teacher training programs. We ground this reflective account of our respective teaching praxis in the educational betrayal we endured as younger students, connecting it to our engagement of Black feminist pedagogy. We illustrate how this praxis empowered us as undergraduate educators to implement pedagogies of equity and justice. Employing a structured vignette analysis framework, we draw on a Black feminist paradigm and Black feminist autoethnography to examine field notes of our teaching praxis. These two field notes, one from Francena and one from ArCasia, demonstrate challenges that emerged in our instruction of mostly white undergraduates. Despite the precarious nature of our political and professional positions, we discuss why working toward an anti‐oppression praxis remains our ultimate pedagogical aim.