College Social Work instructor recognized with international award

WHITEHORSE-Jordan Aslett, an instructor in the Bachelor of Social Work program at Yukon College, has been recognized with an award from an international journal. Aslett is co-writer of an article about tackling disengaged students and the constraints of modern universities, such as increasing class size, standardized text books and testing, and reduced guest speakers and written assignments.

“There is a lot of pressure on faculty across Canada, especially adjunct faculty, to standardize the curriculum and teaching. Along with reduced funding for additional source texts and field trips, the result can be teaching that follows a single textbook and fails to engage students, or challenge them to think critically,” said Aslett. “It’s a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t meet the needs of all students or inspire them.”

Aslett’s co-author, Susan Preston, changed the way she taught at an Ontario university and found it engaged more of her students, especially marginalized students who were not speaking up.

“This is important in social work education because in our professional work we are often working under standardized one-size-fits-all social policies and need to be able to critically assess if such policies are meeting the needs of those we are trying to help,” said Aslett.

The article, Resisting neoliberalism from within the academy: Subversion through an activist pedagogy, was published by Social Work Education in May 2014, and this year was named Best Conceptual Article from the previous twelve months.

“The award is directed in part at the collaborative way in which we wrote the paper,” said Aslett, who reflected on Preston’s experience adapting her teaching methods, and then together they turned this practice into a theory that can be applied by other teachers.

Aslett and Preston coined the term “activist pedagogy” to describe this method of turning the constraints of the classroom against itself to produce more engaged students. Following her new methods, Preston found that her students became more active in social justice issues and more aware of the potential disconnect between government social policies and real life.

Aslett is now deploying some of Preston’s methods as he takes on his first ever teaching assignment this term at Yukon College.

“I am bringing in additional topics and examples from the reality of life in Yukon and Canada that challenge the perspective of the textbook and encourage students to think critically about what they are presented with,” said Aslett.

Alongside his teaching, Jordan Aslett is an intake officer and coordinates the Yukon Distress and Support phone line for Many Rivers Counselling & Support Services.

There is an information session on Wednesday October 21, from 12-1 p.m. in room A2202 at Ayamdigut campus in Whitehorse, for people who wish to learn more about the University of Regina Bachelor of Social Work program offered at Yukon College. Or visit the College website: yukoncollege.yk.ca/programs/view/bsw/.