Click here to
request a copy
of the
INSTRUCTOR'S
MANUAL

Teaching Resources
on the Web

“I really appreciated the descriptions of the stages of team development; it makes building a relationship with staff members clearer and defines boundaries.”

— Student testimonial

BREAKING OUT OF THE BOX
Adventure-Based Field Instruction

Kelly Ward and Robin Sakina Mama, Monmouth University

Breaking Out of the Box: Adventure-Based Field Instruction offers the unique opportunity for professors to use experiential, or adventure-based, learning activities to help students develop skills that are often overlooked in traditional reading and journal writing based field courses.  Integrating these experiential activities as educational tools also emphasizes the importance and potential of methods of alternative learning.  By asking students to participate in activities that may challenge their comfort zones, instructors create a situation in which higher risk can lead to greater trust between group members. 

These activities are fun and informal; they usually involve creativity and multiple senses. The teacher’s role as facilitator is to prepare the activity, present it to the students, ensure maximal participation, and to guide the students as they process what they are experiencing.  Professors Ward and Mama provide detailed descriptions and instructions for each step, as well as tips for connecting the experience of the activity to the social work content from the chapter of the text and students’ field internships.

By focusing on the teamwork required instead of the potential competitive aspect of group work, the activities help students turn their classmates into a strong and supportive resource group.  The activities emphasize individual decision making within a group setting, so students develop their individualized skills as well as group communication, group problem solving, leadership roles, and relationship building.  The traditional sequence of learning is reversed (experience before lecture or discussion), which encourages students to be more engaged in their own learning process. This process can have great rewards in terms of students’ self-knowledge and self-esteem.

Professor Ward and Professor Mama offer these activities as alternative ways for students to understand the chapters’ objectives.  The activities allow students to interact with each other and to fully engage with the material.  Coming full circle, some students even use the activities with clients in their own practices.  

The instructor’s manual includes a detailed guide for each exercise, including preparation, presentation, variations, objectives, and questions for the review process.  The instructor’s manual also includes lesson plans where the exercise is integrated with lecture and discussion, and the objectives of each section are listed. 

Download additional Instructor Materials here

Features

• The chapters cover the basics: work ethic; establishing relationships with supervisors; co-workers; and clients; and applying theory to social work assessment and treatment planning
• Each chapter discusses the application of social work ethics and provides a set of critical theory questions that apply to each of the five areas of social work (field, practice, research, social policy, human behavior)
• “Thoughts to Ponder” boxes appear throughout to encourage reflective and critical thinking
• Up-to-date Internet resources are included to supplement text

Contents

About the Authors

Kelly Ward is associate professor at Monmouth University. She received her MSW from Rutgers University and her Ph.D. from Fordham University. She is the author of several articles and the co-editor of one book. She was the recipient of the President’s Award in 2003 from the Addiction Treatment Providers of New Jersey. Her areas of interest include professional boundaries, program outcomes, addictions, and substance abuse populations. Her current research includes intergenerational substance abuse and other aspects of addiction. Professor Ward has been teaching graduate and undergraduate field seminar for ten years.

Robin Sakina Mama is associate professor at Monmouth University and chair of the Department of Social Work. She received her MSS and her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. Professor Mama is the representative to the United Nations for the International Federation of Social Workers. She is also the chair of the International Committee of the National Association of Social Workers. She is the North American book review editor for Social Work Education: The International Journal. Her areas of interest include multicultural social work practice, occupational safety and health, women’s health, and human rights.  Her current research includes Web-based instruction, advocacy and the United Nations, and cultural competency in field practice. Professor Mama was teacher of the year at Monmouth during the 1999–2000 academic year and has taught the field seminar course at Monmouth University since 1993.

2005, Paper, 180 Pages, ISBN 978-0-925065-92-6, Price $35.95