Re: Best age to introduce service?

Salena,

In SUNY Cortland's Writing Program (and in other departments), the bulk of the 
votes go to giving the SL course immediately.  Among other benefits, immediate 
immersion in the community helps students get past some of the emotional / 
non-academic roadblocks to academic success (the "stranger in a strange place" 
feeling).  Academically, it provides many ways of making course content 
relevant, so students begin to develop academic interests.

hope this helps, Salena.

john




>===== Original Message From Salena Brody <sbrody@cats.ucsc.edu> =====
>Hi folks,
>
>I was hoping I could pick your brains with this question.  At UC Santa
>Cruz, we are in the process of opening a new college with a focus on
>Social Justice & Community.  We are planning the sequence of courses for
>students to take, starting with a one quarter core course on social
>justice issues required for all first year students.
>
>My question:  From your experience, would it be developmentally better
>to have a service-learning course immediately following the core course
>during their first year, OR should the students wait to do the
>service-learning course until their 2nd year at the college (when they
>are presumably more mature)?  At this point, the service-learning course
>would not be a requirement.
>
>Do you think it makes any difference at what point you introduce the
>service-learning course?  Why?
>
>Thanks in advance for your wisdom, insight and experience....
>Salena Brody

John Suarez
Writing Instructor
Writing Program Service-Learning Coordinator
English Department
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, New York  13035
(607) 753-2320