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Community Service-Learning for Spanish Heritage Learners: Making connections and building identities
Kelly Lowther Pereira
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 18] 2018
► pp. 139–192

Chapter 7
Community service-learning course design

This chapter provides essential information and guidance for community service-learning course development, with special attention paid to heritage learners. It provides essential guidelines for the development of community service-learning courses, from the initial stages of preparing course syllabi to developing lasting community partnerships. The chapter emphasizes the importance of fully integrating community service-learning into course content and adopting a critical pedagogical approach, providing sample activity and project ideas as well as guidance for critical reflection. The chapter concludes with a discussion of some of the risks and challenges in implementing community service-learning and offers suggestions on how departments and programs can create a culture of service in support of community engagement initiatives.

Article outline
  • Fundamentals of community service-learning design
  • Theoretical models of learning that inform community service-learning design
  • “Best practices” for effective community service-learning
    • Principle 1: Academic credit is for learning, not for service
    • Principle 2: Do not compromise academic rigor
    • Principle 3: Establish learning objectives
    • Principle 4: Establish criteria for the selection of service placements
    • Principle 5: Provide educationally-sound learning strategies to harvest community learning and realize course learning objective.
    • Principle 6: Prepare students for learning from the community
    • Principle 7: Minimize the distinction between the students’ community learning role and classroom learning role
    • Principle 8: Rethink the faculty instructional role
    • Principle 9: Be prepared for variation in, and some loss of control with, student learning outcomes
    • Principle 10: Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course
  • Reflection
  • Facilitating critical reflection for community service-learning
  • Connecting community service-learning to classroom language learning
  • Developing lasting community partnerships
  • Tip 1. Identify course objectives for learning and service and community needs to find a good match
  • Tip 2. Make the most of resources and opportunities provided by the community service-learning or community engagement office at your institution
  • Tip 3. Consider the type of commitment you are willing to make and make placements meaningful
  • Tip 4. Communication is key
  • Tip 5. Strive for compatibility and relevant, meaningful placements
  • Tip 6. Determine how you will evaluate the success of your partnership
  • Designing the syllabus
  • Assessment of community service-learning: Tying community service-learning to learning objectives
  • Selection of graded assignments
  • Potential pitfalls and challenges
  • Creating a culture of service
  • Recognition of students’ commitment to community service-learning
  • Creating opportunities for leadership
  • Post-graduation service
  • Notes
  • Sources of additional information
References

Sources of additional information

Community service-learning

Cress, C. M., Collier, P. J., Reitenauer, V. L.
, & Associates (2005) Learning through serving: A student guidebook for service-learning across the disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.Google Scholar
Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E., Jr.
(1999) Whereʹs the learning in service-learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Howard, J.
(1993) Praxis I: A faculty casebook on community service-learning. Ann Arbor, MI: Office of Community Service-Learning Press, University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Jacoby, B.
(2015) Service-learning essentials: Questions, answers, and lessons learned. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar

Community partnerships

Jacoby, B.
(2003) Building partnerships for service-learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Stoecker, R., & Tyron, E. A.
(2009) The unheard voices: Community organizations and service-learning. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.Google Scholar

Reflection

Eyler, J., Giles, D. E., & Schmiede, A.
(1996) A practitionerʹs guide to reflection in service-learning: Student voices and reflections. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University.Google Scholar
Hatcher, J. A., & Bringle, R. G.
(1997) Reflections: Bridging the gap between service and learning. Journal of College Teaching, 45, 153–158.Google Scholar
Jacoby, B., & Mutascio, P.
(2010) Looking in, reaching out: A reflective guide for community service-learning professionals. Boston, MA: Campus Compact.Google Scholar

Critical service-learning and social justice

Cipolle, S.
(2010) Service-learning and social justice: Engaging students in social change. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar

Assessment

Association of American Colleges and Universities
(2017, March). VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education. [URL] (For Value Rubrics, including the rubrics for civic engagement and critical thinking)