Social work education in Canada is built around national priorities such as reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, social policy, and practice of the country. However, like other disciplines in postsecondary education in Canada, social work is attracting more international students. Drawing upon direct experience with students from other cultures, this chapter examines the need to introduce, familiarize, and integrate the Canadian experience while also reflecting the needs of international students in our pedagogical content and approaches to learning. The ways in which material is taught varies across countries; therefore, helping students to engage in the Canadian classroom, where there are different cultural, social, pedagogical, and hierarchical expectations is critical for success. Social work students are expected to socially locate themselves in the learning process leading to a more empowered and practice-oriented experience. Experiences unique to international students that are often forgotten such as language, culture, economic needs, and challenges of daily living impact their ability to engage fully. The authors, consisting of two Canadian social work faculty and two students from other cultural experiences, reflect on the journey to successful completion of social work education. The conclusions demand a highly ethical understanding of the intersection of not only differing social values but also respecting the place of the student’s social location as a person who is rooted deeply within their own culture. In conclusion, recommendations for collaborative approaches to enhance social work education are made.

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Revising Western Perspectives on Social Work Education

  • Peter W. Choate,
  • Christina Tortorelli,
  • Pamalpreet Dhaliwal,
  • Sukhman Kaur

摘要

Social work education in Canada is built around national priorities such as reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, social policy, and practice of the country. However, like other disciplines in postsecondary education in Canada, social work is attracting more international students. Drawing upon direct experience with students from other cultures, this chapter examines the need to introduce, familiarize, and integrate the Canadian experience while also reflecting the needs of international students in our pedagogical content and approaches to learning. The ways in which material is taught varies across countries; therefore, helping students to engage in the Canadian classroom, where there are different cultural, social, pedagogical, and hierarchical expectations is critical for success. Social work students are expected to socially locate themselves in the learning process leading to a more empowered and practice-oriented experience. Experiences unique to international students that are often forgotten such as language, culture, economic needs, and challenges of daily living impact their ability to engage fully. The authors, consisting of two Canadian social work faculty and two students from other cultural experiences, reflect on the journey to successful completion of social work education. The conclusions demand a highly ethical understanding of the intersection of not only differing social values but also respecting the place of the student’s social location as a person who is rooted deeply within their own culture. In conclusion, recommendations for collaborative approaches to enhance social work education are made.