Professor Carly Franklin is a clinical assistant professor at the School of Social Work. She is teaching some service learning courses such as Social Work Practice II and III, Field Seminar, […]
Professor Carly Franklin is a clinical assistant professor at the School of Social Work. She is teaching some service learning courses such as Social Work Practice II and III, Field Seminar, Spirituality in Social Work.
For Professor Franklin, service learning courses improve the UA community by providing diverse and immense opportunities to students. These experiences elevate the learning experience and better equip our students for their professional practice. Service learning courses allow our students to provide many, many hours of service to the community, and our students further the reach of community agencies in ways that would otherwise be impossible to achieve.
She also adds that service learning experience is a wonderful opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills being taught in the classroom. The field experience allows students to be completely immersed in the practice environment. One great reward that I love to watch unfold for students is the building of knowledge, skills, and confidence. By the end of each semester, students have experienced tremendous growth. Often, students will get to their final evaluation and realize all that they have accomplished. They are delighted and often surprised! When students are at their field placements, they are fully experiencing that world. This really expedites learning and builds confidence.
As a field liaison in a field seminar course, Professor Franklin provides instruction and support to her field students. She guides the processing in class so that students are able to express difficult experiences, receive support, and identify affirming commonalities with peers. She also interjects with useful information, resources, or ideas for improving practice. She also provides off-site supervision to field interns each semester. In this capacity, she meets at least once a week with students to discuss their field experiences, to challenge them in new directions, and to provide a layer of support as they navigate their field environment.
Professor Franklin affirms that being involved in this type of learning course definitely allows her to use her practice skills in different ways. Field interactions – with both the students and the community – allow her to maintain and add to her network of collaborative colleagues and agencies.