Academic Support for First-Year Social Work Students in South Africa

The Implications of Adverse Childhood Experiences for the Professional Requirements of Social Work

“…This need is captured by the social constructivist view of learning. In this approach knowledge is made as a result of the myriad social experiences we have (Bellefeuille, Martin & Buck, 2005;Blunt, 2008;Collins & Van Breda, 2010;Van Harmelen, 1999). Ramsden (1992) had advocated that the prior learning experiences of our students were an important starting point, because they provided insight into their font of knowledge and their potential.…”

Implementing a “Blended Learning Approach” in a Social Work Course: The Perceptions of First-Year Students at a South African University

“…Challenges usually arise because first-year students have to manage the difficult transition from high school to university. The difficulties of this transition are exacerbated by the fact that many students come from disadvantaged backgrounds characterised by an unevenly resourced, and sometimes dysfunctional, schooling system (Collins & Van Breda, 2010;Leibowitz, 2010;Ross, 2010:461). Research by Muthivhi and Broom (2008) also reveals that, while the modes of teaching and learning employed by teachers in South Africa are inspired by the new curriculum framework and seem to meet the objectives of outcome-based education (OBE), in reality these modes fail to instil deep learning in learners.…”

“…In this environment "e-learning is primarily used to support and supplement [the traditional] approach rather than to replace it" (Muller, 2010:2). Nevertheless, the development of e-learning has been recognised by Wits as important and is recorded in Goal 12 of the Teaching andLearning Plan (2010-2014:21) Pedagogical approaches relevant to the e-learning components in a blended learning approach Learning is a complex process (Collins & Van Breda, 2010) and theories abound on the way learning occurs. However, the researchers identified two major learning theories that are directly applicable to the "blended" pedagogical approach, namely the theory of constructivism and the theory of connectivism.…”

Promoting Deep Learning Through Personal Reflective E-Journaling: A Case Study

“…We are concerned not only with the transmission of knowledge and skills; we want to shape the whole person to become a professional social work practitioner (Dempsey, Halton & Murphy, 2001). To achieve this, we strive to facilitate deep learning among students -the kind of learning that enables students to locate themselves in their learning (Collins & Van Breda, 2010), to construct personal meaning (Clare, 2007). A deep learning approach, Marton and Säljö (1976) argue, involves sense making and having multiple understandings of our world, while a surface learning approach involves rote learning or memorisation of facts.…”