From Contemplation to Commitment: Framing the First-Year Service- - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

From Contemplation to Commitment: Framing the First-Year Service- Learning Experience Presented by Dr. Dawn Duncan Dr. Joan Kopperud Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota

SERVICE-LEARNING …a teaching and learning method that upholds a commitment to appreciating the assets of and serving the needs of a community partner while enhancing student learning and academic rigor through the practice of intentional, refmective thinking and responsible civic action .

Four T raits that Characterize Service-Learning  Commitment to community partnership  Learning and academic rigor  Intentional, refmective thinking  Practice of civic responsibility

THE CARC CYCLE C ontemplation A ction R efmection C ommitment

CONTEMPLATION to deliberate consciously about the challenges, needs, and expectations of the service experience  prior to each session  structured opportunities  objectives and questions

Forming Public Judgment Brainstorm issues at your school or in the wider local area that are currently in the news or being debated. Which of these issues do you need to learn more about? Make a plan for how you can become more informed on this issue so that you might reach a positive public judgment. Follow through with the plan and begin a course of action based on your judgment. Document this entire process and share it with at least three other people.

ACTION the on-site work undertaken with community partners in order to meet learning and serving objectives  physical labor  intellectual skills  social and/or emotional support

Action Log  Date  Time  Service provided  Partner’s signature

REFLECTION the lens through which you think critically about the experience, deeply considering how the action intentionally links to specifjc learning goals  physical situation  intellectual stretching  social/emotional dimensions

Creative Non-Fiction: A Day in the Life… Think back over your entire service-learning experience. Select one day around which you may shape a creative non-fjction short story. Perhaps reviewing your journal entries may help you make your selection. Recall the literary elements that are present in all well constructed stories.  characters  point of view  setting  plot/confmict  theme  audience

COMMITMENT a disciplined efgort to act upon your belief in the communal necessity of service and in the benefjts it afgords all involved  moving to a deeper level  additional investigation  planning for future service

Creating a Personal Manifesto Identify some social aspect that deeply concerns you because of a value you hold dearly. What do you think are the underlying issues surrounding the problem? What life skills do you need to develop to address these issues? How will these skills translate into concrete action? Use the graphic organizer to critically think through the issue(s) and your response.

Manifesto (Graphic Organizer) Issue, Cause, Life Skills to Concrete or Develop Steps to Underlying Take Issues My purchases can have Understanding how to Purchasing locally-grown environmental impacts. purchase products that organic food Consume are not harmful to the less. Purchase 2 nd hand. environment. Educate myself about which food is less harmful for the environment. My purchases can have Understanding that my Purchase Fair T rade an impact on the lives purchases can have products. Educate of those who produce dramatic social and myself about socially the products I purchase. economic efgects on responsible companies. people around the world.

THE CARC CYCLE C ontemplation A ction R efmection C ommitment …using a journal approach

For further information on the ideas presented at this session, see The Service-Learning Companion by Duncan & Kopperud, Houghton Miffmin. Available June 2007. Go to http://college.hmco.com/ and search under “Duncan” to order an exam copy and view sample material.