The School of Social Work currently is exploring and developing frameworks and applications of a trauma-informed and human rights (TI-HR) perspective across all levels of social work practice.
Please select a student type and learning objective to see a list of related Field Education activities. Activities relevant to a [TI-HR] perspective are labeled as such.
Email us at sw-field@buffalo.edu
These assignments can be useful adjuncts to in-person fieldwork as well as for when a disruption or stoppage in fieldwork occurs related to a public health issue or other event. They should be incorporated into student learning contracts and connected to relevant competencies.
Examples include the following:
Social workers are finding new and creative ways to engage clients in the pandemic. One way is through creating a virtual office. Clients can "visit," see helpful resources and activities, and schedule appointments. In this activity, students will enhance their technology skills and create a product that will help them engage with clients at their field agency. To participate, you can:
To cite: Shanahan, M. & Lynch, M. (2020). Creating a Virtual Social Work Office: An Innovative Way to Engage Clients. Retrieved from http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/field-educators-liaisons/field-educator-resources/orientation-and-training-new/learning-contracts-and-performance-evaluations/learning-contract-evaluation-activity-search.html.
Self-care is an important component of social work practice (and life in general), especially in times of stress. While many of you will have already seen some of these resources, and certainly given thought to your personal self-care, it is important to regularly re-visit our self-care plans and activities. We are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty and we want to encourage and ensure that students are taking care of themselves in positive and healthy ways. For this assignment, we want to students to spend around five hours engaging in the study of self-care, and developing a personal plan for yourself.
Review the following:
Self-care is an important component of social work practice (and life in general), especially in times of stress. While many of you will have already seen some of these resources, and certainly given thought to your personal self-care, it is important to regularly re-visit our self-care plans and activities. We are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty and we want to encourage and ensure that students are taking care of themselves in positive and healthy ways. For this assignment, we want to students to spend around five hours engaging in the study of self-care, and developing a personal plan for yourself.
Review the following:
This assignment can be done individually or with a partner. The purpose of this assignment is to help students learn about assessment, evaluation, and/or intervention skills while also learning about technology tools and resources that will help them be informed about social work practice. In this assignment you will also demonstrate your ability to present yourself in a professional manner, self-awareness, and ability to engage in critical peer consultation.
An audio podcast is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, or other device. The content of a podcast can inspire, inform, or entertain an audience. An audio format can be used as a way to capture people’s attention and direct their concern to the topic you cover in ways that you cannot do in writing. You will save your audio file in an mp3 or mp4 format, which is the default for most recording devices.
Before you record, edit, and upload your podcast, you will:
For your podcast - your podcast should focus on a topic that is relevant to your field agency, the podcast can then be shared with your field site to use as a resource. For example, if you are placed in a school, any topic about education and/or children and youth would be relevant. You could also highlight how your agency is adapting to the changes and stresses associated with the Corona Virus pandemic.
The podcast assignment has three parts:
1. Create a podcast between 15-20 minutes in length, including intro.
2. Have a peer review your podcast using the attached rubric. After the review, you may choose to re-record or edit any part of the podcast to address changes. Complete the reflection portion of your assignment. Your reflection should answer these questions: (a) what did it take to create your podcast; (b) what did you learn from creating the podcast, about technology and your topic; (c) how is podcasting similar and different to writing a paper on the topic; (d) how will you use podcasts in the future; (e) if you worked with a partner, describe how you divided the work and who did what.
3. Complete a short survey about this assignment. This survey is worth one hour of field time. You will upload the last page of the survey (confirmation of submission) to receive the extra credit. Your answers to the survey will not impact your grade, but will be used to improve the assignment in the future, and the information will also be anonymized and used for research if you give consent. The survey will ask you about your learning and strengths/weaknesses of this assignment.
Complete a reflection paper that covers: (a) what did it take to create your podcast; (b) what did you learn from creating the podcast, about technology and your topic; (c) how is podcasting similar and different to writing a paper on the topic; (d) how will you use podcasts in the future; (e) if you worked with a partner, describe how you divided the work and who did what.
Consider sharing your podcast with the Field Team at sw-field@buffalo.edu and/or via social media. For example, your podcast can be published with accompanying text via Wordpress or other blogging site, and a link to your post can be shared on Twitter or other platform using the hashtag #UBSSW.
Resources:
The online version of this module, Conversations About Culture: Video and Lesson Plan, can be found on this website.
The content is designed to facilitate skills for effective cross cultural communication and collaboration. The very important concept of cultural humility is a central focus. Cultural humility entails acknowledging difference, and positioning ourselves as people interested in learning and understanding. Cultural humility is particularly relevant to a trauma-informed, human-rights-based approach to social work practice; it underscores the dignity and value of the individual and empowers the client as expert in their experience.
Because the process of self-reflection is so important for the development of cultural humility, sample reflection exercises are provided. Learning objectives include the following:
The use of technology, both personally and professionally has profound impacts on our lives and our work. Recently, CSWE and NASW have put out standards for the ethical use of technology and making tech proficiency a critical component of social work education. This assignment allows students to explore various uses of technology and their implications for practice and self-care.
This sample reflection paper assignment can be used in conjunction with training, volunteer or other activities assigned by the Field Educator.
Write a Reflection Paper (at least 3-5 pages) on the training you attended, responding to the prompts below, and addressing where possible connections to competencies 1-9.
Submission instructions: Students can submit their reflections, noting number of completed training hours plus time spent completing this reflection, directly to their Field Educator.
(1-2 Pages) Respond to the following prompts
(1-2 Pages) Next, consider any connections to the nine Social Work competencies.
Email us at sw-field@buffalo.edu