Index: L1 / School Social Work/ Children and Young People / Elaborated proposal / 70144153
Keywords: Adolescent clients / educational group / youth leadership / stress / overcoming conflict
Abstract: The group proposal follows a systematic sequence of discussing the rational for the proposed group, the practice frameworks adopted, the theoretical base, the target group, the group worker's roles, the recruitment of members and the evaluation measures for the group. In section 11, the placement student has spelt out the content of each session.
Towards the end of this proposal, the fieldwork supervisor's
written comment to the group of students under his supervision has been included.
His thoughts on social work group, group planning and proposal writing that
provides a useful reference for placement students who are conceptualizing and
planning their groups.
(Please note that the fieldwork instructor's comments are in italics.)
Moral education is a significant teaching area in the X School. It can help students to develop a sense of identity and to be able to contribute to our society. This proposal is used as a means to integrating student social worker's idea in a group for the students. It is because group work approach can be effective in the development of student's potential. In the following, I will present this proposal in several parts.
Instructor's comment/feedback:
I am not sure if it is right to coin the term 'moral education' to refer to the non-academic curriculum of the school. Apart from semantics, please elaborate or interpret the meaning of "a sense of identity" and "contribute to our society" in the context of the non-academic curriculum. Re-write "This proposal is used as a means to integrate (what does it mean?) student social worker's ideas in a group for the students". Elaborate what you mean by "development of students" potential. I think the background part should highlight what the prospective group programme is about in relation to the school's non-academic curriculum.
1. Identification of the phenomenon:
Through the contact with students, I found that Form 4 and Form 6 students had some negative experience in leadership. These students expressed that they felt pressure when they became student leaders in school. They felt nervous in public speaking. They regarded leading meetings or games as a stressful event because they faced conflict during the process. Through the interaction process, it was difficult for them to set their roles in the group.
Instructor's comment/feedback:
Clarify the meaning of this sentence - "difficult for them to set their roles in the group". Can you write in a plain language what troubles these student leaders and how you come to learn about this?
2. Analysis of the phenomenon:
Erikson (1963) states that adolescents experience identity development. They feel confuse about their roles. They question about "What kind of person you are? What you believe in? and What you want to do with your life?" If they fail to achieve a sense of identity, they will lose self-confidence and self-esteem. (In that case, they will still have a sense of identity, though one that is negative.) Therefore, the student social worker should guide them to achieve their roles (What roles? Being a student leader?) and prepare them for further study. (I am not sure why it relates to further study.)
Instructor's comment/feedback:
It is not that relevant to coin the Eriksonian framework of psychosocial development, other than displaying 'theories'. I don't recommend such 'use' of theories.
According to Role Theory, different role is expected to perform through the development of life. Adolescents are assigned some roles in the school setting, such as chairman of student union, house captain, discipline head, etc. During the process, they need to be given guidance and feedback. It can help them to achieve their roles successfully. (I don't see the relevance of coining "role theory" here. Simply said, you are saying that adults in school need to provide guidance and help to students when they come across difficulties in performing some tasks as a student leader.)
To provide a climate for members to express themselves towards stress and bad experience in leading. (So you are confining them to stress and bad experience. I suppose there is also positive experience.)
To uplift members' self-awareness about themselves, such as their characteristics, strengths and interests. (It sounds like the goal statement of an 'encounter group'.)
To increase members' self-confidence and sense of judgment (what does it mean?) in overcoming conflicts. (Is overcoming conflict something to do with a person's self-confidence and judgment?) What judgment?)
To give members the experience of peer support through mutual sharing. (It sounds like a support group.)
1. Mutual Aid Theory - It is used for the members who have common problems, needs and interests. They face similar problems and difficulties. Therefore mutual support will be established to provide opportunities for members to share their feelings. Through the interaction, they can discuss their common concern and experience by mutual help and support. It can lead them to share their feelings and build up helping relationships with the others.
Instructor's comment/feedback:
Is there such a theory? Are you referring to the notion of 'mutual aid' in the reciprocal model (Shulman)?
2. Task-centered approach - with regard to the above analysis of the phenomenon, the stress on leadership can be consisted of two factors. (What factors?) Due to the limited sessions, I will focus their learning needs. According to this approach, it can provide interpersonal acceptance through sharing members' experience. (No, task-centred approach is about problem-solving. Interpersonal acceptance is a generic element in any social work group.) It can also lead them to feel the universalization of their problems. (This sounds like 'mutual aid' group.)
3. Role modeling - Albert Bandura (1991) reports that people can learn from observing other's behavior. Through the sharing process, members can encounter their peers and gain new attitudes and social skills from the others, such as coping or conflict resolution skills. Furthermore, members can discuss different response with the other members and form reference and identification for their learning. (This is interpersonal learning, also a generic element in all social work groups. It has nothing to do with Albert Bandura's social learning theory - on vicarious learning.)
(This is about the group work approach, not group structure.)
Problem solving and educational approaches are used in this group. It leads members to review their experience and task. It also aims to facilitate mutual help and support through sharing. Besides that, I will use various methods to provide more information about how to lead the group (Are you referring to teaching them how to lead a group?), for example, games, tasks, role models, role-play and sharing. The group has eight weekly sessions. The duration of each session is around one hour.
Name:
Nature:
Target group:
Date and frequency:
Time: 3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Venue: A classroom
Human resource: One placement student
Recruitment:
Income Expenses
Members fee: NIL Refreshment: $30
Material: $20
Presents: $100
___________________
Total: $250
==================
(In the session plans below, it comes across to me that this is going to be a 'leadership training group'. I am not sure how the 'task-centred approach' is being 'applied' here.)
Session 1: Orientation
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 2: Game leading skills
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 3: Self-understanding
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 4: Public speaking skills
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 5: Interviewing skills
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 6: Coping with group conflict
Objectives:
Contents:
Session 7: Conducting an interview or visit
Objectives:
Session 8: BBQ
Objectives:
Contents:
One of the roles for the worker is as a consultant. It is because she organizes the structure of the group sharing and discussion. She also needs to provide information and knowledge about some specific skills of leadership training. The other role for the worker is as a group collaborator with members. She needs to establish a partnership with the members. She also encourages members to share and to provide emotional support for the members. The worker will cooperate and discuss task setting with members so that the members' motivation also act as a significance role in task planning.
Following is the fieldwork supervisor's written comments to the group of students under his supervision. His thoughts on social work group, group planning and proposal writing that provide a useful reference for the placement student to further conceptualize and plan her group.
Dear All,
We began to discuss the issue of group planning two weeks ago and in greater depth in our last supervision session. I wish to draw your attention to a number of points, most of them should have been raised in our discussion.
1. There is a convergence in your image of what a social work group is by the time you described the 'content' of the group. Invariably, you end up with specific theme/topic for each of the group sessions, and the content is to be delivered through activities like sharing, role-play, games, exercise, etc. It impresses me as a scripted 'stage performance'. You have something to teach/cover and you have the control over when and how it is to be carried out. The group members are actors on the stage, not knowing what the script is, and are to be directed to put up the performance. You are in the role of the director of this stage performance.
2. I have no objection to conduct a group in this manner. What I find disconcerting is the fact that you 'choose' this orientation toward group work in an unthoughtful way - because you have no other alternatives to consider. This is the reason why I tried to dwell on your images of and orientation toward group work in our supervision sessions.
3. I am also concerned about the relative absence of reference to social group work knowledge. Hence, I took you to task in examining 'remedial model', 'reciprocal model', 'encounter group', 'psycho-educational group' and 'task-centred group'. All these notions are intellectual resource for you to think about the prospective group you are now planning.
4. In group work as in counselling, practice is not a matter of executing plans - our plans - but involves situational deliberation and judgment. This is why professional practice is something not immediately acquired by the lay people. As I described this morning (with A and H) about a past student's experience in a parent education group, she gradually changed her orientation and also dropped her plan as she came to appreciate what emerged in the group processes that were unfolding. This is why I adopt this view - treating your group plan as a point of reference and treating the group work models also as a source of reference (and also intellectual resource) for group planning.
5. Responding to J's as well as Jo's draft of their group plans, I noted that there was no point to display the use of theories, in front-loading a group proposal with theories if they were not immediately relevant to the planning of the group. For instance, there is no point to trace back to Maslow's conception of basic human needs if you wish to provide group experience for students to help them examine their experience and problems in peer relationship.
6. Group planning at this stage is to me a 'mental rehearsal' exercise - to imagine what the group experience is going to unfold for members, your part in aiding its unfolding, and the rationality for every decision you make. Thus, group plan should be seen as the 'ideal type' (in Weberian sense) that does not exist in real life. In other words, don't expect the prospective group programme will take place as you have planned. If ever you do expect that, and works hard to make it happen, you will have to subordinate your members to your will, and your authority and control as the leader in the group. In that case, you are running your own show. You own the group and make people to behave in the way you want. This is not good. Why? Remember the value talk in social group work - democratic participation, interpersonal learning, mutuality, etc. So my "ideal type" is to begin with a mental picture but prepare to nurture the development of the group in its own way - as though we are nurturing our sons and daughters to become a person in his/her unique way. Taking this metaphor, we are going to rear the groups that you are working on the drawing board, and find out how they grow into maturity and run their life course.