Good Practices of Didactical Methods Database

Title: Group Finding in Social Work Curriculum
Good Practice Mission: The group finding process is designed in a way that is oriented towards given differences, e.g. in professional identity, roles, experience, etc. and the method fosters that all group members use and contribute with their different skills to the method.
Specific goals of the GP:

The group finding process is designed in a way that is oriented towards given differences, e.g. in professional identity, roles, experience, etc.; it is skills-based; the method fosters that all group members use and contribute with their different skills to the method and its outcome.
Year: 2014
Duration of the implementation: Hours
Target group: Learners over the age of 23
Summary:

At the beginning of the semester, in the first meeting of the class, small groups are created in which representatives of three groups of participants are mixed:

a.    Experienced professional social workers (pink color)

b.    Beginners of professional social workers (with less practice experience, yellow color)

c.    Experienced professional from neighbor disciplines of social work (e.g. pedagogy, sociology, psychology, economics, law, etc., green color)

The group finding process is supported by a color system, in which each of the groups was assigned a particular color. Moreover, the process was provided by introductory questions. After a while of open discussion of the plenary (with smaller interactions possible in the sense of a market-place-discussion), in each of the created groups, each of the colors has to be represented at least once.

For preparation: Three differently colored cards with the following questions; cards are provided with key threads of the FHJ.

Market-place-method of getting to know each other: Each person writes her/his own name on the cared. All learners go around like at a market-place and try to ask as many persons as possible: a) What is important for me as a social worker when working with clients of social work? What do I see when entering my workplace (entrance, office, …)? Which values are represented by my employer, and what is peculiar or particular for the employer?

Creation of small groups: After about half an hour, small groups are created. Each color has to be represented in each group once. People are working together for explicating to each other what their professional identity as social worker consists of, in particular their understanding of professional tasks. Firstly, a case study is presented, for which the source can be given.

Secondly, people are asked to discussion, where/ when/ how they take the role of a social worker, by giving an example, a short story or a case. The task of the group is to narrate, to ask back, to find commonalities and differences in their understanding of their tasks/ professional identity as social worker.

The class/ group size for this GP can be extended up to a group of approx. 30 people.
Space requisites:

Requirements are that the group of people is known, at least to some extent, before the GP is implemented, in order to grasp and understand the relevant dimensions of differences in skills (e.g. in understanding of professional roles, in years of professional experience, etc.)
Obstacles revealed?:

The smallest possible group may determine the number of groups, which is a relevant constraint. Moreover: Required is that the group of people is known, at least to some extent, before the GP is implemented, in order to grasp and understand the relevant dimensions of differences in skills (e.g. in understanding of professional roles, in years of professional experience, etc.)
Methodology used: Group/collaborative learning
Resources needed:

Group of people with differences in skills, which are at least anticipated by the educator (e.g. years of professional experience, chronological age, differences in understanding professional roles, etc.)
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