The mission of the field experience is for students to learn how to use social work knowledge and skills with clients in practice situations. The field instructor must assist students to see how social work knowledge, values, and skills are used within the agency.
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- the focus turns from the acquisition of knowledge to the application of knowledge in an agency setting
- the purpose of the field experience is for students to learn how to use social work knowledge and skills with clients in practice situations.
- the purpose of field education is not for students to learn how to work at a particular agency. Students should understand how to apply social work knowledge, skills and values to any agency setting and be prepared to work with clients.
What we know about students:
Students in field education are likely to focus on task completion rather than on the reasons behind the tasks.
Students may become so focused on the task they are completing that they do not think about social work knowledge or skills—they are simply imitating the actions of their field instructor or others they have observed.
Students rarely critically analyze their actions. When one task is completed, they often just move on to the next task.
Students must be prompted to make the connections between the tasks and the reasons behind the tasks.
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