Engage Students in the Community, the Classroom, and Your Assignments

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Engage Students in the Community, the Classroom,
and Your Assignments

• Angela M. Thompson Catherine M. MacDonald
• St. Francis Xavier University McGill University

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Engage Students in the Community, the Classroom,
and Your Assignments

• Service learning is a pedagogic approach with the
  potential for a powerful lasting influence on
  student learning and personal and social
  development. In addition to a unique opportunity
  to learn and experience academic course content,
  service learning with appropriate reflective
  assignments allows for self-discovery and the
  development of a strong sense of social
  responsibility. The presenters will identify the
  benefits of service learning, explain strategies
  for effective implementation and evaluation, and
  provide specific suggestions and practical
  examples for incorporating meaningful experiences
  into a variety of courses crossing many
  disciplines.
• keywords service learning, self-reflection,
  social responsibility

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Presentation Objectives/Overview

• ABCs of Service Learning
• Definition
• Rationale for inclusion
• Benefits
• Student
• Instructor
• Community
• University
• Strategies for implementation
• Methods of evaluation
• Practical examples

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ABCs of Service Learning

• Instructions
• Find a partner/group of three to work with
  (people you do not know ?)
• Introduce yourself
• name, university/college, why did you chose this
  session
• Work together. Complete the ABC sheet by putting
  in a word for every letter of the alphabet that
  relates to Service Learning
• A abstract thinking
• When you are done, stand up

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Service Learning Defined

• A pedagogic approach
• A viable method that links theory from lectures
  and discussions to the real world (Dicklitch,
  2003)
• Persuades students to experience their subject
  (or theory discussed in class and/or lectures) in
  an immediate or real way
• Encourages students to interpret their experience
  and learn effectively from it (Barrow,
  Hofrenning, Parkhurst, 2005)

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Service Learning Defined

• Encourages students to connect their personal
  goals, values, and academic studies to their
  real-world encounters (Eyler, 2002)
• Catalyzes students academic and self-development
  while promoting broader notions of social
  responsibility through the links fostered between
  the town (i.e., community) and gown (i.e.,
  university/colleges) (Eyler, 2002
  Matthews-Gardner, Fitzgerald, Gitelson, 2005)

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Service Learning Defined Not volunteering or
experiential learning

• Service learning differs from volunteer work
  because of the academic component
• no grade for the volunteer work only for the
  assignment
• Service learning differs from experiential
  learning
• All involved parties should benefit with the
  needs of the students balanced with the needs of
  the community (Karaskik, 2007)
• Reflection is a major facet so the service and
  academic components are also mutually reinforcing
  (Astin et al., 2000)
• Elicits and develops responsible citizenship
  (Madsen Turnbull, 2006)

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Why include Service Learning in your teaching
methods?

• To expand your teaching repertoire
• i.e., to add variety to your teaching methods
• To deepen your understanding of your students and
  their academic and professional needs
• Extends learning beyond the classroom
• Encourages the development of lifelong career and
  professional skills
• Advances social awareness and citizen
  responsibility

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Keep in mind the inclusion of Service Learning
requires/demands more preparation time -
particularly in the beginning
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Benefits of Service Learning Student
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Benefits of Service Learning Student

• Hands-on experience improves students
  perceptions of the individuals they work with
  (Hardin, 2005)
• Improved grades (Moser Rogers, 2005)
• Enhanced understanding of course content
  (Strange, 2004)
• A different learning approach (Bishop Driver,
  2007)
• Increased relevance of course (Hardin, 2005)
• bridges gap between theory and practice
• Exposure to new careers/fields of study
  (LaMaster, 2001) or confirms/refutes career plans

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Benefits of Service Learning Student

• Develop problem solving skills
• Improve self confidence and basic social skills
• Cultivate leadership potential
• (often, not always), confront issues of diversity
  (when working with people from different cultural
  backgrounds)
• 
  Joseph et al., 2007

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Benefits of Service Learning Student

• Thompson Research (in review)

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Benefits of Service Learning Student Thompson
(in review)

• Service learning a pedagogic technique and
  preparation for the real world
• With five years of data combined, 414 students
  from nine course offerings provided short-term
  feedback
• 64/376 graduated students provided data on the
  long(er)-term influence of their service learning
  experiences as well as the perceived benefits in
  regards to career preparation

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Service learning a pedagogic technique and
preparation for the real world short term
feedback
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• If service learning was optional, why did you
  choose to participate?
• for the experience
• to work with children and/or adolescents
• I want to be a teacher/work with children
• to be involved in the community
• for fun to avoid the long term paper

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• What do you think were the main benefits or
  achievements of your participation in service
  learning?
• skill development
• preparation for future career
• helping others
• working with children
• better understanding of course

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• What factors most helped you benefit from the
  service learning experience?
• working with peers
• good supervisors/people to work with
• hands on experience
• being a Human Kinetics student/the reflective
  assignment

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• How do you anticipate that your service learning
  experience fits into your education (courses at
  StFX, further studies, other)?
• a perfect fit, I want to be a teacher
• confirmed/affirmed/refuted career plans
• developed practical skills
• teaching
• communication
• organization
• leadership
• cooperation
• help me to get in
• to understand course materials
• to understand the community

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Any Questions?
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Service learning a pedagogic technique and
preparation for the real world long(er) term
feedback
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• Sample description
• 70.4 female (n 45)
• 39.1 (n 25) graduated in 2007 4.7 in 2002 (n
  3)
• 82.8 (n 53) attended another college or
  university after graduating
• 43.8 (n 28) were employed full time 42.2 (n
  27) were studying
• 65.6 (n 42) participated in both courses

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• Why did you choose to participate in Service
  Learning?
• to get experience working with children
• to give back to the community
• to beef up my resume/application for education
• because it was required
• to have fun, to be physically active, because I
  had a great time volunteering before
• to develop communication and/or leadership skills

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• What were the main benefits from participating in
  Service Learning?
• skill/confidence development collaboration,
  communication, problem solving, time management,
  organization, leadership
• experience working with children interacting,
  speaking, playing, becoming comfortable with
  different ages, etc.
• community involvement/giving back to the
  community/community contacts
• putting theory into practice/better understanding
  of course content
• working with classmates/peers
• confirmed/refuted/assisted with career selection
  and/or built resume

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• In what ways did your Service Learning
  experience(s) help you to further your education?
• directly on my application for a B.Ed., in the
  interview, and in the program
• directed my career choice i.e., confirmed I
  wanted to teach or directed me elsewhere
• facilitated learning of class material theory
  to practice and knowledge of children
• skill development

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• In what ways did your Service Learning
  experience(s) help you in fulfilling your career
  choice?
• confirmed desire for a particular occupation
  (i.e., teaching) and/or confirmed desire to NOT
  be a teacher/work with children or youth
• skill development so that I can be better at
  what I do use the skills learned and put them
  into practice in my current work
• provided access/assisted with getting into
  program of choice

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• What would you say to a current student who was
  offered the option of participating in Service
  Learning?
• Do it!
• An excellent experience feels good to be
  involved, to give back to the community, to make
  a difference in a childs life
• An opportunity to learn more about yourself
  and/or to develop personal and professional
  skills
• An opportunity to find out if your career of
  choice is for you to find a career
• An excellent opportunity, a unique offering that
  should not be missed! Immerse yourself in it.
• A fun experience a stress reliever something
  different than hitting the books!

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Any Questions?
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Benefits of Service Learning Instructor
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Benefits of Service Learning Instructor

• Additional teaching/learning to meet course
  objectives (Prentice Garcia, 2000)
• Enriches and enlivens teaching and learning
• Improves satisfaction of quality of student
  learning (Eyler, Giles, Stenson, Gray, 2001)
• Strengthen/deepen faculty-student relationships
  (Chabot Hoben, 2003)
• Opportunity to further/expand research (Chabot
  Hoben, 2003)
• Increased connection to the community (Bishop
  Driver, 2007)
• Increases opportunities for professional
  recognition and reward

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Benefits of Service Learning University/College
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Benefits of Service Learning Community

• Extra help in ways that the community needs (as
  determined by the community) that may not
  otherwise be provided (Bishop Driver, 2007)
• i.e., access to human resources (Clarke, 2000)
• Empowers community members (Clarke, 2000)
• Improved town and gown connections (Eyler, 2001)
• Enhanced support for community initiatives
  (Eyler, et al., 2001)

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Benefits of Service Learning University/College
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Benefits of Service Learning University/College

• Improved perception of the gown by the town
• i.e., enhanced community relations
• i.e., improved profile in the community
  (Driscoll, Holland, Gelmon, Kerrigan, 1996)
• transform college/universities from disengaged
  ivory towers to institutional citizens (Mpofu,
  2007, p. 46)
• Enhances students socially responsive knowledge,
  thereby advancing an institutions dedication to
  scholarship (Stukas, Clary, Snyder, 1999)
• Advance other important goals of the institution
  (i.e., fundraising, enrollment, grants) (Driscoll
  et al., 1996)

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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning
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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning

• Determine institutional buy in for Service
  Learning
• Create buy in you may need to be the innovator
  ?
• Contact the Service Learning Centre/Office at
  your University/College they will -
• Determine community need
• Assistant with curriculum implementation,
  connection to community, administrative concerns,
  etc.
• If you do not have a Service Learning Centre, are
  there resources available to assist you? Other
  faculty who can provide guidance? Others?

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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning

• Contact agencies (may be done personel in Service
  Learning Centre)
• Create community partnerships
• Generally done by personnel in Service Learning
  Centres
• Respond to community need therefore community
  may also come to you
• Ensure that the need reflects/allows for
  student learning/experience of curriculum
  objectives

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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning

• Determine Service Learning objectives and goals
• What do I want my students to get from Service
  Learning?
• How is Service Learning relevant/applicable to
  the course content/objectives?
• How will this task (i.e. the volunteer work) help
  my students learn about the academic content of
  the course?
• How do I grade Service Learning? How much will it
  be worth?
• - Only the assignment is graded NOT the
  volunteer work
• What materials will my students need? Who will
  provide the materials?
  (Bishop
  Driver, 2007)

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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning

• Create paper work/preparations for students
  Service Learning experience
• Guidelines how to proceed
• Training session(?)
• Expectations of students in and out of their
  placement
• Service Learning contract signed by student,
  community, professor
• Assignment(s) and/or examination(s)

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Strategies/Process to Implement Service Learning

• Incorporate Service Learning in to your syllabus
• Value of assignment (no grade for the volunteer
  component)
• Consider hours of volunteer work required (at
  StFX minimum 15 hours at McGill minimum 20
  hours)
• Generally 15-20 per term is considered most
  efficient/sufficient (Gujarathi McQuade, 2002)

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Methods of Evaluation
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Methods of Evaluation see also handouts

• Written Report (Payne, 2000)
• most common may or may not include weekly
  reflections plus summary of overall experience
• Presentation (Payne, 2000)
• individual or group
• dramatization
• Focus groups or individual interviews (Driscoll
  et al., 1998) with or without structured
  questions
• Portfolios (Payne, 2000)
• weekly reflection
• overall summary of experiences
• photographs
• art work
• poetry

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Methods of Evaluation see also handouts

• Questions you might ask
• What problems/issues did you encounter in your
  volunteer experience? How did you resolve them?
  What would you do differently next time? Why?
• Trace your understanding of .. Use your weekly
  reflections to provided evidence of what you
  learned from your service learning experiences
• What did you learn about yourself from this
  experience?
• In what way will you be a better .. ? (this may
  include parent, citizen, etc.)
• What skills did you develop/enhance as a result
  of this experience?

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Practical Examples
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Practical Examples

• Project Double Challenge
• University-based motor skills and aquatics
  program for students with a disability

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Project Double Challenge

• Students plan, implement, and evaluate a physical
  activity program
• Based on theory and best practice
• Program runs for 10 weeks, 2 hours per week
• Students complete a detailed end-of-term
  assignment incorporating theory and practice
• Students receive ongoing support from the
  professor and teaching assistants in class and
  via online discussion

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Practical Examples

• Fit for Life
• 10 week 2x/week, one hour after school physical
  activity program for children in grades 3 to 6
• Delivered by 40-50 student-volunteers
• Each student has a different role each day
• each day, encourage and facilitate active
  participation
• Debriefing sessions held regularly in and out
  of class

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Practical Examples

• Tutoring working one-on-one or in group
  settings
• Sport settings coaching/teaching skills
• Daycare settings reading, playing, assisting
  program directors
• Special Olympics working with athletes with
  physical and/or intellectual disabilities
• One-on-one mentoring/role modeling

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Practical Examples

• What do you think?

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Practical Examples

• Veterinary school students providing spaying and
  neutering to the local humane society
• Dentistry students providing services in inner
  cities and/or group homes
• Forestry/ecology/environmental studies students
  engaging in local clean ups, reforestation
  efforts, etc.
• Nursing students providing immunizations in
  senior care facilities
• History students creating posters/presentations
  about local historical interests
• Language students creating documentaries about
  the culture of the language being studied
• Sociology/psychology students sharing time with
  those in the latter stages of life
• Nutrition students evaluating and modifying menus
  in hospitals, senior care facilities, etc.

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Thank you!

• Angie Thompson
• amthomps_at_stfx.ca
• Cathy MacDonald
• cathy.macdonald_at_mail.mcgill.ca