Honing skills: an evolving model for teaching welfare 'skills' appropriate to the North Queensland context

Abstract

Teaching interpersonal and group work skills has been an evolving process for the authors. Over several years we have recalled and reflected upon our experiences of teaching “skills” to on campus and distance education student groups. Through this reflective process we sought to develop better ways of facilitating all students’ learning of relevant practice skills. Key components we wanted to see incorporated in our future “skills” teaching were i) use of flexibility in teaching modes to maximise opportunities for all students to learn appropriate skills for practice and ii) more emphasis on Indigenous helping styles in order that the skills curriculum was inclusive, respectful, and more relevant to North Queensland’s Indigenous student body and communities. This paper discusses the development and implementation of a model for ‘on and off-campus study’ that has served to progress this quest.