Transcript OBJECTIVES - Schenectady County Community College

OBJECTIVES
 Definition of Service Learning
 How to use SL as a Pedagogy
 Benefits of Service Learning
 Resources at SCCC
6/19/2012
DEFINITON OF SERVICE LEARNING
Service learning is an active
teaching and learning strategy that
integrates meaningful community
service with student learning.
6/19/2012
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
 Combines service with academic
skills and content
 Contains clear learning and service
goals
 Utilize the ideas of students,
teachers, and community partners
 Students are the initiators
 Clarify the responsibilities of all
involved
 Focus on student involvement,
initiative and active involvement
 Address real community needs
 Provides opportunities for critical
thinking, creative problem solving
and decision making
 Includes collaboration and team
work
6/19/2012
 Provides opportunities to learn
about the larger community
 Provide opportunities to reflect on
service, and one’s role in serving
SERVICE LEARNING IS:
Linked to student learning outcomes
6/19/2012
FOUR CATEGORIES OF SERVICE LEARNING
 Direct
 Indirect
 Advocacy
 Research
6/19/2012
CATEGORIES OF SERVICE LEARNING
Direct Service
 Involves direct participation of students with community members
 Interactions are face-to face
 Examples include tutoring, planning and implementing activities for
people in nursing homes, schools and agencies; work with
neighborhood advisory boards to create and implement workshops for
residents of low-income areas on budgeting, recycling, conserving
and restoring public lands.
6/19/2012
Students collect resources and conduct activities for
an after-school program
6/19/2012
Students conducted arts and crafts activities with children at Albany Medical Center
INDIRECT SERVICE
 Students channel resources to the community;
however they do not interact with the recipients
 EXAMPLES: stocking a food pantry, collecting goods for agencies,
creating blogs, poetry walls, develop, and implement a fund raising
event, design computer systems for agencies to manage volunteers,
resources, finances and inventories, conducting an energy survey and
make recommendations for energy saving in businesses and homes, and
interview a person of color who is 10 years older for an oral local history
research assignment, write a children’s book and donate it to a school.
6/19/2012
Students coordinate with the Schenectady Library to collect Toys For Tots
6/19/2012
The students refurbished two foster care waiting rooms at
the Schenectady County Department of Social Services,
including painting murals and collecting toys and books.
ADVOCACY
 Students create an awareness of and promote
action on an issue to foster civic responsibility
 Examples : educating others on an issue by writing
letters to elected officials and other influential
individuals ; blogs; creating public service
announcements; public speaking; sponsor a
community meeting or perform a play. In the
following slides, SCCC students met with Senator
Servino and Senator Thaczyk to advocate increased
funding for children’s programs.
6/19/2012
6/19/2012
SAMPLE ADVOCACY LETTER
Congressman Paul Tonko
105 Jay Street
Room 15
Schenectady, New York 12305
Re: Child care, early intervention and mental health funding
Dear Congressman Tonko:
As one of your constituents I urge you to consider the following funding priorities.
Restore the $37 million funding for child care subsidies
Restore the Early Intervention (EI) Program to the FY 2010-11 level of $230 million
Increase the total of all child care funding by 10%
Maintain the current commitment of $384.3 million to support Pre-K services
Please insure that all of New York’s children receive access to safe, affordable, quality early
intervention programs and child care by supporting the above funding. Research has shown that
quality child care for infants and young children lays the groundwork for later success in school and
life. I urge you to support NYS legislation that would enable families to acquire intensive mental
health services for their children without relinquishing custody. Having improved mental health
services will give children and parents more confidence to speak up ,receive help earlier and keep
families together. The current lack of funding for children and families diminishes their dignity.
I am thanking you in advance for your kind attention and support to these matters.
Together, let us guarantee the success of children, one of the most vulnerable populations and
secure a better future for all.
Sincerely,
6/19/2012
Students in the Prevention of Child Maltreatment Course (HUS 133)
displayed and distributed information on the prevention of child abuse at
Zoller School. This was part of their advocacy service learning
experience.
RESEARCH
 Students are involved in locating, and reporting
on information of interest to the public
 EXAMPLES: systematically research issues; develop surveys; conduct
formal studies, evaluations or interviews, write a paper analyzing the
causes and consequences of a current national or international crisis
and present a plan for a possible course of action in response to the
crisis
6/19/2012
BENEFITS OF SERVICE LEARNING
STUDENTS

Reinforces academic skills, including
higher level thinking

Encourages reflection on learning

Increases linkages with the community

Is a meaningful educational strategy

Develops teamwork skills

Experiences civic responsibility

Develops skills needed for professional
careers
6/19/2012
FACULTY
 Provides a proven educational
strategy that is research based

Improves communication and
understanding among students

Increases the relevancy of education for
students

Increase knowledge of community
organizations

Identifies resources to enhance
educational opportunities for students
FIVE STAGES OF SERVICE LEARNING
 Investigation
 Preparation and Planning
 Action
 Reflection
 Demonstration and Celebration
6/19/2012
FIVE STAGES OF SERVICE LEARNING
INVESTIGATION
 Students investigate community needs
 Students conduct research to validate the needs
 Research is conducted through processes such as
surveys , interviews, the internet and peer
reviewed materials.
6/19/2012
PREPARATION AND PLANNING
 Develop goals
 Create a project plan, a timeline, and budget
 Students identify their own skills and resources
 Students determine their roles and responsibilities
 Fundraise if appropriate
 Promote the project
 Establish partnerships with others to gather resources
6/19/2012
ACTION
 Enact the project, which may be implemented over the course of
an academic year, a semester, two weeks, or a single day
 Publicize the project
 Invite the media and
local officials
 Photo or video graph the project
6/19/2012
REFLECTION
 With reflection, students consider how the experience, knowledge and skills they
are acquiring relate to their own lives and communities
 Reflection provides students the opportunity to explore the impact of what they
are learning and its effect on their thoughts and future actions.

Students compare their initial assumptions with what they have seen and
experienced in the real world
 Graded written and oral assignments are a means for students to reflect on their
experiences. Sample assignments include a written essay, research paper,
journal, case study, oral reports to the class, and a testimony to elected officials.
6/19/2012
DEMONSTRATION/CELEBRATION
 Students demonstrate and celebrate their accomplishments and learning's.
 Students further reflect on what they have learned, share insights with
others and gain an opportunity for further insights.
 Send thank you letters to contributors and volunteers
 Some examples of demonstration are a class presentation, displays,
performances, photo displays, power points, and web presentations.
 Projects are saved electronically and shared with future classes
6/19/2012
ASSESSMENT
Focus on the following questions
Student Learning
 Were the content and skills objectives accomplished?
 Were there any unforeseen outcomes?
 Did the students show initiative?
 Were the students able to connect their experiences to the larger society?
Impact of the service
 Were the students able to state the need and purpose of their projects?
 What contribution was made?
 Was the partner satisfied with the results?
The Process
 How effective was the process?
 Were there any areas that needed improvement?
 How could students have had more ownership of their projects?
6/19/2012
SOC 127 INTERPERSONAL AND GROUP DYANAMICS
The following slides are an example of a service learning course
SOC 127 Interpersonal and Group Dynamics
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students to interpersonal and group
dynamics and the theories of leadership. It introduces students to
conflict resolution theories. There is a particular emphasis on
applying individual and group communication dynamics within a
professional setting. The students design and implement a service
learning project.
6/19/2012
SOC 127 STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
(REPRESENTATIVE)
1.Define and apply service learning concepts
2. Apply interpersonal and group dynamic theories
3. Describe the stages of group development
4. Identify and apply conflict-resolution techniques
6/19/2012
SOC 127 SAMPLE PROJECTS
Examples of service learning projects for SOC 127 are:
 Collecting non-perishable food
 Planning and implementing a day of respite for parents at a
children's’ agency
 Enacting activities for children in an after school program
 Collecting sports equipment for an elementary school and
organizing a fun hour for the children to use the equipment
6/19/2012
SOC 127 SRVCICE LEARNING PROJECT STEPS
PREPARATION AND PLANNING

The main focus of this course is for the students to learn professional individual and group
communication skills. Through their service-learning projects, they practice the
communication skills learned in class.

Each student receives a service learning packet complete with a short service learning article,
how to conduct group meetings, meeting minute forms and individual and group goal sheets

As a class, students brainstorm agencies and/or community needs

They self-select into working groups

The Professor leads students in ice breaker activities in their working groups and explains
how to conduct meetings

A leader is chosen. The role of the secretary is rotated among the other group members.
6/19/2012
PREPARATION AND PLANNING
 Students devise a plan for contacting the chosen community partner and
researching and their needs
 Students decide what resources are needed, and how to obtain the resources
 Students decide their roles and responsibilities within the group
 They devise a written individual and group plan
 Students decide how and where to advertise their project
6/19/2012
ACTION
 This step includes advertising and collecting resources.
Students collect resources by contacting local businesses , friends, family
and the SCCC community and/or raffles
 The assigned chapters for the course assists students in utilizing the
communication skills needed for the action stage. Periodically, the leader of
each group reports the group progress aloud to the class. This enables the
sharing of ideas.
 Students implement their project
6/19/2012
REFLECTION
 The students are reflecting on their learning throughout the
course through graded journals and reflection papers.
 Each group plans a presents a PowerPoint to the class as per a
written assignment. Each member states what she/he has
learned.
 The class asks questions of the group
 Each student completes a final exam which includes reflection
on the their participation in the service learning experience
6/19/2012
FINAL EXAM
 Part 1
 Describe your verbal communication style and what you learned about




yourself during your service learning experience. Discuss the skills
that you learned and/or improved. Include the skills that you need to
improve.
Describe your non-verbal communication style and what you learned
about yourself during your service learning experience. Discuss the
skills that you learned and/or improved. Include the skills that you
need to improve.
Describe and discuss your specific contributions to the group.
Describe what you might have done differently in the group.
(i.e. how could you have improved the functioning of the group? How
could you have made this project more successful?)
6/19/2012
FINAL EXAM CONTINUED
 Part 2
 Define Tuckman’s stages for a group and give an
example of how your group followed each stage within
the service learning experience.
 Discuss the challenges that your service learning group
experienced in regards to conflict. Discuss what
conflict resolution techniques were applied to these
challenges.
FINAL EXAM CNTINUED
Part 3
Describe and discuss the cultural factors in your group and
how they impacted your group and service learning
experience.
Part 4
Define and describe how one of the National Association of
Social Workers Code of Ethics principles was applied.
Part 5
Define and explain the service learning steps.
Describe how your group implemented each step. Provide
examples of the implementation of each step and your
participation in each step.
6/19/2012
GROUP PRESENTATION OF THE SERVICE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Each group will deliver a 20-30 minute presentation. The presentation will include the information listed
below and will be graded accordingly. Please incorporate into the power point, visuals such as pictures,
and/or brochures or other ideas that will make the presentation INTERESTING.
INTRODUCTION


Introduce the members of the group.
State the name of the experience.
BODY OF THE PRESENTATION





Identify the need that the experience addressed.
Discuss how you discovered, analyzed and researched the causes of this need.
Discuss the findings of your research.
Explain how the lives of others improved because of this experience.
Each person will analyze and describe specifically what they learned from this experience. Include what
communication skills you learned and how your communication skills improved.
6/19/2012
GROUP PRESENTATION CONTINUED
GROUP PROCESS

Describe the composition of the members of the group in terms of ethnicities,
communication styles and other topics from both books.
 Describe the group process in terms of developing goals, interdependence, trust,
communication, how conflict was managed, how decisions were made and other
key processes of the group.
 Discuss what the group might have done differently.
 Each person will also state individually, what she/he learned and may have done
differently.
6/19/2012
DEMONSTRTION AND CELEBRATION
 Each student receives a certificate, highlighting their
main accomplishment. The certificate is presented at
the end of the group PowerPoint presentation.
 The Instructor saves the Powerpoints to show to
future classes
6/19/2012
SERVICE-LEARNING VIDEOS
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCQ0DGzqfdc&fe
ature=related
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jb42yfidjE&featur
e=related
 http://www.highpoint.edu/servicelearning/video-
service-learning-in-action/
6/19/2012
INFORMATION
PLEASE CONTACT RENEE ADAMANY AT
381-1298 or [email protected]
for more information on service learning
6/19/2012