DEAL Reflection Essay

Essay Instructions:

Instructions DEAL is an acronym for describe, examine, and articulate learning (Clayton, 2017; Ash & Clayton, 2009). The DEAL Reflection Paper that you're writing for this assignment should not be your typical academic paper. Although it is an academic and scholarly paper, it should also demonstrate critical self-reflection and first person examinations. Your DEAL Reflection Paper should: Demonstrate critical thinking (i.e., refer to and apply Paul and Elder's (2006) intellectual standards for critical thinking) Demonstrate self-awareness Integrate and correctly cite academic content (Please note that this does not mean throwing in a citation here and there; rather, your integration of academic content should be thoughtful and meaningful) In summary, your DEAL reflection paper must be informed by personal/professional experience and by academic content. It should have three distinct sections, as outlined below, and it should be written in APA 6th edition format. The DEAL Reflection should not exceed 5 pages not to include the title and reference pages. Part 1: Describe Provide an objective description detailing how you have come to understand what it means to be a professional social worker in light of your learning experience in this course, as well as any practice experience you may have had in the last year. Be sure to describe your reactions, thoughts, and feelings observed as you completed the modules in this course. Do not restate the content provided in the modules but instead, reflect on what you have learned and show your understanding. Part 2: Examine (to look closely for purposeful learning) Building on Part 1, answer the following questions in detail: What does it mean to be a professional social worker? How does one achieve professionalism? How do social work values and ethics inform professional social work practice? How do you monitor/manage personal values and beliefs alongside the NASW Code of Ethics (NASW, 2008)? How is self-care relevant to professional social work practice? Important Note: Your answers should include a thoughtful examination (i.e., an analysis, not a report of what you merely observed, which was covered in Part 1) and discussion using examples, meanings derived, and interpretations, as well as self-awareness. Make sure you demonstrate the intellectual standards for critical thinking (Paul and Elder, 2006). Part 3: Articulate learning Respond to the following, being specific to this critical reflection assignment: I learned that... I learned this when... This learning matters because... In light of this learning... When finished, save your file as reflection_paper.docx and upload it to this assignment. References Ash, S. L., & Clayton, P. H. (2009). Generating, deepening, and documenting learning: The power of critical reflection in applied learning. Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education, 1(Fall), 25-48. Clayton, P. H. (2017). Critical reflection for learning and assessment: Generating, deepening, and documenting learning. Presentation, Feb. 28-March 2. IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life (2nd ed.). Columbus: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

DEAL Reflection Your name Subject and section Professor’s name Date Part 1: Describe 1 How have you come to understand what it means to be a professional social worker in light of your learning experience in this course and any recent practice experience? As I complete this course and my most recent work experience, being a professional social worker means more than in-depth knowledge and expertise in specific theories and approaches. As such, it entails unyielding devotion to service, supporting clients or actual people, making the right choices, and being professionally liable for actual and existent problems. Additionally, ethics in social work means being present with clients as a professional, competent, responsible, and trustworthy individual. In this paper, I present some scenarios in my practice experience relating to discretion and ethical consideration. For example, practicing with families living on low incomes made me realize the need to follow general changes and, at the same time, follow individual clients. The course also emphasized that social workers, being change agents, operate at micro and macro levels, including policy practice. I now understand that professionalism is based on being professional at all times, showing respect for human persons, and undertaking to comport my behavior with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. 2 What were your reactions, thoughts, and feelings as you completed the course modules? I experienced combined academic interest, self-development, and occasional embarrassment when I finished the practical modules. For instance, the debate regarding cultural humility made me question biases that I had not known existed in the first place. This awareness humbled me and made me more focused and committed to transforming myself into a culturally competent practitioner. Also, the liking and growing impatient with the modules focusing on social justice was more evident in me. Further understanding of the current continuous, systematic injustices strengthened me to fight for the oppressed. Nevertheless, learning the components of it through the modules, I understood that an overall lack of personal care could reduce efficiency and negatively affect clients. Part 2: Examine 1 What does it mean to be a professional social worker? To be a professional social worker means embodying the profession's core values: education, service, justice, dignity, integrity, competency, and the worth of a human person. Professionalism in social work means the act of helping and, at the same time, fighting for social justice for one's clients since every social worker functions within a social system that carries out social injustice. It entails preserving integrity, having expertise in operations, and answering questions from customer associations, agencies, and people (Ash & Clayton, 2009). As a result of this course, I also discovered that professionalism entails cultural sensitivity, culturally relevant astuteness, self-scrutiny, and self-improvement. A professional social worker must maintain personal compassion for his work while observing professionalism to avoid client conflict. I also learned that professionalism involves listening to the other person, reviewing the situation before proceeding, and coming up with an ethical way to handle a situation based on my practice experience (Ash & Clayton, 2009). 2 How do...

Updated on March 17, 2025

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