Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Community Service Learning As Democratic Education In South Africa And The United States, Meta Mendel-Reyes, Jeremy Weinstein

International Service Learning & Community Engagement

This paper describes the development of the first community service learning program for democratic education in South Africa. The Democracy Education Project, which is based on Swarthmore College's innovative Democracy Project, was designed and implemented by a Swanhmore College student working with a high school in a Black community near CapeTown. This case study demonstrates that the successful transposition of a model of community service learning from one country to another requires recognizing the complex relationships among history and culture, and theories and practices of democratic education. It is also crucial to involve the new community as an equal partner …

Internships: Academic Learning Outcomes, Regina Grantz, Marilyn Thomas

Higher Education

Proponents of experiential learning have long recognized the learning benefits students can achieve through internships, service-learning experiences, and co-ops. There are others, however, who see those experiences as "career exploration," "good for the resume," but not integral to academic learning and so, not valid for the earning of academic credit. Even if internships are viewed as a valid component of the learning cycle (Kolb), what do we expect students to learn? How do we articulate outcomes that relate to a student's discipline major or to a liberal arts curriculum? Finally, how can we assess whether a student is meeting the …

Origins, Evolution, And Progress: Reflections On A Movement, Goodwin Liu

Higher Education

This article traces the evolution of the community service movement on college campuses over the past 10 years. The author also analyzes the development of the movement through three conceptual strands -- student leadership, institutional support, and service learning -- weaving them into a narrative of the recent decade.

Naming And Framing Service Learning: A Taxonomy And Four Levels Of Value, James Robertson Price Iii, John S. Martello

Higher Education

Service learning draws upon some of the noblest intentions of American higher education: its goal is to develop an educated and engaged citizenry willing and able to address society's ills. This idea of service learning resonates deeply with the felt needs of our time, and perhaps nowhere more keenly than in the urban locations of metropolitan colleges and universities. Consequently, service learning is perhaps the fastest growing and the most promising movement within higher education today.

Serving In One's Own Community: Taking A Second Look At Our Assumptions About Community Service Education, Marie Kennedy, Molly Mead

Higher Education

What difference does it make if the students in a comm.unity service education project are from the communities being served? On the basis of over 20 years of experience, the authors warn that superficial conclusions about who the students are can easily interfere with effective teaching of such projects. They also develop their approach to community service education: community empowerment through action research. Those most affected by the conditions being researched must be involved in posing the research questions, determining how the results of the research will be used, and mobilizing for change-oriented action.

Communal Participatory Action Research As A Strategy For Improving Universities And The Social Sciences: Penn's Work With The West Philadelphia Improvement Corps As A Case Study, Lee Benson, Ira Harkavy, John Puckett

Higher Education

As the 20th century closes, a key question is: What can the social sciences do to help solve the problems of our society and world? The authors identify the principal causes of the crisis in the university and the social sciences to be intellectual fragmentation and a structural contradiction that is built into the American research university. They then propose a radical reorientation of American universities toward helping solve real-world problems-particularly those in a university's local community. The authors suggest that such an orientation can be achieved through communal participatory action research projects designed to help change society. This research …

Combining Service And Learning On Campus And In The Community, Barry Checkoway

Service Learning, General

Student workshops are valuable resources for combining service and learning. The challenge, Mr. Checkoway points out, is to recognize their limitations, integrate them with other courses in the curriculum, and find ways to improve their quality.

In India / A Bold Experiment In Teaching Values, Carolyn Cottom

International Service Learning & Community Engagement

A religiously diverse school has proven that teachers can instill both personal and social virtues and a desire to excel, and that academic excellence flows from character development.

Citizenship, Community Service, And University--Based Community Schools, Marie K. Bogle, Ira Harkavy

Higher Education

In the October 6, 1995 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Alexander W. Astin discussed why "student interest and engagement in politics are at an all time low." Astin's explanation placed responsibility squarely (and in our judgement appropriately) at the feet of the American university. Despite their traditionally professed mission to promote good citizenship, universities have devoted few resources to that mission and performed it badly. Why has this occurred? Astin's answer was simple and direct- higher education has

Service Learning Coursebook • Ill Mathematics, Benjamin Winchester

Guides

The Mathematics Discipline of the University of Minnesota, Morris has moved into the forefront of its academic excellence with the addition of a service learning component in its curriculum. Three professors, Dr. Jon Anderson, Dr. Peh Ng and Dr. Engin Sungur recently received SEAMS (Science, Engineering, Architecture, Mathematics and Computer Science) Mini Grants from Minnesota Campus Compact in 1996. These grants challenge the faculty to find innovative ways to address community/environmental hazards and concerns while enhancing students academic and civic understanding.

Implementing Service Learning In Higher Education, Robert G. Bringle, Julie A. Hatcher

Higher Education

In a recent article, "Creating the New American College," Ernest Boyer challenges higher education to reconsider its mission to be that of educating students for a life as responsible citizens, rather than educating students solely for a career. By doing so, the "New American College" will take pride in connecting theory to practice in order to meet challenging social problems, particularly those faced by universities in urban settings. As Ira Harkavey of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Community Partnerships has noted, "Universities cannot afford to remain shores of affluence, self-importance and horticultural beauty at the edge of island seas …

Developing Graduate Educational Technology Programs From A Service Learning Platform, John Lebaron, Dorothy Burke, Christine Maloof

Higher Education

The graduate College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), is in the second year of a service centered model for graduate coursework in educational technology. The two courses Technology and Learning Environments (T&LE, 1994), and Technology and Schools of the Future (T&SF, 1995) had previously been offered as "traditional" academic offerings. In cooperation with the Lawrence Public Schools, one of the poorest districts in the nation, these courses were modified as "service learning" experiences. A more detailed account of the first year of this project (LeBaron and Scribner-MacLean, 1995) is available on request to the authors. This …

Maryland Service Exchange Directory, Governor's Commission On Service

Partnerships/Community

On behalf of the Maryland Governor's Commission on Service, I am pleased to present the second edition of the Maryland Service Exchange Directory. The Governor's Commission on Service created the Maryland Service Exchange to provide cost-free, program development, technical assistance and training to Maryland's national and community service programs, non-profit and community-based organizations, schools and colleges. At the same time, the Exchange offers a new, innovative opportunity through which Marylanders can volunteer to serve our communities.

Collective Vision: Activism In Many Voices, Sally R Habana-Hafner

Center for Immigrant and Refugee Community Leadership and Empowerment (CIRCLE) Project

No abstract provided.

A Developmental Perspective On Community Service In Adolescence, Miranda Yates, James Youniss

School K-12

A substantial number of U.S. adolescents currently participate in community service and there is increased national interest in service programs. This article assesses the assumption of developmental benefits to service participants by critically reviewing 44 empirical studies. It offers a theoretical framework for understanding the findings by connecting them to identity development and delineating three pertinent concepts: agency, social relatedness, and moral-political awareness. These concepts are applied to studies that investigate: ( 1) the characteristics and motivations of participants, ( 2) the effects of service, and ( 3) the process of service. The findings support the conclusion that service activities …

Community-Based Learning Projects For The "Real World", Chris Davis

Special Topics, General

As we walked down the street to the next-door elementary school, the I 5 high school juniors with me began reflecting on their elementary school experiences. They remembered the Dr. Seuss stories their teachers had read to them, the art projects, the time to play, the time to just be kids. Life was simpler and more fun then, they all agreed.

Now school mostly means sitting at desks and listening to teachers talk for a large portion of the day. And when teachers aren't talking to them, they take tests, read a textbook chapter, write on a ditto, watch a …

Community-Based Learning: A Foundation For Meaningful Educational Reform, Thomas R. Owens, Changhua Wang

Service Learning, General

Many of today's leaders in education, business, and community development are coming to realize, even more than in the past, that schools alone cannot prepare our youth for productive adulthood. These leaders are ready to try new approaches that link learning activities in classrooms with a full range of learning experiences available in our communities.

Service Learning Teacher Training Manual, Scott Richardson

Guides

This is a guide for trainers who view service learning as a teaching strategy to improve instruction. The guide assumes that the participants in the training are teachers who will use service learning to help their students achieve the objectives of the school curriculum. Some of the training sessions, such as reflection and defining service learning, may be useful for non-school-based programs as well. The bulk of the guide, however, is shaped by our belief that service learning is good education. We view service learning as an experiential teaching strategy with an ultimate aim of promoting student understanding of established …

Adults As Allies, Barry Checkoway

Partnerships/Community

Young people are creating community change! They are tutoring in the schools, working in health clinics, and serving meals in soup kitchens. They are cleaning up the environment, rehabilitating houses for the homeless, and formulating strategies for neighborhood revitalization. They are solving problems, planning programs, and involving people in decisions at the community level.

Crossing Boundaries A Research Agenda Toward Productive Learning And Community Renewal, American Association For Higher Education

Higher Education

Colleges and universities expect that society's pursuit of democratic goals is continuously informed by well-prepared graduates who shape and contribute to the common good. The creative, competent, and committed student is often a faculty's finest form of service. Joining this fundamental mission to the daily tasks of continually building and renewing democracy was the focus of the 12th annual AAHE Research Forum. Crossing boundaries among teaching, research, and service includes making informed commitments and taking responsible actions. But what do we need to know to reconsider who we are and what we do in light of the changing complexities of …

Leam & Serve Higher Education Programs In Minnesota: The Impact And Sustainability Of Service-Learning, Kevin J. Gormley

Higher Education

This article provides a descriptive evaluation of 12 higher education, service-learning programs in Minnesota funded in part by the Corporation for National Service: Learn and Serve America Program.' The research for this project was conducted in 45 days during the summer of 1995 using a phenomenological methodology to examine the impact and sustainability of the programs. The data for this research were derived from interviews with individuals involved in local initiatives. Three main categories of information became evident after analyzing the data: (I) program design, (2) success and impact of programs, and (3) sustainability and the future of service-learning. These …

Student Experiences With Service Learning In A Business Ethics Course, John Kohls

Higher Education

Service learning provides many challenges and opportunities for the instructor who wishes to test its potential. This paper looks at some of the promise for service learning in the undergraduate Business Ethics course and describes one experience with this project. Quotations from student journals and reflective papers are utilized to present the student's perspective on the project. Some suggestions are offered for insuring effective service learning in courses like Business Ethics.

Sociology And Service Learning At Loyola, Barbara H. Vann

Higher Education

Service learning is a term used to describe efforts to link community service to the academic curriculum. It is a broad, nebulously defined term which at times includes academic endeavors.such as internships, needs assessments and participatory action research (Marullo, !996). A more narrow .usage, and the usage promoted by its advocates, refers to the process through which students participate in organized service activity for academic credit to meet identified community needs and reflect on that service to further their understanding of course material (Bringle and Hatcher, 1994 ). And, as Marullo (1996) has pointed out, when service learning activity is …

Opportunity For All: Linking Service-Learning And Business Education, Edward Zlotkowski

Higher Education

A major criticism of contemporary business education centers on its failure to help business students achieve sufficient educational breath, particularly with regard to the external environment of business. The service-learning movement offers business faculty an excellent opportunity to address this deficiency. By developing curricular projects linked to community needs, faculty can further their students' technical skills while helping them simultaneously develop greater inter-personal, inter-cultural, and ethical sensitivity.