Transcript Critical Thinking and the Experiential Learning Model

Education for Social
Responsibility: The ServiceLearning Experience
Amani Elshimi
Composition and Rhetoric Program
The American University in Cairo
[email protected]
Center for Learning and Teaching Workshop
November 21, 2005
Definition of terms
Education for Social Responsibility spans the fields of “social
and emotional learning, character education, conflict
resolution, diversity education, civic engagement, and youth
development.” It involves the cultivation of concepts,
convictions and skills to shape a safe, sustainable,
democratic and just world (Educators for Social
Responsibility).
Service-learning is a teaching method which combines
community service with academic instruction as it focuses
on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility.
Service-learning programs involve students in organized
community service that addresses local needs, while
developing their academic skills, sense of civic
responsibility, and commitment to the community (Campus
Compact National Center for Community Colleges).
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The Pillars of Service Learning
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Responsibility
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Reciprocity
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Reflection
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Statement of problem
Students often find difficulty transferring
the skills and knowledge they acquire in
the classroom to the real world. When
asked to evaluate a learning situation,
they may fail to recognize the significance
of classroom content to their own
academic development, personal growth
and civic integration.
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Gap
Acquiring
Using
Knowledge
Skills
Values
Knowledge
Skills
Values
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Research question
How will a service learning activity that
embodies the course objectives enhance
the students’ learning ownership and
critical thinking skills – the ability to
analyze, evaluate and articulate learning
outcomes - and therefore, actively
advance, their own learning?
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The Service Learning Activities
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Water Campaign
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Undergraduate Research Conference
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Water movie
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Research tools
To assess students’ critical thinking skills, I collect data in
the following forms:
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Video recording of class discussion
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“Articulated Learning” (AL) reflection - at the
beginning of the project, midway
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Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) end of semester
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Research strategy
Academic
Enhancement
Civic
Engagement
Based on a model of
‘Articulated Learning’ (AL)
reflection proposed by Ash
et al., 2004, I asked the
students to analyze and
articulate their learning
experience from the three
perspectives of
Academic Enhancement
(knowledge)
 Personal Growth (skills)
 Civic Engagement (values)
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Personal
Growth
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Critical thinking guide
Adapted from: Richard Paul and Linda Elder, Critical Thinking Foundation
CT Standard Description
Clarity
Do I expand on ideas and provide examples where appropriate?
Accuracy
Is all of my information factually correct and/or supported with
evidence?
Relevance
Do all of my statements connect to the central point?
Depth
Do I explain the reasons behind my conclusions, anticipate and
answer the questions that my reasoning raises, and/or acknowledge
the complexity of the issue?
Breadth
Am I considering alternative points of view? Have I thought about
how someone else might have interpreted the situation?
Logic
Do my conclusions follow from the facts and/or my earlier
statements?
Significance
Is this the most important/significant issue to focus on?
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Sample student responses
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“I learned that convincing wide masses of people is not an easy task;
organizing those convinced is even harder. I understood that to write and
express your view is tremendously different from actually having to
convey the meaning to a real audience, and even further from striving to
produce change, initiate actions and contribute to the society.”
“During my three years as an AUC student, I have rarely, if ever, been
personally involved in a research project to the extent that I have been
with this one. I took a very conscious pleasure in the research process
itself, letting myself be carried away by whatever would interest me along
the way, reading an entire journal article when all that was needed was a
page or paragraph, an entire book when all that was required was a
chapter.”
“One of the main traits I discovered in myself as a result of this activity is
that I am a very active learner. I would like to apply what I learn to the
real world. I may not necessarily be totally responsible for implementing
it, but at least I can participate or contribute to its implementation.”
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Findings
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Students, even at senior level, still need guidance in developing
critical thinking skills. They often
 offer minimal illustrations for clarity
 oversimplify the issue or fail to articulate its complexity
 seem unaware of alternative perspectives
 draw conclusions that may not relate to the line of reasoning
 set goals that deviate from the issues raised by the experience
Guided reflection enhances students’ critical thinking and metacognitive skills, and they are able to question and advance their own
learning
Students enjoy service learning, recognize its benefits and
consciously set goals to transfer the knowledge, skills and values
acquired by the experience
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Action based on results
1.
2.
Allow more space and time for guided
reflection that leads to introspection and
learning ownership
Develop research design
1.
2.
3.
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Compare results across categories of academic
enhancement, personal growth and civic
engagement
Correlate findings with learning styles
Experiment with other reflective tools
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Benefits
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provides an authentic learning experience
allows higher retention of knowledge, skills and values
caters to a variety of learning styles
strengthens teamwork and cooperation
empowers students as partners in the learning process
heightens motivation
enhances self awareness
improves analytic, evaluative and problem solving skills
improves creativity and judgment
enhances written and oral expression
redefines role of students as knowledge producers
redefines role of teacher as facilitator and fellow learner
enhances inter-disciplinary connections
integrates student academic and social development
provides opportunity for integrating teaching, research and service
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Challenges
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may overwhelm the teacher - time-consuming
runs parallel to regular course assignments
needs team, time, project and crisis management skills
poses difficulty in assessment (in order to be comprehensive and
fair)
may depend on coordination with other departments/offices
(difficult)
needs funding (sometimes)
needs departmental, as well as, institutional support (difficult to fit
within pre-existing structure)
may not be given an adequate percentage of the grade
needs risk tolerance: cannot guarantee success of project
causes concern for student safety
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Credits
Ash, Sarah, Patti Clayton, Julie David and Myra Day. “When what you
say isn’t what they do: the development of formative and
summative assessment strategies to help guide teaching and
learning.” North Carolina State Service-Learning Program. AAHE
Assessment Conference, June 2004.
Lewis, Linda H. and Carol J. Williams. “Experiential Learning: Past
and Present”. In Jackson, Lewis and Rosemary S. Caffarella
(Eds.). Experiential Learning: A New Approach. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994.
Scriven, Michael and Richard Paul. Defining Critical Thinking: A
Statement for the National Council for Excellence in Critical
Thinking
Instruction. The Critical Thinking Community. 2004.
http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/definingCT.shtml. April
2005.
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