MinecraftTM: Just a Game or a Conduit to Enhance Social-Emotional Learning?

Minecraft™ is a popular game that immerses the player in a virtual world in which they can be creative and interact with others. Results of a 2017 survey of public educators utilizing Minecraft™ in the classroom, indicated that 90% of the teachers felt the game enhanced student problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative skills. One continued area of need in the practice of game-based interventions in context of clinical programming, is monitoring the effects of virtual reality and games on social-emotional and behavioral needs of participants. In January 2020, Minecraft™ launched a new Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) content packet to address this gap in services and research. The use of games and virtual reality (VR) in clinical practice are gaining popularity and are being used more readily to enhance 63 outcomes for identified clients. This article will discuss the design and development process of using the Minecraft™ SEL content packet in practice as a basis for group social skills training in latency age children with high functioning Autism. A review of current and best practices in virtual reality and game-based programming will be included

The Therapy Box in the Classroom: A Function-based Multi-Component Directive Play Therapy Treatment Package Intervention

The Therapy Box is a behavioral intervention being researched to determine its effectiveness as a Response to Intervention (RtI) Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavioral intervention for identified students. The Therapy Box assists students with developing self-regulatory skills and increasing their social-emotional literacy while providing a supportive, caring, and safe classroom environment. The Therapy Box is a treatment package that encompasses the theories of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the use of functional behavior assessments, B.F. Skinner\u27s theory of manding, Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA), and Directive Play Therapy. The hypothesis is that the student will be able to mand for calm down time with the box in lieu of an anger outburst/ episode within the classroom. The Therapy Box must be explained, and the student is part of the box creation during directive play therapy sessions. The intervention includes both student and teacher support to ensure skill generalization and successful outcomes. This research indicates that The Therapy Box proves to be an effective behavioral intervention for at- risk students

Exploring Regional Differences In Social Work Pedagogy: Attitudes Toward Poverty

This study explores regional differences in student learning outcomes from pre and post-test surveys of undergraduate and first year graduate social work students (N = 373) enrolled in a social welfare policy class at six different CSWE accredited institutions. As expected, overall results showed a shift in student attitudes away from a personal deficiency explanation for poverty, a decline in stigmatization of poverty, and toward a more structural explanation for the causes of poverty, but significant differences were reported by geographical region. Future research should explore the instructor, pedagogical, and geographical factors that may help of hinder attitudinal preparation for practice social work students

Changing Students’ Belief in a Just World: In-Class Simulations as Effective Pedagogy

Cognitive dissonance is an important element in adult learning in that it challenges previously held ideas in favor of new knowledge. In-class simulations and game-based learning are used as innovative and effective pedagogical tools in challenging adult learners and enhancing the students’ ability to think critically about larger societal needs. This paper will review the literature relevant to cognitive dissonance, adult learning, and game and simulation practices in higher education. The authors present the results of one simulation activity in a quasiexperimental non-random comparison group conducted across five universities within multiple undergraduate and graduate level social work policy courses. Findings of this research on the use of simulations in social work policy courses can be used to guide other social work programs with embedding this effective educational practice into their programs. Institutions of higher education, specifically within the discipline of social work, can play an important role in continuing the research and evaluation of this effective pedagogical practice through measuring outcomes on student critical thinking and changes in student beliefs and biases

The Earned Income Tax Credit: Estimating Non-Claims Rates among Eligible Participants and Why It Matters to Social Workers

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is accepted as an excellent anti-poverty policy tool, with favorable outcomes in education, health, and well-being among low-income Americans while increasing labor force participation. However, not all eligible people claim it, with participation rates hypothesized to be lower than official estimates of 80–85%. This study describes several methods to estimate non-claim rates utilizing data from the Brookings Institution, the IRS, and the census. Findings suggest EITC non-claim rates at least 50–100% higher than current official figures. Social workers can promote access to the EITC among eligible low-income people

Museums as an Avenue for Enhancing Engagement and Educational Outcomes for Underserved Students

Museums are the places where we hold treasures for display and study and where learning on a broad range of subjects can occur. However, for many marginalized populations, museums feel off-limits and inaccessible. There is evidence and research to support that exposing “at-risk” youth to programming within museums has a positive and lasting effect across multiple life domains. This article will review one specific museum-based pilot program as an intervention for improving outcomes for “at-risk” youth across domains of self-efficacy and knowledge in the field of science and education. Outcomes as well as recommendations for future replications will be shared

Editorial from Perspectives on Social Work Volume 7 (Spring 2009)

Editorial for volume 7 of Perspectives on Social Work, by journal editor Elena Delavega

NEDtalks 2017 - Dr. Elena Delavega

Elena Delavega is Assistant Professor of Social Work, MSW Program Coordinator, and Associate Director of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis. She obtained her Master of Social Work in 2008 and her PhD in Social Work in 2010 at the University of Houston. Dr. Delavega’s body of work is centered on the issues of poverty and exclusion and includes more than 14 peer-reviewed publications, over 50 other publications including reports, newspaper/magazine articles, book chapters, fact sheets, and translations; and over 65 peer-reviewed and invited presentations