From Reflection to Action
A Pedagogical Framework for Advancing Social Justice and Inclusive Practices in Social Work Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/28776Keywords:
ADEI, Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE), Anti-racism, social work education, social justiceAbstract
This article presents the Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) Teaching and Course Critique Framework (ADEI-TCCF), a comprehensive and reflective process for social work educators (SWE) to critically examine their power, privilege, pedagogical approaches and curriculum development. The tool was developed to guide SWEs through a self-assessment process to review classroom content, environment, and culture, with the aim of establishing inclusive, culturally relevant, and affirming teaching practices for diverse student identities and needs. Created by a committee dedicated to advancing diversity and social justice issues, the ADEI-TCCF integrates the Council on Social Work Education 2022 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, Culturally Relevant Teaching, Queer Pedagogy, and Decolonization Theory, offering a framework that consists of a self-assessment, peer review, observation, and feedback. Using the ADEI-TCCF uncovers how instructors can improve the content, accessibility, and community of their courses by focusing on diversifying content, increasing inclusive practices, and understanding the importance of lived experience as truth and knowledge alongside more traditional text. Additionally, the tool can be utilized as a self-assessment or group study, and offers crucial self-reflection of ADEI content and how the field of social work education upholds the value of social justice for our students and communities.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Kimberly M. Knox, Erika Gergerich, Myra Garcia
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