Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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Exploring the Gurteen Knowledge Café approach as an innovative teaching for learning strategy with first-year engineering students
Get PDFThis study explored a learning approach based on the Gurteen Knowledge Café to encourage collaborative learning in a first-year Mathematics module. The rationale for carrying out this exploration was to empower students to become active, responsible and critical learners. The study was carried out with 32 first-year Electrical Engineering students at a South African university of technology, who were divided into five groups and engaged in mathematics tasks structured in the form of activity sheets and the general pedagogy was guided by social constructivism. Written responses, classroom activity observations and questionnaires contributed to the data. The activities involved five tasks on hyperbolic functions in preparation for first-year Calculus. Findings emanating from the data analysis indicated that this approach to collaborative learning provided positive attributes which aided effective Mathematics learning and learning in general
Turning experience into theory: The affirmation model as a tool for critical Praxis
Get PDFIn this article I discuss the affirmation model, initially proposed by Swain and French (2000), as an intervention in an ongoing debate within disability studies around the usefulness of the social model. I consider the purpose of developing models, such as the social and affirmation models, and identify the lack of definitions in Swain and French’s original suggestion as an inherent weakness. I then outline my own research, undertaken with the aim of identifying whether useful affirmation model definitions might be fashioned, and relate my conclusions to Freire’s idea of critical Praxis. I conclude by proposing the affirmation model as a practical tool for use by social workers to identify the ways in which disabling social relations are reproduced in everyday encounters.
The notion of citizenship for people with intellectual disabilities in the UK: A life of their own
Get PDFIn this paper important issues, which involved vulnerable adults with Intellectual disabilities in transition from one rural location to another urban location, in England (UK) during 2014 are discussed. The notion of citizenship is discussed in relation to service users who had intellectual disabilities. This was originally embedded within the policy document Valuing People (DH, 2001). The use of a Total Communication approach by a Social Worker is also discussed, underpinned by the Human Rights framework and tenets of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The outcomes from the transition process are highlighted, alongside the necessity to ensure that vulnerable adults are protected from abusive situations whilst living out their lives
Missing and misdiagnosis on the autism spectrum: Potential consequences and implications for practice
No full texthe aim of this paper is to explore the current criteria for giving a diagnosis of autism, the potential benefits of diagnosis and the reasons why this may be missed or misdiagnosed and the possible consequences. It considers whether diagnosis is always necessary and if so, for whom and when. If diagnosis is made to inform intervention, does this happen and from whose perspective and what is the research evidence for current approaches in autism? As there is no definitive medical or genetic test for diagnosing autism, then it is always subjective and diagnostic rates will vary across services and within and between local authorities. The case is made that professionals need to develop ways to ensure that autistic individuals who would benefit from an autism diagnosis are identified so that their needs are met in a timely and appropriate way to prevent the development of mental health problems and to enable a good quality of life. Finally, focusing on the positive aspects of autism and enhancing the wellbeing of parents, carers and the staff in schools and settings should have positive outcomes for all
The advantages and benefits of a student mutual-aid group in developing groupwork skills
Get PDFThere is a growing consensus in the literature that there is a crisis in groupwork education due to the limited internships that offer students the opportunity to practise with groups. In response to this crisis, the authors developed a model for teaching groupwork skills in the classroom using mutual-aid groups. This paper presents a study (n= 192) of social work graduate students who participated in the mutual-aid groups. The findings demonstrate that the majority of the students (90%) rated the mutual-aid groups as an excellent to good method of teaching groupwork skills and group dynamics
Reviews
No full textBook reviews of a-z of Groupwork and The Book of Games and Warm Ups for Group Leader
Getting it right: Talking with social work students about risk and justice
Get PDFThis article offers reflection on the tension between risk and justice in the context of working with social work students on child protection. Written within a Scottish context, the article begins by exploring tensions between different strands of policy. The article draws on the author’s experience of moving into social work education from practice and management and of working with social work students on issues of risk. Centred around a simulation of a case conference, the article explores how social work students engage with ideas about risk, and significantly about how fundamentally different outcomes can be reached from the same information. The article then identifies key themes in the discourse, and makes suggestions for research, in particular that research into the language practices of social work students would be a fruitful avenue for exploration
The benefits and challenges of student-led clinics within an Irish context
Get PDFStudent-led clinics are being established internationally as a means of practice education within a variety of disciplines. These clinics can provide opportunities for students in health care professions to have ‘real life’ clinic experiences while also providing beneficial outcomes for service users. This paper reviews the preliminary experiences from thirteen uni-disciplinary student-led clinics (thirty two students in total) in the disciplines of Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and Physiotherapy (PT). These clinics were part of the placement experience of the students in an Irish University between 2011 and 2013. Clinical Education Quality Audit (CEQA) questionnaires (Ladyshewsky & Barrie, 1996) were used to explore the student experience of these placements, and practice educators were given an opportunity to discuss the benefits and challenges of the placements with the University Practice Education team. The data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. A number of themes emerged from the data: Environment, Organisational issues, Professional development / growth, and Relationships. These themes highlighted both positive and challenging features of the placement experiences. This paper will discuss the benefits and challenges of these student-led clinics and outline that overcoming challenges may be an additional important aspect of learning in innovative clinical experience
Groupwork interventions for women and children experiencing domestic abuse: Do they work and do they last?
No full textThis paper draws selectively on the findings of a study exploring the impact of a concurrent groupwork programme for mothers and children (6-7 years of age) who have experienced domestic abuse. This group was delivered by statutory child and welfare services in Ireland in conjunction with a voluntary sector child support service. This paper illustrates how participation in the groupwork programme impacted positively on the relationship between the participating mothers and their children and also explores what benefits were sustained over time. Employing a mixed methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from three distinct populations and at three points in time. The findings of this study confirm the usefulness of the group environment in helping participants share the full extent of their personal experiences in a therapeutic and supportive setting. Participant outcomes included pro-social modelling of positive parenting, awareness raising and information sharing regarding the impact of the experience of domestic abuse on both child development and parenting capacity. These factors were reported by participants to have impacted on the quality of the mother-child relationship. This paper concludes by highlighting the key features of the groupwork programme which were central to facilitating and sustaining these positive outcomes