The Complete Guide to Studying for your Social Work Degree

A compendium of social work study skills to help students with their critical thinking, verbal and written communication, academic writing, and referencing skills.

Patricia Cartney is Head of Social Work at the University of Manchester, where she oversees all the pre-and post-qualifying social work programmes. She is the Programme Director for the MA in Social Work. Patricia has many years of experience as a social work practitioner and over 20 years as an educator of social work students. She is passionate about helping students become skilled, compassionate and effective social workers who make a difference. Jane Bottomley is a lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and previously worked in the same capacity at the University of Manchester. Jane has considerable experience teaching academic writing and has worked with undergraduates, postgraduates and university staff to help them develop their understanding and practice in their discourse communities. You can visit her website at: https://janebottomley.co.uk/ Steven Pryjmachuk is Professor of Mental Health Nursing Education in the School of Health Science's Division of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work at the University of Manchester and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His teaching, clinical and research work has centred largely on supporting and facilitating individuals - be they students, patients or colleagues - to develop, learn or care independently.

Introduction Studying for your Social Work Degree 1. Studying social work in higher education 2. Strategies for effective learning 3. Critical thinking 4. Becoming a member of your academic community 5. Technology and resources 6. Strategies for assessment Academic writing and referencing for your social work degree 7. Academic writing: text, process and criticality 8. Coherent texts and arguments 9. Referring to sources 10. Language in use 11. Preparing your work for submission Communication skills for your social work degree 12. Academic presentations and public speaking 13. Participating in seminars and meetings 14. Getting the most from tutorials 15. Practical speaking skills 16. Practical writing skills 17. Networking Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree 18. Foundations of critical thinking 19. Reflective practice and critical thinking 20. Critical reading 21. Critical writing