Consulting other studies, articles, and chapters will help me better understand the theories, practices, and pedagogies involved in teaching a composition course with a service-learning component. The two aspects of my study involve student reactions to a service-learning integrated course and what affect service-learning has on student writing and research.
Service-learning has been praised by faculty and students alike for the increased feelings of social awareness and civic responsibility it gives to those who participate. Research in the field by scholars such as Thomas Deans and Bruce Herzberg attest that students are more motivated and report a higher sense of engagement in course work, and faculty believe their students are gaining important skills such as listening and considering multiple perspectives, becoming better prepared for their roles as democratic citizens.
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Whether teaching, learning, planning and executing assignments, exploring the writing process, or even grading papers, students and instructors feel a greater sense of purpose and meaning in the belief that their work will have tangible results in the lives of others” (2). While I certainly do not argue that service-learning has the potential to motivate students and faculty alike or provide students with skills and feelings of civic engagement, I contend it is imperative that composition instructors also consider how these projects are benefiting our students as
Service-learning is defined as a “course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students (a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and (b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle & Hatcher, 1995).
A definitive part of my individuality is my level of intelligence. I’ve always been encouraged and driven to challenge my intellect through various opportunities in my community. Although my endeavors whether academic or artistic have provided both beneficial and detrimental outcomes in my life, I’ve been able to gain the greatest amount of esteem from my commitment to voluntary civic service. In the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program as a part of eligibility for diploma status, candidates are required to submit 200 CAS (Creativity, Action, and Service) hours performing duties that meet the criteria for each category. At first I viewed the task as your stereo-typical student with disdain and contempt for the seemingly daunting tasks. However, I never expected to have gained a true introspect and regard from my experiences in service. It is most accurate to expound that community service has required and produced a higher standard of intellect by which I have sought to attain. For me, serving my community has become a source of engaging refuge by wh...
The functional area of service-learning is currently emerging as an acknowledged department at an institution of higher education. The theoretical roots of service learning go back to John Dewey, and the early twentieth century. However, current research on service-learning pedagogy dates back only to the early 1990’s. Best practices for the field are still being created as more and more new offices are springing up on campuses throughout the United States and institutions internationally. The reason this functional area is becoming ever popular is due to the positive impact it has on students and most all educational outcomes.
Walker, T. (2000). The Service/Politics Split: Rethinking Service to Teach Political Engagement. PS: Political Science & Politics, 33, 647-649.
Strage, A. (2004, June). Long-term academic benefits of service-learning: When and where do they manifest themselves? College Student Journal, 38(2), 257-261.
important issues, gain new perspectives and provides learning experiences for volunteers as well as individuals from underserved groups. Because of the numerous benefits, college students should enroll in the Service Learning courses or service learning based programs. These programs allows students to move away from the dualism versus unity point of view and focus on reciprocity and provides the skills necessary to approach future service experiences with a service learning perspective.
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse describes Service-learning (SL) as, “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.” SL is nothing new, dating back to The University of Cincinnati founding of the Cooperative Education Movement in 1903; although, service-learning in pharmacy is a relatively new concept (NS-LC). SL is a way for educators to provide real-life learning experiences to students through providing provision to communities or underserved populations. The major benefits to students of S.L. programs are offering experience, an expansion of knowledge, and personal growth; and can be beneficial to a student’s career and resume. Most all of the requirements of the competencies in Pew’s 1998 competency of practice proposal, including thinking ability, communication skills, valuing and ethical decision making, social and contextual awareness, social responsibility, social interaction, and self-learning abilities, are met through service-learning (Drab, Lamsam, Connor, DeYoung, Steinmetz, and Herbert 44).
What connections do you make between your service-learning experiences and some of the themes addressed in class (justice, love, rights, responsibility, relationships, etc.)?
I really think that having the service learning-project in the Unity and Diversity class is great. In class we have talked about minorites and disadvantaged groups, and volunteering in the minority places has everything to do with our class. The suggestions I have for revising the requirements of the service-learning component in a future class would be to require more theories and concepts into our papers. I think you should require more terms in our papers, so that we look more into our books and notes. Other than adding more concepts into the paper I don’t think anything else should be changed.
How did a departmental faculty generated 12,000 hours of student community service in one semester? The following is a qualitative analysis of conversations with faculty members in a department that recently instituted a service learning requirement for all student majors. The campus is a large urban comprehensive university with a multi-ethnic student body. Approximately fifteen faculty members were interviewed for this study. While most of those interviewed included service learning components in their courses, interviews with faculty members who resisted or refused to incorporate service learning were conducted as well in order to understand varying faculty attitudes towards service learning.
A service learning experience is designed to enhance a student 's growth in personal and social development and to obtain an understanding of community involvement. For my service learning experience, I volunteered at Change Point Center. In this reflection paper, I will discuss in depth information about the services that Change Point provides, my goals while I was there,and what I ultimately learned from this experience.
There were quite many relations made between my service learning experiences and themes addressed in the course. Some of the connections were about human self-respect, unity, and fairness. The social ties hold people together and can support the people who do not have the power to help each other. It was interesting for me to employ my skills and knowledge I learned in the classroom to serve those who need help.
Community service is something that I have always engaged. In college, I worked with chemically dependent children as both a caretaker and a mentor. After I graduated, I taught at-risk children in a community youth outreach program. To remain involved and aware of the focus of my studies during my first year of law school, I volunteered at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center teaching youth their basic legal rights. Essentially, we strove to empower kids by providing practical information about the legal system and to help them develop more favora...
High impact practices are important to the development and engagement of students (Kilgo et al, 2014). Two high impact practices that have a positive impact on students are collaborative learning and undergraduate research (Kilgo et al, 2014). I think the high impact practices will give student affairs professional different methods and opportunities to help develop and support students through their college career. Student affairs professionals are going to have to learn how to participate to high impact practices and find ways to motivate students to do them (Schuh et al, 2011). By doing this I believe that student affairs professionals and faculty can bridge the gap to help success of
Improving writing skills is critical to the college student’s success across all academic disciplines. Writing has become the key to survival in many fields of study. (Pirš1, Pirš1, & Kesié, 2011) There are several strategies to become an effective college-level writer. An important strategy for a writer is project management. Next, writing with a purpose is an essential step. Another crucial guideline is following the mechanics of writing. Finally, utilizing online resources provides the writer invaluable knowledge and references.