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Learning Through Serving, Reitenauer, Introduction and Chapters

Learning Through Serving, Reitenauer, Introduction and Chapters

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13 views

Learning Through Serving, Reitenauer, Introduction and Chapters

Learning Through Serving, Reitenauer, Introduction and Chapters

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lessusefulnewsletters
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Introduction Why a Book about Learning through Serving? CHRISTINE M. CRESS Learning through Serving: A Student Guidebook for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement across Academie Disciplines and Cultural Communities is a textbook for students who, like yourself, are involved in service- learning experiences as part of the college ot university program. We wrote this book because we care about your serving and learning experience. Whether you are performing service work in the community as a mem- ber ofa course or engaging in service on your own, we offer exercises and activities to help you have a more effective, interesting, and meaningful experience. ‘The purpose of this book is to guide you through the essential elements of learning and serving. In other ‘words, we focus on how you can best provide mean- ingfal service ro a community agency or organization while simultaneously gaining new skills, knowledge, and understanding as an integrated aspect of your ac- ademic program. ‘As you may know, service-learning coutses are com- plex teaching and learning environments that are de- signed to enhance learning through the process of connecting academic course content with service op- portunities in the community. This approach will re ‘quite you and your instructor to participate in new roles and in different ways of learning than a traditional lec- ‘ture course. What you are about to experience isan en- tirely new context for learning—one based in active practice in the community—that will challenge you to connect that learning back to classtoom instruction, course readings, and discustion. We have developed this workbook to assist you in planning, processing, and evaluating your learning-through-serving experience. The text fitst guides you over the initial hurdles faced in service-learning courses by addressing ques- tions of meaning and values as you face the potential irony of “requited volunteerism’ and grapple with the essence of what it means to be a leatnes, citizen, and community member. For the most part, we assume that you are seading the text and completing the activ- ities as pare ofa service-learning course, Ifyou are not, however, you can still easly adapt any ofthe exercises to be completed on your own, You might also use these exercises to reflect upon yout service expetience even if your instructor does not assign all che activities to be completed as part of your class. ‘We have intentionally planned the book to be read ‘over an academic term or semester. You will probably read about one chapter per week. Most important, though, is that you pace your reading of the text and completion of the exercises with the progression of ‘your community-based experience for maximum ben- efit and insight ‘The various inventories and reflective activities in this book are designed co help you understand your relationship to your classmates (viewing the class- room as a community), to the community organiza- tion (or wherever you are providing the service), and to the larger society. Further, the book prepares you to enter multiculeural communities by addressing di- versity issues that you may encounter in community 1 based work. We offer information, resources, and ac- tivities to explore issues of race, class, gender, ability, orientation, and other lived differences and like- nesses that You may encounter in your classroom and extended community, ‘The text also provides academic scholarship an

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