Back to basics: in search of social work elements in social work education

ABSTRACT

Increasing attention has been paid to advancing new knowledge and teaching technologies in social work education. However, there is relatively less concern about social work educators’ possession of social work qualities to demonstrate social work elements in teaching. This article argues that social work educators should regard themselves as both university teachers and ‘social work teachers’ using ‘social work methods’ to teach. Social work educators should model the core social work elements in their daily interactions with students. This article suggests that social work education should be regarded as a practice based on the characteristics of social work. It discusses the relationship between social work education and the foundations of social work and identifies the need to direct social work educators’ attention to the meaning and importance of integrating core social work elements in social work education. It proposes nine core social work elements to advance the quality of social work education and presents effective ways to bring back social work elements into social work training.

KEYWORDS:

• Quality of social work education
• social work educators
• social work elements
• social work training
• nature of social work

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ping Kwong Kam

Ping Kwong Kam, PhD, is Associate Professor, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.