Page | 12
Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. -Sydney J. Harris, journalist and author (1917-1986)SOWK 386: The Welfare of Children
Fall 2016
This is a paired course. Students must be concurrently enrolled in
Educ 262: Children’s Literature & Educ 067: Experiences in Education
Instructor: Paula M. Sheridan, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., Dept. Chair & Program Director
Course Time: AOWK 386: Monday, Wednesday, 9:00 – 10:20
Course Location: Mendenhall 305
Contact Information:
Office Location: Platner 109
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2:00 – 3:00; and by appointment
Course Description
Overview. This class is part of a paired course that addresses children’s experiences in literacy and life. You do not have to be a social work major to enroll in this course. However, you must enroll in the two other designated courses to benefit from the designed learning environment. We will explore policies, practices, and issues that enhance and deter children’s life experiences in our world.
Course Content. Our pair is organized around two themes:
· Literacy, as a human right, is essential for a democratic, economically and socially just society; and
· Social workers are committed to creating and sustaining environments (physical, social, political, spiritual) that enhance the quality of life for children, families, and communities.
We aim for holistic knowledge about children and the systems that affect their lives - an encounter that builds your knowledge, skills, and professional ethics/values in this content area. Since we believe that knowledge is more complete with an enactment of our ideas, we have planned a one-unit praxis experience that allows you to partner as a Whittier College Reading Friend with a child at Lydia Jackson Elementary School. We will use your experiences as a context for examining theory, skills, ethics, and issues that children and their families encounter. We welcome your thoughtful suggestions about the content and process of this learning adventure. The faculty reserve the right to revise the syllabus according to course needs and resources availability.
Course Objectives
What are your benchmarks for success in this course? At the end of this course, you should know how to:
1. Demonstrate professional social work identity in appearance, communication, demeanor, personal boundaries, and behavior in the classroom and with our community partners
2. Critique selected theories for its usefulness in understanding children’s neurological, physical, social, spiritual and psychological well-being;
3. Critique and apply selected social work practice models/theories and research that inform our work with children and their families;
4. Cultivate mentoring relationships with children in a developmentally appropriate and culturally competent manner that demonstrates the social work generalist practice model;
5. Enact social work values, ethics and the intentional, mindful use of self, while collaborating with children, including attention to and demonstration of professional demeanor in behavior, appearance and communication;
6. Explore ways that schools, social service organizations, and other contexts can empower children and their families through policy and practice;
7. Using Paulo Friere’s (1973) pedagogical model as a guide, reflect how your learning experience can possibly empower your own life, your reading friend, and your class colleagues.
Course Format
Your participation is essential for a successful class. Your ideas are needed here. While I am eager to learn about the ways that you learn best, here is an overview of some methods that have been successful in this particular course:
· Student-initiated class discussions about relevant and controversial topics;
· Your personal ongoing reflections of how this material relates to your mentoring relationships, your role as a learner, and your life experiences through course assignments;
· Experiential activities (role-playing, simulations, - the sky is the limit!);
· Praxis – your interactions with your reading friend at Lydia Jackson Elementary School;
· Digital technology that supports the families and communities of our Reading Friends;
· Guest educators sharing practice experiences;
· On site visits to organizations that serve children and families; and
· Lecture and student/faculty/guest educator dialogue.
Keys to Success in this Paired Learning Experience:
When you are admitted into the Department of Social Work, you become a member of both an academic major and a profession. This membership is both a privilege and responsibility that is informed by your own judgment, the Department of Social Work’s guidelines, and the NASW Code of Ethics (2008). All students enrolled in social work classes, whatever their declared majors, are held to the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), the IASSW Code of Ethics, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Students reflect these standards by:
· Personal reflection – thinking about your ideas, actions, ethics and the implications of your actions;
· Professional behavior and demeanor – Punctuality, appearance, attitude and readiness; Be ready to experience, think and learn.
· Collaboration – facilitating your learning and the learning of others; sharing your talents to enhance our class;
· Flexibility – adapting to the changing needs and opportunities that develop throughout the semester;
· Initiation and healthy risk-taking – Show up! Step up! What you do in this class influences you and others; and
· A great sense of humor – Children are hilarious! So are we! Enjoy this assembly of humanity.
This pair is part of the Social Work Curriculum. We provide you with some background information about the Department of Social Work, which shapes the design of this pair.
Whittier College Department of Social Work Mission Statement
The Whittier College undergraduate Department of Social Workseeks to prepare diverse students to become self-reflective, compassionate, ethical, knowledgeable, and skilled generalist social workers who are committed to career-long learning. We prepare students to aid in the empowerment of marginalized groups, particularly vulnerable and oppressed communities. In all this, we collectively work for the advancement of human rights in local, national and global environments.
Affirming the historical roots and mission of Whittier College, the Department of Social Work provides learning experiences that inspire students to become advocates for peace and social and economic justice. Student learning is a combination of "knowing" and "doing," grounded in the liberal arts foundation of interdisciplinary, research-based knowledge, and problem-solving methodology. We value generalist skill development that prepares reflective social work practitioners committed to promoting human well-being. Our program is designed to equip the body of professionals who will nurture the profession for the twenty-first century.
Understanding Generalist Social Work Practice
Generalist social work practitioners promote human well being for both diverse and oppressed groups in individual, family, group, organizational, community, and global settings. They utilize self-reflection, critical thinking, evidence-based knowledge, professional values, and a wide range of skills to collaborate with others to create “personal and social transformation”. Generalist social work practitioners, under supervision, engage in socially just practice through an interactive process of change which includes:
1. engagement – collaborating with clients/partners to promote helping relationships;
2. teaching & learning – a mutual process of discovering client/partner strengths and challenges and planning for strategic change;
3. action and accompaniment – working together with clients/partners to create meaningful change;
4. evaluation & critical reflection – assessing the process with clients/partners and reflecting on one’s personal and professional experience; and
5. celebration and new engagements – affirming success and planning with clients/partners for sustained growth and change.
Reference: Finn, J.L. & Jacobson, M. (2008). Just practice: A social justice approach to social work. 2nd Edition. Peosta, Iowa. eddie bowers publishing co, inc.
Department of Social Work Learning Culture
Our social work classes and field placements reflect a professional culture of “best practices” that call out the highest standards of social work values and ethics. We behave this way now, not just in the future. We learn more than information. We also learn to behave in ways that promote growth for ourselves and for our community.
The social work value of “competence” shapes our own Department of Social Work (NASW Code of Ethics, (2008). When we are competent, we honor both our abilities and limitations. We show up. We do our best. We are prepared to participate in class and in field. We contribute by completing assignments in a timely and thoughtful manner. We are actively engaged in discussions that benefit our learning as well as our colleagues. We respect confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality as guided by our instructors. We ask for support when we need it. We invest in others when we are able. We are engaged in our community partnerships and field placements, honoring the guidelines of the agency, our field educators, our faculty, and our own professional wisdom. Our clothing and behavior reflect respect for our community partners and the work we value. We listen, reflect, and learn - about ourselves, our colleagues, our discipline, and our world. And we have fun in the process!
Social Work students adapt these standards as cited in the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards:
Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
Social workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its core values. They know the profession’s history. Social workers commit themselves to the profession’s enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth. Social workers
_advocate for client access to the services of social work;
_practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development;
_attend to professional roles and boundaries;
_demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication;
_engage in career-long learning; and
_use supervision and consultation.
Statement of Need
Students desiring accommodations on the basis of physical, learning, or psychological disability for this class are to contact Disability Services. Disability Services is located on the ground floor of the Library, room G003, and can be reached by calling extension 4825.
Academic Honesty (Whittier College Catalog, 2015-2016).
Because the preservation ofacademic honestyis as fundamental to our shared enterprise as the transmission of knowledge, thefacultyandadministrationof the College regard educating students in academic integrity to be as important as inspiring them to rise to the challenge of learning. Students are expected to produce independent work and to cite sources of information and concepts. When these principles are breached and a student misrepresents his or her level of knowledge, the basic framework of scholarship is broken. In these instances, students will be held accountable and will face sanctions that range from a warning to expulsion from the College. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism or cheating is not a valid defense. If students are uncertain of policies, they should consult the instructor for clarification.
Pathways to Success
Required Email Address: You must activate your Whittier College email address no later than 9.7 in order to fully participate in this class. We will use email for message board, communicating between classes, and other purposes. We will also use Moodle, a course management tool to communicate with each other and access course information such as assignments and required readings.
Required Readings:
Text: Siegel, D. & Hartzell, M. (2014). Parenting from the inside out: How a deeper self understanding can help you raise children who thrive. New York, New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Press.
Articles: Additional readings are in electronic format in the Welfare of Children course (Moodle), facilitated by our library. Log in to Moodle, selecting SOWK 386 as the designated class. Choose the file titled “Course Readings” for articles not included in the assigned text.
Related Websites: Suggested resources for Community Analysis Paper
Websites for USA
Children’s Defense Fund: www.childrensdefense.org
Child Welfare League of America: www.igc.apc.org/handsnet2/cwla
Civil Liberty Website: Today in Civil Liberties History-http://todayinclh.com
City of Whittier website: www.cityofwhittier.org
Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information: www.calib.com/nccanch
Council on Social Work Education: www.cswe.org
Dr. Daniel Siegel website: dr.dansiegel.com
Greater Good Science Center: www.greatergoodscience.org
Human Trafficking web resource: www.humantrafficking.org
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center: laglc.org
Los Angeles Network to End Slavery: www.lahumantrafficking.org
Lydia Jackson Elementary School website: whittiercity.k12.ca.us
Mindful Awareness Research Center: www.marc.ucla.edu
National Association of Social Workers: www.naswdc.org
National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse: www.childabuse.org
National Gay and Lesbian Archives: onearchives.org
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: www.ngltf.org
Census Data: www.factfinder.census.gov/
Global Websites:
Child Rights Information Network: www.crin.org
International Association of Schools of Social Work: www.iassw.org
International Federation of Social Workers: www.ifsw.org
World Health Organization: www.who.org
UNICEF: www.unicef.org.
Course Requirements Grading Points Grading Scale
1. Attendance and Participation 100 points 94 – 100% A
90 – 93% A-
88 – 89% B+
2. Praxis Blogs 2 @ 50 pts 100 points 83 – 87% B
80 – 82% B-
78 – 79% C+
3. 1st Portfolio Check 25 points 73 – 77% C
70 – 72% C-
68 – 69% D
4. Integrative Portfolio 100 points 67% or less F
5. Lydia Jackson Electronic Magazine 150 points
5. LJ Electronic Magazine – Participation 50 points
7. Introduction & Conclusion Paper 2 @ 50 100 points
Total Points 625 points
Course Schedule
Dates Topic and Assignments
Unit I: Theoretical Perspectives that Inform our Work with Children
Wednesday, 9.7 Introduction to the course and to each other
· What do you want to learn in this course?
· How do you learn? How does your learning style influence the way you relate to others?
· How can your strengths contribute to building a creative learning community?
· “Making sense” of our own life story as an empowering act
Empowerment with ourselves: Siegel, D. & Hartzell, M. (2014). Introduction. In Parenting from the inside out: How a deeper self-understanding can help you raise children who thrive. New York, New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin Press,