- Presenter: Matthew Monfils, Department of Social Work, Grand View University
- Session Length: 90 Minutes Total (Interleaved Framework: 60-Min Total Lecture / 30-Min Total Dialogue)
- Institutional Approval: Approved under Grand View University IRB #405-26
- Ethical Compliance: This curriculum strictly adheres to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, focusing on the core values of Social Justice, Competence, and the Importance of Human Relationships.
This presentation explores the critical role of mentorship in Master of Social Work (MSW) education. Grounded in critical pedagogy, the study examines how formal and informal mentoring relationships influence professional identity and academic persistence among emerging practitioners. Findings highlight the need for equitable, developmental support systems that bridge the gap between theory and practice, especially for underserved students.
By the conclusion of this 90-minute continuing education block, attendees will be able to:
- Analyze the impact of formal and informal mentorship on the development of professional identity and academic persistence in emerging social work practitioners.
- Create evidence-based recommendations for designing developmental, rather than administrative, mentorship models in academic and field settings.
- Discuss the reciprocal benefits of the mentoring relationship for both the emerging practitioner (mentee) and the experienced practitioner (mentor).
📱 Mobile Optimization Note: This repository is structured as a single-column, low-tech Markdown layout to ensure it can be tracked flawlessly on any phone screen or mobile browser during the live session.
- 15 Minutes — Speaking Session: Introduction to the systemic background, problem parameters, and national landscape of the topic. Dismantling the baseline assumptions of the field.
- 7 Minutes — Interactive Dialogue: Activity 1 — Disruption Analysis
- Dialectical Prompt: Reflect on a time your professional guidance or supervision was strictly administrative/logistical rather than developmental. What core structural pieces were missing?
- Critical Pedagogy Peer-Level Rule: To dismantle traditional classroom hierarchy, the presenter will step away from the podium and join a random attendee group or mobile chat-thread as a peer, sharing their own historical developmental vulnerabilities on equal ground.
- 15 Minutes — Speaking Session: Deep dive into the theoretical framework. Explaining core conceptual parameters (e.g., Freirean dialogue vs. the "banking concept" of education, transformative praxis, and critical consciousness).
- 8 Minutes — Interactive Dialogue: Activity 2 — Problem-Posing Reframe
- Dialectical Prompt: Look at the current workflow errors or barriers on your device. Frame a common structural failure in your field as a systemic institutional flaw rather than an individual character deficiency.
- Critical Pedagogy Peer-Level Rule: The presenter will actively submit their own real-time reframe text into the shared pool alongside attendees, relinquishing the role of evaluator or grading moderator.
- 15 Minutes — Speaking Session: Direct presentation of qualitative or quantitative data patterns, participant tracking profiles, and unexpected empirical anomalies.
- 7 Minutes — Interactive Dialogue: Activity 3 — Solidarity Mapping
- Dialectical Prompt: Review the informal survival networks professionals organically build via messaging apps to combat burnout. How can we structurally design formal environments to mirror this raw peer solidarity?
- Critical Pedagogy Peer-Level Rule: The presenter acts exclusively as a co-collaborator in logging brainstorming ideas, intentionally refusing to judge, rank, or police the baseline assumptions of the responses.
- 15 Minutes — Speaking Session: Transitioning from theory to actionable praxis. Building the strategic multi-level infrastructure layout while accounting for reciprocal benefits for both mentors and mentees.
- 8 Minutes — Interactive Dialogue: Activity 4 — Mapping the Mutual Growth Loop
- Dialectical Prompt: Design an intentional professional feedback loop where an experienced practitioner (mentor) explicitly gains fresh critical pedagogical insights from an emerging practitioner (mentee). How does this mutual growth sustain longevity for both parties?
- Critical Pedagogy Peer-Level Rule: The presenter documents their personal professional growth derived from listening to the audience members today, validating the community as a co-creator of academic knowledge.
[SYSTEMIC DRIFT] ──► Overloaded Administrative / Reactive Models
│
▼
[CRITICAL PEDAGOGY INTERVENTION]
│
├─► Deconstructs Traditional Instructional Hierarchy
└─► Fosters Direct Peer-Driven Solidarity Networks
│
▼
[PRAXIS-DRIVEN ROADMAP]
│
├─► Micro: Embedded structural curriculum checkpoints
├─► Mezzo: Near-peer pairing protocols to balance burnout
└─► Macro: Reciprocal feedback frameworks for dual retention
- The Target Population: Master of Social Work (MSW) graduate students navigating virtual and non-traditional instructional formats.
- The Systemic Conflict: Relying on informal, unstructured adjustments creates a critically low margin of error, forcing vulnerable actors to take on systemic risk individually.
- The Power of Responsiveness: Data tracks indicate that highly responsive institutional feedback cycles directly elevate self-efficacy and mitigate professional anxiety.
To claim formal continuing education credits for this 90-minute session, you must complete the plain-text verification document.
- Step 1: Access the raw file
EVALUATION.mdlocated within this repository root directory. - Step 2: Fill out the three critical reflection blocks detailing how you plan to deploy critical pedagogy praxis within your local supervisory ecosystem.
- Step 3: Submit the document according to the protocol rules outlined in
EVALUATION.md. Your certificate file will be processed and sent to your registered platform address within 48 hours.
- Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.
- National Association of Social Workers. (2021). NASW Code of Ethics.
- Pomeroy, E. C., & Steiker, L. H. (2011). Paying it forward: On mentors and mentoring. Social Work.
- Schuman, D. L., et al. (2021). Improving Outcomes for At-Risk MSW Students. Journal of Teaching in Social Work.
- Skrzypek, C., et al. (2019). Mentoring Connections: Student–Alumni Program. Journal of Social Work Education.