Service Learning Dialogue Day
September 7, 2001

reflections

"It is amazing to see educators who are so passionate about helping us as students to succeed! I think service learning is very beneficial to all students"
-- student participant

mcli : dialogue days : Service Learning : reflections

reflections

In the Service of Students and the Community: The Role of Service Learning in the Classroom

I learned how critical it is to have your syllabus clear on this, as that will resolve most problems. I also gained an appreciation for how many resources are available to me.
I am now aware that I have most of the pieces to effectively require service learning in my classes. I have made contact with others in my discipline with whom I can collaborate and share. I feel "confirmed" in my concerns - as evidenced by the responses to the activity on common/unique concerns.
The students who reported about their experiences were absolutely the most meaningful. It portrayed the deep significance it had for them - ever life changing.
There is a lot that has been very useful to me today. I was pleased to meet and interact with other instructors from different colleges - I made new friends. While time seemed to be our enemy, I appreciated hearing/listening to the different ways service learning can be put into practice. It was good to realize that there isn't only one way to do this because it frees me to be innovative. The break-out sections allowed me to get some concrete ideas down on paper. Listening to the ideas other instructors had of the problems they encounter helps me with my own trouble shooting. But the very best part of this was listening to the students and the song by President Ward. These people made me want to serve in whatever capacity - as teacher and community member.
The importance of connecting students to their society, politics, local community as a "duty" of the community college system. More ideas on how to increase the use of service learning in my computer class. A better perspective on the rationale of making service learning "mandatory." However, it is still clear that it is not the same as requiring them to do homework or go to the library, so extreme care must be made to take into account schedules, transportation obligations to work and home and other factors that could detail the learning experience.
I have a better understanding of service learning and the broad definition you can place on it when designing a service learning component for your classes. I appreciated having the "in the trenches" experience from the faculty already involved in service learning. Generally, it is always a "plus" to be able to meet and work with other faculty in an "away from campus" environment.
I enjoyed the variety of the presentations concerning all the aspects of service learning. Hearing the experienced faculty express the successes they have had, along with the students who presented, convinced me that service learning has a vital place in the curriculum I teach. The handouts provide a wealth of information from which I can tailor my service learning component for my discipline. The ever present commitment by the staff of student life services and the faculty that are experienced in service learning will ensure my success in expanding and enlightening my students experiences in a meaningful, lasting way.
I will participate in the service learning project along with my students and share it with them. I will make my first project small. I will reflect, in writing, ways to improve it and expand it for Spring 2002. I will make it mandatory. I will try hard not to "reinvent the wheel" by using the resources in my packet and finding out the resources on my campuses.
The importance of service learning, I learned today, is the implementation of social transformation. If one is able to break that wall, between academic life and real life, therefore, the student shall obtain a tool he might use for the rest of his/her life. If the institution of education is a part of the community, if the community needs new leaders to continue to grow and function. Therefore, service learning should be the natural result of an educational process.
I had heard that there are many ways to do service learning in a course. I feel that somehow the "goal" should be to learn, what I'm not really sure is what what - maybe that is the point, it will be different for all. Setting up a really meaningful service learning project can be either simple or difficult. I have gone through many thoughts of how to set up a class with service learning. I am still working on it.
As an instructor who has recently started incorporating service learning, it was very encouraging to get to see the support and energies already existing at various levels in the MCCCD system. Learning of the different models available was useful for stimulating ideas for future projects. It was interesting to see all the players in the service learning game come together and compare notes. The benefit to students and the community were very similar. The opportunity to share resources was very useful.
I am not an instructor. I am looking at this from the standpoint of developing a database that meets current and future needs. I have kept a laundry list of things to add, issues to address, as time permits. An item that has been on that (very long) list from the beginning of design development is - degree to which database is more than just a head-count and hour-count that it capture at least some of the real substance - heart and soul of service learning. Incorporating evaluations from student, faculty, agencies-how little or how much - and who is going to have the time to populate that data if the structure allows for it? Also, issues of exacts how to quantify - are the numeric portions ("please rate 1-5" or "1-10" sections of existing paperwork) the best way to do this, or should this be reworked a bit? I made a great contact today whose expertise is nonprofit administration; who is also a database kind of person. She has some very interesting-sounding papers on how to quantify such issues for non-profits. She is going to send it to me. Secondly, I really heard the message in the criticalness (word?) of reflection. I had fields in database structure only applicable to Honors students. I plan to carefully examine existing structure for whether more fields should be added.
I was involved when service learning began at CGCC. My English colleagues were wondering how to make it work, and I had had discussions with Duane Oakes who shared that he and Lois wished to do this. I said, hey, I have the guys for you! However, because I took a year and a half out of the classroom, service learning moved on without me. For some time, I have been thinking about how to incorporate it into what I teach. Today took me out of the realm of just thinking; wouldn't it be nice to actually brainstorm ways of actually doing it. This is exciting for me. However, I wish there was more time to actually take the idea from conception to development with the experts around to answer questions and provide feedback. Possibly, this could be a 6-8 hour session class. It was the voice of students I have heard over the years, that led me here.
This has been a great day! I am excited to see the excitement, growth and new ideas, service learning has had and to see how it has grown. Today, I have gained a greater desire to get more time to read and learn from all of the books and resources that are out there. I enjoyed the chance to hear from students and to listen to their stories. I can see what an impact we have been able to have in their lives. I am going to continue to be an advocate for service learning at MCC and look for opportunities to make it better.
I have learned how valuable service learning can be to the students and the community. Also, a new understanding on how varied the "projects" or "plans" can be. I am currently in the Music department, and many faculty were concerned about what type of projects to do, how much time needs to be devoted to it by both faculty and the students. I have gathered a lot of information, documents, forms and books to take back to my department.
I wish to work more closely with other service learning faculty at MCC toward co-enrollment and planning an "incremental" reflection in each class toward thick reflection, toward solution-focused reflection. I also wish to encourage Duane and maybe MCLI to do some follow-up to the Experienced Practitioner tracts offered today - and provide a 2-3 hour or so session on "thick" reflection and reflection geared toward civic engagement and social transformation. Maybe a "book club" idea to build on this and keep each other motivated and stimulated. Today has made me revitalize me in my service learning instruction. I plan to create more project-centered service opportunities to apportion more class time to reflection.
"From clarity to Social Transformation"- believing that we can make a difference. " Students don't just learn, they feel"- knowing that we will change, too. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in its traditional manner is finite. But using PBL process in service learning makes it infinite (my dissertation topic) - I am reinforced, encouraged, and passionate!
The switch to civic participation. The story of the soup kitchen. I enjoyed the exercise that was the spokes of where we are in stages of service and the charity, philosophy, social justice, and social transformation. I thought the day was interesting, , and rejuvenating.
Isn't service part of citizenship? I don't currently have a service learning component in my classes, but I have addressed many of the issues involved - social issues - anyway. I have ask my students, actually, to do everything except act! Isn't that amazing? I guess I have been expecting that they would magically realize that acting would be the logical next step. I may be moved to act myself! I have enjoyed hearing about the actual projects colleagues have had their students do; I have loved hearing from the students themselves. I have been changed just listening to them. I love being with people who will talk about social justice and do something about it. I have had a chance to re-appreciate the term reflection.
The sharing and networking was very worthwhile. Lots of ideas were generated and questions answered. As an administrator my perspective was a bit different - but good! I enjoyed hearing from the faculty, especially on their concerns in using service learning. I greatly appreciate all of the materials that were given out. Thank you!
I was reminded by Pushpa that the most powerful service learning experiences, by far, are those where students are interacting with, serving, other people. So when I do an activity to help students to write a paper about landscape (contrasting their view with that presented by a Native American writer), I need to do more than take them to the Salt River for a clean up. We have to take the Boys and Girls Club kids with us.
Sue's comments about our ethical responsibility to carry through with projects started. It goes beyond just the student's learning. The hotline project that can be done from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Perfect for those students with transportation problems. This was a wonderful motivational day. Sharon went out of her way to take care of my needs. Duane also answered questions. Always inspired by Marybeth. Sue was fantastic in the workshop - loved the interaction.
I am again reminded of the capacity of the learning process. Service learning is a powerful methodology because of the levels of learning possible - academic, social, political, personal and career clarification. By involving the community and students in the educational process, more and deeper teachable (or is that "learnable") moments arise. A day like today validates my experience as a teacher - and the necessity for faculty to also engage in service.
One of the most valuable concepts presented was the connection between community building, individual service, and civic participation. I tend to think of service as a means of community development and individual growth combined with community development (defined as making effective us of all of your community's resources) cannot help but foster civic participation and community building if students are supplied with appropriate information and the chance to reflect critically on the need for their service in the first place.
Learning that others may have some of the shared concerns/goals concerning learning/service helps create a sense of "community." Perhaps the most meaningful aspect of the Dialogue concerns the concrete suggestions/examples that were shared today. Seeing the student samples and hearing from the students also provides us ideas for our goals/assignments. I am hoping to expand my assignments to include more lengthy assignments, moving beyond participating only in the "ITS."
I have learned a lot. I had a general idea that I wanted to have Honors students do more than the rest of the class and this seemed a way they could do it. I learned about liability contracts I didn't know about and met a contact on my campus who could help me. We have an appointment on Tuesday morning to discuss contacts and contacts for those students. I have begun thinking about my other students and classes and what possibilities may exist for them to broaden applications of what we are learning into service in the community. It has been a day worth spending and has been thought provoking for a novice.
The most meaningful thing today was the clear definition and description of service learning - what it is and what it isn't. As a person I believe in giving to one's community and so relating that to my work as a faculty member is of great interest. I am still not sure how I will combine/add/incorporate service learning to SPA101 and 102, but that's o.k.. I have resources and ideas to follow up with. I am anxious to return to campus and continue discussions on service learning. I think I will pursue this if not for my students, for the college.
I liked this session. The day was well planned. I learned a lot about the theory and practice of service learning. One of the best parts is hearing what others had to say and ideas they had - some practical, some idealistic. I had been thinking about incorporating some into my classes - now I have more to think about and some issues that I never considered were made clear. The format of this workshop was good. On the negative side, I think that testimonials are fine and interesting and may demonstrate that some people liked this - but that should not be the sole basis for decision. I think a lot of students may have problems with the concept. Further the issue of the impact of the student on the "person" they are supposed to be helping should be carefully considered. We need to be sure that there is a respectful and genuine interaction. I think that even well-meaning volunteers may not be helpful. I am not sure what the purpose of signing my name on this - but I will. The session has been very worthwhile.
There is a remarkable variety of disciplines that use service learning. The connection to students will bring remarkable benefit to the student and our society at large. I have outlined a way to have civic engagement in my public speaking course that I believe will be a very interesting approach for the students and application of the ideas.
This workshop was well designed and carried out. It provided a vast array of thought provoking insights. First, it affirmed my belief in the positive outcomes of this teaching/learning method. It provided concrete models from which to choose an appropriate model for your discipline, it's competencies and it's "nature." I am learning with a much better understanding of how the traditional model can be implemented in my ESL class... of course, I will modify! Overall this was an excellent way to spend my day - I learned, transformed, I planned and I developed a dozen new ideas. Timing was awesome!
I am going to give a call to action speech on volunteerism (9-11-01). I learned what the service component is and can distinguish it between the experiential component. I don't know yet if I will form a toastmasters club on campus yet, or not. I don't know yet if I will just do an into the streets in lieu of the toastmasters club. Kristi's speech made an impact on me and what I learned. I am glad I had made the opportunity to tell her that. I would like a copy of her essay reflection. I also liked Brian's presentation.
The level of commitment from past practitioners was most impressive. The effect of the experiences on students was lasting and reformed. An action service learning can have multiple modes, time frames and levels of encouragement. The ability to modify the idea was encouraging.
I didn't know about service learning and that this was a program as such. I had been doing some of this with my classes, but I learned there is more - so much more to it. I learned some techniques that I will incorporate. I learned about some of the necessary red tape, and how my campus is in need of a director to take care of the responsibilities that teachers don't have time for. I was able to meet others in my discipline who had many suggestions and we will keep in touch and help each other. I hope the responsibilities can be assumed and we can move forward.
It has been a day of sharing inspiring stories with colleagues, of Kristi touching our hearts with her writings, the young man from PVCC sharing his experiences so bravely and and answering a bunch of questions from faculty. This has been a day when what was done a year ago as a service project at Humphreys Elementary and with Boys and Girls club at WEC was mentioned by the principal and Mindy. It was touching that Mindy's children actually went back to their club and planted flowers. It showed that our students really made a difference - I never knew that. It is a highly motivating day and I am ready to start the project again. This dialogue day was rejuvenating. Thanks for arranging this day.
I have seen an incredible positive attitude towards service learning at CGCC - I will take that with me. I have seen the connections possible to my courses. The experience reflected here clarify for me the goals of service learning. It also reinforces the words of one of the speakers. "Service learning empowers the student and allows for different styles of learning." The most important moment of the day was the sharing of the students' experiences; that made it real for me. I see the outcome with Kristi and I was moved!
What was the most meaningful to me was the opportunity to think about the connection of my course competencies and service learning experiences my students could have to possibly achieve them. It was meaningful to have others brainstorm with me and collaborative on ways I might accomplish the learning through service. It has been frustrating to have so much literature and information that I will most likely not be able to review or gain from right away. I know they contain information that I will most likely not be able to review or gain from right away. I know they contain information I need, but I fear what I need first is buried within and I won't uncover it until its usefulness in no longer as critical as it is right now. It was helpful to hear many options in ways to conduct service learning. I have learned ideas about what can be assessed with students. It was also frustrating to begin to create ideas and not having time to really even complete the beginnings of that development.
Today was a neat day. It allowed me to hear from a different perspective about service learning. I am a product of service learning, and to now be working with service learning; it's awesome. I really enjoyed the aspect of civic engagement. This thought process will advance our society - if we become more civically minded. It is amazing to see educators who are so passionate about helping us as students to succeed! I think service learning is very beneficial to all students.
I really want to be able to spend more time talking with colleagues on my campus about developing and improving the way we do service learning. I am convinced that doing this alone is not going to work for me. It is the luxury and necessity of colleagues, interaction, inspiration at the group level that will help me be a better teacher and also improve service learning implementation at our college. I am excited that my colleagues are here today, and that they are interested, too. We are going to do a service learning workshop for faculty on our campus, and I would very much value their help and vision in planning it.
I have learned how critical careful planning will be. Also, that I need to be careful not to start too big (as is often my tendency!) I like the idea of setting aside six hours of classtime so that they can schedule activities to correspond with their individual schedules, but, at the same time realize I think it is important enough to give them release time. I am extremely grateful for the forms and information Kim passed out. I am so glad that I won't have to reinvent the wheel. GateWay has a service learning coordinator who doesn't coordinate with Liberal Arts at all. Seems to be time for a change.
Need to take service learning from realm in which using it (pred. in Com at Philosophy level) to civic justice level. Especially in Eng 102 as part of critical thinking. Recognition of Skill trans to outside classroom environment. Ethics to recipient need to "pre brief" students and establish ongoing locations so when a student leaves he is replaced. Need to convince DI for time for a faculty member or (MAP) to effectively coordinate service learning.
The insight I gained today connects the notion of academic learning with personal development. I sometimes criticize my colleagues for being too "touchy-feely," which leads me to go too far in the other direction. Today has helped remind me that the best learning finds some way to blend the two in surprising ways. A thoughtful service learning project seems one effective means of touching students' hearts as well as their minds.