:: Field Instructor Seminar I

1. :: Field Instructor Seminar I Building a Positive Context for Supervision & Learning: A Process

2. :: Topics Covered 1. School’s mission statement & the critical approach; 2. Learning contract; mid point progress review; final evaluation; other documentation 3. Key policies and procedures 4. Supervisory relationships & power imbalances; 5. Transfer of learning & learning exchange;

3. The School of Social Work, York University, is committed to social work education which develops practice strategies for human rights and social justice, and thus affirms that personal experiences are embedded in social structures … :: Mission Statement

4. Through research, curriculum, and critical pedagogy, the School will: Address oppression and subordination as experienced and mediated through class, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age and ability; Develop a critical appreciation of the social construction of reality; :: Mission Statement

5. :: Mission Statement Through research, curriculum, and critical pedagogy, the school will: • Promote an understanding of how values and ideologies construct social problems and how they construct responses; • Prepare students to be critical practitioners and agents of change.

6. :: What is a Critical Approach? • Critical paradigm: • Inquiry that attempts to uncover the structure of the world that oppresses people; • Reality is shaped by social, political, cultural, economic, ethnic and gender values;

7. … under the umbrella of a critical perspective: Radical social work; Structural social work; Anti-discrimination (anti-racism, feminism) & anti-oppressive practices :: Social Work Theories

8. :: Principles of Critical Approach • Reflexivity, emancipation & dialogue; • Commitment to social change & social justice; • Equality of ‘clients’ in practice & research.

9. :: Learning Contracts Learning contracts: Flexible, dynamic, subject to change Individualizes the field objectives of the school to match student’s learning needs in a specific placement

10. Learning Contracts Based on: Field agency capacity School expectations Student learning goals Helps to: Establish goals Identify steps in reaching goals Evaluation criteria Time frame

11. :: Learning Contract Two Parts Part 1 Administrative: • The details of the placement • Who, where, when

12. :: Learning Contract Educational 2. Educational: • GoalsStudents and field instructors determine goals that reflect the criteria outlined in the Development Area but are specific to the context of the agency • Plan for goal attainment Explains how student will meet each goal: tasks, activities, projects and method of evaluation

13. :: Learning Contract Educational For example: • Major Learning Goal: To develop skills in working with individuals and groups • Plan Goal Attainment: Attend a community group as an observer and then plan and facilitate a group session. My supervisor will attend a group session with me and give feedback on my group work skills.

14. :: Learning Contracts Important Characteristics • Mutual process • Basis for development of student/field instructor relationship • Begins transfer of learning process • Begins learning process • Serves to provide basis for evaluation process.

15. :: Evaluation • Both the mid point review and the final evaluations are tied to the student’s learning contract • The mid point is a review of where the student is at ..a check in • It is the point at which concerns should be formally identified and plans put in place to address the concerns during the last half of the placement • The final is the point at which the student’s overall progress is assessed and a Pass or Fail grade assigned.

16. :: Evaluation BSW/Year 1 MSW Criteria: Expected Level • The student has demonstrated growth across the time of placement, i.e., has demonstrated not only a conceptual grasp of theory and relevant understanding of policy and community development, but an ability to integrate theory into practice in a purposive way. • At the time of final evaluation, the student could function as a beginning social worker in a general service agency, i.e., capable of autonomous work in routine areas after a period of orientation with awareness, and capacity to seek out and utilize consultation and help from supervisors and other staff members.

17. :: Evaluation MSW Criteria: Upon commencement of the MSW placement a student should demonstrate a strong grounding in social work theory and practice at the BSW level. Over the course of the placement the student is expected to demonstrate an advanced level of practice in which the student demonstrates initiative as a practitioner, professional; and colleague and can function autonomously their individual practice and within the agency.

18. :: Key Policies and Procedures • Students are expected to attend placement 3 full regular working days/week (Exception post degree students) • Field instructors are asked to contact the student’s faculty liaison the student’s performance so that the school can assist in addressing the concerns early on in the placement

19. Students are required to attend integrative seminars and may need ot be released from placement to attend these Post degree BSW 2 – 4 hour MSW (2 year ) 5- 3 hour • Lunch hours and time away from placement

20. Termination of Placement Placements may be terminated without students successful completing their placements for two reasons: • Placement failure 2. Placement breakdown

21. :: Failure Placement failure: a) Occurs as a result of a student’s inability to demonstrate the capacity to develop the required social work practice skills b) May occur as a result of a breach of professional behavior

22. :: Breakdown Placement breakdown: Occurs when a placement is not viable for reasons other than a student’s ability to demonstrate professionalism and/or the capacity to develop social work skills For example: • lack of adequate supervision • lack of appropriate learning opportunities • lack of fit between the student and supervisor/agency • A personal situation for the student that impedes their ability to complete placement

23. Supervisory Relationships & Power Imbalances :: School of Social Work

24. Complex & emotionally intense experiences; Conflict is a common characteristics; A place where issues related to authority are likely to emerge for both the supervisee and the supervisor (Hawthorne 1975; Kadushin 1958); Successes and conflicts can be a learning experience about helping relationships (e.g., practitioner-client) (Bogo 1993). :: Supervisory Relationships

25. Draw out differences between what you would expect from a supervisor as an employee versus a student. ::The Relationship Supervisor / EmployeeSupervisor/ Student Relationship Relationship

26. Availability Support Structure Promoting Student Autonomy Feedback and Evaluation Linking Theory and Practice :: The Relationship: A Teaching Tool

27. The ability to look back on a piece of work and consider: What informed your assessment of the situation? What theory or knowledge did you draw on? What was your subjective response? How did your personal response influence your professional response? What did you learn that you can use in the future? ::Reflection

28. ::Reflexivity • A continual re-reading of your understanding or analysis of a situation; • Accounts for how self-reflection has supported your analysis/assessment; AND • Challenges us to consider the political, social, cultural, economic context of the situation.

29. :: School of Social Work L U N C H

30. Position of authority in which they are charged with evaluating the supervisee’s performance (Caspi & Reid 2002). Have a greater responsibility to take steps to build a positive relationship. :: Power Imbalances: Supervisors (Bogo, 1993; Martine Alper, 1989; Judah, 1982; Reid, 2002)

31. :: Power Imbalances: Supervisors • Group Share: • What steps have you taken so far to build a positive relationship with your students? • What has worked? • What has not worked

32. :: Power Imbalances: Difference and Diversity • Social identity & Social location: • Cultural self-awareness & power, privilege, and oppression; • Awareness of differences based on social • Identity & location; • Rarely discussed.

33. :: Power Imbalances: Difference and Diversity • Which ways might one of you have more power than the other? • Race • Ethnicity • Gender • Class • Sexual Orientation • Education • Ability • Discuss some of the ‘murky’ • or ‘grey areas’ of power. • In acknowledging the power differential, how can that be managed in a positive way?

34. Transfer of Learning & Learning Exchange :: School of Social Work

35. Students as adult learners Approach as adult learners • Not empty vessels – tremendous life experience; • Ability to be self-directed learners; • Experiential learning & question posing approach; • Emphasis is on building capacity to act. as per Freire, 1970

36. As teachers we do not want to create an environment in which: • Teacher knows, and students are taught • Teacher talks, and students listen • Teacher chooses, and students comply • Teacher is subject, and students merely objects

37. :: Transfer of Learning andLearning Exchange There is new learning but as field instructors want to try to capture the elements of a transfer of learning or learning exchange rather than a top down learning experience

38. New learning or performance can differ from original learning in terms of the task involved and/or the context involved; (as when students apply what they have learned on practice problems to solving a new problem) and or the context involved (as when students apply classroom learning to performing tasks at home or work). :: Transfer of Learning andLearning Exchange (Cree, V., & Macaulay, K. (2000). Transfer of Learning in Professional and Vocational Education. London: Routledge)

39. The basic elements involved in transfer are thus the learner, the instructional tasks (including learning materials and practice problems), the instructional context (the physical and social setting, including the instruction and support provided by the teacher, the behavior of other students and the norms and expectations inherent in the setting ), the transfer task and the transfer context. Cree, V., & Macaulay, K. (2000). Transfer of Learning in Professional and Vocational Education. London: Routledge)

40. Transformative learning (Mezirow) Stages of learning that are forms of awakening or the “ah-hah” of discovery as students: Shift their worldview on issues as diverse as political ideology, understanding issues of oppression and privilege, understanding significant theories and understanding themselves. :: Transfer of Learning andLearning Exchange

41. :: Transfer of Learning andLearning Exchange • Disorienting dilemma (introduces discomfort) • Self-examinations (feelings too) • Critical self-appraisal • Recognition of discontent • Exploration of the new • Action planning • Trying on new roles • Building competence in the new • Reintegration based on the new perspective

42. Four stages of intellectual development: Dualism Multiplicity Relativism Commitment to Relativism :: Perry’s Theory of Intellectual Development (1968)

43. :: Perry’s Theory of Intellectual Development (1968) • Most social work students are in the relativist stage, but occasionally we find learners in earlier stages; • Students can be encouraged through the stages; • Strategies to navigate through:

44. Dualism to Multiplicity: Dualist thinkers see authority figures as experts; Allow this to happen and affirm the knowledge of others, including the student; Leadership from the “expert” to validate other experts is helpful. Multiplicity to Relativism: Conduct critical appraisal of different knowledge and ask students to assess the application to different contexts; Their appraisal will help move them to relativism. :: Perry’s Theory of Intellectual Development (1968)

45. Multiple intelligences: Different people have different learning styles; It is important to understand the differences that exist between you and your student. :: Learning Styles

46. :: Learning Styles • Physical (kinesthetic): doing/watching embodied experiences • Logical (mathematical): instructions, theory and structure • Aural (rhythmic): listening and discovering patterns • Verbal (linguistic): listening to words • Visual (spatial): seeing • Social (interpersonal): interaction with others • Solitary (intra-personal): personal reflection

47. Large group activity: How would each learner approach the task of learning to swim, ride a bike, etc? Think about your own learning style and how you engage with others who are similar, and those who are different learners. :: Learning Styles

48. On your own, recall a very difficult learning experience you have been through while considering the following questions: What made it difficult? How can these theories help you look back at your learning? What would have helped make it better? What link does this have to your supervision of your student? :: Learning Styles

49. :: Thank You ! Questions, Comments, Feedback? Maureen Boettcher Manager Field Education Program Email: mobe@yorku.ca Tel: 416-736-2100 x39488