Teaching approaches are needed that can normalize students' process of exploring emotions related to their learning and support the internalization of the professional social work values (i.e. human rights and social justice). Within the literature on social work education, the importance of affective processes to support the students' learning of…

This article aims to provide an overview of an introductory MSW research course that introduced students to participatory action research (PAR) by investigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among social work majors at a public university. Integrating trauma-informed pedagogy with Kolb's experiential learning model provided a framework for…

Despite the centrality of diversity and oppression to the standards of social work, more research is needed to determine the most effective teaching method. The Diversity and Oppression Scale allows researchers to assess students' awareness, responsibility, self-confidence, practitioner and client congruence, and social work responsibilities,…

This article discusses the course design and strategies for a graduate-level Spanish social work practice course developed by faculty at a southern California MSW program. The primary focus of the course is to develop and improve clinical and professional vocabulary and, in the process, increase cultural knowledge and understanding. An overview of…

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which mutual aid and group conflict, two important dimensions of social group work, are included and featured as prominent elements in MSW-level group work instruction.

Evolving developments in psychodynamic theory have strengthened it as an evidence-based approach and have made it concordant with social work's strengths-based, multicultural perspective. An elective focused on teaching fundamental concepts of psychodynamic psychotherapy was developed for graduate social work students based on Kolb's theory of…

This article examines an innovative model of online international education regarding disability through a human rights perspective piloted through a collaboration between Universidad LaSalle, Mexico, and University at Buffalo, United States. The course is organized around a pressing global human rights and development issue. Its objective is to…

Schools of social work are increasingly offering study abroad courses as a strategy for enhancing future practitioners' knowledge and skills in serving individuals and families of diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Literature relative to such educational initiatives has focused on the characteristics, motivations, and outcomes for students and…

Increasing MSW students' information competencies was achieved through a 2-year project in which online video tutorials, in-class exercises, and course assignments were created and integrated into two required foundation courses. Tutorials demonstrated basic and advanced search techniques, online databases, and online course-specific research…

Critical thought is a necessary element for proficient practice in social work at both the micro and macro levels. For this reason, social work educators must seek to integrate critical thought in BSW and MSW curricula. This article provides a method for achieving this integration in the social welfare policy course. The method includes the four…

This article describes the 15-year evolution of a course devoted to teaching solution-focused interviewing skills to BSW students and the role these students played in the course's design. We drew inspiration from the strengths perspective that implies that just as practitioners can learn much about how to practice from clients, social work…

The article describes a community organizing course that was as dynamic as community organizing itself. By employing a combination of teaching approaches, community organizing philosophy, and pedagogical and andragogical techniques for student training, the course challenged students to discover their beliefs and the role of the community and the…

This mixed-method in vivo exploratory study examines the learning strategies that prepare students for social work practice and shows that these strategies can make a measurable difference. Though many authors have called for self-awareness to promote cultural sensitivity, the concept of the integrated personal/professional self has not previously…

Doctoral student training has become focused in recent years on acquiring subject-area knowledge and research skills, rather than on teaching. This shift often leaves aspiring junior faculty feeling unprepared to address the demanding pedagogical requirements of the professoriate. In the area of social work, few programs contain a structured,…

It is widely assumed that most entering MSW students exhibit a primary interest in individual clinical practice but minimal understanding of or interest in welfare policy knowledge. However, this assumption is mostly based on attitudes before and at the beginning of encountering social welfare courses. Using a mixed-methods approach of both…