P-16+ Service Learning

Getting Started

QUESTIONS ABOUT INTEGRATING SERVICE LEARNING INTO THE CURRICULUM

Is service learning about what we teach or is it about how we teach? Are we speaking of the content of the discussion or the methods used during a session when we emphasize the importance of reflection? How can I make the service learning component an integral part of the course and not just another add on assignment? These are but a few of the questions that come to mind when beginning to integrate service into the learning expectations of a course. Starting with the basics helps.

Remember the simple who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of curricular design. Who are we teaching? What content and information will we be teaching them? When is the most appropriate time to teach this in the context of their education? In what setting can students best learn this course material? Why is it important to teach this content and to teach them in this manner? And how can we be most successful in teaching this information? The answers to these most relevant questions frame the use of service learning. Many semesters of trial and error, discussions with colleagues, research within the fields of experiential education and service learning, and the solicitation of genuine feedback from students produced the following strategies for integrating service into the curriculum.

IDENTIFYING COURSE COMPETENCIES

This comprehensive review will reveal the areas where your current design may not be the best fit for today's student. For example, students today are far more consumer-oriented than those of just a few short years ago. Student consumers expect that the learning will be directly applicable to their immediate life interests. Students want to be able to see a visible connection between what they are learning and how that affects their daily lives. I call this the "test of connectivity." Many times, the course competencies and learning objectives are still relevant, but the means by which we are "teaching" and the student is "learning" fail to meet this test of connectivity. Service learning provides a process for helping the students see this connection. However, service learning is not an all-or-nothing teaching strategy, and curricular integration does not mean that you must abandon other methods of instruction

How and Why

A very important aspect of curricular design is determining the most effective way for getting the message across. Research on effective teaching (Cruickshank, Bainer, and Metcalf 1995) emphasizes the importance of using a variety of teaching strategies in the course of instruction. Service learning is just one teaching strategy, but it works extremely well for many different disciplines and with many different personalities. One must be cautious and thorough when determining how best to use it with certain courses. A common mistake is to assume that service learning must mean a minimum of 20-30 hours of service per semester combined with regular classroom reflection sessions. Be aware that this is only one way to use service learning; many others exist. Although there are no magical formulas, certain principles determine the role and scope of service learning for a given course.

IDENTIFY THE COMPETENCIES BEST SUITED TO SERVICE LEARNING

Once you have completed your review of the course and are satisfied with the competencies and learning objectives, it is time to decide which ones are most suited to the use of service learning. Remember that service learning requires the instructor to combine the use of service outside of the classroom with the learning experiences and assignments within the classroom. In short, competencies best learned via active learning are better suited than those that remain in a theoretical or intellectual mode. For example, a competency that requires the student to demonstrate rote memorization of content lends itself less to service learning than does one that demands the student demonstrate an applied comprehension of a concept. Each instructor must determine the fit of service learning to the particular course. Keep in mind that the degree to which you use service learning is directly related to the course competencies and learning objectives you choose. The degree of importance of the course competency you choose may dictate the amount of service time required of the student. I have chosen to focus on service time because this seems to be the one consistently asked question by instructors new to service learning. However, the amount of time is secondary to the learning that you want to occur. It is the learning that matters most, and the most effective arena for that learning to occur is in the relationships and exchanges between and among you and the other students.

STUDENT LEARNING EXPECTATIONS

Once course competencies have been identified, the next step is to determine how to assess student learning in relation to the service requirement. You have the full range of options available to you for assessing student mastery of course content including objective and subjective examinations, oral reports, essay papers, pop quizzes, group projects, etc. As you do so, be sure that the assessment practice matches the degree of importance of the learning objective. For example, when service is a small component of the course (four or five hours) and related to a competency of low importance, then the academic product (an oral report or one-page essay) should produce a minor grade in the grade book (equivalent to a pop quiz). However, if the same service component (four or five hours) relates to a highly important competency, then the classroom experience to facilitate this learning should involve a very significant academic product producing a major grade in the grade book (equivalent to a major exam).

REFLECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES

The appropriate use of reflective teaching strategies represents the most critical aspect in assuring the effectiveness of service learning. Harry Silcox, in his A How to Guide to Reflection (1995), provides a useful description of the various means for reflective teaching (see chart below). He demonstrates how different strategies accomplish different learning objectives. The instructor must identify the learning objectives first and then match the most salient reflective strategy to the desired outcome. The Course Syllabus The course syllabus you create should clearly define the role of service in the course and how the service connects to the course content. The student deserves an explanation for why service is important to his or her learning. The description should include all information that the student needs to begin making the connection between his or her service, the course content, and daily living.

CONCLUSION

Robert Exley is the Vice President for academic affairs at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, rexley@iwcc.cc.ia.us,
712/325-3202.

References

Thank you to the American Association of Community Colleges for the excerpts from the AACC Service Learning Resource Guide, Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1998. For further information contact, Gail Robinson, Horizons Project Coordinator, grobinson@aacc.nche.edu www.aacc.nche.edu

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