Fostering Critical Relational Teaching in Social Work Education
Reflections on Shifting Pedagogy to Address the Current College Mental Health Crisis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28052Keywords:
critical relational teaching, college mental health, social justice pedagogy, social work teachingAbstract
The U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis among college students as they return to classrooms from the COVID-19 pandemic. Social work students may be at an elevated mental health risk given their interest in the profession, often shaped by experiences of trauma and belonging to marginalized and excluded communities. This critical reflexive paper aims to draw on critical relational pedagogies, underscoring relationship-building and the co-creation of socially just spaces. We explore the fusion of relational and critical social justice approaches informed by bell hooks and Paulo Freire, examining their potential to shape social work education by centering power-sharing and love. We find utilizing a critical relational pedagogy enhanced our classroom experiences and learning, fostered stronger and more authentic relationships between students and instructors, and held space for the difficult but important generative conversations that often take place in social work classrooms. This paper includes pragmatic strategies to enhance teaching informed by this critical pedagogical framework. Adapting a critical relational pedagogy can help mitigate the negative effects of the U.S college mental health crisis and COVID-19. Doing so may help students experience a sense of belonging in the classroom and know that their voices are valued.
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