SECTION F — FIELDWORK PRACTICUM TAUIRA STUDENT E- PROFILE / REPORT - (A MINIMUM OF THREE ACTUAL CASES) Tauira are required to complete this profile individually. It is a reflection of your actual fieldwork practicum experience. Once completed please ensure that you place an electronic copy into your IEB e-Portfolio and Practicum Team has a copy for their record. This is aligned to the Social Work Registration Board ‘Practice Study Competency Outline’. You are required to: Provide three cases. Sections are provided below as a guide for the three practicum cases ‘Students may use for practicum case but write no more than 250 words per section Each case has a word limit of 2000 words Base it on actual fieldwork practicum two experience Write in succinct statements with references (APA 6" edition) Due Date: Friday 23 October 2015 [ 2. introduction = give a miniurnum detailed explanation ofthe type of work you were engaged in while on practicum and the area of practice (For example: casework, assessment of client/ whanau needs, networking). ‘Astandout among the various experiences I had on placement was the opportunity to deliver a presentation to all 60 SSTS Year 11 students around the theme of resilience. | presented on the sub-theme of ‘Goals: The Fuel for Success!'. The material for the presentation was largely drawn from my own experience of using various approaches and models in setting goals. | also included several strategically placed quotes from well-known historical figures. | was grateful that my supervisor had enough trust in me to afford me the opportunity to learn through such an experience. 2 Presenting situation - give a detailed explanation of a piece of work you were engaged in during practicum, This could be in relation to a challenging piece of work. For example, ethical dilemma, diffoult process you were involved in. Described your role within the practice being presented. (Identity the standards that have been applied). Twas to present to a large group. The sheer size of the group could make it difficult for participants to feel individually engaged with the presenter. | also needed to consider the fact that many of the students have historically struggled with short attention spans anda | general apathy toward their education and even in some cases life in general. | was ‘warned that it could be a challenge to maintain the students’ interest for 5 minutes let alone the 90 minutes that was allocated for the presentation. | was also concerned that many of the students were so used to hearing unsolicited advice on everything they | should be doing, that they would not be receptive to more advice from a “wise” adult. | | felt that student participation and a student-driven dialogue were going to be key to holding their attention. At the outset | would also need to establish clear terms of engagement so as to minimize counterproductive or even outright disruptive behaviour. 28 | 700.715 Te Kawa Mahi: The Professionalin the Organisation Practicum Booklet 2072 Vi"1'3,_In your assessment give an explanation of what needed to be done. A minimum of two detailed theories/ processes you mostly worked with. (For example, crisis intervention, task centred, Te Mahi Whakamana, Ata, Takepu, Ko Wai Au, Kaitiakitanga, Strengths-based, Change, Radical.) Consider how you relate the two theories to your assessment, was this difficult? By the time | delivered the presentation, | had already established a good rapport with most of the students and so | was confident that | could dive straight into the focused on delivering an entertaining and interactive presentation that could hold the students’ attention, | also knew that if they were allowed to contribute to the session ina meaningful way, there was a much higher chance of keeping them engaged and in a teachable state. | was confident in this principle as it had been proven out in my classroom teaching experience with students of a similar age group. | decided for | these reasons that | decided on a task-centred strength-based approach (Egan, & Lewis-Nicholson, 2008) that was client-centred and involved interviewing tools such as the miracle question, narrative questioning and open-ended questions. | was determined to communicate to the students the fact that | was there in the role of advocate on their behalves It was to be for them and by them role you played, rationale undertaken within your role for this plan, meat of the presentation without too much preamble. In my preparations | was | 4. What was your plan of action — illustrate the actions undertook in this plan. Be clear about the As hi-tech facilities were available, | decided to use a PowerPoint presentation. I took a lot of care in putting together a quirky, fun and humorous presentation interspersed with inspirational quotes from inspirational people. Periodically | would introduce tasks that would require each of the students to make a personal contribution to the session. | would also seek the feedback and opinions of participants. | wanted to try to have a transparent role as facilitator where it became less about me and more about each student benefitting in some way from the experience. | was determined to, if nothing else, plant some seeds of positive ideas that students could then learn to apply in all areas of their lives. | would factor in the learning style preferences that may exist. | would also do my best to simplify the terminology used so as not to cause confusion or misunderstanding, 5. What did you do? How did you do it? What were your reasons for doing it? T designed the PowerPoint presentation to include transitions and engaging graphics and made sure that the font was legible. | designed companion documentation including goal setting templates and worksheets. | also created further resources that students could take away with them if they expressed interest in implementing some of the principles shared in the presentation. | tried to consider logistical matters, such as the seating arrangements, etc. Furthermore, | asked the students to divide into their mentoring groups in order to encourage a sense of comradery and shared accountability. All of these measures were designed to of information. Engaging participants is the duty of the teacher/presenter in my view. enhance the engagement of the students. 15 years of classroom teaching experience has | taught me that student engagement is the foundation for easier learning and better retention | . What was the outcome? (Did you agree/disagree) L Based on feedback from colleagues and my own critical self-review: the oulcome was generally good. Though at some points some students started to show signs of their concentration waning, | was able to hold the students’ attention for the majority of the | session. Most of the students engaged in the session in a positive way and made meaningful 29 | "760.713 Te Kawa Mahi: The Professional in the Organisation Practicum Booklet 2012 V1:1contributions where asked. In particular, there were several students who seemed to be inspired by some aspect of the presentation and expressed to me their resolve to make positive changes in their daily habits. Several students asked me for copies of the goal setting templates for personal use. | sensed that a significant number of students at least were given some food for thought and were inspired/motivated even if only a litle. This alone was a very satisfying outcome for me. One student told me after the session that they often hear about goals, but that my presentation was different, in that the discussion centred around what the students wanted out of life rather what was recommended to them by others. | took this as a positive affirmation that | was on the road to developing a truly client- centred practice. As a practitioner | want to never lose sight of the importance of the intervention for one. The engagement with one. The positive outcome for one. 7. Explain some of your most effective learning in this situation and why? Consider what has been some of the learning that has been the least effective as well. (Provide examples of how strengths were gained or developed within this experience). | Due to major technical difficulties at the beginning of the presentation | was forced to think ‘on my feet and deliver the presentation in a different style than initially intended. | realized that | had made the mistake of being too technology-reliant. Wherever possible, | need to develop a contingency or a “rainy-day option for the times when things do not go according to plan. | am sure this principle applies across all sectors of social work. We must be flexible. This is a keystone of a client-centric practice and is a strong argument in support of the development of an eclectic practice for all social workers. | also learned not to over prepare. | have a tendency to prepare too much material for the time allotted for a speech or presentation. | was somewhat guilty of this in the case of this presentation also. It meant that Thad to rush some of my most important points as | realized that | was running out of time. | once again resolved to focus on fewer points, allowing time to explore them in greater depth. | also leamt that a successful presentation must be started strongly. Much like attraction science, | believe the audience at any given event make a subconscious determination very quickly whether they will or will not engage in the activity. 8, Were there any conflicfing issues andlor interest such as personal values and beliefs? (If so, how did you deal with ethical dilemmas?) In my presentation there may have been some philosophies and messaging that was different or framed differently from what they are used to hearing from faculty members, parents and other adult stakeholders in their lives. From what | have observed and heard by way of feedback from a number of the students, many of the adults in their lives operate on the deficit model of thinking and are focused strictly on tasks and solutions, such as number of credits, behavioural benchmarks, etc. | felt it important that | share with them my authentic beliefs around how to best self-motivate using a strength-based, motivational approach that shifted the focus, even temporarily, from “what must | do?” to ‘what can | achieve if | set my ming to it?". Because | realize that no one philosophy is appropriate for all people, | stripped my presentation down to the underlying principles and practices that could then be adapted to each individual's situation. | also tried to practice patience as certain of the students voiced opposition to certain principles that | had always considered to be givens. As | showed respect for their opinions they seemed to get progressively more receptive to what | was saying. There was also a conflict of ideas: mine and those espoused by the teaching staff: the ‘status quo’. The challenge was presenting alternative ideas while remaining respectful toward other philosophies taught. ‘9. How did you demonstrate core Social Work Competencies and SWR8 Practice Standards? 30 | (00719 Te Kawa ahi; The Professionalin the Organisation Pracioum Booklet 2012i felt | was able to demonstrate the following Social Work Competencies: SWRB Competency #3 ~ "Competence to work respectfully and inclusively with diversity and difference in practice". This competency is further described in the following way: “can respectfully and effectively communicate and engage with a diverse range of people" (SWRB Core Competence Standards, 2015). | felt | was able to reflect this competency in preparing a presentation that took into account gender, preferred learning styles, ethnicity, etc. | was successful in soliciting participation from almost all of the students, | was able to practice SWRB Competency #4 ~ "Competence to promote the principles of human rights and social and economic justice" by: "respecting and upholding the rights, dignity, values and autonomy of people and creates an environment of respect and understanding.” | was careful to remind the students on several occasions that any decisions around goal setting, education, etc. were theirs to make. | clearly communicated to them the fact that | was not trying to impose a particular methodology on them but rather share with them some ideas that they could then take away and adapt to their own situations. Further, | was able to reflect the SWRB Competency #7 - “Competence to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments”. This is further explained in the following way: "demonstrates effective oral, written and electronic communication.” This was done by preparing and effectively executing a substantial presentation to a large number of students. I fee! | was able to deliver my message in a clear and powerful way using language and terminology that the students could understand and relate to. was able to demonstrated SWRB Competency #8 — "Promote empowerment of people and communities to enable positive change”. This competency is further expounded as: “Facilitates and promotes clients’ active participation in decision making;” and is “compassionate, empathetic and respectful and seeks to understand others to adequately assess their needs,” (SWRB Core Competence Standards, 2015). | feel this, was demonstrated by my careful consideration of how to best match the presentation to the needs, communication styles and goals of the clientele — in this case the students. as a 70. What areas of praclice and areas of self-development will you look to develop furth result of this case? _ in my new role as a Social Worker in Schools (SWiS) | will have many opportunities to make presentations and facilitate programmes for primary to intermediate age children. | will develop a presentation model that factors in all the needs of the audience and is not wholly reliant on technology. | will try to always have a contingency plan in place. | also plan to strive to develop a practice that is client-centric in order to ensure that any intervention, initiative or action taken on behalf of the client is always guided by what is in the best interests of the client — according to the client. This methodology is eloquently laid by Rogers (2018). A phrase that | came up with and shared as part of my presentation: ‘It is OK to be ‘selfish when it comes to goal setting; after all it's your life!” Unsurprisingly many of the kids responded positively to this notion. They do want to live out a good and rewarding life but they just don't know how to set about doing it yet 31 | 790.718 Te Kawa Mahi: The Professional in the Organisation Practioum Booklet 2012 Vi-tAgency Supervisor Comments / Observations / Notes/ Recommendations ‘A challenging role for Clinton to take a session with all the Year 11 students, this was around goal setting, he was positive in his delivery and understood the dynamics regarding their resilience to stay focus for a long period of time. Closing statement of practice Well done Clinton, you were able to get your message across to the students regarding Fuel to Success process, the patience you had was great and your prior knowledge of this showed through as well. Ba | 720718 Te Kawa Mahi: The Professionalin the Organisation Practicum Booklet 2012 V1-1Tauira / Student Name Clinton Strother Practice Supervisor Name Flo Tamehana ined Cyt Date 19/10/2015 Signed, Date 49/10/2015, Reference List Maiden, J. & Egan, R. (2009). Practice skills in social work and welfare: More than just common sense. Victoria, Australia: Midland Typesetters. Rogers, C. (1951). Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications and theory. London: Constable. Social Work Registration Board. (2015). Core competence standards. Retrieved from http://www. swrb.govt.nz/ (isthe student’ responstty to submit he cxigal lanes har copy toNC block Reception tend of placemen)