Transformative Cross National Dialogues: Connecting Social Work Students through Skype

1. University of Wisconsin Superior, U.S.A. Dr. Lynn Amerman Goerdt, Assistant Professor lgoerdt@uwsuper.edu Transformative Cross National Dialogues: Connecting Social Work Students through Skype Social Work Social Development 2012 Stockholm, Sweden July 11, 2012

2. Goals and Background Goals • Share insights gained into use of Skype for exchanges • Share potential impact of pedagogy Background • Facilitated various virtual exchanges for 5 years • Exchanges have been with German colleague and her students

3. Dialogue Exists at the Intersection of Converging Trends in U.S. • Internationalizing higher education • A perspective or program that infuses international content into a curriculum • An institutional process • Expanding critical lens of social work education • Decenter and broaden policy perspective as way to address domestic challenges • Broadening professional competence

4. Example U.S. Domestic Issues

5. Critical Consciousness as framework to counter myopic perspectiveFreire (1974, 1998)

6. Dialogue Preparation • All students are studying social work and social welfare policy • Dialogues were strongly encouraged but not mandatory • Prior content was researched and shared • In case study each student created handout on policies to support young children & their families • Handouts were emailed approximately 1 week prior to dialogue • In previous dialogues have had less or more content shared

7. Dialogue Structure German Participants United States Participants

8. Dialogue • 17 participants (13 German, 4 United States) – representing approx. ½ of invited students • Shared content prepared by all students & sent prior to the dialogue • Policies to ensure well-being of young children • 55-minute exchange • Conducted in English

9. Topics Discussed Planned topics: • Economic assistance • Child support • Family leave • Abortion • Preschool • Childcare Additional topics: • Religion and politics • Social security • Prostitution • Childcare • Homelessness • College tuition

10. Movement of Student Groups along Critical Consciousness Continuum Constructed from (Freire, 1974, 1998) Continuum of Critical Consciousness Development German participants U.S. participants SOCIOPOLITICAL CONTEXT Naïve transitive consciousness Semi-transitive consciousness Critical consciousness Awareness of self or one’s group in relation to others Curiosity for learning with the ability to be self critical Critical thinking regarding socio-political reality Results of Case Study: Both groups moved toward critical consciousness

11. Factors relevant to Success and Critical Consciousness Development

12. Other Lessons Learned • Reduce the formality to increase the risk students are willing to take. • Facilitate less so there is more opportunity for students to share and ask each other questions. • Ensure that there is a reciprocal benefit to balance import and export of wisdom. • Usetechnology that is familiar to instructors and accessible to students to increase potential future use.

13. Conclusion Imagine Internationalized educational pedagogy that is accessible to all students Social workers with heightened critical consciousness Social works as leaders of social welfare innovation

14. For more information or to discuss a potential collaboration: Lynn Amerman Goerdt, Ed. D., MSW, LGSW Assistant Professor, Social Work Program University of Wisconsin, Superior Superior, Wisconsin  54880 Phone:  715-394-8158   Cell: 218-343-8717 Email:  lgoerdt@uwsuper.edu Skype: lgoerdt