Teaching Note—Reality TV as a Pedagogical Tool to Scaffold Communications and Interviewing Skills

This teaching note explores the integration of reality TV into an undergraduate clinical social work classroom to facilitate active learning. The teaching note provides examples of how reality TV is integrated to foster self-awareness and emotional regulation, enhance emotional engagement with clients, and to scaffold students to develop effective interviewing techniques. Informal student feedback demonstrates how the integration of reality TV provides levity to heavy content, is engaging, and enhances understanding and application of course concepts. The teaching note suggests that reality TV can be a valuable pedagogical tool, balancing engagement and rigor and making complex topics more accessible and memorable for students.