Lessons Learned From 15 Years of Service-Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 903-925
Author(s):  
Lori Simons ◽  
Lawrence Fehr ◽  
Lake Greene
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Psychology Course ◽  
Service Experiences

This chapter describes lessons learned from students involved in a service-learning program in an urban school district during the past 15 years. A total of 729 undergraduate students enrolled in an educational psychology course took part in the study. Students completed a survey at the beginning and end of the course. The findings indicate that academic-based service-learning and cultural-based service-learning contribute to different learning outcomes. Academic-based service-learners develop intercultural relationships with service recipients and community partners and acquire an understanding of social disparities in the community while cultural-based service-learners develop interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Students also appeared to make meaning out of their diverse service experiences and acquired a deeper understanding about how social responsibility is part of their role as preservice teachers in their school community. Implications for incorporating CBSL strategies in a teacher education program are discussed.

Lessons Learned From 15 Years of Service-Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 17-40
Author(s):  
Lori Simons ◽  
Lawrence Fehr ◽  
Lake Greene
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Intercultural Relationships ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Psychology Course ◽  
Service Experiences

This chapter describes lessons learned from students involved in a service-learning program in an urban school district during the past 15 years. A total of 729 undergraduate students enrolled in an educational psychology course took part in the study. Students completed a survey at the beginning and end of the course. The findings indicate that academic-based service-learning and cultural-based service-learning contribute to different learning outcomes. Academic-based service-learners develop intercultural relationships with service recipients and community partners and acquire an understanding of social disparities in the community while cultural-based service-learners develop interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Students also appeared to make meaning out of their diverse service experiences and acquired a deeper understanding about how social responsibility is part of their role as preservice teachers in their school community. Implications for incorporating CBSL strategies in a teacher education program are discussed.

Service-Learning Opportunities for Preservice Music Teachers within Community Music Settings

2019 ◽  
pp. 641-667
Author(s):  
Jared R. Rawlings
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Music Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Community Music ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Learning Opportunity ◽  
Learning Programs

Authentic teaching opportunities are important for all preservice teachers, and service-learning opportunities within community music settings support preservice music teacher development. The purpose of this chapter is to document a service-learning opportunity within a community music school and showcase the benefits and challenges of a partnership between a music teacher preparation program and this school. After defining service learning and describing how it is utilized in music teacher education, the chapter uncovers the following topics: establishing a community music partnership, designing a service-learning opportunity, and evaluating the outcomes of service-learning programs. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of and recommendations for utilizing a multi-tier service-learning program alongside a preservice music teacher curriculum.

scholarly journals Teaching civic engagement: Evaluating an integrative service-learning program

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jed Metzger
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Community Intervention ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Community Environments

The demands on successfully teaching intervention skills in macro (community) environments are numerous and extend beyond the confines of any one academic discipline. In particular, when considering community, the compounding of the multiple factors of social economics, diversity, social policy, history and political agendas requires an integrative approach. This mixed-methods retrospective article analyses the use of service-learning in an advanced Master of Social Work community practice course. Special attention is given to the construction of academic and community experience that facilitates learning integration and understanding of the ways in which factors compound on community wellbeing. Specifically this project involved students in efforts constructed to address violence directed by and against inner-city youth in a mid-sized northeastern city in the United States that is beset with gang violence and has led its state in per capita murders for four of the past five years. Recommendations and lessons learned presented in this article are directed at exploring a construction of service-learning that could address integrative learning in community intervention courses. Keywords: Service-learning, teaching, macro practice, violence

scholarly journals Implementing Action Research in a Teacher Preparation Program: Opportunities and Limitations

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-71
Author(s):  
Glenda L. Black
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Preparation Program ◽  
Problem Solving Skills

Action research has the potential to reconstruct schools into professional learning communities that are able to identify educational issues and develop appropriate solutions for 21st century learning. Increasingly, teacher education programs are providing action research experiences to encourage analytical thinking and problem-solving skills (Darling-Hammond, 2009, 2012). The purpose of this study was to critically examine the experiences of the teacher educator and teacher candidates involved in the implementation of an action research component over four years in a revised consecutive initial teacher preparation program. A case study design using action research methodology was used in the research, which provided the tools to explore a complex phenomenon within its context: the implementation of an action research assignment in a core course in a teacher preparation program. The perceptions of the faculty teaching the course and the teacher candidates (n=544) in each of the four years provided insight into challenges, benefits, and lessons learned.  The discussion centers on the implementation of action research in a compulsory course in a teacher education program; identifying opportunities and limitations settled into four main categories: structural incongruence, reflection, growth, and recommendations.

“If Not Me, Then Who?”

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ann Ethridge ◽  
Vickie E. Lake ◽  
Amber H. Beisly
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Early Childhood Teacher ◽  
Agents Of Change ◽  
Sense Of Power

Research has indicated that teachers typically do not view themselves as advocates for many reasons such as fear of personal and professional risk (Peters & Reid, 2009). Participants include both preservice teachers and graduates of an early childhood teacher education program. This chapter addresses how the program utilized intentional assignments and group and individual scaffolding as preservice teachers moved from experiencing service learning to pure advocacy. Through a mixed methods study, preservice teachers began to see themselves as agents of change with increased confidence and sense of power. These transformations continued as graduates of the program reported they were still engaging in advocacy.

scholarly journals “Into the Realm of the Politically Incorrect”: Intercultural Encounters in a Service-Learning Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christelle Palpacuer-Lee ◽  
Jessie Hutchison Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Narrative Methods ◽  
World Languages ◽  
Intercultural Encounters ◽  
Intercultural Mediators ◽  
The Impact

Now more than ever, teachers of world languages are encouraged to become intercultural mediators in their communities and classrooms. This study describes the impact of an innovative community-based teacher education program for developing participants' interculturality. Building on narrative methods of investigation, we explore the potential of community-based service-learning as a social space in which participants learn to recognize and mediate worldviews. The data come primarily from field observations and pre-service teachers’ journaled reflections. We illustrate our findings through a series of narratives that serve as a frame for locating cultural recognition and learning. 

scholarly journals Exploring Student Emotional Engagement in Extreme E-service Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (23) ◽  
pp. 43-55
Author(s):  
Valerie Bukas Marcus ◽  
Noor Azean Atan ◽  
Shaharuddin Md Salleh ◽  
Lokman Mohd Tahir ◽  
Sanitah Mohd Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Emotional Engagement ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Study Approach

This article reports on a qualitative study that explored online student emotional engagement experiences during Extreme e-Service Learning program in a higher education institution. There are very few studies providing in-depth perspectives on the engagement experiences of online students, moreover in Extreme e-Service Learning program. This research adopted a case study approach, following 27 online students over one semester. The setting for this study involved undergraduate students who enroll for co-curriculum course that implement Extreme e-Service Learning in one of the public universities in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to explore student's emotional engagement throughout the Extreme e-Service Learning and investigate what makes them engaged emotionally. Data was collected from participant’s reflective journal and analyzed according to engagement rubric meanwhile open-ended question was analyzed using thematic analysis. Researcher found out that participants generally have positive emotions throughout the learning process, and it gradually increased until the end of the course. Main reason for this positive emotional engagement was due to the role of instructors and peers, course design, and personal value practiced by participants. One limitation of this study is that it is relatively small but still its finding provides insight to the instructor of Service Learning that wants to shift to the online platform at the same time achieve successful and engaging learning experiences.

scholarly journals Ujamaa and Universal Design: Developing Sustainable Tactile Curricular Materials in Rural Tanzania

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-136
Author(s):  
Alisha M. B. Braun ◽  
Betty Okwako-Riekkola
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
International Development ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Service Learning Projects ◽  
Curricular Materials

Purpose: This article illustrates the power of collaboration in the spirit of Ujamaa to build curricular materials that can engage and support the learning of a diverse group of students in under-resourced environments. The authors reflect on their personal experience overseeing collaborative service learning projects with Tanzanian partners through a study abroad programme.Method: The service learning project took place in a rural primary school in northern Tanzania, characterised by large class sizes and the unavailability of teaching and learning materials.Tactile curricular materials were collaboratively developed by Tanzanian student teachers, practising teachers, and American undergraduate students. Locally available and recyclable materials were used, such as plastic water bottles, tubing, plastic bags and cardboard boxes.Results: Examples of curricular materials that were developed are presented, and lessons learned through the experience are shared.Conclusion: The use of locally available, recyclable materials enhanced sustainability. Having sustainable curricular materials that are accessible to a diverse range of students in under-resourced educational settings has the potential to foster learning for all. The underlying cultural concept of interconnectedness or Ujamaa strengthened the collaborative relationship between participating teachers and students, and can be drawn upon to enhance future service learning and international development efforts in education.

Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes Toward Individuals With Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Carlson ◽  
Hannah Witschey
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Employment Services ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Psychology Course

This study examined whether combining classroom curriculum with direct experience with people with disabilities (PWDs) can influence change in undergraduate students’ attitudes toward PWDs. Undergraduate students ( N = 68) enrolled in a psychology course completed the Interaction with Disabled Persons Scale at the beginning and end of the semester. During the semester, students learned about various disabilities and participated in a 10-hr service-learning project that required direct, supervised interaction with PWDs at a local, nonprofit organization that provides employment services to adults with disabilities. Students reported more positive attitudes toward PWDs at the end of the semester. Having an increased comfort level in interacting with PWDs can give students pursuing careers that involve working with PWDs an advantage.

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