СREATIVITY DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS WITHIN THE SOCIAL WORK FIELD EDUCATION

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of creativity development of future social workers within the social work field education.

It is proved that creativity development is absolutely necessary not only because creativity is one of the requisite twenty-first century skills but also because the profession of social worker is impossible without a creative approach in solving professional tasks in today’s rapidly changing society.

It was indicated that the quality of future social workers professional training will improve if their creative abilities and creative activity are actualized within social work field education, so the aim of the study is to suggest the ways of developing creative abilities of future social workers in the process of social work field education.

The concept of field education was described, as well as key principles that guide field education programs and provide objectives for field education.

The aim and main tasks of field education within the Master educational program (Social Work, Social Pedagogy) of Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University were also presented.

In the article special training that includes conducting training exercises within the supervision sessions for the development of creative abilities of future social workers in the process of social work field education, were described. These training exercises are aimed at developing students' divergent thinking; contribute to increasing self-esteem, and also increase motivation to develop new skills; training of teamwork skills, as well as public presentation of its results; exercises which contribute to the deepening of the processes of self-disclosure of one's own professional self, the formation of the skills of self-analysis, self-understanding and self-criticism; summarizing the ideas of students about their creative abilities which is of great importance within social work field education.

A conclusion was made that conducting special training within the supervision sessions will contribute to the development of future social workers’ creative abilities which, in its turn, will enable students to use a creative approach while solving professional tasks in the process of social work field education. It was also stated that further research will be devoted to the development of students’ critical thinking during the social work field education.