Assignment: Evaluation Plan
As you continue to build your understanding of service learning, use this week’s Discussion to analyze your progress in creating a high-quality, curricular Service Learning Strategy Project. Consider your project-based learning idea, the problem and purpose statements you created, and the Learning Resources you have read and reviewed. Be sure to pay particular attention to the common pitfalls presented by Morin (2009). How did the week’s Learning Resources impact your thinking? Remember, this Discussion will be useful to your creation of a Service Learning Strategy Project outline.
To prepare
Read this week’s Learning Resources and review the feedback you received on your problem and purpose in the Week 6 Discussion.
Post a summary in which you do the following:
Explain the progress you have made on your Service Learning Strategy Project component of your Major Assessment. (My service learning strategy project
Share with your peers your insights on the project, including the obstacles and problems you might anticipate.
Explain the progress you have made in identifying a problem, connecting it to the curriculum, and planning for a rigorous service-learning experience.
I have made good progress with my Service Learning Strategy Project. I have selected to have my 2nd grade students adopt a nursing home for the whole school year. The students will write friendly letters to the residents and practice addressing envelopes. The students will also be involved in planning a field trip to the nursing home to put on a performance for them. They will need to figure out how much it cost for the bus, how many miles it is to and from school and how much it will cost for each student to go on the field trip. The students will be assigned to individual residents where they will go monthly to read to that resident. These activities can be linked to the curriculum as they are part of the second grade standards.
A problem or obstacle that I might anticipate is final cost of the field trip. Depending on cost of the field trip will determine if the students will be able to afford it. I work at a Title one school where if the field trip is too expensive that most of the students will not be able to afford to go. In the second grade curriculum there is speaking and language standards that I can link this standard too. Another problem or obstacle I had thought about is when having students prepare a speech or prepare for a presentation finding the time to prepare them for these activities might be a challenge. This is something they could practice at home but sometimes they do not always have the support at home or their family might not speak or read English which makes it challenge for anyone to help them. Another problem I have encounter is the school only allows two field trips a year so the students reading to the residents monthly might not be something we are able to do. Getting the buses is also costly.
I have been able to identify the problems within my service learning strategy project. I have been able to connect the concepts and skills to the curriculum as well get a field trip. Going to read monthly to the residents is going to be my biggest challenge as this is going to require bus transportation which is going to be costly. Also finding the time to complete all of this is going to be a challenge. Morin mentions that scheduling conflicts and prioritize their tasks will always be a challenge (Morin, 2009). This is something I might need to model and assist the students with and help guide them on how to manage their time. There always seem to be so much content to teach so scheduling the time to do all I want to do might be challenging for me as a teacher. Despite the challenges and obstacles that I might encounter, I do look forward moving ahead with this project.
Morin, E. L. (2009). Service learning pitfalls: Problems you didn’t see coming. College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal, 5(1), 43–52.
Welch, M. (2010). O.P.E.R.A.: A first letter mnemonic and rubric for conceptualizing and implementing service learning. Issues in Educational Research, 20(1), 76–82.
Writing friendly letters and addressing envelopes: Students can write letters and make cards for the nursing home residents. They can address their own mail to send.
Budgeting for a field trip: Let your students be involved in planning the field trip to the nursing home to put on a program for the residents. How much does it cost for the bus? How do they reserve it? How many miles is it to and from school? How much will the gas cost?
Reading and speech-giving: Many language and reading curriculums include practice with oral reading and using proper expression. Elementary students also begin learning how to give a presentation or speech. Students can read to nursing home residents for service learning. They can also give prepared presentations if you go to the nursing home during the year.
As you can see from this small example, this service learning project costs barely anything to participate in, it covers curriculum objectives, and it provides a valuable community service. That's service learning at its best! You can also do more complex service learning projects with gifted students or as enrichment for some of your students.
