Through this course I have managed to learn many new and interesting things. Aside from course material, one thing I learned that I didn't know before was that Algoma University used to be a Residential School. Learning this was a shock to me, but most importantly it showed me how much more there is that I need to learn.
I see this course as a great starting point to what I need to have further learning on. Everything that we learned will help us in our careers as Social Workers, however I know that learning continues all throughout our life. It is important for us to be understanding of social welfare before and after European contact. We need to have an understanding of how social welfare was developed in Canada, and what services are available to what people. As Social Workers in the north, it is important to have an understanding of the history of Anishnaabe peoples as well. We need to know about the Indian Act and what affects Residential Schools had and continue to have on these people and their families. I will admit that I was unaware of most of this, and am interested in learning more.
As a class we split into groups. Each group got to focus on an oppressed group of people, learn about this group, and present their findings to the class as a whole. This was a great way of researching, and getting information learned out to the class. The groups focused on issues such as class, race, gender, culture, age, sexuality, and ability. The group I decided to be in was the LGBT group. Although I do not identify as LGBT, I consider myself to be an ally to this group of people. Having family members and friends who identify as LGBT really opens my eyes to some of the discrimination this group faces on a daily basis, and how important it is to have supportive and nonjudgmental people in your life.
Through this experience of group work, I have learned a few things. I have learned that language is very important. It is important to be aware of your language and the language that is appropriate for the work that you are presenting. Along with language, it is important to be self aware, and in some cases self identifying yourself to the group in which you are presenting to is essential. It is helpful to let your audience know that you are in most cases not an expert in what you are doing, and are only presenting facts from your research. I also learned the importance of all group members being on the same level with what is being presented, and that practicing the presentation a few times before the presentation may be helpful. Through this group I was able to learn many things that will help me to grow as a person, and with my future career as a Social Worker.
Overall I enjoyed this class, and the material that we learned. As mentioned previously, I know this is just a starting point for me, that there is a lot more for me to learn, and that learning is continuous...
MEAGAN
No comments:
Post a Comment