Social Work Practicum and Fieldwork Learning Guide

Core Application of Scientific Knowledge:
- Social work applies scientific knowledge and methods from theoretical frameworks to build theoretical frameworks and evaluate practice effectiveness.
- It creates new techniques, formulates new practice guidelines, and develops new programs and policies (e.g., 3 Instruments of Peace).
Dual Role of the Social Worker:
- A social worker seeks to understand the world and seeks to change it.
Nature of the Social Work Profession:
- Social work is a practicing profession in which students acquire knowledge and skills throughout the program.
- The learning process begins with learning theoretical concepts, followed by practicing in a simulated environment (such as a laboratory), and culminates in practicing in placement under supervision.

Social Work Student:
- Functions as the primary learner within the practicum experience.
Fieldwork Supervisor:
- Provided by the University.
- Provides field training, direct instruction, and clinical supervision to help the student integrate social work theories with practice.
Fieldwork Coordinator:
- Oversees the overall planning, implementation, coordination, and development of the social work practicum program.
Agency Supervisor:
- Provided by the host social welfare agency.
- Facilitates the placement within the agency by providing learning opportunities, logistical support, and administrative guidance for the student.
Faculty Member:
- Associated with student instruction.
- Conducts practicum-related seminars to help the student integrate classroom and practicum learning.

Practicum Hour Requirements:
- Requires $800$ social work practicum hours.
- Requires $100$ hours of practicum-related teaching and learning.
Curriculum Design Objectives:
- Environment Analysis: Courses are provided to enable students to conduct analysis of the practice environment using psychological, sociological, cultural, policy, organizational, legal, and political-economic perspectives.
- Theoretical Foundation: Knowledge is introduced to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities through theories.
- Real-Life Practice: Enables students to apply practice theories, models, and perspectives in real life.
- Simulated Practice: Simulated practice is provided in skills laboratory sessions.
- Administrative Preparation: Social work management and supervision prepares students for administrative practice.

Practicum Execution:
- Requires carrying out professional work with the support of close supervision from the field instructor.
Core Processes of Field Learning:
- Circular Knowledge Process: Involves a circular process of applying knowledge in real-life practice on the one hand and deriving knowledge from practice experience on the other.
- Skill Application: Involves the application of professional skills in real-life social work interventions and practice.
- Role Acquisition: Involves acquiring knowledge, attitudes, and skills for performing professional and staff roles in the host organization as a service provider, agency personnel, and practitioner (實踐者).
- Professional Identity Development: Involves the development of a professional identity through internalizing social work values and ethics and exploring the ideology and mission of social work.
Real-Setting ("In Vivo") Experiences:
- Practises what students have learned in real settings.
- Provides "in vivo" learning experiences.
- Requires inherent authenticity.
- Helps students actualize their altruistic ends and testify their professional role in helping others.
Self-Awareness:
- Fosters understanding of self and one's impact on client systems.
Reflective Practice Model:
- Students learn through reflective practice to deepen practice-based learning following a four-stage cycle: $\text{Plan} \rightarrow \text{Learn} \rightarrow \text{Apply} \rightarrow \text{Reflect}$

Theoretical Training:
- Equips students with a body of professional knowledge for practice.
- Comprises a social science foundation and, building on it, social work theories and practice methods.
Laboratory Training:
- Employs a combination of pedagogical strategies (教學法) to develop students' reflective capacity, cognitive skills, and overall competence for implementing social work interventions.
- Key pedagogical strategies include:
- Live demonstration
- Vicarious modelling (模仿學習)
- Simulated practice (模擬練習)
- Coaching
- Video feedback
- Reflective discussion
Fieldwork Instruction:
- An experiential learning model designed to help social work students:
- Integrate theoretical knowledge into practice.
- Master professional skills.
- Adhere to ethical standards.
- Internalize professional commitment.
- Cultivate (培養) a personal practice style.
- Function effectively within an agency context.

Beginning Competencies (能力):
1. Integration of Knowledge with Practice: Focuses on the integration of theory and practice.
2. Professional Practice and Delivery of Service: Focuses on service delivery.
3. Function as Social Work Personnel (工作人員) in Social Work Practice Settings: Focuses on performance of the social worker role.
4. Field Learning and Professional Development: Focuses on professional growth.
Teaching and Learning Coordination:
- Practicum training requires joint planning between students and their fieldwork supervisors.
Five Dimensions of Professional Growth and Development:
- Affective: Developing sensing feeling skills.
- Symbolic: Developing cognitive or thinking skills.
- Perceptual: Developing observing skills.
- Behavioural: Developing acting or behaviour skills.
- Professional: Developing reflective skills in generating knowledge from practice.

Structure Overview:
- A task-centred structure was introduced in practicum training with a set of structured tasks.
Objectives of Task-Centred Practicum:
- To foster a closer link between classroom teaching and practicum instruction through tasks requiring students to make connections between classroom learning and what they really do in the field.
- To ensure the core learning experience will be provided to every student.
- To provide a structure for students to engage in meaningful learning experience and a sense of direction.
- To standardize the experience and the assessment.