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The Most Powerful Learning Experiences For Me

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Participations in small in-class groups which purpose was to accomplish a task assigned to us by our Professor, were the most powerful learning experiences for me. In developing common focus, as stated in Gitterman and Germain (2008), members need to establish group rules and also remember to “build on one another’s contributions, identify and focus on salient collective themes, invite expression of differences” (p. 174), as well as welcome opinions which are contradictory or different from the majority.
However, I have to admit that eliminating the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse in-class groups turned out to be one of the most challenging aspects of my learning experience. I learned and understood how …show more content…

In addition, textbook readings not only expanded my knowledge of social work with groups but also provided knowledge context for our experiences with in-class or external groups. For example, I familiarized myself with the Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc. (AASWG) which is an international professional organization that establishes ethical guidelines for group counselors. The standards are described in six sections which underline the changes in the worker’s tasks relevant to changing and evolving of the group. (Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc., 2012).
Another strength of this course was the emphasis on integration of knowledge from different sources – from mainstream and social media, for example, following The Alamo Area Branch of NASW - Texas Chapter (2015) Facebook page, also facilitated my learning by placing local, state, and national news in the context of social work related ethical, political and policy issues. While doing research for our “Comparison of Communication” assignment, I gained deeper understanding of social media dynamics because the content and structure of the page are controlled by its administrators. For instance, I learned how the flow of communication on Facebook reflected the views and opinions of its administrators, since materials that are shared must have significant public impact and high

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