The Possibilities for Studio Pedagogy in Social Work Field Education: Reflections on a Pilot Case Study
Keywords:
Studio pedagogy, Field education, Design thinking, Co-design, Interdisciplinary practiceAbstract
Studio pedagogy takes a situated approach to Higher Education learning that is used in many discipline areas but, as yet is little explored in social work. Studio pedagogy sees collaborative groups using design thinking and co-design to approach real-world problems and their resolution in new ways. The collaboration and resourcefulness required in studio work reflects the social work ethos. Also, the studio skills base of interdisciplinary work and creative thinking are contemporary workplace requirements for social workers. This suggests the usefulness of studio learning in social work education. In this article we introduce the concept of a social work studio as a possible new form of project-based social work field education. We reflect upon a case study pilot project undertaken by RMIT, Melbourne with a major partner agency. Drawing on a consultation with the key stakeholders, our reflection on practice suggests the integration of design enquiry offers considerable potential to advance methodologies of field education in ways that better equip students to respond to some of the challenges of contemporary practice.
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