Through an experiential learning project, social work students were able to examine ageist ideas of older adults and appreciate that, regardless of age, all humans need companionship. These insights allowed students to examine their ageist ideas and values toward older adults toward positive change. Engagement across micro, mezzo, and macro…

Social work has clear expertise in efforts to secure economic and social justice. The addition of environmental justice is an opportunity to extend these same skills into a new justice realm. Social workers not only need to learn about environmental issues but also claim their niche in the environmental crisis and ensure that poor and marginalized…

In March 2020, the federal government declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In accordance with public health guidelines, social work programs rapidly decided whether students could continue, modify, or suspend their field placements. The current study (N = 1,522) describes these events from the perspective of Bachelor of…

With the 2008 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) identifying field as signature pedagogy and the 2015 EPAS emphasizing holistic competence, social work education is challenged to identify and expand pedagogy that supports and enhances the integration of classroom and field education. This article posits reflective pedagogy as a…

This field note explores the use of art and creativity in social work field education as an innovative pedagogical method. We highlight the value of incorporating the arts in field instruction courses, such as field seminar, to illuminate both students' and clients' experiences, explore professionalism, and navigate social work practice tensions.…

There has been a call for social work programs to better prepare students for field education. This qualitative study examined an innovation titled Practice Fridays developed to enhance competence in MSW students in a classroom setting. Students (N=57) described what they learned through this simulation-based learning activity and the processes…

This article explores the process and outcomes of teaching critical reflection to social work students in an Australian university, based on our experience with teaching critical reflection. The application by students of a particular model of critical reflection to their learning experiences during field education placements is described and…

The emergence of COVID-19 created significant disruption for MSW students across the United States. This study uses several data for a case study of MSW student attitudes about COVID-19, online instruction, virtual field placement, and innovations during the emergence of COVID-19 in the United States. Data includes qualitative data from weekly…

In 2008 the Council on Social Work Education identified field education as the signature pedagogy of social work. In doing so, it designated field education as the synthetic, integrative curricular area in which students are socialized to the profession. This article examines challenges and opportunities this designation presents. How field…

Social work practitioners increasingly use mindfulness techniques, and research into the impact of this practice is being explored by multiple related disciplines, such as psychology and education. Cultivating the potential benefits of mindfulness at multiple practice levels necessitates curricular integration of mindfulness training. This article…

In its EPAS, CSWE (2008) identifies field education as the signature pedagogy (Shulman, 2005b) of social work education. This article analyzes the field education-signature pedagogy fit. It finds congruence in selected organizational arrangements that are pervasive and routine, and disparities with respect to expectations about public student…

In light of the assertion that field education is the signature pedagogy of social work education, this Internet-based study explores field director demographics and questions the fulfillment of this potential, examining BSW and MSW field education through the lens of the field director position. Field directors (159) and deans/directors (150)…

This article examines the historical development, rationale, and implementation of selected field education accreditation standards. Those reviewed include the number of required field hours, the role of the field liaison, and employer-based placements. Archival data and field education literature from the Council on Social Work Education…

The practice of social work has changed significantly over the years, but models for student field learning have changed relatively little. This article describes two recent changes implemented by the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago that are intended to connect the contemporary demands of generalist social work…

The social work academic community is currently considering and critiquing the idea of evidence-based practice (EBP). Given the vital part that practicum education plays in the social work profession, understanding the views of field instructors on this subject is essential. The George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University…