The Practitioner Teacher

Authors

  • Peter Young Griffith University

Keywords:

Social work education, Experiential learning, Gestalt, Pedagogy

Abstract

The degree to which social work educators maintain engagement in practice alongside teaching requires closer examination, given the stronger accountability expectations associated with managerialism in Australian universities. This personal reflection suggests that the ways that social work educators discuss practice examples might be influenced by the proximity of the practice example, and therefore maintaining links with practice may positively contribute to the teaching process. Students learn on multiple levels, and the care and respect implicit in a practice example used in class may provide an important element in the teaching process, particularly in relation to core concepts such as unconditional positive regard. Gestalt therapy provides a lens to help explore this proposition, as Gestalt suggests that the aliveness of the client in the mind of the social work educator may contribute to an experiential change process in the classroom.

Author Biography

Peter Young, Griffith University

School of Human Services and Social Work

References

Beisser, A. R. (1970). The paradoxical theory of change. In J. Fagan & I. Shepherd (Eds.), Gestalt therapy now (pp. 77–80). Palo Alto, CA: Science and Behavior.

Bogo, M. (2010). Field education as the signature pedagogy of social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 46(3), 327–339.

Chu, W. C. K., & Tsui, M. (2008). The nature of practice wisdom in social work revisited. International Social Work, 51(1), 47–54. doi:10.1177/0020872807083915

Drury Hudson, J. (1997). A model of professional knowledge for social work practice. Australian Social Work, 50(3), 35–44. doi:10.1080/03124079708414096

Melnick, J., & Nevis, S. M. (2005). Gestalt therapy methodology. In A. L. Woldt & S. M. Toman (Eds.), Gestalt therapy: History, theory, and practice (pp. 101–116). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rogers, C. R. (2007). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 44(3), 240–248.

Winter, R., Taylor, T., & Sarros, J. (2000). Trouble at mill: Quality of academic worklife issues within a comprehensive Australian university. Studies in Higher Education, 25(3), 279–294.

Downloads

Published

2018-11-01