scholarly journals Learning communities

Groupwork ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Sarah Hessenauer ◽  
Shirley R. Simon
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Transition To College ◽  
Faculty Relationships ◽  
Incoming Students

<p>Learning communities are becoming increasingly common as a means of assisting incoming students with their transition to college. They have been shown to improve student retention, academic performance, and student-faculty relationships. Learning communities are prime examples of groupwork in action, and can provide opportunities for educators to teach and model social groupwork concepts and principles. This paper 1) defines and describes learning communities, 2) discusses the theoretical basis for the application of groupwork principles to the learning community experience, and 3) describes and assesses three years of experience with the application of groupwork principles in social work learning communities in an undergraduate university in the Midwestern United States.</p>

scholarly journals Integrating learning community principles and strategies for enhancing academic and social agency partnerships in social work education

10.18060/185 ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Johansen ◽  
Philip M. Ouellette
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
History Of ◽  
Internship Programs ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Considerable Concern

Social work education has a long history of placing emphasis on experiential learning through required field experiences. There is, however, considerable concern regarding the fragmentation in social- work education programs between what is taught in the classroom versus what is taught in internship programs by field instructors. New ways to conceptualize and enhance the coordination gap between academia and field agencies are needed. This article provides an overviw of the concept of a learning community, its relevancy to social work education, and provides examples of learning community strategies that have the potential of enhancing better linkages between faculty and field instructors. Specific suggestions for the development of learning communities are included. Learning community principles and its accompanying strategies may be one way to better conceptualize and bridge the coordination gap that is frequently confronted by the conflicting realities of dual training systems in social work education.

The Relationship Between First-Year Learning Communities and Academic Performance in Introductory Psychology and Sociology

2021 ◽  
pp. 009862832110184
Author(s):  
Christine Ma-Kellams ◽  
Roy Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Introductory Psychology ◽  
First Year ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

Objective: How do learning communities influence academic performance in Introductory Psychology? Method: The present research examines the relationship between participation in first-year students learning communities and academic performance across a variety of course requirements (midterms, finals, papers, and class participation) in introductory psychology and, for comparison, sociology courses. Results: Students who took Introductory Psychology as part of a first-year-student learning community outperformed their peers (who took the same course without a learning community) on the first exam of the semester and were less likely to miss assignments but otherwise showed no significant differences on the other course assignments; introductory sociology students part of these communities showed even greater differences in performance that lasted through the end of the semester. Conclusion: First-year students learning communities offers significant albeit limited benefits for student performance in introductory courses in the social sciences. Teaching Implications: Short of institutional efforts to enact programming for first-year learning communities, introductory psychology instructors can attempt to simulate the experience of such communities by promoting a sense of belonging via extra-curricular service or discipline-related activities.

scholarly journals “Moving out of the safe zone”: Promoting learning communities and reflective supervision in a social work statutory child protection agency

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Rankine ◽  
Andrew Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Safe Zone ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Reflective Supervision ◽  
Supervision Practice

INTRODUCTION: Social work supervision in statutory child protection settings is often confused with line management and has little focus on professional development, critical reflection and exploration of practice. Within Aotearoa New Zealand, the statutory child protection agency Oranga Tamariki (OT), is under considerable scrutiny regarding the management of risk, child abuse, and the over-representation of Ma ̄ori tamariki within the child welfare system. This article covers the first collection of findings from a larger supervision study.METHODS: Using critical reflection as the methodological lens, four experienced OT supervisors participated in a learning community where supervision recordings were brought to each meeting to improve reflective capacity, critical reflection and skills. Data were collected from the learning community and thematic analysis was undertaken to explore current supervision practice in OT.FINDINGS: The three themes generated from the learning community discussions were: supervisory skills/interventions; the structure of supervision; and working with emotion and trauma. These themes highlighted the significance of the learning community as a forum for supervisors to share their existing supervision practice together, “moving out of the safe zone” as they engaged in positive and constructive feedback with their colleagues in a supportive space.CONCLUSIONS: Reflective supervision, within statutory child protection, is essential for learning, critical reflection and cultivating robust decision making in social work practice. The creation and development of professional supervision spaces such as learning communities provide the basis for supervisors and supervisees to develop their skills and ensure accountable, anti-oppressive and ethical practice.

Evaluation of a Baccalaureate Social Work Learning Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Yoon Mi Kim ◽  
Sharon C. Lyter
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
College Experiences ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Community Model ◽  
The Impact

First- year learning communities are a trend in higher education, with groups of first-year baccalaureate students taking two or more first- semester courses together and spending time in various activities with faculty and fellow students. This cohort model emphasizes the value of a sense of community and fosters a supportive social and academic environment. Although the positive impact of first- year learning communities has been well documented, less is known about the impact of learning communities on academic outcomes and the implications for BSW education. This quantitative study including open- ended questions extends an understanding of how college experiences and educational achievement differ by participation in a social work learning community. Results indicated that participation in a social work learning community was significantly related to higher GPAs. The preliminary findings of this study add to the overall knowledge of a learning community model applicable to baccalaureate social work freshmen.

THEORETICAL BASIS OF PROBLEM OF SHAPING CREATIVE COMPETENCE IN FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS FOR WORK WITH GIFTED CHILDREN

2019 ◽  
pp. 34-45
Author(s):  
Halyna Mykhailyshyn ◽  
Oksana Protas
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Gifted Children ◽  
Educational Establishment ◽  
Higher Educational

For effective forming of creative competence in future social work experts, we suggested using the creative approach to organization of educational process in a higher educational establishment, using the potential of different disciplines in the process of professional training. We clarified the main aspects of shaping of creative competence in future social workers in classroom and outside classroom, as well as main forms of the methodology of such training. The use of the mentioned approaches will give an opportunity to shape creative competence in future social workers for work with gifted children.

Building Learning Communities for Faculty

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 22-24
Author(s):  
Jodi H. Levine
Keyword(s):  
Faculty Development ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Dynamic Learning ◽  
Temple University ◽  
Teaching Team ◽  
Daunting Challenge ◽  
The Way

As at most colleges and universities, when faculty at Temple University are asked to join with other faculty to teach a “learning communities” course, they are faced with the daunting challenge of changing the way they teach. To help them meet this challenge, Temple University engages in a number of faculty development activities, the goal of which is to have faculty come together in a dynamic learning community—a teaching team—in which they can work out the best approaches for involving students in their own learning.

The emerging ‘science of social work’ in the United States and German-speaking countries: A comparison

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 930-942
Author(s):  
Ines W Jindra
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
The United States ◽  
German Speaking

The aim of this article is to begin a comparison between an emerging ‘science of social work’ in the United States and German-speaking countries (Switzerland, Germany, and Austria), with the intention of moving the discussion forward. It is found that the ‘science of social work’ is more developed in German-speaking Europe than in the United States, but that similar conclusions have been developed in both contexts. However, scholars of the two continents only rarely refer to one another’s work, and the lack of communication between the two groups is hurting the discipline as a whole.

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