FIELD EDUCATION
What is Field Education?
Field education is the signature pedagogy for social work. The intent of field education is to integrate the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting. It is a basic precept of social work education that the two interrelated components of curriculum—classroom and field—are of equal importance within the curriculum, and each contributes to the development of the requisite competencies of professional practice. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria by which students demonstrate the Social Work Competencies. Field education may integrate forms of technology as a component of the program.
Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the field education page of Georgia State’s School of Social Work. This site is designed to facilitate the field education experience for all those involved– students, field supervisors, task supervisors, and faculty liaisons. It also provides useful information for prospective students, field supervisors, and field agencies/organizations.
Field education at Georgia State is organized and implemented as a partnership between the educational community and the practice community in training future social work practitioners. Within this partnership, there are three key people to the success of the field education experience: the student, field supervisor, and faculty liaison. First is the student, who possesses the willingness and desire to observe, learn, take action, and reflect. The student’s professional development is guided and nurtured by the field supervisor whose role as teacher is pivotal in the student’s evaluation of self as an emerging professional social worker. The faculty liaison’s role is to provide ongoing support and information to the student and the field supervisor. Communication among all parties is critical in meeting the objectives of field education and maintaining a healthy partnership. Ongoing feedback is welcomed from all parties.
A field education advisory board of community practitioners offers continued input as well. This advisory board of experienced practitioners provides guidance and expert knowledge in field education and enhancing the partnership between the School’s field education office and community agencies/organizations.
Thank you for your interest in field education for social workers. If you are in need of additional information after browsing this site, please contact me.
Dr. Renanda Wood Dear, LMSW
Director of Field Education
(404) 413 – 1057
[email protected]
What is Field Education?
Field education offers the social work student an opportunity to apply classroom learning in an agency-based supervised field experience. The field education courses at both the undergraduate (BSW) and graduate (MSW) levels consist of two components: (1) the field placement experience and (2) the field integrative seminar. The field placement is the agency site where the student engages as an intern under professional supervision. The field integrative seminar, facilitated by the faculty liaison, provides an on-campus forum for the integration of academic learning with agency-based field placement.
The Director of Field Education is responsible for the overall administration of the field education component for the School of Social Work. This involves working with field supervisors, faculty members, and students. Tasks include placing social work students in field sites; establishing student orientation to field; setting field policies, procedures, and standards; developing all forms from the student application process to the student evaluation process; creating field seminar materials; evaluating and maintaining field placement sites; coordinating and consulting with faculty liaisons; providing orientation and training to field supervisors; and maintaining accreditation standards for field education. Our goal is to create educational partnerships with community agencies/organizations that afford outstanding experiential opportunities for all involved parties.
The Director of Field Education chairs the Field Education Advisory Board. The purpose of the advisory board, comprised of field supervisors, is to strengthen the link between social work education and community-based social work practice by providing an ongoing opportunity for field supervisors to have input into the field education component of the social work curriculum. The advisory board holds formal meetings and communicates as necessary through e-mail. Any changes, recommendations, or field concerns from students, faculty, and field supervisors are addressed at advisory board meetings.
The field director represents Georgia State University in the Field Education Collaborative, which is comprised of social work field directors from other educational institutions. The purpose of this Field Education Collaborative is to identify and engage in collaborative activities in order to strengthen the relationships between the schools and the community. The goal is to combine the schools’ resources in providing effective and efficient field education services and training opportunities to all field sites and field supervisors.
Welcome from the Director
Welcome to the field education page of Georgia State’s School of Social Work. This site is designed to facilitate the field education experience for all those involved– students, field supervisors, task supervisors, and faculty liaisons. It also provides useful information for prospective students, field supervisors, and field agencies/organizations.
Field education at Georgia State is organized and implemented as a partnership between the educational community and the practice community in training future social work practitioners. Within this partnership, there are three key people to the success of the field education experience: the student, field supervisor, and faculty liaison. First is the student, who possesses the willingness and desire to observe, learn, take action, and reflect. The student’s professional development is guided and nurtured by the field supervisor whose role as teacher is pivotal in the student’s evaluation of self as an emerging professional social worker. The faculty liaison’s role is to provide ongoing support and information to the student and the field supervisor. Communication among all parties is critical in meeting the objectives of field education and maintaining a healthy partnership. Ongoing feedback is welcomed from all parties.
A field education advisory board of community practitioners offers continued input as well. This advisory board of experienced practitioners provides guidance and expert knowledge in field education and enhancing the partnership between the School’s field education office and community agencies/organizations.
Thank you for your interest in field education for social workers. If you are in need of additional information after browsing this site, please contact me.
Dr. Renanda Wood Dear, LMSW
Director of Field Education
(404) 413 – 1057
[email protected]