Pedagogy and Social Work

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Presented in reappointment professional dossier, August 2022.

Pedagogy of Freedom and Critical Pedagogy

Enhancing education and learning of social work (SW), advancing SW values of human dignity, respect, social justice and solidarity. Challenging undergraduate and graduate students to develop critical thinking abilities, initiative and autonomy to advance these Social Work values.

Paolo Freire is well-known for his pedagogical approaches linked to social work practice. In his work, Freire lays out the theoretical foundations of a pedagogical model that aims to develop critical thinking and learners’ autonomy, a model that he has studied and developed throughout his career. This model requires learners to gradually acquire a power of reflection and expression to deepen their understanding of real, often-experienced problems and to identify appropriate solutions.

Since the summer of 2020, I have been designing a pedagogical framework inspired by Freire, and other critical educators like hooks, Palmer and Giroux to provide SW learners with an engaging and critical learning experience while reducing possible obstacles and barriers. I have integrated key elements of this framework into different aspects of my pedagogy and, more significantly, into the course designs for SOWK335, SOWK440C/529A and SOWK550. I have presented this pedagogical framework when discussing teaching SW and pedagogy generally at the SSW, and gave a talk and workshop this summer:

Community of Practice (CoP) Pedagogy:

Community of Practice (CoP) Pedagogy can enable students to engage as a community of learners in a more active learning experience and build knowledge collectively. With the support of the SoTL Seed Program in winter of 2020, I investigated the applicability of CoP Pedagogy in learning social work by integrating a CoP pedagogical framework in SOWK335. In this course, teams of six to seven students met throughout the semester to discuss class topics, reflect on their applicability to SW practice, and analyze case studies. Using qualitative research techniques (focus groups of students and observations), I investigated how CoP Pedagogy created a discussion space for challenging subjects, evaluated its principal applications, and determined its limits. In evaluative feedback on the project, a student summarized the benefits of this pedagogy:

We’re not only able to engage but we’re also growing and forming our group culture, and developing our skills as social workers in a group context together, we’re learning and making mistakes together, but that creates an environment where you don’t feel being judged or criticized on the points or stand your making, and letting us learn skills necessary in that environment, a safe space environment.(Participant in a focus group, COP pedagogy, 2020)

CoPs are groups of people who have a strong appreciation for interacting with one another on a specific area of knowledge. Over time, the group can “develop a unique perspective on their topic as well as a body of common knowledge, practices and approaches” (Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). Proponents of the CoP framework argue that learning is inherently social and locally situated, and push back on traditional education methods that focus on individuals learning abstract concepts. Barab, Barnett & Squire (2002) wrote that the CoP approach de-centres what is in the individual’s mind, and instead centres learning in the middle of social interaction. There has been a growing interest in CoP pedagogy in higher education. Situated learning and CoP can be especially meaningful in the context of social work education, where tacit knowledge is especially important, and not everything is written down in manuals, but instead, gleaned from social experiences and accumulated understandings (Moore, 2008). To date, most applications of CoP in Social Work education have employed Virtual Communities of Practice, rather than in-class CoP pedagogy.

  • Coulombe, A. (2021). Les Communautés de pratique: l’analyse sociale et l’apprentissage du travail social, International Association for Social Work with Groups Symposium, Online.
  • Coulombe, A. & Tembrevilla, G. (2021). Community of Practice Pedagogy and Teaching Analysis in a Practice-based Profession. Teaching and Learning in Practice-Based Professions conference, Mount-Royal University, Calgary.
  • Coulombe, A. (2020). Les Communautés de Pratique, l’analyse sociale et l’apprentissage du travail social. CASWE-ACFTS Conference – Cancelled due to COVID Pandemic.
  • Coulombe, A. (2020). Communauté de pratique: une pédagogie pour promouvoir l’engagement professionnel dans un cours d’analyse. 31ème Congrès de l’Association internationale de la pédagogie universitaire (AIPU), Quebec City – Cancelled due to COVID Pandemic.
  • Coulombe, A. & Tembrevilla, G. (2020). Teaching Social Work Analysis through Community of Practice Pedagogy. E-Poster, Celebrate SoTL, UBC.

Process-Based Learning (PBL):

Inspired by the discipline of Urban Planning, the use of PBL, also known as Studio Pedagogy, I redesigned SOWK440C/529A to integrate PBL Pedagogy. To support this work, I initiated an ongoing collaboration with the UBC Centre for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) to build and strengthen community relationships that are integral to PBL. I also adapted the projects to help students support organizations working in the context of the pandemic. The integration of PBL pedagogy had positive educational outcomes, as students showed significant engagement in the course and built meaningful projects that helped community organizations. Impactful projects both in and beyond the classroom include:

  • Student engagement in democracy during the 2019 federal election, in collaboration with UBC Seeds Sustainability Program, Grace Nosek, in Fall 2019.
  • Trans Rights on Campus, in collaboration with Shelby Dakota, trans rights activist with Queer Vancouver groups, Fall 2019.
  • Decolonizing activism on campus, in collaboration with UBC Indigenous student groups, Fall 2020.
  • Digital equity among immigrant communities during a pandemic, in collaboration with Learning Exchange UBC, Fall 2020.
  • Community conversation on gender-based violence with front-line workers, in collaboration with Battered Women’s Society, Fall 2020.
  • Citizens’ involvement in monitoring green rainwater infrastructure, in collaboration with the City of Vancouver, Fall 2020.
  • Safe spaces for women in Downtown Eastside during a pandemic, in collaboration with Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Fall 2020.
  • Resisting Cisnormativity and Heteronormativity in Sexual Health Education in High Schools, in collaboration with Qmunity, Summer 2022.
  • GHG Emission Tracking for not-for-profit organizations, in collaboration with Food Stash, Summer 2022.
  • Anti-racism at the SSW, in collaboration with Lama Mugabo from Hogan’s Alley, Summer 2022.
  • Community Accountability and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the UBC Community, in collaboration with Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office at UBC, summer 2022.

The PBL model includes three key elements of learning: “the process of discovery; interdisciplinary collaboration; and metacognition (reflection)” (Hostetler, 2014). In this model, learning occurs through the problem-solving process, where students will choose and apply solutions in real-life-like situations. Students engage in planning-related tasks, creative thinking and critical analysis to build practical actions and solutions to problems (Higgins, Aitken-Rose, Dixon, 2009).