Teaching methods not proven to work

Methods used to teach social work students core skills are untested
and might not be the most effective, new research by the Social
Care Institute for Excellence suggests.

A review of existing studies by Scie finds that much of the work on
communication skills in social work has not been published or fully
evaluated, making it difficult for educators to decide which
teaching methods are the most effective.

Wendy Hardyman, research analyst at Scie and co-ordinator of the
review, said that although the new degree put strong emphasis on
communicating well, “there is a limited evidence base for
identifying what teaching and learning methods are most
effective”.

– Knowledge review 6 from www.scie.org.uk