Has Group Work Education Lost Its Social Group Work Essence? A Content Analysis of MSW Course Syllabi in Search of Mutual Aid and Group Conflict Content

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which mutual aid and group conflict, two important dimensions of social group work, are included and featured as prominent elements in MSW-level group work instruction.     

Social Work and Criminal Justice: Are We Meeting in the Field?

Social workers are needed but infrequently involved with criminal justice systems. One way to increase the number of social workers in the criminal justice system is by exposing students to work in these settings. This study examined the number, types, and utilization of criminal justice field placements in MSW programs by surveying field education directors. On average, 7.73% of field placements were in criminal justice settings. When asked about barriers to criminal justice placements, the most frequently identified challenge was a lack of MSW supervisors. Implications for future research and education are discussed.     

What Can We Do for Social Justice?

Abstract

Teaching for Social Justice Edited by William Ayers, Jean Ann Hunt, and Therese Quinn, New York: The New Press, 1998, 416 pages, $;18.95 paperback original     

Promoting Inquiry-Based Teaching in Laboratory Courses: Are We Meeting the Grade?

Over the past decade, repeated calls have been made to incorporate more active teaching and learning in undergraduate biology courses. The emphasis on inquiry-based teaching is especially important in laboratory courses, as these are the courses in which students are applying the process of science. To determine the current state of research on inquiry-based teaching in undergraduate biology laboratory courses, we reviewed the recent published literature on inquiry-based exercises. The majority of studies in our data set were in the subdisciplines of biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, genetics, and molecular biology. In addition, most exercises were guided inquiry, rather than open ended or research based. Almost 75% of the studies included assessment data, with two-thirds of these studies including multiple types of assessment data. However, few exercises were assessed in multiple courses or at multiple institutions. Furthermore, assessments were rarely based on published instruments. Although the results of the studies in our data set show a positive effect of inquiry-based teaching in biology laboratory courses on student learning gains, research that uses the same instrument across a range of courses and institutions is needed to determine whether these results can be generalized.     

“Social Work Is a Profession,Not an Ideology”: A Qualitative Analysis of Student Perceptions of Social Justice Discussions in the Classroom

The purpose of this article is to describe student perceptions of their experiences around social justice discussions in the social work classroom through a qualitative, grounded theory framework. Student responses from a qualitative section of a survey were analyzed and sorted into three categories: perceived discrimination, heightened self-awareness/self-assessment, and future social work practice. Each of these categories was derived from comparable multiple themes stemming from the student responses. A conceptual model resulting from the analysis suggests that students who shared experiences of perceived discrimination during classroom discussions could develop an enhanced self-awareness, which would result in an added empathy for clients in their future social work practice. Suggestions for teaching strategies and directions for future research are also discussed.     

Theoretically and Practically Speaking,What is Needed in Diversity and Equity in Science Teaching and Learning?

This article discusses how issues of diversity and equity are addressed in the preparation of science teachers who are charged with teaching diverse students in schools. Highlighting examples from my own teaching and research and other studies in education, I frame this article in terms of a broad application of theory in science teacher preparation to classroom practices in order to address science achievement and equity for diverse students. I also discuss the relevance of my argument for in-service professional development.     

A Framework for Analysis of Teachers’ Geometric Content Knowledge and Geometric Knowledge for Teaching

Current reform-driven mathematics documents stress the need for teachers to provide learning environments in which students will be challenged to engage with mathematics concepts and extend their understandings in meaningful ways (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000, Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: The Council). The type of rich learning contexts that are envisaged by such reforms are predicated on a number of factors, not the least of which is the quality of teachers’ experience and knowledge in the domain of mathematics. Although the study of teacher knowledge has received considerable attention, there is less information about the teachers’ content knowledge that impacts on classroom practice. Ball (2000, Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 241–247) suggested that teachers’ need to ‘deconstruct’ their content knowledge into more visible forms that would help children make connections with their previous understandings and experiences. The documenting of teachers’ content knowledge for teaching has received little attention in debates about teacher knowledge. In particular, there is limited information about how we might go about systematically characterising the key dimensions of quality of teachers’ mathematics knowledge for teaching and connections among these dimensions. In this paper we describe a framework for describing and analysing the quality of teachers’ content knowledge for teaching in one area within the domain of geometry. An example of use of this framework is then developed for the case of two teachers’ knowledge of the concept ‘square’.     

Who Do We Think We Are? A Survey of Counsellors in Canada

The mental health service delivery system in Canada is complex and the need for services is growing faster than the development of methods and programs to address these. Masters-level counsellors are increasingly called upon to play important roles in the treatment of mental health concerns, yet both the public and other allied professionals (psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, medical practitioners) remain unclear about the role and functions of counsellors. The purpose of this study was to describe the essential characteristics of the counselling profession in Canada as revealed through perceptions of counsellors themselves. A web-based survey on counsellor professional identity was developed and distributed to all members of the Canadian Counselling Association with a 22.9% return rate. Results indicate that counsellors’ roles are diverse and that they are generally satisfied with their choice of profession. However, they do not believe that the profession of counselling as a whole has a solid identity. Implications for the counselling profession in Canada are discussed.

Creating a Teaching and Learning Environment in Criminal Justice Courses that Promotes Higher Order Thinking∗

Active learning techniques have long been shown to increase the extent to which students are able to think critically about problems and solutions to them. The extant research suggests that efforts to engage students in higher order thinking should extend beyond the typical setting in which the more advanced students are introduced to active learning techniques. White and Frederiksen (2000 White, B. Y. and Frederiksen, J. R. 2000. “Metacognitive Facilitation: An Approach To Making Scientific Inquiry Accessible to All.”. In Inquiry into Learning and Teaching in Science, Edited by: Minstrell, J. L. and Van‐Zee, E. H. 331–70. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science.  [Google Scholar]) have found that most students, regardless of achievement levels, can reach a higher order thinking level when they are encouraged to do so. This paper explores several issues associated with active learning techniques in the general sense and then uses examples to demonstrate how such techniques can and are being used on the criminal justice classroom. The pros and cons of using active learning techniques are also discussed.     

Preparing Students for Social Action in a Social Justice Education Course: What Works?

The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of how the curriculum and teaching strategies in a social justice education course prepared them for social action engagement. Past studies using a similar approach to teaching about social justice issues did not include student interviews. Students’ perspectives can shed light on how experiences in a social justice education course prepared them to challenge social oppression and work toward equity in their daily lives. Six students were interviewed one semester after they completed a social justice education course. Findings indicated teaching strategies (e.g., experiential activities) that included students’ lived experiences also increased their personal awareness, empathy, confidence, and knowledge about tools for social action. These teaching strategies were identified more often than content as key in preparing students to take action. Classroom implications are discussed.     

What Account of Science Shall We Give? A Case Study of Scientists Teaching First-year University Subjects

This article presents a case study of four academic scientists. These academics teach in the first year of a Bachelor of Science degree at a large research-focused Australian university that has demanded and supported a greater focus on undergraduate learning. Taken as a whole, the accounts of science that the first-year academics in this case study gave, and which they are presenting to their students, challenge the images of science and scientists typically presented in school science curricula. Using Roberts' heuristic of Vision 1 and Vision 2 for the broad purposes of learning science, we consider various accounts given of science by these academic scientists and consider how science might appear to a student who takes all four of their subjects.     

Criminal Justice Education: Are We Missing One-third of the Crime Triangle?

Theoretical explanations, systemic response, and policy work on offenders and specific crime types are the backbone of criminal justice curricula in the United States. However, a similar breadth and depth of education on crime victims appear to be lacking in traditional criminal justice curricula, despite voluminous research on victims of crime. In this exploratory study, the authors conducted a content analysis of 679 programs from the Academy of Criminal Justice (ACJS) website directory. Departmental and course-level variables were included in the analysis. Results indicate that while more than half of the programs have faculty with expressed interests in victimization, only 11% of programs studied required coursework on crime victims and/or victimization. Implications of the results are discussed.     

A Minority within a Minority? Social Justice for Traveller and Roma Children in ECEC

This article discusses recent policy developments in Europe regarding Roma and Traveller integration and Early Childhood Provision. After a long history of oppression, Roma issues have recently become prominent on the EU policy agenda. The article discusses how these relate to developments in other areas of policy: the European children's rights agenda and the recognition that early childhood education and care is a key policy tool to combat social exclusion. It gives background information on Roma and Travellers in Europe and discusses the consequences of subsuming the various communities under one umbrella term: Roma. The EU Commission is concerned with responses from Member States to the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies. The article argues that in order to address Roma children's experience from a holistic perspective, social justice and equality need to be key elements of early childhood education and care provision and training. The European policy developments that frame the article are examined from a local vantage point: the experiences of Traveller and Roma children in Ireland and the Irish Preschool Education Initiative for Children from Minority Communities.     

What Do We Teach When We Teach the Learning Sciences? A Document Analysis of 75 Graduate Programs

The learning sciences, as an academic community investigating human learning, emerged more than 30 years ago. Since then, graduate learning sciences programs have been established worldwide. Little is currently known, however, about their disciplinary backgrounds and the topics and research methods they address. In this document analysis of the websites of 75 international graduate learning sciences programs, we examine central concepts and research methods across institutions, compare the programs, and assess the homogeneity of different subgroups. Results reveal that the concepts addressed most frequently were real-world learning in formal and informal contexts, designing learning environments, cognition and metacognition, and using technology to support learning. Among research methods, design-based research (DBR), discourse and dialog analyses, and basic statistics stand out. Results show substantial differences between programs, yet programs focusing on DBR show the greatest similarity regarding the other concepts and methods they teach. Interpreting the similarity of the graduate programs using a community of practice perspective, there is a set of relatively coherent programs at the core of the learning sciences, pointing to the emergence of a discipline, and a variety of multidisciplinary and more heterogeneous programs “orbiting” the core in the periphery, shaping and innovating the field.     

Exploring Problems in Students＇ Evaluation of Teaching in Colleges and Universities and its Countermeasures ——A Case Analysis of A University

本文对A大学的学生评教工作进行了个案分析,指出了其在制度建设、量表设计、反馈改进以及评价结果运用4个方面存在的突出问题,之后提出了针对性的改进对策。本文的个案具有一定的代表性,研究结论对其他高校有一定的借鉴意义。     

Points of View: A Survey of Survey Courses: Are They Effective?

Note from the EditorsPoints of View (POV) addresses issues faced by many people within the life science education community. Cell Biology Education (CBE) publishes the POV Feature to present two or more opinions published in tandem on a common topic. We consider POVs to be “Op-Ed” pieces designed to stimulate thought and dialogue on significant educational issues. Each author had the opportunity to revise or add to his/her POV after reading drafts of the other''s POV.In this issue, we ask the question, “Are survey courses still viable for introductory biology?” The POV question is related to the ones asked by the National Research Council in the recent feature by Jay Labov (www.cellbioed.org/articles/vol3no4/article.cfm?articleID=132) and continues to be a subject of debate by many science departments, not just biology. Often the discussion is split not only by perceived value of the survey course, but also by the size of the institution. Therefore, we present four POVs, plus a framing POV to set the tone. The overview was written by Arri Eisen, who is a senior lecturer in Emory University''s Biology Department and the director of the Program in Science & Society. Representing the Anti-Survey, Large University is Janet M. Batzli, Associate Director of the nontraditional Biology Core Curriculum at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The Anti-Survey, Small College perspective is presented by David Becker, who is an Associate Professor and Magdalena R. and John P. Dexter Professor of Botany in the Department of Biology at Pomona College. Presenting the Pro-Survey, Large University perspective is Douglas M. Fambrough, Professor of Biology at The Johns Hopkins Department of Biology and Scientific Director of the Searle Scholars Program. Finally, the Pro-Survey, Small College POV was coauthored by Mary Lee Ledbetter and A. Malcolm Campbell. Ledbetter is a Professor of Biology at College of the Holy Cross and a 2003 NSF Director''s Award recipient. Campbell is an Associate Professor of Biology at Davidson College and a co-Editor-in-Chief of CBE. Readers are encouraged to compare the authors'' perspectives and share their thoughts and reactions using the online discussion forum hosted by CBE at http://www.cellbioed.org/discussion/public/main.cfm.

• Cell Biol Educ. 2005 Summer; 4(2): 123–137.
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• Running out of Hands: Designing a Modern Biology Curriculum

Cell Biol Educ. 2005 Summer; 4(2): 123–124. doi:  10.1187/cbe.05-01-0055

Running out of Hands: Designing a Modern Biology Curriculum

Arri EisenProgram in Science & Society Department of Biology Emory University Atlanta, GA 30322Author information ? Copyright and License information ?Copyright The American Society for Cell BiologyWhat makes a good teacher? What makes a good curriculum? While these two questions are intimately related, they are different. And when I think about them, I find myself feeling like Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof dealing with a perplexing problem—that is, I quickly run out of hands. On the one hand, when I reflect on my best teachers, I can''t separate the person from what the person taught me. On the other hand, when designing a curriculum, we want to figure out what to teach and how, and leave out the person, because 1) personnel changes, 2) teachers have different styles, and 3) a good curriculum allows for these different styles. On the other hand, while personal style overlaps with pedagogy—the “how” of teaching—they are different. On the other hand… I have run out of hands.Let''s simplify a little and just discuss key questions and issues that should be addressed in designing a rigorous biology curriculum. Since introductory courses set the tone, standards, and expectations for the curriculum, we''ll focus our discussion on introductory courses as a model for thinking about the entire curriculum. Because this is an “overview” for a series of Points of View articles (POVs), I can cheat some and not give you any answers (see the four POVs that follow for some possible answers). Instead, I''ll sneak into a discussion of these key questions and issues, which I''ll call The Big 5. These five key points are important to consider, especially because we tend to lose sight of them since we''re often too close to our own blackboards to have a broader perspective. Some of my comments may sound like common sense, but keep in mind that most everything those bestseller self-help books say is common sense, yet they''re still bestsellers.     

The School Counselor in Israel: An Agent of Social Justice?

In recent years, leaders in the school counseling profession worldwide have been calling on their colleagues to re-examine their role as “agents of social justice” in schools, with a view to promoting equal educational opportunities for all students. This research examines counselors’ perceptions of the role, role behaviors, personal justice sensitivity, the school’s justice sensitivity and the interrelations among these variables. Two hundred and six Israeli school counselors responded to a questionnaire. Findings show that the majority of counselors perceived their role as promoting social justice, and indeed engaged in activities meant to increase disadvantaged students’ chances of success. The variable of role perception was found to mediate between personal sensitivity to justice (justice sensitivity) and counselors’ actual behaviors. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for the professional socialization of counselors as agents of social justice.     

BSW and MSW Students’ Opinions About and Responses to the Death of Freddie Gray and the Ensuing Riots: Implications for the Social Justice Emphasis in Social Work Education

In April 2015, a Black man, Freddie Gray, died in police custody in Baltimore, Maryland. A day of rioting followed. These events provided the researcher with the opportunity to ascertain social work students’ opinions about and actions in response to these occurrences and their implications for the social justice mission of the social work profession. Students expressed a commitment to social justice and reported that it was emphasized in their education. A significant minority indicated that the Gray case was not addressed in any of their social work classes or in their field practicum. Although respondents reported that the Gray case further enhanced their commitment to the principle of social justice, few engaged in any sort of activity in response to Gray’s death and the unrest either at the time of the events or 6 months later. Implications for social work education are discussed.