CESI Cohort II Workshop 3 Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013

Part I Sharing Challenges / Sharing Solutions What are you most concerned about or what do you need support with? Challenges discussed should focus on one of the following key elements: Civic learning objectives Student reflection and assessment Logistical challenges of civic engagement / community partnerships

Reflection: Connecting Service to Academic Learning Part II

The Four “Cs” of Reflection ConnectedContinuousChallengingContextualized

Connected

Continuous Allowing time to reflect before, during, and after the experience Think about and plan to make time for reflection Reflection vs. lecturing –Intersperse lecture with reflection –Enhance lecture with reflection

Challenging Challenge students with new ideas and perspectives Propose unfamiliar or “uncomfortable” ideas for consideration Create provocative dialogue in class discussions or written journals

Contextualized First… –Determine the proper and most appropriate context for reflection –Determine type and format of reflection –Decide when to conduct reflection

Contextualized Second… –Structure reflection within the context of the service-learning experience or course content

3 Levels of Reflection The Mirror: A clear reflection of the self – Who am I? What are my values? What have I learned about myself through this experience? How have you challenged yourself, your ideals, your philosophies, your concept of life or of the way you live? The Microscope: Make the small experience large – What happened? Describe your experience. What would you change about this situation if you were in charge? What have you learned about this agency, these people, or the community? Was there a moment of failure, success, indecision, doubt, humor, frustration, happiness, sadness? The Binoculars: Make what appears distant, appear closer – From your service experience, are you able to identify any underlying or overarching issues which influence the problem? What could be done to change the situation? How will this alter your future behaviors/attitudes/and career? From Skidmore’s Service Learning Curriculum Development Resource Guide for Faculty

DEAL: A Model for Critical Reflection NOTE: Reflection is not the same as description although description is good first step in reflection. The purpose of reflection is to generate learning and to help students become aware of their learning. “What did you learn?” is a good last step for reflection, not a good first step. Step 1: Describe experience Step 2: Examine experience (from personal, civic and academic perspectives) Step 3: Articulate Learning What did I learn? How did I learn it? Why does it matter? What will I do in light of it?

CESI Student Ambassadors Implementation Semester: Pre / Post Surveys assessing civic learning Qualitative Reflection Questions Adapting Resources: What techniques do you already have in place to assess civic learning? Consider adaptations to our survey and questions.

Reflection Strategies & Formats Group Discussion: What have you used as reflection tools or assignments, or what ideas do you have? What formats have you used to integrate reflection into your course? What challenges have you had with reflection? How have you assessed reflection assignments?

Reflection Outcomes Reflection activities engage students in the intentional consideration of their experiences in light of particular learning objectives, and provides an opportunity for students to: Gain further understanding of course content and discipline Gain further understanding of service experience Develop self-assessment skills as a life long learner Explore and clarify values that can lead to civic responsibility (Hatcher and Bringle, 1995)

Part III Logistics, Problem-Solving & Safety Planning the engaged component: – Identifying projects that connect to objectives – Determining duration, grading, course integration – Direct vs indirect activities – One or multiple partners – Liability & Risk Management Student preparation - orienting, skill building, addressing motivation In-class Activities & Orienting classrooms to engaged learning principles Tools for faculty/partner/student (Ed tech, ScholarWorks, others)

Preparing students for Community Component Written Clarity (syllabus) Verbalize Expectations (start of semester) Motivating Students Orientation Skill Building for Community Learning: – Participant-Observer Skills – Seeking Feedback – Self-identification of skills, talents, challenges – Levels of Participation: Non Passive Moderate Active

Orienting your Classroom to Engaged Learning Principles Faculty instructional role Minimize the distinction between community and classroom learning Design classroom norms and learning strategies to be more community-oriented

Nuts & Bolts: Types of Service Direct – actual interaction with the people, environment, and/or animals Caring for dogs at an animal shelter, tutoring children, performing income tax assistance Indirect – action is not seen by the people who may benefit from the service, but it meets a real need. Collecting clothes for a domestic violence shelter, doing a beach clean- up, collecting books for a library. Advocacy – action that causes others to be aware of an issue and encourages them to take action. Writing letters, working on a political campaign, speaking at a hall meeting. Research – gathering and reporting information that helps a community or a campaign. Surveying neighborhoods on an issue, testing water quality, veteran interviews.

Nuts & Bolts: Logistical Factors Weight / Grading Depth / Duration Location / Transportation One or Multiple Partners / Structure Liability – We’re not lawyers but…

How does CESI fit into your Scholarship? Explore sampling of publications Explore sampling of publications Brainstorm ideas for what you might write about. Brainstorm ideas for what you might write about. What do you need to be doing now to prepare for using CESI experience for scholarship? What do you need to be doing now to prepare for using CESI experience for scholarship?

December 7 th Presentations Goals of this workshop Goals of this workshop Presentations should cover: Presentations should cover: Logistical factors such as varied student roles, grading, duration, direct vs indirect activities, student preparation, etc. What challenges did you work through as you deliberated on format, structure, roles? What mechanisms or strategies did you use to communicate with community partner, and how did you establish shared vision and specific tasks/roles? Civic learning objectives and activities – How will How will this project enhance students’ learning of course competencies, what civic learning objectives will be addressed?

December 7 th Presentations Presentations should cover: Presentations should cover: Assessment and student reflection activities of civic engagement learning objectives. Provide specific examples of reflection activities or techniques for before, during and after service. How does reflection help connect service and academic learning? How will student learning be assessed? Plan for advancing individual faculty scholarship What topics or issues are you most interested in exploring or writing about? What strategies will you use to reflect on your own experiences and how will you document this?