Presentation given at Middlesex University's Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 2014

1. Dr. Pat Cartney, Dr. Trish Hafford –Dr. Pat Cartney, Dr. Trish Hafford –
Letchfield, Angus MacDonald, NickyLetchfield, Angus MacDonald, Nicky
Lambert, Jo Pitman and many othersLambert, Jo Pitman and many others
involved in the project..involved in the project..

2. 
What we hope to do
today
 To talk about a filmmaking project we introduced in
a Year1 UG SWK Community Project module
 To outline briefly –
 Context and thinking
 Aims of the project
 Process – what we did and why
 Product – what was produced
 Evaluation
 Use film as main introduction but live questions
 Space for you to think about this in relation to your
students – could it work for you?

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB0wzEh4TWY

4. 
 Growing discourse about use and abuse of welfare
and pathologising of individuals / groups
 Encourage reflection on the ‘normal life of
communities’ – strengths as well as issues/problems
 Policy context – towards community engagement,
citizenship & participation
 Learning critical theories and counter discourses
which actively engage students with co-production
 Beyond the census – creative and meaningful
engagement with a social issue
Context for the project

5. 
What students were
asked to do
 Web based inquiry - demographic information about
the community population & national and local
policy contexts
 Choose a particular user group/ issue and
investigating how the community has responded to
their needs and wellbeing by making direct contact
with relevant services, interviewing relevant staff
and members of the public
 Consider what critical theory could offer in helping
frame issues and responses – Habermas, Bourdiou
and Foucault

6. 
 Identify a local campaign and analyse the issues and
evidence in relation to the policy and theoretical
frameworks available to make an evaluation of the
methods used and effectiveness in achieving its aims
 -Use film making as a basis for enquiry and group
work (did some other things too but this is our focus
today…)

7. 
 Video clips…
Aims….

8.  To explore the concepts of ‘community’ and theoretical contexts
for practice
 Partnership and participation through examination of social policy
and the institutions and structures that support service users and
carers at a local level.
 Direct skills through active enquiry, synthesis and evaluation of
information about the socio-economic and political realities in their
local community including direct contact with the public and
organisations providing support.
 Different disciplines contributing to knowledge and analysis of
structures in their own communities with a clear focus on its
strengths and potential for active community engagement.
 To encourage students to be creative in their approach to
communication by using arts based methods to communicate an
issue important to social work.
Community Project - aims

9. 
 8 one day university based workshops focused on
relevant key concepts, theories and research using
short interactive lectures, structured debates and
small group-work.
 Self-directed community based learning - active in
information gathering, practice based inquiry and
assessment and evaluation of policy and
demographic issues in their own local community.
 10 days of self-directed learning in their own
community through volunteering, observation,
interviewing and issue based inquiry..
Module structure


10. 
 What we did –
 Students worked in small groups to choose issue
 We worked with Dan and Angus around making
films, editing etc
 Students shot their films on location and edited
 Support from Dan and Angus for us and students
 Group ‘Oscars’ – presentations and feedback
 Video clips…..
Process

11. 
Generating Themes

12. 
Team work and decision
making

13. 
Editing and refining

14. 
 Clips of films…
Outcomes….

15. 
The Oscars

16. 
 Online pre and post survey on use of social media
skills
 Peer and tutor feedback at the Oscars
 Focus group – project team and students
 Documentary analysis of students written reflections
Evaluation

17. 
 Do you think that filmmaking could be something
you might think about using with your students?
 What might some of the potential issues be?
 What might some of the potential benefits be?
Your thoughts…

18. 
Where to next?