How Practising Social Workers Benefit from Teaching Social Work Students in University Classrooms

Tools

Taylor, Mark. 2024. How Practising Social Workers Benefit from Teaching Social Work Students in University Classrooms. Social Work Education, ISSN 0261-5479 [Article] (In Press)

Preview

Text
How practising social workers benefit from teaching social work students in university classrooms.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (1MB) | Preview

Text
GRO item 35663 - Taylor 24 _SW Education Journal Acceptance.pdf - Accepted Version
Permissions: Administrator Access Only until 28 November 2025.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.
Download (515kB)

Official URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02615...

Abstract or Description

This paper explores the impact on practising social workers who engage in teaching social work students in a university classroom setting. Using a narrative inquiry approach, focus group interviews were conducted with social workers from three London local authorities to understand how teaching opportunities influence their professional development and practice. The findings reveal that classroom interactions, characterized by dialogical engagement and student curiosity, prompt social workers to reflect on and reconsider established social work knowledge and practices. Teaching in a university environment invites practitioners to develop a revised understanding of their professional identity by enhancing self-reflexive opportunities and by freeing up new ways to think about social work. These insights, often cultivated by students asking unanticipated questions, are taken back to the practitioners’ workplace, potentially leading to shifts in their practice with colleagues and service users. The paper concludes that teaching not only benefits students, but also offers practising social workers unique opportunities for continuous professional development, as university classrooms can foster a dynamic, social constructivist approach to learning.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2024.2436989