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Despite its historic prominence in group work, there is little empirical research to support our understanding of the professional use of self in group work. This paper reports the results of a SPARC endorsed study, which focused on group workers' experience and struggle with their professional uses of self in groups in responding to diversity. Using focus groups, a semi-structured interview format, and Straussian grounded theory data analysis, two key themes emerged – grappling with professional uses of self and disengagement from professional uses of self. When grappling with professional uses of self, group workers employed intentional self-disclosure, opened space, and supported norms for the expression of diversity, humility, genuineness, and reflexivity. Disengagement occurred in response to fear and often resulted in an overemphasis on group tasks. Our results suggest that the effective professional use of self in the here and now of group dynamics creates a sense of safety for both the group workers and the group members when responding to diversity. The implications of this study highlight the need for a method that supports critical self-reflection in real-time in group and builds capacity for responsibly responding to diversity in groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how the teaching of group work field education can be developed through learning communities. The Bachelor of Social Work degree is being revised to include a wider social development focus against the backdrop of increasing socio-economic inequality. Given these changes, educators are encouraged to develop courses that promote active learning to engage students emotionally, cognitively and behaviourally as socially responsible citizens. Socially just pedagogy, informed by a convergent theoretical orientation that is able to hold multiple realities, forms of inequality, and agency, was used to underpin the field education course to achieve learning outcomes of critical thinking, reflection, reflexivity and an acute understanding of difference. In this exploratory qualitative study, the views of eight students and five external field supervisors are considered in relation to the introduction of the Ke Moja (I am fine, without drugs) programme to conduct group work at working class public schools. The focus was to foster greater awareness on substance use implementing a meso-practice group work intervention. Data were from a focus group with students and a semi-structured interviews with external field education supervisors. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings of the study suggest the potential of the programme to strengthen social work students’ awareness of the critical aspects of group work, the values and the ethics relevant to the profession and thoughtful citizenship. They also point to the limitations of the programme to engage with the socio-economic conditions that produce drug dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a uniquely South African (SA) perspective on a blended learning course at a contact institution. In bringing together authentic learning (AL), social justice pedagogies and technology informed by student experiences, this paper hopes to contribute to the discourse around social justice in higher education (both nationally and internationally) and the inherent tension associated with critical (transformative) pedagogies. The attention is focussed on the experiences of a class of diverse 1 year Social Work students at a Higher Education Institution (HEI), particularly exploring the tensions inherent in the Health and Wellbeing Course. We sought to establish links between theory, practice, social thought and social change and understand the tensions and oppressive ideas and practices that abound in the activity system. The findings suggest that students experienced transformed learning, which in turn, transformed their views on their choice of social work as a career. Our argument is that in social work, the most suitable pedagogy in learning design is a type of critical pedagogy that lays bare the power relations and hegemony and requires robust critical articulation and dialogue that impacts on both the educator and the student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]