Tips & Trends in Service-Learning VIII
Faculty and staff from SSU and other universities attended the service-learning workshop to learn the latest on resources, research and techniques on this pedagogy and how to incorporate it into curricula. I have not taken a service-learning course but by attending this workshop, and Book Buddies, I witnessed the planning and the execution process of such a class. Personally one of the most interesting revelations involved discovering that English classes use composition as part of service-learning and that service-learning serves as a text.
Loretta Esparza, Instruction and Reference Librarian at SSU came to the workshop to find out "as a librarian how to support students and faculty with service-learning courses." Esparza will "research what resources the library has for students in helping with composition for such courses." And also "assist faculty who want to integrate service-learning into a course by helping them with research and support."
Colette Ankenman, Human Development graduate student at UC Davis, came to the workshop to network and find out what has and has not worked for others. Colette's main area of research focuses on how service-learning in childhood affects someone for the rest of their lives. From the workshop she learned about flexibility since there is no single way to approach service-learning. Michelle Mazzeo, North Bay International Studies Project Director learned that service-learning is embedded in a course, and that it can easily be misunderstood as something it is not. In addition to service-learning, during the workshop topics surrounding community engagement and public scholarship are also explored.