My teaching publications

Harder, J., Cox, S., Grotelueschen, J., Simpson, D., & Lozier, M. (2007). Teaching and learning social work practice skills through the use of triads. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 13, 13-38.

This article presents a structured way to teach and learn social work practice skills in an undergraduate or foundation practice class. Triads provide the opportunity for students to develop practice skills and confidence as they experience firsthand the role of a social work practitioner. Written from both the perspective of the instructor and the student, this article examines how triads can be used to teach, apply, and reinforce skills in each of seven areas of the problem-solving model: engagement, assessment, planning/contracting, intervention, evaluation, closing, and follow-up, with additional opportunity given to applying skills related to social work values, ethics, and diversity. . The article discusses confidentiality and dual relationships as they relate to this teaching method and the risks and challenges to the use of this approach for both instructor and student.

Harder, J. (in press). Quick hits for service-learning: Successful strategies from award-winning educators. My chapter: The Research Partnership model. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

Research Partnership is a service-learning model utilized to teach research and data analysis knowledge and skills to graduate students. It provides hands-on activities within an authentic context, group support and individual accountability, and structured and incremental learning opportunities. To date, this Instructor has used this model six times, with 64 students and 14 community agencies and/or projects with very positive results.

Harder, J. (2010). Overcoming MSW students' reluctance to engage in research. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 30, 195-209.

Social work students are typically reluctant to engage in research. The Research Partnership model takes a service-learning approach, allowing students to work with data from a community agency and resulting in a final paper with all the sections of an empirical journal article. Use of this model in teaching social work research enhances student motivation, learning, and skills through hands-on activities within an authentic context, and by using group support with individual accountability, structured and incremental learning opportunities, and teaching from a strengths-based perspective.