“Learning on Placement”
SWSP4088/4266/7088/7266/7288/7366
Questions for Discussion
• What was your past experience of placement?
• What was your past experience of supervision?
• What do you want to take with you and what
do you need to leave behind?
• What may help you to do this?
Important Documents for
Placement….. a reminder
2 important documents needed for placement.
Both related to contemporary Social Work
practice.
• AASW Code of Ethics (Revised Edition 2010)
• AASW Practice Standards
AASW Practice Standards –Key Concepts
www.aasw.asn.au/publications/ethics-and-standards
AASW Practice Standards have been integrated into the Learning
Curriculum.
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Knowledge, skills and resources of a social worker
Explanation of social work service
Client involvement
Appropriateness of social work assessment,
intervention and outcomes
• Service development
• Recording and record keeping
AASW Practice Standards – Key Concepts cont’d
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Report writing
Multi disciplinary work environments
Supervision
Referral/ termination/interruption of service
Advice of right to query service
Evaluation of social work service
– Which of these standards would you like to
focus more on during this placement?
YOU are the focus for this learning process
Field
Educator/Agency/
clients
University of Qld
YOU
“Stay focused
For
Field Tutor
18 – 21 weeks”
Roles and Responsibilities. Student / Field
Educator & Field tutor……
• Look at FE Manual page 9 -12 – read section on roles
and responsibilities.
• May also be an external FE and a task supervisor
involved in your placement.
In small groups discuss the following:
What is my role / responsibility as a student on final
placement to become “work ready?”
What can I do if my learning needs are not being addressed?
Learning for Reflective Practice
• Two types – reflection in action and reflection on action
• ‘The capacity to reflect in response to new situations without
reacting with immediate answers to questions which almost
certainly are not fully formulated, requires being able to
contain anxiety generated by confusion, uncertainty and
unpredictability. Reflective learning is by its nature not
prescriptive and inevitably does not follow an ordered
sequential pattern. Not only is this a challenge for the student
and practitioner, but also for the educator and practice teacher,
manager and team leader, who have to contain their own
anxiety and that of others.’ - Gould & Taylor (1996)
Develop a THIRD EYE
Examples:
• Work Diary
• Learning Journal
• Process Records
Ref: Ch. 8, Cleak &
Wilson, (2007)
Making the Most of
Field Placement
Learning Styles
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Concrete Experience – Feeling
Reflective Observations – Watching
Abstract Conceptualisation – Thinking
Active Experimentation – Doing
Discuss your preferred learning style and talk about
some activities that might assist / challenge your
learning style, particularly as this is your final
placement.
Making the most of supervision
• To turn doing into learning on placement, you
need to reflect critically on what you are doing
– supervision is a core way of doing this.
Questions for Discussion
• What expectations do you have of a supervisory relationship in
your final placement?
• What previous experiences have you had that might impact on
how a supervisory relationship develops and works?
• What do you do if you are feeling under pressure?
• How do you cope with being assessed?
• How do you let people know you don’t approve of what their
doing?
• How much will you disclose of yourself in terms of how your
life has shaped who you are now?
Making the most of supervision
• While there is a clear power imbalance
between student and field educator, you can
have a big impact on the effectiveness of
your supervision – both planned and ‘on the
run’.
• Get involved !!!
Building a Supervision Relationship
• It is strongly recommended that the beginning sessions with
your supervisor focus on the previous learning and supervision
experiences of both yourself and your supervisor.
• Be prepared to discuss your hopes and goals for this placement
and for the supervisory relationship.
• Allow time to discuss similarities and differences between
yourself and your supervisor – age, race , gender, educational
status, family background, class, spiritual and political beliefs,
previous work.
Learning Agreement for Supervision
(appendix 1, in FE Manual 2012 – page 68)
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Completing the Learning Agreement is essential
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Works best when completed early in placement
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Excellent tool for establishing clear boundaries and guidelines
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Can be a useful tool to come back to should issues arise
Relationship with your F/E
Remember……
Your ability to risk in disclosing, in
documenting and in being observed, will depend
on the relationship you have with your
supervisor. This relationship does not have to
be perfect – a good enough relationship can
provide a valuable placement.
Curriculum Modules
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Social work in society
Organisational base of practice
Relationships
Analysis/Assessment/Planning
Intervention/Action
Student Learning and Professional
Development
Learning Curriculum
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Generally the learning curriculum should
reflect the:
requirements of the training institution and
course
opportunities available in the agency
interests and abilities of the supervisor
interests and abilities of the student
teaching and learning style of the supervisor
and the student
Curriculum format
• Aims or goals – what learning to be
achieved?
• Starting points – previous experience
• Content – more specific details of what you
plan to achieve
• Tasks – how are you going to do it?
• When – time frame
• How will I know I have achieved my goals?
Important Placement Information
• Your course profile outlines what you need to complete whilst
on placement. This is not in addition to the Learning
Curriculum tasks in the FE Manual.
• Placement is pass / fail.
• You must complete a Statement of Learning as part of your
mid / final evaluation form.
• All placement tasks / activities need to be completed to a
satisfactory level in order to pass. We suggest to print out a
copy of your evaluation form early in the placement.
• There are examples of Learning Curriculums, a Practice
Framework, a Process Report, a time chart and an inventory of
skills and techniques in the FE Manual.
Important Issues
• Keep boundaries between self, your supervisor, client(s) and other workers
• Remember to check and be clear about confidentiality policy and practice
in your agency (check with AASW Code of Ethics and the FE Manual page
62-64)
• Be employable and professional at all times
• Stay out of conflict issues within the agency or organisation
• The student’s performance will be recorded as a failing grade if any
criterion of any module is rated at an unsatisfactory level. A failing grade
will also be awarded if a student behaves in a manner to staff, clients or
community members that is assessed as unprofessional or unethical,
malicious or dangerous by the field educator and/or the field tutor
together with the course co-ordinator, regardless of the quality of their
work in other situations. This includes a breach of confidentiality or
inappropriately sharing information.
Important Issues cont’d
Make yourself familiar with the following policies
/ procedures in the FE Manual:
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Workplace Issues (page 57)
Personal safety (page 60)
Student illness during placement (page 60)
Confidentiality (page 62-64)
• Difficulties on placement – there are clear procedures
on pages 52-56.
• Remember – contact your field tutor early if there
are issues
Thank you
• Wishing you all the best on placement.
Remember, enjoy your placement time!
• Field Education Unit staff are Mark Cleaver,
Jo Bidgood and Alison Gidley
• Field Tutors: Gillian Blacket, Fiona Bosly,
Vanessa Collins and Stephanie Smith