The social work book group: using fiction to support learning What started off as a small, experimental reading group has grown into a national project

Description

I first thought about using book groups in higher education when considering the knowledge, values and skills essential to effective social work practice within the context of the social work curriculum. In an attempt to come up with more creative ways to support students' learning, those outside of the traditional teaching methods, I developed a reading group. The initial reading group was an experimental initiative within a module of learning on the University of Central Lancashire's undergraduate social work programme. Attendance to the reading group was on a voluntary basis, but when more than 40 students arrived to participate, it was clear that there was something more to explore about reading groups as an attractive means to support learning. It was notable from the start how fiction could be used to explore the lived experience of the characters, lives similar to many practice situations, as the reflections emerging linked clearly to the knowledge, values and skills base