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Community-Based Service-Learning @ St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY Dr. Lynn Donahue, Coordinator – Center for Experiential Learning. Service-Learning Faculty Training May 2012.
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Community-Based Service-Learning @ St. John Fisher College Rochester, NY Dr. Lynn Donahue, Coordinator – Center for Experiential Learning Service-Learning Faculty Training May 2012
Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Definition of Service-Learning Life Biography creation with St. John’s Home ENG 425: English Senior Seminar WGST 101: Introduction to Women’s Studies
Criteria for Community-Based Service-Learning Minimum # of Hours: 15; Average # of Hours: 20 Optional or Required Capacity-Building or Client Support Meaningful Service: Service meets real community needs and is sustainable over multiple semesters. It acknowledges the wisdom and skills of our community partners. Student Learning: Service work meets course goals. It increases the meaningfulness of course material and enhances students’ learning. Reflection: Assignments link course content with service. Reflection results in learning from service.
Continuum of Community-Based Experiential Learning Community Partner/ Service Student/ Learning Volunteerism & Community Service (SWAV; Teddi) Field Education & Internships in the major Service-Learning Service Scholars & 1st Gen. Scholars • Volunteerism and Community Service: • Focus more on community and the service. • No integration with academic courses. • Field Education and Internships: • Focus more on student and learning. • Has academic component, but not always integrated with an academic course. • Service Scholars and First Generation Scholars: • Focus is on both the community and the student. • No integration with a 3-credit academic course. • Community-Based Service-Learning: • Focuses on both students and community and service and student learning. • Service is integrated with a 3-credit academic course. • Projects tend to be semester-long and sustainable.
Sample Service-Learning Courses Arts and Science Management, Nursing, and Pharmacy Education CI & A Primary Literacy Students designed and created new learning centers for a partner City schools Collaboration for InclusionStudents researched topics of need for parents of children with exceptional needs through a partnership with the Advocacy Center Diversity in American SocietyStudents provided workshops and research for Catholic Family Services. American Social Justice Student teams worked with Saint’s Place to assist with resettlement. Environmental Studies In partnership with Cobblestone School, students developed a Sustainability Fair. Analytical Chemistry II Lab Students conducted water analysis in partnership with Monroe County Department of Environment. Digital LiteraciesStudents provide training to St. John’s Home elders on Facebook Promotions Management Students created promotional campaigns for Southeast small businesses Management Capstone Students created a campaign to market the selling of Coffee Connection’s fair-trade coffee. Multicultural Community Health In partnership with St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, students assessed the benefits of a unique health care model. Pharmacy of Cancer Students will conduct educational workshops for agencies like Gilda’s Club.
Increase capacity within nonprofits in three primary areas of need impacted by the economic downturn: • Health Care and Wellness • Housing and Economic Development • Youth and Education • Create sustainable, reciprocally beneficial service-learning partnerships within nonprofit organizations and neighborhoods in the city of Rochester. • Create opportunities for SJFC students to engage in two types of service-learning: • Client Support • Capacity-Building Projects • Cultivate students’ academic, professional, personal, and civic development. Program Goals Soil testing for presence of lead for SE neighborhoods CHEM 315: Analytical Chemistry Lab CHEM 412: Advanced Topics Chemistry
Community-Based Service-Learning Partners Youth: • The Advocacy Center • Center for Youth • Cobblestone School • East High School • Monroe YMCA Teen City • Red Cross Next Generation Leaders Program • Safe to be Smart at Rochester Public Library Partnerships have been created based on those that 1) have been significantly impacted by the economic downturn, 2) have identified needs for client support and/or asset-based/capacity-building service-learning projects, 3) are located in or serving the Southeast neighborhood of Rochester, and 4) have the resources to support SL students. • Housing: • Bethany House • Catholic Family Services • Mary’s Place • NeighborWorks Rochester • Rochester Interfaith Hospitality Network • Saint’s Place • SEAC • Sojourner House • Volunteers of America - Residential Services Health Care: • AIDS Care • American Red Cross • CP Rochester • St. John’s Home • Rochester Roots • St. Joseph Neighborhood Center • Neighborhood Soil and Water Testing • South Wedge Farmer’s Market • South East Neighborhood: • Highland Park Neighborhood Association • Southeast Area Coalition (SEAC) • SouthWedge Planning Committee • Upper Monroe Avenue Neighborhood (TREC; Street Manager)
Growth of CBSL at SJFC(funded by CNCS Learn and Serve America) Fisher students: 360 Course Sections : 23 Faculty: 14 Community Partner Projects: 42 Fisher students: 640 Course Sections: 38 Faculty: 21 Community Partner Projects: 71 Fisher students: 533 Course Sections: 38 Faculty: 28 Community Partner Projects: 60
Research and Theory that inform CBSL at Fisher PROBLEM-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING: “PBSL engages students working in teams in the solving of real, community-based problems. Through PBSL, students are presented with problems and asked to seek authentic and viable solutions” (Gordon, 2003). NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND THE BRAIN: Learning is profoundly influenced by the social relationships individuals engage in and is enhanced by “emotionally resonant, challenging situations involving multiplicity of inputs that allows students to make connections among ideas and experiences (Caine and Caine, 1997 as stated in Gordon, 2003). CONSTRUCTIVISM: Knowledge is not fixed, but “socially constructed” by individuals’ interactions with others and their environment. Cognitive conflict is the stimulus for learning and determines the natures of what is learned (Savery and Duffy, 1995). DEWEY AND FREIRE: Their theories of the importance of experience, reflective activity, citizenship, community, and democracy informed the emergence of service-learning (Giles and Eyler, 1994). While many of their theories overlap, they depart on the ideological purposes of education and Freire engaged in critical reflections of race, class, and power. KOLB: Illustrated the importance of combining individual action with reflective thinking to develop greater understanding of course content through an Experiential Learning Cycle (Kolb, 1994). • SOCIAL CHANGE MODEL OF LEADERSHIP: Increasing students’ ability to take initiative and serve as leaders during the service-learning process can occur through the incorporation of three leadership principles: Community, Collaboration, and Common Purpose (Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA, 1993)
A Commitment to Maximizing Community Impact Through Stoeker’s 3 C’s • Commitment: • To long-term, sustainable relationships. • To meeting community partners’ needs (not just student learning goals) and mutually beneficial outcomes. • To collaborating with vs. providing service to the community. • Communication: • Within a student-professor-organization triad. • That’s frequent, open, honest, and consistent in order to build trust and clarify goals, expectations, and resources. • About the issues that impact our partners, an important step in finding solutions. • Compatibility: • Between the students’ course learning goals and the needs of a community organization. • Between the students’ skill sets, culture, and academic schedule and the demands, culture, and schedules of the community partner.
A Commitment to Maximizing Student Learning Civic Engagement and Community Learning: • Understanding of community, population, diversity, and cultural perspectives • Understanding of relevant public policies and historical perspectives • Increased civic engagement and activism • Content Learning, Discipline-Specific, Critical Thinking • Enhanced meaning of disciplinary learning/subject-matter content • Application of course concepts within a real world context • Use of service-learning as text and evidence within research, analysis, and writing • Inter and Intra-personal Learning: • Enhanced collaborative learning and effective communication • Enhanced professional competencies and working with clients and agency staff. • Development of self-efficacy and empathy Adapted from Center for Community-Service Learning. California State University; Rubin, 2001.
Challenges Challenges Solutions Communication Student Preparation and Learning Meeting community partner needs Memorandum of Understanding: An MOU is completed and shared that outlines partner needs and desired outcomes, faculty course assignments and schedule, and student responsibilities. Podcast and Reflection Assignments: Students are shown an Introduction to SL Podcast on expectations and safety and sign an Agreement form. Reflection and relevant assignments are created to bridge the service with the learning. Scaffolding with Project Schedule and Process Support: Depending on the course, create a work plan and time-line for projects; require drafts of students’ work and mid-semester meetings with partner and faculty.
For More Information: • Community-Based Service-Learning Website and Showcase Site: http://www.sjfc.edu/academics/servicelearning/ • Dr. Lynn Donahue • Coordinator, Service-Learning Program and Center for Experiential Learning Phone: 585.385-7342Dr. Jennifer Rossi • Co-Chair, Service-Learning Advisory BoardPhone: 585.385.8110Dr. Deborah Vanderbilt • Co-Chair, Service-Learning Advisory BoardPhone: 585.385.8193