module specification

This module will help you consider the ways that Social Workers, Youth and Community Workers can be creative in the use of ‘self’, reflection and in exploring imaginative new ways of working with people. You explore and learn about a range of creative approaches to enable the development of critical reflective dialogue and support individuals, groups and communities to analyse their circumstances and that issues affecting them, and to search for possible solutions that support growth and change.

Social Workers, Youth and Community Workers who work alongside marginalised individuals, families and communities are required to make difficult decisions and to intervene to support change and improve the circumstances of people’s lives. The social professions require professionals who have a high level of personal commitment, are open-minded and prepared to examine and even change their own attitudes and possible prejudices.

Each encounter with a vulnerable individual, family or community is unique and requires creative thinking about solutions that are specific to that individual, family or community.  Ultimately a social professional’s creativity is motivated by and directed to understanding and improving the lives and conditions of marginalised people within society who are in need of support, advocacy and protection. Networking, supporting and championing new ways of meeting need are all creative endeavours, as is the ability to reflect both personally and with others.

Module aims:

• You will develop an understanding of concepts and underlying principles in fostering critical and reflective dialogue
• You will be able to use a range of creative approaches to support individuals, groups and communities to analyse their circumstances and explore potential solutions to issues affecting their lives.
• You will learn how to gather and use the feedback and insights of others to critically reflect on and further develop your own practice.
• You will develop a critical understanding of power and structural oppression and how this understanding can be used to challenge and disrupt inequality in practice

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The syllabus will introduce you to a range of creative approaches to support the development of your reflective skills. There will be space within the module to try out these approaches and also to engage in conversations with the module leads and your peers as your understanding develops. You will consider how you can use them in both a practice context and your own communities to challenge and disrupt inequalities.

Some of the approaches you will develop an understanding of are:

• Forum Theatre
• Psychogeography - the practice of ‘walking’
• Photovoice as a participatory arts approach
• Peer Reflection through Action Learning
• Rainbow of Desire
• Storytelling

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LO1 You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of a range creative arts-based approaches that can be applied to support the development of your reflective practice and the reflective learning of others

LO2   You will be able to understand principles underlying creative methods and design interventions to support the development of critical dialogue between individuals, groups and communities.

LO3   You will be able to use the feedback and insights of others to critically reflect on and further develop your own practice.

LO4 You will develop a critical consciousness of power and structural oppression and how this understanding can be used to challenge and disrupt inequality in practice

Your summative assessment involves 2 elements.

Practical Coursework:

• You must use a creative method to intervene and support the development of critical reflection and dialogue amongst individuals, groups or communities. This may include, but is not limited to, Forum Theatre, Rainbow of Desire, role play, storytelling, story walks, photography or the use of artefact, etc.  You will be supported to develop your method during the module. You must gather feedback from participants.

You have the option to submit this assessed piece of work either as an individual or as a collaborative group for the purpose of grading and feedback.

Critical Reflection on Learning:

• You are then required to provide a critical reflective analysis of 1500 words on your intervention that addresses:

1. The principles underlying your chosen method and the application in your practice.
2. Use feedback gathered from participants to critically reflect on your own practice and identify your learning from this intervention and areas for future development.

The critical reflective analysis may take the form of a written piece, audio or visual document, but it must clearly address the requirements set out for the assessment. This component is assessed on an individual basis.

Reading List

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/E6C3DF35-EC72-9EBB-C70D-9AC3D5DBDF3F.html?lang=en-GB