Building a Good Relationship with your Fieldwork Instructor

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Building a Good Relationship with your Fieldwork
Instructor

• T.Y. LEE
• Fieldwork Coordinator (BSW)

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1. Anxieties

• How will I get on with my instructor?
• How will I be influenced by my instructors
  attitudes and approaches?
• Will my instructor be a role model?
• Many stories ...

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2. Student learning problems...

• Inevitably, a certain degree of power imbalance.
• True in any relationship.
• Due to the role of assessor- continuous
  assessment.
• Strong feelings will develop.
• Learning problems will be reactivated.

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2.1 Problems

• Students transfer problems from previous
  situations
• e.g. school, or the family
• May have been damaging, oppressive and not yet
  resolved.
• Must be acknowledged and addressed when they
  occur.

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2.2 Students feelings

• A student experiences these strong feelings in
  relation to the instructor
• not necessarily belong to the instructor,
• nor originate with the instructor.

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• These feelings originate in earlier relationships
  and can be transferred to this one,
• can affect the teaching-learning experience,
• adversely if unrecognised,
• constructively if used as a tool.

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Any Questions?
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The End of Section 2
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3. Regular Weekly Supervision

• The student needs to know that the instructor
  gives priority to these weekly teaching sessions.

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• Instructor may feel angry and resentful if
• no fixed time for supervision
• no pre-examined written work
• not enough preparation
• not using what have been covered in the
  curriculum.
• Postponements of, and interruptions to, a regular
  session are likely to have similar effects.

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4. What about between sessions?

• The Student needs to know
• 4.1 whether or not he/she may approach his/her
  instructor between sessions?
• 4.2 to whom I should go in a crisis?

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5. Who is accountable in an agency?

• Usually, the instructor will try to be always
  available at first.
• Then, gradually encourage the student to keep
  minor things until the session.
• Whilst gradually making more decisions by the
  student as he/she gains confidence.

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6. What is expected of me?

• Students usually worry about what is expected of
  them.
• Whether my work will be considered to be of an
  adequate standard?

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7. Students needs constructive criticisms

• Anxieties will also be likely to occur if the
  student
• receives only praise
• receives only negative comments.
• Students need honest continuous feedback and
  objective constructive criticisms.

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8. What if problems occur?

• Inform your instructor and agency-in-chargen
  a.s.s.p.
• Clarify the issues.
• Deal with it as soon as possible.
• Problem-solving!!!
• No need to hide!!

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9. Three-party Relationship

• Students may experience some uncertainty about
  this relationship.
• May have suspicions and anxieties.
• Dont play game Oh, but my instructor says

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Barriers to Building a good relationship

• dependence
• introspection
• insecurity

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Insecurity due to

• 1. the knowledge that work is being continuously
  assessed
• 2. the questioning of previous patterns of work
• 3. uncertainty about what is being trained for
• 4. a small caseload (high quality!)

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• 5. faced with looking at the question of activity
  versus performance
• 6. uncertainties about being able to manage the
  academic content of fieldwork
• 7. resistance to learning due to some emotional
  factors
• 8. fears on being analysed

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• 9. fears on being expected to reveal ones inner
  self
• 10. desiring greater self-knowledge
• 11. likely to feel vulnerable at first and
• 12. unreal expectations of oneself, fieldwork,
  the social work program, and the nature of social
  work.

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Any Questions?
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The End