Using Inter-group contact theory in the classroom to socialise and educate social work students.

Discrimination and marginalisation remain major issues in social work today and in the wider society. The attitudes of individuals have been completely permeated by segregation, ignorance and prejudice. Rodenborg and Boisen (2013), describe that aversive racism is still a pervasive element of personal and professional judgment but can be overcome by improving the teaching environment, which significantly improves the situation. Research shows that by improving the teaching environment, students deepen their self-awareness and develop ‘other' knowledge. Outside the classroom, those in majority groups benefit by learning about the groups they do not belong to (Jackman and Crane, 1986; Tropp and Pettigrew, 2005; Dixon et al., 2005; Brown et al., 2019).
This presentation describes how module design and different teaching strategies can maximise student confidence, engagement and learning. This can happen by encouraging the development of emotional intelligence, critical reflection and practice of social skills. The discussion focuses on the work of Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998; Strayhorn and Johnson, 2014. The woek of Gray et al. (2013), whas also been discussed on identifying practices that academicians can use to evolve and actively understand and implement their teaching strategies. Another work that this discussion is based on is by Strayhorn (2015) about reclaiming indigenous beliefs and helping students understand anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory social work practices