Service learning places teaching and learning in a social context, facilitating socially responsive knowledge. The purposes of this meta-analysis were to summarize evidence on (a) extent and types of change in participants in service learning programs, (b) specific program elements (moderators) that affect the amount of change in participants, and…

Focusing on community as a key element in teacher education, this paper highlights the importance of new teachers embarking on their careers with a vision for social justice. Paying specific attention to the need for effective teachers in America's urban schools, the author stresses purposeful development of this vision for social justice…

Dr. Wangari Maathai--"environmentalist, human rights advocate, global peace worker, and community builder"--passed away in 2011. The first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Maathai left a legacy even greater than the 47 million trees that her organization, the Greenbelt Movement, has planted across Kenya since 1977. As…

Designing Problem-Driven Instruction with Online Social Media has the capacity to transform an educator's teaching style by presenting innovative ways to empower problem-based instruction with online social media. Knowing that not all instructors are comfortable in this area, this book provides clear, systematic design approaches for instructors…

Students today are becoming more interested in international opportunities for study, and are drawn to alternative programs such as international service learning and international internships. These programs, however, must be carefully designed. In this paper, the authors propose using tools that go beyond the traditional understanding of…

This article describes the use of poetry as a pedagogical tool intended to intensify the reflective process of a service-learning project. In addition to keeping electronic journal entries, and summarizing and reflecting on service activities, preservice teachers wrote (or selected) poems to reconstruct their experiences and recreate some of the…

Service-learning is a teaching strategy used to engage students in organized service while enhancing academic curriculum. Service-learning is often employed to encourage the development of reflective and critical thinking skills. What was not known is the specific evidence of critical thinking that students may exhibit in the context of an…

The materials in this toolkit contain information about the five core components of a service-learning project: investigation, planning and preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration/celebration. Also included are the standards and indicators of K-12 service-learning. The information is organized into an overview and five chapters, each…

Insects are ideal models for demonstrating an array of biological and ecological concepts and the application of biology to solve real-world problems. Integrating service-learning, a pedagogy bridging theory and practice, into the entomology curriculum at the University of Georgia provides students an opportunity to participate in developing and…

This is a story about industrial art. It is certainly not a story about smart studios and fashionable galleries, subtle techniques and aesthetic beauty. This is a story of sheet rock, nails, and low-grade lumber in the hands of unskilled teenage laborers. While this story boasts of no future museum pieces, it tells a heartwarming story of rare…

This paper examines the potential for and challenges of using a critical approach to service-learning, based on Freire's notions of praxis and dialogue, as part of an introductory education course. Although any service-learning project runs the risk of falling prey to the more traditional approach, which involves a pedagogy designed to enhance…

Active, experiential learning is an important component in information systems education, ensuring that students gain an appreciation for both practical and theoretical information systems concepts. Typically, students in active, experiential classes engage in real world projects for commercial companies or not-for-profit organizations. In the…

This article explores how 12 classroom teachers, enrolled in one of the author's graduate social studies methods course, used service-learning as an instructional tool to help students practice active participation in their community and beyond, while also recognizing the relevance of academic coursework as they applied their knowledge and skills…

This article examines the experiences of first-year Latina/o undergraduates at a predominantly white institution. Through a borderlands analysis, the authors explore how these students describe their experiences participating in an ethnic studies course and mentoring Latina/o elementary schoolchildren. The authors find that these experiences…

An increased emphasis on multiculturalism in the United States has necessitated an awareness of culturally responsive pedagogy in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. Practica in such programs along with reflection on these experiences are methods by which pre-service teachers can better appreciate the diverse nature of their…