The Purpose of a Practicum - Higher Education | Pearson

1 11 CONNECTING CORE COMPETENCIES in this chapterBackground and Context 2 How to Use This Book 3 How the Chapters Are Structured 3 Practicum -Related Strengths:A Workbook Activity 5 How Do We Learn? A WorkbookActivity 7 Suggested Learning Activities 8 Practice Test 9 The Purpose of a PracticumCHAPTER OUTLINELEARNING GOALS FOR THIS CHAPTER To understand the Purpose of a social work Practicum To complete a self-assessment of your readiness for practicumProfessionalIdentityEthicalPrac ticeCriticalThinkingDiversity in PracticeHumanRights & 11/12/09 10:00 AM Page 1 Chapter 12 Congratulations for embarking on your exciting social work Practicum experi-ence. You are to be applauded for reaching this stage in your professional edu-cation and for being selected and approved for a Practicum based on youracademic achievements and your readiness for professional experience.

2 Thepracticum offers a unique opportunity to apply what you have learned in theclassroom, to expand your knowledge, and to develop your skills. It is time foryou to move from the role of a student to the role of a professional AND CONTEXTA practicumis an experience that requires the practical application of theoryor conceptual knowledge. Most types of professional Education whether inmedicine, nursing , law, pharmacy, speech therapy, or social work wiselyemploy some form of Practicum , internship, or preceptorship to help the stu-dent learn how to apply knowledge and general principles to real situations,problems, and concerns. Many social workers, agency supervisors, and socialwork educators use the terms Practicum , field work, field Education , fieldpracticum,and internshipsomewhat interchangeably. This book will use theterm Council on Social Work Education s (CSWE) Educational Policies, andAcademic Standards (2008) states:In social work, the signature pedagogy is field Education .

3 The intent offield Education is to connect the theoretical and conceptual contributionof the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting. It is abasic precept of social work Education that the two interrelated compo-nents of curriculum classroom and field are of equal importancewithin the curriculum, and each contributes to the development of therequisite competencies of professional practice. Field Education is sys-tematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based oncriteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of programcompetencies. (8)Almost universally, students of social work at both the BSW and MSWlevels describe their Practicum as the single most useful, significant, andpowerful learning experience of their formal social work Education . It is dur-ing the Practicum that the concepts, principles, and theories discussed in theclassroom come to life.

4 During the Practicum , students work with real clientsand have the opportunity to try out the skills and techniques they previouslyrehearsed in classroom role playing and simulations. It is also during thepracticum that students make considerable progress in developing self-awareness and come to a better understanding of their particular strengthsand limitations as well as the influence of their personal values, attitudes,and life experiences on their practice. The Practicum can and should be atime when classroom theory is integrated with social work practice andwhen students merge with the values and fundamental principles of theirchosen many students, the Practicum is a very positive and meaningful expe-rience, but for some the Practicum can fall short of expectations. The qualityof every Practicum experience can be enhanced if students are provided withguidance in identifying and making use of learning opportunities.

5 A structurethat helps students to examine and analyze their settings in ways that build onBuilding on what youhave learned aboutsocial policy in your pre-vious classses, whatsocial policy analysismodel can you use toassess the effectivenessof social policies in youragency?CriticalThinkingProfessionalI dentityAlthough you are justbeginning yourpracticum, you havesome of the strengths asocial worker will you complete thisself-assessment, identifythe strengths you 11/12/09 10:00 AM Page 2 The Purpose of a Practicum3prior classroom learning is of critical importance. Some of the most meaningfullearning occurs as a result of having to deal with unexpected events and frus-trations during the TO USE THIS BOOKThis book is designed to provide you with guidance and structure during thesocial work Practicum . If used in a thoughtful manner throughout thepracticum, it will help you make the best of whatever your Practicum settinghas to offer.

6 Needless to say, this will not happen without effort. It requires areal commitment and a willingness to invest time in the learning THE CHAPTERS ARE STRUCTUREDA lthough the chapters are numbered in the conventional manner, this is not tosuggest that you are to necessarily move through the book sequentially, one chap-ter after another. Rather, it is expected that you will be gathering information tocomplete the workbook activities in several of the chapters at the same time. It isexpected that you will move back and forth between sections and will alsorevisit the same section several times as you gain experience in the practicumand begin to look at various questions and issues from a new chapter begins with a section titled Goals for Learning. It lists possi-ble goals or desired outcomes related to the knowledge, values, and skills thatyou can expect to learn and develop during the next major section, Background and Context, presents selected con-cepts and principles related to the topic addressed by the chapter.

7 The boxtitled Food for Thought will contain several relevant quotations. The conceptsand definitions presented in these two sections are not a substitute for a text-book or assigned readings, but rather should act as a review of key ideas thatset the stage for what follows, stimulate creative thinking, and raise each of the sections labeled Guidance and Direction, you are offeredgeneral suggestions, guidance, and advice, and sometimes a few specific do sand don ts intended to encourage and facilitate learning in relation to the chap-ter s objectives and its particular most of the chapters, several pages have been cast into a workbook for-mat and titled A Workbook Activity. You will be asked to use your criticalthinking skills to seek answers to each of the questions and record the answersor related comments in the spaces section titled Suggested Learning Activitieslists several specific tasksand activities that provide additional opportunities and experiences for learn-ing as well as a few additional ideas, words of encouragement, and specificcautions that may be important to you and the Practicum chapter ends with a Selected Bibliographythat lists several books orarticles related to the topics addressed in the chapter.

8 The sources listedshould be fairly easy for you to locate in a college or agency library. Frequentreference will be made to the Encyclopedia of Social Workand to commonlyused social work textbooks. Because the book Techniques and Guidelines forSocial Work Practiceby Sheafor and Horejsi (2008) is frequently used in socialwork practice courses and Practicum seminars, the list will usually include areference to specific sections in that book. 11/12/09 10:00 AM Page 3 Chapter 14 Food for ThoughtExperience, both intellectual and emotional, is the rawmaterial of the internship (Sweitzer and King, 2009, 8).We are bound together by the task that lies before us. Martin Luther KingThe transition between the skills class and yourpractice/internship is a critical time in which you prepareyourself for applying what you have learned to the real world. If you have been doing your work all along, we still cannot in good faith reassure you that you will be ready.

9 In truth, you will neverbe ready (Brew and Kottler, 2008, 382). 11/12/09 10:00 AM Page 4 The Purpose of a Practicum5 Practicum -Related Strengths: A Workbook ActivityNo doubt you have heard about the importance oftaking a strengths perspective on your clients,helping them to address their problems by build-ing on their strengths. This exercise will help youdo the same thing for yourself. Because you may bewondering if you have the knowledge and abilityto succeed in your Practicum , following is a self-assessment tool designed to help you identify theresources you bring to this is a list of strengths that are important to asuccessful Practicum experience. Depending on thenature of the setting, some will be of more impor-tance and relevance than others will. This list canalso be used to assess the appropriateness of a matchbetween you and your Practicum a check mark by all items that apply to your strengths, identify the areas inwhich you lack experience, and begin to set goalsfor professional development in both areas.

10 Later inthis book you will be asked to complete this self-assessment again, which will show you what youhave learned over for a Successful Practicum (Pre-and-Post Test)Attitudes and , caring, and concerned for clients served by the Practicum values, beliefs, and perspectives that are compatible with the agency s mission,goals, and values, beliefs, and perspectives that are compatible with the National Associationof Social Workers (NASW) Code of to achieving social of a broad range of diversity among clients and communitiesMotivation and Desire to and open to new learning and motivation to do what needs to be done, even when you may not feellike doing to take on new responsibilities and perform tasks and activities within yourrange of to building time and energy to devote to the sense of calling to the social work about helping people improve the quality of their livesAbilities and skills (selecting and organizing content, drafting reports, preparing letters, keep-ing professional records, and utilizing technological communication tools) communication skills (explaining, describing, and informing) to listen (understand what others are saying and respectfully consider theirviews, perspectives, and opinions)