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Learning Plans

Article in Journal of Teaching in Social Work · August 2001

DOI: 10.1300/J067v21n03_10

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Learning Plans
a
Bruce D. Friedman PhD, ACSW & Karen M. Neuman
b
PhD, ACSW
a
Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic
Medicine, 5440 Cass Avenue #1213, Detroit, MI,
48202, USA
b
Madonna University, Social Work Program, 36600
Schoolcraft Road, Livonia, MI, 48150, USA

Available online: 14 Oct 2008

To cite this article: Bruce D. Friedman PhD, ACSW & Karen M. Neuman PhD, ACSW
(2001): Learning Plans, Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 21:3-4, 123-138

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 Learning Plans:
A Tool for Forging
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Allegiances
in Social Work Education
Bruce D. Friedman
Karen M. Neuman

ABSTRACT. Learning plans are essential tools for field education. The
development of a learning plan invests the student in the learning pro-
cess by encouraging ownership. It also serves as a model to help students
understand the contracting process used when engaging clients. A well
thought out learning plan assures accountability and avoids problems
that may arise resulting from unclear field expectations. Yet, many stu-
dents and field instructors have difficulty in developing meaningful
plans that truly relate to the social work educational experience. This pa-
per provides a framework for developing a learning plan that includes an
overview of the student, faculty advisor, and field instructor’s roles and
the process utilized. Working from broad comprehensive learning goals,
cognitive and affective objectives are developed. This leads to specified
tasks and evaluative standards. A sample format is presented to further as-
sist students, faculty advisors, and field instructors to develop useful, in-
structive, and evaluative learning plans. [Article copies available for a fee
from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address:
<getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> © 2001
by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

Bruce D. Friedman, PhD, ACSW, is affiliated with Michigan State University, Col-
lege of Osteopathic Medicine, 5440 Cass Avenue #1213, Detroit, MI 48202 (E-mail:
bruce_friedman@rocketmail.com). Karen M. Neuman, PhD, ACSW, is affiliated with
Madonna University, Social Work Program, 36600 Schoolcraft Road, Livonia, MI
48150 (E-mail: karen.neuman@smtp.munet.edu).
Journal of Teaching in Social Work, Vol. 21(3/4) 2001
Ó 2001 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 123
 124 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

KEYWORDS. Learning plans, learning contract, field education, learn-

ing objectives, cognitive objectives, affective objectives
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Field education is an integral part of the social work curriculum. It

creates a natural linkage between the school and the “real world” of pro-
fessional practice. Field education is a collaborative process where
members from social work education interact with the practice commu-
nity in the education of students. Faculty members participate in the ex-
perience as liaisons to field agencies. The role of liaison enables the
faculty member to remain current in emerging trends within the field
while fulfilling service requirements necessary for university tenure
and promotion standards. This process also enables the faculty member
to share new research with the field agency, new research that relates to
trends in the field. The field instructor is the agency representative who
works with the faculty advisor in developing a learning plan for the stu-
dent. The application of new and established theories that address the
problems in the field helps both the faculty member and the field in-
structor develop relationships between theory and field. This helps the
student integrate classroom knowledge with the actual practice within
the field (Urbanowski & Dwyer, 1988), as the student tests and verifies
the information provided in the classroom.
Usually the beginning of the field experience is filled with a high
level of anxiety (Urbanowski & Dwyer, 1988; Ronnestad & Skovholt,
1993). The development of a comprehensive learning plan (contract)
can assist the student in overcoming some of the anxiety related to the
beginning of field. A learning plan provides a structure and outline for
what the student will encounter in field and help to clarify some of the
uncertainty. Some aspects of the learning plan are very individualized,
relying on the unique characteristics of the field placement and the in-
terests of the field instructor, student, and faculty advisor. The learning
plan is situated within the context of professional practice and guided by
CSWE standards and the specific program’s goals and orientation. The
learning plan integrates all these elements while providing the student
with some control over the situation to assist in her/his feeling of anxi-
ety.
While a learning plan creates a product that helps guide the field ex-
perience, the process of developing a plan is equally important. The pro-
cess is initiated in the beginning phase of field and helps to orient the
student to the agency and role of the professional social worker. The ini-
tial meeting between the student, faculty advisor and field instructor to
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 125

develop the learning plan begins to engage the student in the field expe-
rience. It provides the student with an opportunity to begin to establish
some ownership of the learning experience. The process involves nego-
tiating expectations leading to a trusting relationship between the stu-
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dent, field instructor and faculty advisor.

The product that results is a document that is used as a foundation or
road map for the student’s learning experience and becomes the basis for
the evaluation at the end of the field experience. These learning plans are
documents that ask the student to identify goals, objectives, and tasks re-
lating to their anticipated learning outcomes from the field experience.
Establishing goals and objectives are skills that workers are expected to
learn in contracting with client systems. Therefore, the learning plan as-
sists the student in beginning to learn skills that will be used later when
contracting with client systems through having the experience of con-
tracting for themselves. Finally, through the learning plan, the faculty ad-
visor, field instructor, and student establish accountability. The student is
not left on his/her own in field, but is supported by the field instructor in
consultation with the faculty advisor and guided by the learning plan.
Our experience has been that comprehensive learning plans enable
the student to perform better in the field experience. Conversely, nebu-
lous learning plans increase the likelihood that students will experience
problems in the field. With the litigious nature of our society, the learn-
ing plan helps to safeguard the School/Program, agency, and student
against unethical and unfair practices that may occur in the field.
It is difficult to assist the student in developing a learning plan early
in placement, when she or he has little information about the field
agency. To begin the process, existing program objectives and/or
CSWE outcomes can be used to help articulate the student’s learning
goals. Then, by integrating additional course and program materials
with the knowledge and resources of the agency more specific objec-
tives and tasks can be delineated. In addition to providing a starting
point, using already articulated program goals or CSWE standards
helps to demystify the contracting process. Already articulated goals
provide a common language for the student, field instructor, and faculty
advisor to use and help assure that the student’s experiences in the
agency will meet the standards for field education.
The learning plan needs to be individualized since learning is a very
personal and subjective experience. Developing a learning plan reflects
the student’s individual needs, capabilities and interests as specific
learning objectives are defined. To understand the nature of the learning
experience that the student receives by completing a learning plan, two
 126 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

taxonomies will be reviewed. They serve as conceptual frameworks for

learning processes and for constructing objectives in both the cognitive
and affective domains. Both taxonomies are important for social work
education, since students need to acquire social work knowledge in or-
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der to internalize professional values and ethics.

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

Benjamin Bloom’s landmark Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

(1956) provides a powerful tool for understanding the cognitive devel-
opmental steps of the learning experience. Development takes place
through a hierarchical classification of learning and cognitive function-
ing in which each subsequent level subsumes the preceding levels.
From lowest to highest, Bloom’s six level schema describes the abil-
ity to:

• memorize and recall knowledge

• comprehension and interpretation of information, concepts and
principles
• application of general rules to specific cases
• analysis or deconstruction of a whole into constituent parts, rela-
tionships and organizing principles
• synthesis, or construction of a new whole from various pieces
• evaluation and making judgements that are supported with internal
logic and external evidence.

At the simplest level of using Bloom’s taxonomy, the student is first

asked to recall (level 1) the knowledge that she or he has already ac-
quired about social work. This knowledge is built on previous experi-
ences and knowledge gained from class. The student then needs to
comprehend (level 2) and interpret the knowledge as it relates to the
work that they will be doing in the field. As such, comprehension dem-
onstrates a higher order of learning then does the simple recall of knowl-
edge.
Once the student is able to recall and comprehend the information
that has been garnered through class, the student must directly apply
(level 3) that information to the specific field agency and its client sys-
tems. Classroom theories are usually presented in terms that are gener-
ally applicable across a variety of settings and client systems. It is
critical that the student learns to apply these theories to the specific na-
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 127

ture of their emerging practice. Often, the application of these theories

is practiced in the classroom setting prior to entering the field.
Through this process of transferring and applying the knowledge to
the agency, the student analyzes (level 4) the information to make it ap-
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propriate to the assignments being asked to perform in field. This causes

the student to then synthesize (level 5) the information with the unique
characteristics of their practice in order to create a professional knowl-
edge base that integrates the general with the specific. Once the student
has completed this step, the student, field instructor, and faculty advisor
should meet to evaluate (level 6) the entire process as it relates to the
specific field assignment. Behaviorally based objectives can be con-
structed to reflect the student’s ability to apply knowledge (level 3); an-
alyze the appropriateness of the application (level 4); synthesize this
learning experience (level 5) and evaluate the results (level 6).
This taxonomy helps the student progress through a process of the
simple recall of information to the specific application, synthesis and
evaluation of knowledge. As such, it relates to the learning that takes
place on a cognitive level.
An example will help to demonstrate the nature of cognitive develop-
ment that takes place. Jane began a field placement at a senior congre-
gate housing complex. Her practice course had focused on social work
roles like broker, case manager, mediator, advocate, facilitator, organi-
zational analyst, team member, and consultant (Hepworth, Rooney, and
Larsen, 1997) but the agency job description did not define her respon-
sibilities the same way. It became necessary for her to recall the role
terms, comprehend them in a way that she could then apply them to the
specific aspects of the field placement. This was not so easy since the
roles did not truly address elderly nor did they address a congregate liv-
ing situation. Once Jane was able to apply these concepts to the specific
setting, she needed to analyze the relationship between the concepts and
the placement to create tasks or assignments that she projected she
would do during the year. Jane then synthesized the information by con-
structing a field experience that would provide her with meaning.
Throughout the year, Jane then evaluated her experience to make sure
that the experience was within the educational framework of social
work. Jane did not do this in isolation but with the assistance of both the
field instructor and the faculty liaison.
As social work not only focuses on the cognitive development of the
individual but also on the emotional and social development that our
students gain through practice in field, it is useful to use a complemen-
tary taxonomy to describe objectives in the affective domain for a more
 128 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

holistic approach to learning. Together, these two frameworks provide a

comprehensive model to articulate and document goals and objectives
for field and permit the development of a product that can be used as a
guide for the basis of field education. Krathwohl’s (1964) model was
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designed to facilitate the development of affective learning objectives.

KRATHWOHL’S TAXONOMY OF AFFECTIVE OBJECTS

Coombs (1962) stated, “Education must be concerned with the values,

beliefs, convictions and doubts of students. These realities as perceived
by an individual are just as important, if not more so, as the so-called . . .
facts” (p. 200). In addition to learning the cognitive skills and abilities of
the professional, the student needs to develop the emotional and social
maturity necessary for social work practice. The goal of social work edu-
cation is to develop students into social workers who value, own, and can
reflect about the very special characteristics of the field. To describe this
process, learning objectives in the affective domain can be crafted using
Krathwohl’s categories. They are, in hierarchical order:

• Receiving
• Responding
• Valuing
• Organization
• Characterization

The first level, receiving, refers to the learner’s awareness and sensi-
tivity to recognize and/or receive information such as feedback and
nonverbal communication. The second level, responding, refers to what
the student chooses to do with such information. This should involve se-
lecting and demonstrating a response behavior that shows maturity and
professionalism. Valuing, the third level, refers to the learner’s beliefs
and attitudes of worth. According to Krathwohl, this level is specifically
demonstrated by the learner’s initial acceptance, then preference for,
and ultimate commitment to a particular set of principles. The fourth
and fifth levels of organization and characterization, describe the inter-
nalization process. Principles and values are organized into a personal
frame of reference for use in practice. Finally, in the highest level the
student begins to be able to characterize other principles in light of these
now organized principles and values. This process helps the student de-
velop of a general, personal philosophy and identity of being a social
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 129

worker. Although more difficult to define than traditional behaviorally

stated objectives, affective objectives can be developed and integrated
in the learning contract. These skills are often sharpened through the
practicum experience.
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For example, the student’s ability to receive and respond to supervi-

sion effectively reflects level one and level two objectives in this model.
Valuing diversity reflects a-level three objective. Selecting treatment
strategies consistent with the profession’s ethical principles of self de-
termination reflects higher order objectives of organization and charac-
terization.
Returning to Jane, throughout the program Jane was oriented to the
principle of client self-determination. Through classroom information,
she cognitively received and responded to these concepts. However, it
is not until she was in a practice setting did she have the opportunity to
integrate this knowledge with her work and professional identity. While
in her field experience the field instructor and faculty liaison provided
feedback to Jane on her performance. By working in the agency setting,
Jane came to value and appreciate the importance of client self-determi-
nation. It became an organizing principle of her practice and her devel-
oping professional character. She was able to translate these skills into
her second field placement, which was a completely different setting,
thus demonstrating that affective development took place.
The field experience provides a ready outlet to test these taxono-
mies, which, in addition to describing the learning process, serves as
specific reference tools to help students and field instructors develop
clearly stated objectives. If one is to see learning as a process that re-
sults in the development of a professional social worker, then the stu-
dent should progress through each of these levels during the course of
field work.
As such, the learning plan contextualized within Bloom’s and
Krathwohl’s Taxonomies not only addresses the need to conceptualize
both cognitive and affective processes of learning, but also supports the
development of a product or document that can be used for field instruc-
tion.

THE LEARNING PLAN AS A PRODUCT

One purpose of the learning plan is to establish expectations that can

be used to measure the effectiveness of the student’s performance. A
good learning plan specifies the goals, objectives, tasks, and time frame
 130 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

that guide the student’s learning experience in field. Tasks and assign-
ments are identified that will enable the student to achieve these stated
goals and objectives. The learning plan, as a document, is generated by
the student in consultation with the field instructor and faculty advisor
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and requires a basic format that affords plenty of room for creativity.
Presented in Appendix A are instructions that provide the student with
definitions for goals, objectives, tasks, and time frame to assist him/her
in developing the learning plan (Appendix B).

THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A LEARNING PLAN

Just as the product is used to assist in evaluating and understanding

whether the student was able to achieve certain benchmarks, so the pro-
cess used to get to that product is equally important. Bruner states that
learning within “a curriculum reflects not only the nature of knowledge
itself-the specific capabilities–but also the nature of the knower and the
knowledge getting process” (Shulman, 1971, p. 187). In field work, de-
veloping a learning plan and working through it helps the student gain
professional knowledge and skills. This relates to knowledge of self in
the profession as well as developing an understanding of the process of
building and acquiring knowledge itself. Thus the learning plan is an as-
signment that forces students to take the steps to begin the complex pro-
cess of integrating all elements of learning into a cohesive knowledge
base for practice.
There are a number of things faculty advisors and field instructors
need to do to assist students in this process. The faculty advisor needs to
review and elaborate on the student’s general understanding of social
work. This can be accomplished by reviewing course syllabi and identi-
fying particular sections of the methods texts that identify the skills and
roles of social workers in the field (i.e., Hepworth & Larsen, pp. 25-29).
In addition, the program’s field manual should identify the expectations
of the social work program for what students are expected to learn
through the field experience. These outcomes can be used as a basis for
the overall goals of the learning plan.
The field instructor begins to be seen as a resource person for the stu-
dent by providing some basic initial information on social work practice
within the agency. This may include job descriptions, service statistics,
and the agency’s mission statement. Referring to Bloom’s taxonomy,
this is presenting information at the level one (learning and recalling
general knowledge) for the student who then comprehends and
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 131

internalizes the information. Working together, the student and field in-
structor proceed to design a field placement experience that follows the
levels of the taxonomies, is consistent with the opportunities and mis-
sion of the agency and meets the individual needs of the student.
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The process is also important in that it begins to develop a rapport and

relationship between the student, field instructor, and faculty advisor.
This should be a collaborative process with input from all parties. The
student is encouraged to become an active participant in his/her learning
and is expected to do more than regurgitate information. This is crucial
in beginning to develop contracting and negotiating skills that will be
needed as part of the professionalization of the student learner.

RESPECTIVE ROLES INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS

A number of individuals are involved in the student’s learning pro-

cess. The student bears some responsibility for the process and its out-
come, as do the field instructor and faculty advisor. But it is important to
consider the classroom instructor in this formula, too. Because field ed-
ucation is such an important component to the learning process, every
person, field instructor, faculty advisor, as well as the classroom in-
structor play an integral role in the education of the student.

The Student

As mentioned above, in professional education the role of the student

is not one where the student can just sit back and recall information of
Bloom’s first level. Rather, the student is involved in a complex learning
process that includes both cognitive and affective domains of learning
(Krathwohl, 1971). The student starts out by learning and understanding
material and concepts that are presented in the classroom. Having hope-
fully mastered this, the student is then expected to demonstrate a level of
professional competency that will largely be achieved though a field ex-
perience. In this regard, the educational process is very interactive and in-
dividualized, requiring the student to take responsibility for developing a
professional attitude that includes critical thinking and problem solving.
Because this emerges through the field experience, the learning plan is an
integral part of the process.
For some students, taking ownership of their own learning processes
may be difficult. The educational process socializes students to be pas-
sive recipients of information. Social work education is skilled-based
 132 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

and requires students to learn self-reflection and self-assessment within

a professional context. These kinds of issues are meaningful to learning
objectives for some students in developing learning plans.
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The Field Instructor

Given the nature of social work practice, it is impossible for all learn-
ing to take place in the classroom. In developing the experiential com-
ponent to the social work curriculum, social work programs reach out to
the professional community and contract with agencies to provide prac-
tice experiences. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement for a number
of reasons. It permits the faculty to develop direct linkages to the field
by getting them out of the university and into the community. It pro-
vides the student with learning experiences outside the classroom set-
ting and places him/her in the “real world” environment where he or she
can learn the true nature of how various agency and social policies im-
pact the provision of services. The field instructor is, in turn, connected
with the resources and expertise of the University and its faculty in fur-
thering the development of the profession and his/her own practice wis-
dom.
The field instructor is directly responsible for the social work super-
vision of the student. Field instructors understand the mission of the
agency and the practice of social work within the agency and facilitate
the student’s learning within agency parameters. Initially, the field in-
structor takes a direct role in arranging the nature of the tasks or assign-
ments that the student will perform while at the agency. The field
instructor will also be responsible for evaluating the student’s progress
by making sure that the work being done conform to agency standards
and expectations. The learning plan forms a basis for evaluation. How-
ever, the field instructor is not usually responsible for assigning a grade
to the student. This is done by the faculty advisor, who directly repre-
sents the University. This also helps to preserve the collegiality of the
student/field instructor relationship.

Faculty Advisor

The faculty advisor is the social work program’s liaison to the

agency. The faculty advisor works closely with the student and the field
instructor in developing the learning plan. It is the responsibility of the
faculty advisor to make sure that the tasks being performed by the stu-
dent relate to the overall social work curriculum and the expectations of
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 133

the social work program. Because social work program goals are
broadly defined, the faculty advisor works with the student and field in-
structor to try to transform these general statements in consideration of
the specifics of the agency and the individual student’s learning needs
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and interests.
The learning contract also provides a framework to organize the field
visits that will occur during the student’s practicum. Periodically re-
viewing the contract helps to identify delays, barriers to learning and is-
sues that need to be resolved before proceeding. It also helps the student
to remember and share the many activities and assignments that have
been successfully completed during the course of the semester.

The Classroom Instructor

The contributions of the classroom instructors in supporting the stu-

dent’s learning in field are often forgotten in this formula. However, it is
from the classroom where social work concepts are initially presented
and a vision of practice begins to emerge for the student. Methods
classes will hopefully require assignments that involve the contracting
skills. The learning plan can then be used to demonstrate specifically
the student’s understanding of the contracting process and, more gener-
ally, whether the student has a grasp of the course material as it relates to
his/her practice and agency. The learning plan, and specifically the task
portion, can be used to integrate other classroom assignments, such as
case studies, assessments, organizational and policy analysis and topi-
cal papers into the field experience providing meaning to the profession.

FLEXIBILITY IN THE LEARNING CONTRACT

Throughout the development of the learning plan it is important to re-

main flexible. The process of completing the learning contract involves
moving through retaining and recalling general “classroom” knowledge
to the specific application of integrated and synthesized learning. This
is a highly individualized process and is specific to the unique charac-
teristics of the agency and student. There is a phenomenon that occurs
about ten weeks into the field experience called the “ah ha experience.”
This is when understanding happens for students who have been strug-
gling to try to understand the relationship between field and the social
work concepts. About this time, a “light bulb” seems to go off and
things begin to make sense for the student. This is an important event for
 134 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

the student, but unfortunately usually occurs well after the learning plan
has been completed. This means that often, there are students who are
struggling with the development of their learning plan before they have
developed an adequate understanding of what is truly being expected of
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them in field. Therefore, all parties, students, field instructors, faculty

advisors, and classroom instructors, should look at learning plans as a
tool in the development of the student experience and should periodi-
cally review it and revise it as new levels of learning emerge.
However, there are limits to a completely individualized approach.
Field instructors and faculty advisors often struggle with how to evalu-
ate the hard working, invested student who makes progress throughout
field but falls short of expectations. If the learning plan is adequately
constructed, with clearly delineated goals, objectives, tasks, time lines
and evaluation criteria, the answer should be evident to the student, field
instructor and faculty advisor.

CONCLUSIONS

Learning plans are important tools for social work education. Not
only do they help the student become involved in the learning process
and give them ownership of their own learning, but they also become a
safeguard for the social work program. The learning plan provides some
accountability for the work that the student is performing in the field.
Often, when a student is having problems in the field, the learning con-
tract is vague. For students to succeed, a clear, individualized plan for
their learning that outlines the tasks and assignments that will occur dur-
ing the year with objective standards for evaluation is essential. It is also
helpful for the faculty advisor and for the social work program which is
repeatedly being asked to demonstrate the accountability for student
learning in the field.

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theory. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 135

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Mathematics,” in Marvin D. Glock (ed.), Guiding Learning: Reading in Educa-
tional Psychology. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pages 181-197.
Urbanowski, M.L. & Dwyer, M.M. (1988). Learning through field instruction: A
guide for teachers and students. Milwaukee, WI: Family Service America.
 136 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

APPENDIX A

Introductory Statement About Learning Plans for Students

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The Learning Plan is a three-way agreement between you, the field instructor, and your
faculty advisor. The Plan states what you hope to learn from your practicum experience
(learning goals) and translates those goals into specific tasks and outcome measures.
A learning plan is done to minimize the possibility of misunderstanding between you
and your field assignment. Because the tasks are described in outcome measures, the
plan provides a level of accountability for what you will be doing. The plan is also a way of
providing focus for what you are committed to doing, shows your progress and helps de-
velop a sense of satisfaction as to what you have completed. Royse, Dhooper & Romp
(1993) explain that the learning plan provides safeguards that insure the integrity of the
practicum as an educational experience and discourages the use of students as substi-
tute employees (p. 35). They describe one model for learning contracts called the SPIRO
model. This describes essential elements of a good contract: specificity, performance, in-
volvement, realism and observability. Your learning contact should specifically state when
and what is to be performed, who and how much is involved, and be realistic and observ-
able.

Learning Goals

Goals are broad statements that provide a sense of direction for your work. They are
the target, or end result that you aim to achieve. They describe the roles, skills, responsi-
bilities and knowledge that you will have achieved upon completion of your field placement
experience. There are sources of information that you should review in developing your
goals. The Council on Social Work Education has defined expected outcomes for students
in field and these are outlined in the field placement manual along with the evaluation forms
that will be used.
Your agency has additional information that may be helpful in formulating goals includ-
ing job descriptions and descriptions of the types of services provided and the clients
served. You may want to review the description of roles of social workers in some of your
textbooks. Keep in mind the function of the agency as it relates to those roles that you want
to learn to make sure that your goals are realistic.
 Bruce D. Friedman and Karen M. Neuman 137

Specific Objectives

Whereas goals are broad statements that typically do not state how they will be at-
tained, objectives break down the primary goal into smaller steps. Objectives are very spe-
cific statements that are based on the goals that demonstrate or measure progress toward
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the goal. There are usually more than one objective for each goal. The objective should be
realistic and achievable in relationship to your learning needs and the function of the
agency/department. Objectives describe “behavioral products that can be specified in op-
erational terms. Subsequently, they can be task analyzed; then they can be taught”
(Shulman, 1971, p. 187). This means that the objective should be stated in behavioral,
measurable terms that permits others, such as field instructor, to know exactly what you
have learned. Some considerations for writing objectives including specifying “who will do
what when” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 1993, p. 199) and delineating the performance, condi-
tions, and evaluation standards (Thompson, cited by Kirst-Ashman & Hull). A well-written
objective contains a verb that describes a behavior, such as “demonstrates, defines, de-
scribes, completes” because these are observable to an outsider (see attachment for a list
of terms used to develop objectives). Other things to consider in writing objectives is the
level of independence that you demonstrate in the area, the specific client system you will
be working with and the specific nature of the work you will be doing in your agency.

Specific Tasks

Tasks describe the specific responsibilities that you will be carrying out to achieve your
goals and objectives. These should also specify the measurement criteria and the expected
level of achievement. They are the “road map” or directions that will take you toward
achieving your goals and objectives. Examples include: completing eight psychosocial as-
sessments, developing five treatment plans for recovering substance abuse clients, work-
ing with a group of adolescents on a weekly basis, etc.

Time Line

The time line is a projection of when you hope to accomplish certain tasks. Don't get
worried about exact dates but these should be projections for completing certain tasks.
Think in terms of weeks, months, or even semesters for each of the tasks. The time line is
important because it establishes a framework for accomplishing your tasks.

Status/Update

This section is used in conjunction with your field instructor to ascertain how you are
progressing with your specific goals, objectives, and tasks.
 138 JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN SOCIAL WORK

APPENDIX B. Student Learning Contract for Social Work Field Education

Student’s Name Agency

Field Instructor Faculty Advisor
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Goals Learning Objectives Tasks and Assignments Time Frame Status

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