Teaching Group Work With The Great Debaters

Abstract

An experiential learning activity, based on the film The Great Debaters (Washington, 2007), was used during a group work class. Description and preliminary evaluation of the activity is provided, including analysis of participant scores on the group leader self-efficacy instrument at multiple points. Implications and future directions for improvement are discussed.

Counselor Trainees' Experiences Counseling Disability: A Phenomenological Study

“…As participants asserted they felt uncomfortable confronting their own biases and assumptions, a necessary first step in establishing disability competence, integrating strength‐based and narrative pedagogical approaches into the curriculum can promote students' empathic development, encourage diversity consciousness, and evoke emotional reactions that can be leveraged for enhanced conceptualization skills from a wellness perspective (Chapin & Boykin, ; Chung & Bemak, : Moe, Autry, Olson, & Johnson, ). For example, counselor educators can assign students to read an autobiography of an individual with a disability as part of a theories course (Harrawood, Mariska, & Hill, ).…”

Research of Teaching in Counselor Education: A Collective Effort of Improved Rigor

“…For example, is the researcher assessing that the use of the surface structure resulted in increased knowledge? Moe et al (2014) empirically supported that students were able to label key constructs of group work from the characters and themes in the movie. Counselor educators may also want to assess if their surface structure choices are well-received by students.…”

“…In their analysis of a wellness intervention in practicum courses, Ohrt et al (2015) cited that the measure of wellness may not detect change, but rather a static belief about wellness. Similarly, Moe et al (2014) noted that their measure of group leadership facilitation was not adequately spaced within the schedule of the semester. If researchers are able to find measures that are sensitive to change in limited timeframes, then data analysis procedures that account for growth over time become an option.…”

“…In counseling, researchers of teaching have considered their surface structure in various published studies. For example, the use of a specific movie (Moe et al, 2014), implementation of an experiential activity (Williams et al, 2015), participation in a mindfulness group (Bohecker et al, 2016), or utilization of a flipped classroom (Merlin-Knoblich & Camp, 2018). But it is the research question that guides the intent.…”

Moving Beyond “Bookish Knowledge”

“…Initially, the research team explored the impact of the film-based assignment on a specific counseling measure (group leader self-efficacy). Although the study did not establish a direct link between the film-based assignment and increased group leader self-efficacy (Moe, Autry, Olson, & Johnson, 2014), the research team designed a follow-up qualitative study to address the research question, “How do adult learners in a graduate-level counseling class experience deep approaches to learning in response to a film-based assignment?”…”