Dear Bonnie,
Sounds like your course has all the elements to be a wonderful service-
learning experience. Let me suggest that you consider using the
SERVICE LEARNING READER: REFLECTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES ON SERVICE as a
resource for the course. It is an anthology of readings that address
many of the issues your students will be dealing with. We developed it
and the curriculum which appears in it as the last chapter, to be the
academic component of a service-learning field studies internship program.
The READER's readings are divided into chapters that focus on how one
learns differently through experience and through a traditional classroom,
how we develop values and appreciate diversity, the idea of community and
whether one can remain an individual and still be a productive community
member, what is service and how is it rendered to preserve and empower the
dignity of those who are served. It has chapters on ethics and decision
making and global awareness. And it has the original curriculum and
reflection questions included. Besides being a wonderful collection of
readings which many people have told me just makes good reading, it is a
great companion for community service experiences to help students reflect
on and engage in critical thinking about their internship or any community
based experience. It includes writings from authors as varied as John
Dewey, Paolo Freire, John McKnight, John Gardner, Nel Noddings, Ram Dass,
Thich Nhat Hanh, deTocqueville, and many many more.
It is available through the National Society for
Experiential Education (NSEE) at 3509 Haworth Drive, Suite 207, Raleigh NC
27609-7229, or by contacting 919-787-3263.
Gail Albert
On Sat, 25 Oct 1997 winfiel@binghamton.edu
wrote:
> I am in the process of developing a capsonte course for the general
> education curriculum component here at Binghamton University.
>
> The course will be very learning centered with little traditional
> classroom interaction. The students will work in small groups on a
> project. The main objectives of the course is to incorporate aspects of
> the gen ed program into an interdisciplinary problem -soling activity,
> introduce and/or improve the students use of information resources
> including the internet, help the students develop interpersonal
> communication skills including group work, incorporate issues of ethics and
> public life.
>
> My plan is to have the students (2-3 year undergrads) work in small groups
> to develop community-based (aka service-learning) curriculum for local
> middle-schools. the students will work on a team with teachers, community
> representatives and faculty experts.
>
> This will also be in conjunction with the Southern Tier Community-Based
> Institute for Service Learning which has recently been funded by LSA.
>
> Do any of you have any ideas or comments, amy bits of wisdom which may be
> of help to me in this endeavor?
>
> Look forward to hearing from you
> Bonnie Winfield, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> School of Education and Human Development
> Binghamton University
>
>