University and Social Involvement at the Neighborhood Level: Implications for Social Work Education

The article describes and evaluates an innovative experiment in education and training of social workers at an academic learning center, which was established by the Hebrew University's School of Social Work and Social Welfare in a neighborhood of Jerusalem. The project focused on strengthening the link between theory, research, and practice. Participants were exposed to advanced theories and macropractice seminars, and gained practical experience as well as tools and technologies for coping with the social problems faced by Jerusalem neighborhoods. In that process, they became aware of the difficulties involved in initiating programs and in establishing coalitions with neighborhood institutions, residents, and other constituencies. The article deals with the achievements of the learning center, as well as with the difficulties and dilemmas encountered in the effort to sustain collaboration between the university and the community. In addition, issues related to supervision of students specializing in community work and practice, and implications for social work education are presented and discussed.     

Benefits and Challenges of Service-Learning in Baccalaureate Social Work Programs

Service-learning is a pedagogical approach that integrates students’ classroom instruction with community experience. This article discusses qualitative results from a national survey examining service-learning in Council on Social Work Education–accredited baccalaureate programs. Almost 80% of the 202 program respondents required service-learning. They reported that benefits of incorporating service-learning in the BSW curriculum include assisting students in building community connections, applying theory and skills, socializing to the social work profession, and increasing self-awareness and exposure to diverse populations. Cited challenges include securing agency sites, time, and logistics. Findings support existing research suggesting that service-learning may benefit social work undergraduate education.     

The STORRI Method: A Strategy for Exploring and Integrating Youth Culture into the Classroom

As teachers progress in life and career, generation gaps may begin to appear that decrease not only the effectiveness of interaction with students but also the ability to produce generationally relevant course content. Situated in a framework of socioculturalism (Vygotsky 1978), this article presents The STORRI Method—a strategy for exploring and integrating youth culture into the classroom. STORRI is an acronym for the six iterative steps of the method: survey, talk, observe, research, reflect, and integrate. Each step of The STORRI Method is discussed with numerous corresponding examples, and best practices are offered for use in the classroom setting. A case narrative is also provided to demonstrate The STORRI Method's use in a high school level U.S. government course.     

Family Engagement and Tiered Approaches for Middle and Secondary Students

Tiered instruction and social/emotional supports (such as Response to Intervention or Positive Behavior Intervention Supports) are not only for elementary students. Middle and high school educators are now implementing these strategies to close the skills achievement gap and support students in various classes. One crucial component often neglected in professional literature involves ways to collaborate with families, especially when their student is receiving specialized tiered instruction. Due to the importance of engaging and empowering families, this article describes ways middle and high school personnel can strengthen the family–school collaboration when a student is receiving support in tiered systems.     

On the Shoulders of Giants by Robert K. Merton. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,vicennial edition, 1985, 300 pp., hardcover.

Abstract

This article describes possibilities afforded by using social media, specifically Twitter, as a way to encourage students to join political conversations across the United States and around the world. In this study, we describe a project in which students used Twitter to share commentary about the state of the 2012 presidential election. The experiences of these students illustrate both the potential strengths and limitations of using social media as a tool for political engagement.     

Stories of/on citizenship education: a case of participatory planning

ABSTRACT

This article provides evidence of the ways in which Family Learning (FL) has offered opportunities for the negotiation of a culturally responsive pedagogy that positions parents as experts. Although our study is small (ten parents and six FL practitioners) its significance lies in its longitudinal perspective and in-depth analysis, which demonstrate that the benefits of learning are dynamic and can transfer across domains (education, family, community) and lead to change in parents’ sense of self and their practices. We find that the approach taken by the FL workers enabled parents to raise their horizons of possibility so that they considered new careers and ways of being. Our symbolic interactionist approach focuses on the opportunity for the negotiation of new identities afforded by these programmes and provides an explanation for their long-term positive consequences. The implications for adult learning for all professionals engaging with parents are the benefits of: forming collaborative relationships between participants and staff; using a ‘funds of knowledge’ pedagogical approach; and developing artifacts that can be shared publically.     

Improving engagement: the use of ‘Authentic self-and peer-assessment for learning’ to enhance the student learning experience

Innovative assessment practices have the potential to shift the way universities function. By focusing on well-designed assessment tasks, where students are expected to work collegially and are actively involved in self- and peer-assessment, the opportunity to engage students in the assessment process is realised. This article contends that students are significantly and detrimentally disengaged from the assessment process as a result of traditional assessments that do not address key issues of learning. Notable issues that arose from observations and questioning of students indicated that vast proportions of students were not proofreading their own work were not collaborating on tasks; had not been involved in the development of assessment tasks; and that students had insufficient skills in relation to their ability to evaluate their own efforts. These facts led the author to conceptualise new models of assessment focusing on authentic learning and the authentic assessment of that learning through self- and peer-assessment. Authentic assessment for sustainable learning (AASL) and Authentic self-and peer-assessment for learning (ASPAL) were trialled with approximately 300 undergraduate education students at the University of Notre Dame Australia. This article explains the conceptual development of the models and provides justification for their implementation.     

Leadership and engagement in South Cambridgeshire District Council

How can action learning be used as part of an overall approach to changing the culture of an organisation? This article describes some of the work being done by managers in South Cambridgeshire district to build a more empowered and engaged organisation following the appointment of a new chief executive tasked with raising standards in an organisation which had had a challenging history, where morale was low and where significant reductions in the workforce were taking place. The article describes the purpose of action learning in this particular context, the membership of the action learning groups and the uses to which action learning is being put by managers in the Council.     

Modeling the impact of wilderness orientation programs on first-year academic success and life purpose

Wilderness orientation programs (WOPs) are becoming a popular method of encouraging college student retention and success. Previous studies have identified outcomes and correlates of participation in these programs, but a cohesive model of impact is lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of WOPs on first-year student success and sense of purpose. A secondary aim was to elucidate predictors and correlates of WOPs identified in previous research. Participants included 295 students at a liberal arts college. Results indicate that WOP participants demonstrated higher levels of first-semester social engagement and reflection, thus leading to higher grade point average, better retention and a higher sense of life purpose. WOP participation, however, had a negative direct influence on sense of purpose. These findings are discussed in light of previous research, presenting a preliminary model of WOP influence on first-year academic success.     

用“百姓日用即道”遏制人文道德滑坡

只有那些具有“本体”支撑的文化才具备强大持久的生命力。现代文化的“祛魅”即淡化形而上学现象,加之消费文化的无根天性,导致人文道德滑坡。王艮的“百姓日用即道”来之“天地一体”的本体,与消费文化同根同源,对消费文化具有规约与指导作用。