Serendipity – Surprises in critical reflection on supervision

Abstract

This paper was presented at the April 2010 supervision conference in Auckland and is a sequel to ‘Loitering with intent – a model of practice for working in a New Zealand secondary school’, Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work 2009 Vol 21(3).

Do we know what happens in supervision and how it matters? Through the process of preparing a conference presentation on another kaupapa, a fieldwork supervisor discovers a story that her supervisee wants to tell. This paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge about fieldwork supervision from a supervisee perspective. It highlights the effects of using learning styles to encourage the integration of practice and theory with a social work student. The presentation utilises a dialogue format to mirror what unfolded when the supervisor asked her supervisee ‘What was it about supervision that was so important to the success of the placement?’