COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING –MASTER SYLLABUS

I.  What is community-based learning?

 Five Important Characteristics of Community-based Learning:

1. COMMUNITY SERVICE Community-based Learning normally entails a course project that requires students to pursue specific educational goals and objectives while attempting to solve a community problem.  

2. RECIPROCITY Community-based Learning is based on a reciprocal relationship in which the service reinforces and strengthens the learning, and the learning reinforces and strengthens the service. Also, Community-based Learning is based on a collaborative relationship between the instructor, students, and community agency representatives.

3. FLEXIBILITY Community-based Learning is flexible: It may be used as a practicum, an optional assignment, or a series of assignments. It may also be a requirement, depending on course objectives. It is a flexible concept, designed to help teachers teach and students learn.

4. REFLECTION Faculty design Community-based Learning courses to provide structured time for students to reflect on their service and learning experiences through activities like writing, reading, speaking, listening, and creating.

5. ASSESSMENT Evaluation in a Community-based Learning course focuses on quality of learning and match with teaching objectives, rather than quantity of service.

II.  What community-based learning is not:

             Community-based learning is not an internship and is not merely volunteering.

III. What goals could a community-based learning project meet?

OBJECTIVES:  As a consequence of participation, the student will be able to

1.      define and analyze needs, issues or problems of clients

2.      communicate effectively with directors and staff of agencies and with their clients

3.      gather information appropriate to problem solving and service to an agency and its clients

4.      analyze and use feedback from agencies and client to improve services

5.      report information effectively in oral and written forms.

GOALS:  As a consequence of participation the student will

            1.   apply classroom theory to field-based practice 

2.      develop tolerance and an appreciation of diversity

3.      gain knowledge of community service agencies

4.      develop a sense of social responsibility

5.      develop a realistic personal strategy for community problem-solving

6.      appreciate the complexity of social issues

7.      develop a commitment to working for social justice

8.      appreciate how changes in public policy require influencing political structures and processes

9.      develop the ability to work as a member of a team in the delivery and continuous improvement of services

10.  develop a lifelong commitment to responsible citizenship and to community service.

IV.  What teaching strategies commonly are used in a community-based learning project?

              Classroom strategies commonly used to integrate a service-learning pedagogy into a course include but are certainly not limited to the following activities:

              Reflection Papers:  Students write analytically about their service project or activity.  Reflection papers do not consist of “diary like” reflections, rather students discuss the course concepts, content and applicable skills used at various stages of the project.  Assignments may range from reflections on planning meetings and anticipated challenges to a post-mortem analysis of the project/activity and suggestions to other students who may choose a similar project or activity. 

            Reflection assignments may be as structured or unstructured as the instructor wishes.  Often such assignments are an opportunity for students to discuss course/discipline theory in terms of a “field” application either through design or observation.  

            Service Journals:  Students maintain a weekly journal where they reflect on their service experience.  Often service journals engage in more personal reflections of students and chronicle their service activities, people they meet or work with, and their feelings regarding the experience.  Journals may also serve as an opportunity for students to reflect on their own learning process.  As with reflection papers, service journal assignments may be as structured or unstructured as the instructor desires.

            Writing Projects:  In many cases, writing assignments themselves have served as a service-learning project.  Some projects that have been used in courses include:  writing biographies, creating and writing small business plans, technical writing services, writing and designing brochures for non-profit agencies, public service announcements, and grant writing (just to name a few)!

              Class Presentations:  Students organize and present to the class a review of their service project.  Such presentations may include power point presentations, posters, or other media aids.  Components of and expectations for the presentations are designated by the instructor.  Some examples of class presentations include:  musical presentation of songs written by elementary students, presentation of campaign strategies used in a local election, and presentation of various completed projects (production of town histories, local city development plans, public service awareness campaigns, art murals, and general reflections on service experiences).  Instructors may choose for presentations to be completed by student groups or by individual students. 

              Public Presentations:  In some cases, students may engage in public speaking forums as a part of their service project/activity.  Such opportunities may include:  presentations at city council meetings, to non-profit agencies or other organizations, teaching presentations at local schools, churches, or other campus or community activities.

            Collaborative Learning Assignments:  Classroom activities may include group projects where students take on the responsibility of selecting, designing, implementing, and evaluating the service project.  Here, the instructor functions as an advisor and facilitator for the student group.  Activities may be assessed in stages as milestones for completion of the project are met.  Some in-class collaborative learning exercises that have been used include:  development of a local consumer “help-line,” design and development of a university-wide recycling program, write and acquire legislative sponsorship of statewide health legislation, and development and design of a five-year development “master plan” for a local

  V. What are some examples of community-based learning currently taking place at King’s College?

What are some examples of community-based learning at King’s College?

 The following descriptions give examples of how community-based learning has been implemented in courses taught by King’s College faculty members:  

Times Leader, May 19, 2002

Environmental Studies -- This project included the training of college students to disseminate river/ watershed information to area schools.  This experience not only informed those who received the information, but also served as a learning opportunity for the presenters as they prepared and delivered the material. 

College students were provided with the necessary training and equipment to prepare and deliver presentations to area schools.  Each college student was assigned the task to prepare a presentation on a topic related to the river/ watershed or an associated resource. 

Computer Application for Education, Social Studies Methods - pre-service education students

King's College Teacher Education Outreach

Teaching With Technology

Exemplary Lesson Plans Developed by King's College Teacher Education Students Made Available Via the Internet

These plans were developed in King's College Education courses.  They are made available to practicing public school teachers to promote the use of technology in the classroom and to initiate a conversation about how to teach effectively. 

Outreach website found here: http://www.kings.edu/kdils/Outreach/outreachhome.htm

King's Education Major Making a Difference at the Luzerne County Head Start

Foundations of Education—First Year and Sophomore Education majors. 

Over 70 King's students since 2000 have observed a Head Start classroom, prepared a lesson plan, and conducted a circle time lesson with 4 & 5 year olds at the Luzerne County Head Start school. Students could opt for the service-learning assignment, or another assignment that did not involve service in the deductive component of the course.  The students then made presentations to the class, describing and critiquing their own experiences.  

This project was described in Dils, A. K. (2002) “The Use of Service Learning to Narrow the Potential Racial Mismatch Between Future Teachers and Their Students.” Focus on Teacher Education. A Quarterly Newsletter Published by the Association for Childhood Education International. 3(1), 1-3. 

Major-level Spanish courses - for Spanish majors

Over the course of the semester students interview various members of the local Hispanic community about how they arrived in Northeaster Pennsylvania, what their life was like before living here, and how they have lived since their arrival.  When permitted, the students will video tape these interviews.  Students will present their findings at the "Conference on Immigration and Life in Northeastern Pennsylvania" at King's College.

 Environmental Studies —for environmental studies majors.  Focused on a small (unreportable) oil spill near a power plant.  A piece of equipment on the roof of one of their buildings was blowing a fine spray of oil onto the roof.  When it rained, the oil was flushed from the roof into the drainage system, and into a rock-lined culvert where the soil was contaminated.  We recommended that they use one of a number of commercial microbe consortia developed for these purposes.  However, given the number of products available, we also recommended that they allow us to do some laboratory testing to see which of the products would work best.  They gave us a grant of $1500 towards our experimentation.  Therefore, two faculty members (one with gas chromatograph and microbial expertise and one with stats expertise) and the ENST 370 class and instructor have begun to put together an experiment to test a number of these products.

  Translation (Spanish-English)—students beyond conversation level. 

The instructor collected documents from local social service agencies for students to translate into Spanish.  Local Spanish-speaking residents then benefited from using the translations.  The class also had to choose an agency and participate in service with that agency.  First, it gave students real world experience and provided the instructor with realistic documents on a variety of topics. Second, the students got a real feel for cultural differences and the interplay between language and culture.  

 Business Writing—both English and Business majors

Students worked in groups to assist local not-for-profit organizations to address an issue, such as finding new office space. The course required the students to meet with the organization staff and prepare relevant documents to address the issue, such as memos, letters, proposals, etc.  

 Effective Writing—largely First Year students. 

Students were asked to interview senior citizens and write a profile about them.  The students had the chance to walk into someone’s life (literally walking in to a Senior Center, in many cases) so that they can write the kind of profiles asked of them.  In return, they wrote an oral history that, in theory, benefits the subject.  

Political Behavior—treats issues of political socialization.

Each student tutored one fifth-grade student in an at-risk school (generally Spanish-speaking, low levels of income and parental education) for at least 2 hours per week for the entire semester, in reading.  College students brought in age-appropriate materials on political life, government, etc. and served as mentors for the children.

Economics of Women, Poverty, & the Environment—Econ and Enviro Studies majors

Students were divided into three groups that serviced local organizations.  Some assisted a group home for mentally ill women with grant writing material. Others worked in an after school program for at-risk children. The third worked with a local environmental group to conduct a needs inventory and to provide an Earth Day program for pre-schoolers.  

Science Methods—for pre-service Education majors.

Pre-service student teachers worked with school children in two Saturday morning hands-on science workshops, demonstrating basic scientific principles.

Reading Methods - for pre-service Education majors.

Sister Miriam Stadulis, director of the McGlynn Learning Center of Boulevard Homes in downtown Wilkes-Barre, has communicated with me for several years of her need for tutors to help children complete their homework after school.  Approximately 45 children come to the center each day after school from 3:30 until 5pm. Many of them do not have family members who can or will help them at that time.

Students’ Role: 22 college students in the spring 2004 sections will support students at the center in completing their homework for 12 hours over the course of the semester.

Instructor’s Role: I will give students suggestions for motivating and helping children with their homework. I will also provide oral and written feedback as I read students’ journal entries.

 Community Agency: Sister Miriam and her staff provide an initial orientation at the center , supervise students’ as they tutor, and document college students’ participation with certificates and photographs.

 The college students will be assisting, roughly, 2-3 students each visit.

Assessment & Instruction of Reading - for pre-service Education majors.

Students are teaching their own lessons to develop reading and writing at "Kids' Cafe" at Heights Murray School in downtown Wilkes-Barre. My entire class of 20 students are either teaching, planning, or gathering materials for these lessons. Seven college students are responsible for lessons taught to approximately 22,1-3rd graders on Monday nights. Thirteen college students are responsible for lessons taught to approximately 10, 4--6th graders on Wednesday nights. Lessons are conducted between 5 and 5:40 pm at Heights Murray Elementary School. Students fulfill varying roles: some are the actual on-site teacher or assistant teachers, others type a King's College lesson plan for teaching, and others are responsible for gathering and/or making various educational materials.

Secondary Teaching Methods- for pre-service Secondary Education majors.

"Lend a Helping Hand" is a program recognized by the Intergroup Relations Commission of the Pennsylvania State Education Association as an exemplary partnership between King's College Education Division and Wyoming Valley West Middle School.  King's students are integrated into the middle school to support students in their studies.  King's students observe the working of the school and eventually practice their teaching to a whole class.

Human Behavior and Social Institutions - introductory, core curriculum students all majors

Instead of doing major terms papers, the students who choose the service learning option will reflect (in a journal and in class discussion) on how the children at Kids' Café, their conditions, and the program itself relate to topics in the social sciences studied in CORE 150, such as sociology, economics, and political science. Examples include discussing the roles and groups observed at Kids' Cafe, and government policies affecting poverty and education.

Students in sections C and F of CORE 150 (Fall 2003) will have the opportunity to participate in a service learning project as an alternative to traditional items such as terms papers.  Students will spend some time working with elementary school children, doing things like providing after-school homework assistance, computer assistance, and mentoring

VI.  Where can I get additional information about community-based learning?

1. The following faculty members serve on the community-based learning project team:

Dr. Marcy Everest, Political Science Department

Dr. Margarita Rose, Economics/Healthcare and International Business

Dr. Joe Kraus, English Department

Dr. Anne Massey, Foreign Languages and Literatures

Dr. Keith Dils, Education Department

Dr. Dan Ghezzi, Mathematics

Dr. Chris Alexander, Business and Management

Dr. Ed Ockerman, Sociology

References:

COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING:  OBJECTIVES AND GOALS INSPIRED BY

MARGARITA ROSE, KEITH DILS, AND BY Janet Eyler and Dwight E.Giles, Jr., Where’s the Learning in Service Learning, Jossey-Bass, 1999

Community-Based Learning Course Strategy Suggestions, by Marcy Everest

October 2002