Abstract: Submission #271

HTML
Table

Submission information

Submission Number: 271

Submission ID: 1530

Submission UUID: ff94ff6e-787c-464d-9581-6b5326074703

Submission URI: /2025/abstracts

Created: Sat, 07/26/2025 - 07:24

Completed: Sat, 07/26/2025 - 07:45

Changed: Sat, 07/26/2025 - 07:45

Remote IP address: 105.245.126.101

Submitted by: Anonymous

Language: English

Is draft: No

Current page: Complete

Webform: Abstract

Presenters

Title Dr.

Lastname Makhanya

Firstname Thembelihle brenda

eMail Thembelihle.Makanya@ump.ac.za

Mobile 0736949327

Institution University of mpumalanga

Biosketch Dr Thembelihle Brenda Makhanya is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Social Work at the University of Mpumalanga. She holds a PhD in Applied Human Sciences and specialises in decolonial social work pedagogy, Ubuntu, and inclusive education. Dr Makhanya is Secretary of the NIHSS Human and Social Sciences Alumni Association and founder of the Imbewu Youth Empowerment Centre. Her work spans curriculum development, social justice, Afrocentricity, and restorative justice. She has published widely, presented at numerous conferences, and received several academic awards. She also serves as a journal reviewer for national and international journals.

Is there a Second Presenter? No

Abstract

Title of Presentatation Reimagining Social Work Pedagogy through Critical Reflexivity: A Practitioner’s Journey in Higher Education.

Theme Selection THEME 4: Social Work Education, Transdisciplinarity and Curriculum Development

Subtheme FOUR Selection SUB 4.7 Innovative teaching methodologies, and Innovations in postgraduate supervision.

Select your Presentation Type Poster Presentation

Abstract The poster presents a critically reflexive account of my professional development as a Social Work educator through participation in a Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE) course at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Based on first-person writing, the poster reflects on activities conducted in this semester's course and how they influence the shift and re-evaluation of my teaching practices in higher education for the advancement of reflective, developmental, and practically relevant learning. Drawing on critical pedagogy, decolonial theory, and adult learning frameworks, the reflection explores how engagement with core topics such as own teaching voice, humanistic teaching, AI in education, inclusive pedagogy, semantic waves, and threshold concepts shaped my evolving teaching philosophy. The discussion considers how epistemic justice, identity, and power inform curriculum decisions and classroom practice, particularly in the context of African higher education. The discussion also reveals how critical reflection serves as a transformative pedagogical tool, challenging the myth of educator neutrality and positioning teaching as a relational, political, and ethical endeavour in Social Work education.

Keywords: reflexivity, practitioner, teaching, learning, pedagogy, Social Work.

Reviewer ONE Feedback

Title {Empty}

Firstname {Empty}

Lastname {Empty}

Does the Abstract fit the selected Theme? {Empty}

What Area does this Abstract Focus on? {Empty}

Status Pending Review

Reviewer TWO Feedback