Sheltering in Quiet Waters: Ngã Roopu Awhi for Integration of Social Work Learning

Authors

  • Rebecca Giles Wintec
  • Deb Stanfield Wintec

Keywords:

Social work practice research education, health social work, field placement, evidence informed practice, fieldwork education

Abstract

Social work educators face significant challenges in creating for students learning opportunities that span multiple activities: the navigation of personal/professional boundaries; development of links between theory and practice; cultivation of mature relational and critical thinking skills; and cultural self-awareness. The successful acquisition of these skills requires a sustained focus on how they are actively integrated into student learning (Adamson, 2011; Boud, 2010; Gibbons & Gray, 2002; Marlowe, Appleton, Chinnery, & Van Stratum, 2014).This article describes Ngã Roopu Awhi, weekly creative tutorials designed to be the juncture at which all learning comes together, a key feature of a new four-year Bachelor of Social Work degree in Aotearoa New Zealand that incorporates the concept of integration at multiple levels.
Research into the effectiveness of the tutorials is under way; this article serves as a preliminary practice exposition, providing a rationale for, and description of, Ngã Roopu Awhi for social work educators and students.

Author Biographies

Rebecca Giles, Wintec

Centre for Health and Social Practice, Wintec, New Zealand

Deb Stanfield, Wintec

Centre for Health and Social Practice, Wintec, New Zealand

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Published

2017-12-01