Teaching: learning participation in social work

The concept of participation of the clientele in the process of development, amelioration, and rehabilitation is akin to the profession of social work. Terms and phrases such as, 'helping the people to help themselves', 'client self -determination', and 'empowerment' are emphasized in this profession. Social work education focuses on the development of knowledge, values, attitudes and skills in the trainees. This paper discusses the experience of the Department of Social Work at Visva-Bharati, India, in teaching:learning participation in its revised curriculum. It has a detailed description of the curriculum, discussing the extent to which participation has been included as well as how it has been included. It goes on to examine the factors that constrain and facilitate participatory teaching from teachers' and students' perspectives and discusses the importance of fieldwork in the revised curriculum. It argues a cultural context and mentions the effect of the organisational culture in the conclusion.