In UK social work education, practice educators supervise and assess students while they are on placement. Practice placements are the most important element of social work degree courses, accounting for half of the overall programme for undergraduates. So the role of the practice educator is vital, particularly if a student is struggling or at risk of failing.
This podcast looks at the topic of values and beliefs in social work, the impact they have on our practice, and how we can be more aware of them.
This podcast looks at how social workers make critical reflection happen, despite the pressure and busyness of our work.
This podcast takes a look at the theory and evidence around using critical reflection, and offer a model for doing good reflection in practice.
We know that supervision is important and that social workers value it. Supervision helps morale, confidence, and retention of staff. However, we also hear from practitioners and managers that good supervision is hard to find.
In these podcasts we make the connection between containment - support to understand, process and learn from the emotional aspect of social work - and good supervision. Good supervision looks like someone walking out feeling better - less anxious, more confident, clearer about what to do - than when they went in.
An interesting article which argues that once you’ve accumulated enough experience, reflecting on that experience to “articulate and codify” what you’ve learned is the most powerful way to improve your performance in the future. Includes some reflection exercises.
What really drives learning? Is it, as we've been taught for years, the idea that "practice makes perfect”? Is experience - or the act of doing - the key to learning? Or is it that we learn through reflecting on that experience?
A demonstration of how online blogging can be used to develop a reflective diary/journal or learning log.
