students blogs as a pre curser for my own reflection

Learning active citizenship in an ever changing worldaporil 2012 bwithpseudonyms me.

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What I learned from my students:

•  To push them to go out there and go beyond their comfort zone is in the end appreciated.
• That they liked being active and making a difference in what they learned about.
• That they do not want to be too put out.  They have limited time and it has to be easy and not too hard as far as timing etc. 
•  That they would prefer to have places that they could choose from versus making cold calls.  I think this is tough to have the places lined up for so many different projects, which then leads me to the idea that I could create it for everyone at one place and then folks can choose to call off and do their own project?  I think if they do their own, it will be more valuable since it will be based in a topic they are passionate about...BUT on the other hand, they might want the ease of having it set up?
•  I am really confused how I will continue, but this is what I am thinking for fall:

1. have them choose their own project if they want.  I will have one created for anything having to do with food, local food, farming, GMO, and if they wan t to explore that in any way, they can.  However, if they choose a different route, they can then create their own service learning project, like they have done in past semesters OR they can conduct it in their 75 our field placement.  If they do this,  they could identify a need in their placement and go above and beyond to integrate their idea as a theme of sorts into their classroom.  CONS: that they might all do my trip I plan  OR no people could come and I would feel badly with the community partner.   PRO: they have options, choices that are genuine but still connected.
2. Create a binder of contacts that is more complete with community partners for the common themes. Now that I know the themes that they typically take, I can contact: farms, boys and girls club, environmental issues, reproductive rights issues.  Create a binder that has these places, their contacts, but most importantly a contact person that I have already spoken with.  Define the amount of time better.  6 hours, or 3 hours 2 times, or 2 hours 3 times...With this binder I would not do the common one but rather have them still do the topic of their choice, make contacts week 1, and develop their project right off the bat.  Last they could still choose to do an ongoing project in their class if their is a connection or a link.  Even with reproductive rights, since in the news that has gained the rhetoric of "war on women" that they could do gender equity in schools etc.

Since I have done service learning, this semester was the best one.  I  think it is the first time my SIRS HAVE NOT TANKED since my first foray into service learning. I definitely had a tough go the first couple of semesters with this, and now it seems revamped enough.

WHAT I LEARNED OVERALL:

1. Give time limits,  Make sure they wrap it up by middle of semester. 
2.  Be clear and make sure they know assignment thoroughly, and that they understand the choices.
3. provide time to make the contacts and commit to a plan early.
4. have options, choice is always good. But have a back up for folks who have no idea and/ or don't want to deal.
5. That it is hard to set up service learning projects.
6. That I like FLC for a whole other reason, I met faculty from cross disciplines and whom I really like!  It was really nice to meet other people and work with them consistently.

Links to my course blog which has the project blogs linked in:
http://edu309.blogspot.com/

I have not done data analysis yet since I only collected the surveys last day of class. I hope to do this this summer and perhaps write a paper out of it.

OUTCOMES

One terrific outcome that I obtained from a brief overview of the surveys is that they primarily could not define it in the first survey, and then in the post survey, the students were able to not only define it, but they way they did was heartening.

"a way to further your education by getting involved with a topic"

"researching a topic and then volunteering your time to make a difference and change"  (OK volunteering is not accurate, BUT still the spirit is good- that they see these projects directly linked to their in class learning!)

"Service learning is teaching or learning and developing awareness of social needs and by working or developing activities. Understanding that you are part of the solution, not looking from the outside wondering why  someone doesn't do something"

updates

we are at that point of the semester and the year of FLC where I wonder if this whole thing helped me and put together presentations for the school, whether it b e the FLC mini presentations, the civic engagement poster thing, OR the pearls and perils conference. I have to put all this together into some meaningful thing.
I always think research is smooth and tailored to what people want to hear.
BUT what is the TRUTH?
The truth, I wonder if my SIRS have gone down since I started this service learning thing.  I really believe in change in curriculum but it seems to be at a big risk, especially as a non tenured person.
I wonder if students are really getting anything out of it as I try to follow the model of student voice.
I think the students who jump right on it and do it are the best off.
I think if I made them do their service learning within the first month that would be best.
I think that if I made it possible to do in their field placement or out in the world would be best.
i also wonder, should I possibly do it where they ALL have to research food...
access
health
obesity
GMO
organic'local
etc
and then do a service learning project together at a local farm.  etc.
I do not know.
Anyway...
I have to put together a poster.
I want to put on their results of their surveys
I want to put on their blogs and reflections
I want to put the various models of service learning
and my final thoughts.
how do we get people into service learning?

service learning thoughts and assignments and ppts'

This semester my students are really doing some amazing blogs and research on their current event topics thus far.
Check out these links: (there are many more but these are a couple)
http://organicinformation309.blogspot.com/
http://proplannedparenthood.blogspot.com/
Anyway what makes them exceptional is the effort they are putting in, but also what they are personally discovering about their topics.  many of them are learning so much about their topic, and while they are doing this, they are getting worked up and motivated to take action.  It is really exciting to witness!

Today I am dedicating an entire class on social justice and service learning.
Here is my powerpoint on these topics.

Teaching social studiessocial justice and service learning

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and here are the hand outs that they have to work on when they do the ppt

Exit card to do in class for discussion after slides and before video to dyad talk

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and here is the article I cut up and provided each of them with one book per group to decide how this would work in a class as a service learning project using the 7 key element worksheet.

Seven elements of high quality service learning assignment

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Service learning and books

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I will also provide more information to them on what is expected from their service learning OR the alternative
Here is the assignment
Hopefully they will choose to do the service learning.  we shall see what happens.  I am excited.  I do have a student from LAST semester who is starting his own permaculture farm and said he would be a place where students can go to start their service learning project, pretty cool!
All in all it is feeling like it is coming together.
The big focus is citizenship and how to teach it.  And how teaching social justice, current events and using service learning leads to increased citizenship...HOPEFULLY.  But also hopefully they too will use these strategies in their class.

thoughts after evals fall 2012 and the NCSS conference

Thoughts:
1. Have to change where I place the whole service learning project. I have to have it all up front when they are engaged in it and into it. Once they are in the field, all they want is lesson planning, methods and strategies. They do not want service learning.
2.  I do need to create it as choice.  I think a good option, that would meet the same need, is to create a portfolio of community partners for them in a particular topic...and perhaps even in the broad range of their topic.  They would have to make the contacts and see if this is a viable choice.  They would have to fill out a sheet to that they check off to see if the place is a good community partner.

IRB done and handed in for review...cannot imagine how many Marc has to read?

Here it is, my IRB agreement thus far...

Irb agreement service learning

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Here is my survey: pre and post are identical...

Pre survey service learning

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I used a lot of materials from the FLC and the coordinator.  I am not great at creating instruments, and these were fantastic...in comparison!  I am excited.
I still need to boost up my citations etc...but I actually feel like I might just do some research that leads to a pub, and this is exciting, since I have not engaged in that process since I got to SSU...and it was such a big part of my past positions.  It is exciting also as I am getting closer to the land of going up for promotion and tenure. Boy would it feel good to have some publications!

I do have to say that this whole FLC thing is fantastic for me.  I am having the opportunity to be part of a community that really is helping me shape my teaching as well as my research, in a field I feel passionate about.  It is also motivating me with the deadlines, like this IRB one, to be on top of it!  I just would never get around to this, and finally I am, YAY.  I am beyond grateful to have gotten involved with this and am sad this is the last year.  I am meeting folks from around campus, which is awesome, and I feel like I am more part of this whole SSU community.

IRB and my project

OK here we go, about to take on the writing of my IRB application and I am nervous.  I do not have any idea what to do here, but tomorrow hopefully if I have something of worth, then I will be able to get good feedback, and the good news is, then I am on track with the FLC timeline.  yikes.  Amazing how this research piece gets me all  squirrely inside!

current thoughts on my project and course

Positives:

1. students are actually connecting the dots this semester for the first time ever between the NCSS goals of social studies education and these current event projects.  I think it is because I actually had them explicitly make these connections by having them read articles I obtained at the NCSS conference on citizenship government and civic duty and also remembering the branches of government etc...and really the biggest thing is these governing agencies, which it all kind of comes down to.  They get involved with their project and find out who these agencies are and it gives them a better context for remembering how these branches work.  I think it connects them to content as well as why they are doing these projects

Negatives:

1. I think that I could have them do their projects earlier:  I think the service learning ideas are awesome at the beginning of the semester but by the time they are supposed to go out and do them, they lose interest.  I think that this is something about how the course work builds in block and it might be more helpful to do these early on. 
2. The other thing I could do, which I am hesitant to do, but could, is to have them all do something to do with food.  Have food be the running theme and they could choose what they want to do with this theme, for instance they could go into GMO etc or go another route.  Then I could set us up to do a whole class project at green valley. I know this is what my FLC would like me to do since they really buy into the defn of service learning as something that the faculty member kind of sets up etc.  I really have bought into the notion it should 100% come from the student.   I also have bought into the idea that they should be the ones to set it up since when they teach they should set it up.
3. OK if I continue with having them set it up, then I should have them assess whether or not they met the needs of the community they served, and set up a questionnaire for them to ask their people who they served...the only thing is those who did a beach clean up etc, I wonder about that...and how they could do that?