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Service Learning in a Social Studies Methods Course: Experience and Place-Based Curriculum
by Reese H. Todd
Abstract
When an instructor reframed the social studies methods course to include a
sewice-learning project, both education certiJication students and a museum's outreach
program benejted. University students gainedpractical teaching experience leading a
children's summer class about local prairie dogs, and the museum gained quality
teachers. Enthusiastic responses promoted future partnerships between the university and
the museum. Project evaluation addressed the role offield experiences in teacher
preparation, museum education partnerships, sewice-learningpedagogy, andplace-
based curriculum content.
Prairie dogs seldom receive recognition as participants in a teacher education
program, yet an interest in these creatures sparked a service-learning partnership between
preservice teachers in a social studies methods course and the local ranching heritage
museum. Teacher education often includes a field experience component; but when the
instructor reframed the teaching and learning assignment to meet a local community
need, the value of the learning experience increased for those involved.
Like many local museums around the country, fbnding limitations (Wolins 1991 ;
Sheppard 1993; Institute of Museum and Library Services 1998) required that the
National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) cut back on its services or rely on volunteers
to maintain programs. The educational director of the NRHC stated:
Our mission is to interpret the history of ranching to the
community. Certainly, we invite visitors to tour the ranch buildings, the
grounds, and the exhibits year-round, but much of our work centers on
outreach into the community. We could not do that without many
volunteers, especially with classes for children. This summer, we had
fewer returning instructors and needed quality teachers to offer the variety
of classes ourpatrons have come to expect.
The other entity involved-the university-had a mission for its teacher education
program of "preparing educators for a diverse society and integrating scholarship,
research, and practice in collaboration with individuals, communities, educational
institutions, and agencies" (College of Education 2004). The university also had an
initiative to develop more service-learning courses. At the time the project with the
museum emerged, a faculty advisory council was in its second year of shaping criteria for
service-learning course designations. The council proposed establishing a faculty service-
learning fellows program to support creative service-learning projects within existing
courses, as well as developing new service-learning opportunities with community
partners.
Further, faculty members in the university's College of Education had wrestled
with the problem of inadequate field experiences for teacher education students who took
all their classes in summer sessions or the evening. Though some evening courses in the
fall and spring semesters included field experiences, summer sessions still lacked
adequate opportunities for interactions beyond the university classroom.
Hence, a collaborative service-learning project between the local ranching
museum and the university was launched. The museum needed instructors for its summer
courses, the university was seeking ways to expand its involvement with the local
community and to increase service-learning courses, and students seeking teaching
certification needed to obtain field experience. By identifying a community need and
matching it with the skills of university students, a vital service (Sheppard 1993;
Crawford 1999) was provided to the community's youth, and students obtained practical
teaching experience.
Prairie dogs, the selected topic for the summer classes at the museum, was ideal
for social studies educators because the study of the familiar, local environment forms the
foundation for student learning about people and places, and then extends toward
understanding the global environment. Investigating social studies issues through local
civics and through geography, history, and economics engages learners in meaninghl
and relevant curriculum. These animals, which are commonly found in fields in the
community, have successfully adapted to the physical environment of the southern plains,
yet their role in the ecology of the semi-desert landscape is often debated by ranchers,
farmers, urban developers, and animal lovers.
Did this collaborative service-learning project provide the field experience that
students seeking certification needed? Were the students in this social studies methods
course able to apply their classroom learning to the community and practice their skills in
a real-world setting? Did teacher certification students have meaningful teaching and
learning experiences with children (Jacoby 1996; Bringle and Hatcher 2000; Buchanan,
Baldwin, and Rudisill2002)? Did the project meet the academic requirements and goals
of the university in terms of working with other educational agencies and developing
service-learning courses? Did the project also meet the needs of the museum in serving
area residents? To answer these questions, data from participants in the service-learning
project, including the administrative team and students, were analyzed to evaluate the
effectiveness of the project. This paper describes a service-learning project between a
university social studies class and its museum partners and presents the outcomes of this
affiliation.
Project Participants
A faculty member in the university's College of Education and the program
director of the NRHC began collaborating five months before the classes were to be held
to ensure that the project met both of their needs. The museum wanted to offer classes
during the summer for K-6 children as part of their outreach mission. Education students
seeking certification needed experiences with children to give practical application to
theoretical learning.
The museum director selected a theme for the summer classes and provided
materials, a training session for all summer teachers, and guidelines for the hands-on
curriculum. Though the director offered to review lesson plans, the university students
instead submitted proposed lessons to graduate students and to their university instructor
as part of their course requirement rather than adding to the museum director's workload.
The professor asked for volunteers to teach in the museum's summer program.
Five teams volunteered to take responsibility for one lesson with a class of 12 upper-
elementary children during the one-week summer program. Their challenge was to
integrate social studies strategies into the informal summer camp atmosphere with active
learning that was fun for the children. A technology team comprised a sixth group. This
group collected photos each day, described learning activities, and obtained assessments
from the children and teaching teams. The technology team edited and organized the
information into a photo journal and gave each child and teacher a compact disc on the
final day.
Two graduate students also had vital roles. One graduate student handled all
administrative tasks and served as the central contact person between the museum, the
professor, and the preservice education students. She was on-site at the museum during
the summer program and came to the university class several times during the planning
stages to confirm supply lists and deliver resource materials. A second graduate student
reviewed all the lesson plans for feasibility, time allotment, appropriate content, and
continuity across the five days. In her role as curriculum mentor, she gave teaching teams
feedback on proposed lessons before they were submitted to the university professor. She
also stayed in close contact with the university students and the director of the museum.
The university professor observed part of each class and had daily contact with teaching
teams.
Data Sources
Field notes and observations from the administrative team provided one source of
data (Denzin and Lincoln 2000). This team included the social studies methods professor,
the educational director of the museum, and the two graduate students (the administrative
assistant and the curriculum mentor). An additional outside observer contributed a written
assessment of the project from her perspective as a practicing teacher. Certification
students' written reflections at the end of the teaching experience were another source of
data. The technology group provided a visual source of data with photos of learning
activities, resources, and student products.
Four students in the social studies methods class chose not to volunteer for the
teaching project. One of these students went to the museum before class one day and read
to children who arrived early. His reflection offered a perspective not presented
otherwise. The other three nonparticipants wrote about the project from an outsider's
perspective. The administrative team used a focus group format that was taped and
transcribed for evaluation purposes. A questionnaire focused on lessons and activities, the
multiple teaching team structure, the effectiveness of communication among leaders,
opportunities for future collaborations at the museum and in the community, and the
effect of the collaboration on the other nine classes. Because members of the focus group
recognized that the team approach (with 20 preservice teachers) might have intimidated
leaders of other classes (mostly teachers working alone), they sought assurance from the
museum director that other classes did not suffer negative effects from the team
approach.
Framework
Four areas were analyzed from the data from this project:
the role of field experiences in teacher preparation;
museum partnerships;
service-learning projects; and
place-based curriculum content.
Field experience is a key element in teacher preparation (Darling-Hamrnond
1990; Aiken and Day 1999) and usually occurs through a university-managed placement
program that targets exemplary teacher-mentors in area schools. For example, at the
university involved in this project, students in the elementary education program
complete 100 hours of field experience observation and teaching prior to a semester of
student teaching.
In a related study of field experiences in a teacher preparation program in
mathematics (Cooper and Nesmith 2006), researchers questioned whether varied field
experiences prepared teacher education students for student teaching. A Mathematics
Teacher Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI) was used to compare two groups of
preservice teachers. One group had traditional field placements in public elementary
school classrooms, while the other group had an alternate field experience in a summer
math camp. Using ANCOVA analysis, no significant difference was found in the
development of mathematics teachers based on traditional or alternative field
experiences.
Another research study (Aiken and Day 1999) analyzed teacher education
students' early field experiences, with most preservice teachers reporting that these
experiences had a positive influence on their career decisions and motivation. However,
in responding to questions about practical experiences, the respondents weren't as
satisfied, noting that field experiences did not provide real teaching experiences because
they did not have the opportunity to actually teach a class (Aiken and Day 1999).
The teacher candidates who participated in the service-learning museum project
indicated that they also did not feel that they had real experiences and practice in actually
teaching a class (Robinson and Darling-Hammond 1994; Crawford 1999). They did
report, however, that they revised lessons in the midst of a session based on student
feedback, and that they engaged in problem solving and decision making as a real teacher
does.
Overall, the results suggested that the service-learning partnership between this
university and the museum provided the same degree of self-efficacy development as a
traditional field-based placement in an elementary school classroom. Reflective writings
and portfolio selections by students, focus group discussions, and observer reports from
the study supported this conclusion.
Studies of placements of preservice teachers in museum internships showed that
social studies students gain valuable teaching experience interpreting resources of the
museum with children that visit the site (Hein 1998; Cox and Barrow 2000; Wunder
2002). In this project, preservice teachers organized learning centers, created age-
appropriate activities, and developed teacher resource guides, while contributing to the
quality of the museum's educational programs in an informal learning environment. The
project helped university students see how a service-learning component contributes to
the ownership of a community program. Following their involvement in the summer
session, students in the social studies methods course donated their lessons and samples
of their activities to the museum's educational resources library.
By shifting the focus to service learning, preservice teachers' experiences are
enriched (Aiken and Day 1999; Cox and Barrow 2000). By including reflective questions
about service learning, professors can encourage students to extend their vision of an
educator's role from the school building to civic engagement (Jacoby 1996; Wade 1997).
Indeed, their emerging teaching skills are needed in the community-at-large.
When preservice educators frame their instruction in the context of the local
environment, the role of teachers as citizens is enhanced (Procter and Haas 1993; Wade
2000; Merryfield 2004). The focus is on teaching and learning outward, rather than solely
on the teacher-to-be practicing skills for the classroom. Teachers are not simply training
for a job; they are preparing for civic responsibility in society.
A strong argument for place-based curriculum is based on Dewey's (1902)
experiential educational philosophy and a child's natural sense of wonder about the
environment (Stilgoe 1998; Smith 2002). A primary value of place-based education "lies
in the way that it serves to strengthen children's connections to others and to the regions
in which they live" (Smith 2002, 594). Using local places as the foundation for the
curriculum allows the educator to recognize the unique characteristics of particular places
and "help overcome the disjuncture between school and children's lives that is found in
too many classrooms" (Smith 593).Furthermore, a place-based curriculum serves to
strengthen connections to others and to the regions in which they live.
Despite the variability in place-based curriculums, common elements exist (Smith
(2002,593-94):
teachers and students turn to phenomena immediately around them as the
foundation for curriculum development;
the emphasis on learning experiences allows students to become the creators of
knowledge rather than the consumers of knowledge created by others;
students' questions and concerns play a central role in determining what is
studied;
teachers' expertise lies in their capacity to help students acquire skills and
dispositions of effective learners; and
the wall between school and community becomes more permeable and is crossed
with frequency. Students enter the community to participate in activities, and their
work is assessed on the basis of its competence and contribution to community
well-being and sustainability.
Place-based learning uses available resources to encourage learners to wonder
about what they see around them. The university involved in this project is situated on the
prairie lands-home to many people before the westward expansion of the United
States-where ranching is a tradition. Lessons at the NRHC put students in touch with
the artifacts, buildings, and activities associated with the area's history (Sunal and Haas
2005; Welton 2005). Because the lesson presented by the social studies students was
based on the study of a local phenomenon-the prairie dog-student interest was high, as
often happens with place-based education.
Narratives and Reflections
An analysis of the qualitative data (Clandinin and Connelly 2000) from preservice
teachers' reflections, focus groups, the leadership team, and independent observers
affirmed the significance of the service-learning project with the museum. From the
perspective of the university, the partnership promoted the teacher education course's
goal of developing social studies programs for students K-4. The project also offered
students an opportunity to gain skills to meet professional competency standards from the
State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). Students acquired content knowledge in
social studies education from four key disciplines: history, geography, civics, and
economic resources. These aspects of the project were consistent with the expectations of
traditional field experiences (Darling-Hammond 1990). The additional theme of self-
efficacy emerged from the data coding and enriched the results of the study (Freedman
and Johnson 2004). Students described their levels of confidence and independence as
they engaged in the teaching and learning process. They reflected on their knowledge of
themselves as learners and their personal determination to continually reach higher
standards.
Skills for Developing Social Studies Programs
The first step in evaluating the project was determining whether it provided
teacher certification students with the skills necessary for developing social studies
programs in K-4 classes. The researchers used student reflections and administrative
team observations to ascertain whether or not this fundamental goal was met.
When the first team returned to the university classroom to report on its prairie
dog teaching experience, the initial comment affirmed a message team members had
heard in all their classes: "It doesn't work to just talk [to the kids]; they like to do things."
Hence, the next teaching team questioned, "How can we make this lesson more
engaging? What are the abilities of fifth-grade students? Are certain activities too
difficult? How challenging should the activity be to hold their interest?"
Another teaching team received comments about the level of difficulty of the
informational texts it had selected as read-alouds with the children. Team members
decided to create their own text material by writing an informational book about prairie
dogs that was "appropriate for grade school students."
In their final evaluation of the lesson, teaching team members noted that though
they had actually planned lessons before, they did not know how they would work or how
much time activities would take. One respondent said, "I felt more confident in my
planning as I talked with our graduate assistants."
The graduate students, who served as mentors, all had previous classroom
experience and were enrolled in an advanced social studies seminar. One described her
involvement:
I suggested ways to modEfir lessons, but some teams decided to go a
different direction. The results often were more creative than I had
imagined. I had to learn to let go of control of the project and trust the
students. I started each day welcoming students and introducing the
teaching team. We briefly reviewed previous lessons and connected
learning to the activities planned for the current session.
The mentor drew upon her classroom experience to address continuity and to balance
lessons that were "unrealistic in the amount of time the activities would take." She
suggested modifications to fit within the scheduled class time while maintaining "a
balance of activities and transitions between segments."
The academic success of students participating in the project was high. Research
has suggested (Jacoby 1996) that one of the reasons service learning improves student
academic success is that students work side-by-side with an instructor on a project-a
"do as I do" approach of applying academic expertise to the environment in which we
live.
Student Progress toward Competencies
One course, however, does not stand alone. The entire teacher certification
program is designed to help students gain the skills to meet state standards for
professional teacher competency for licensure. These standards are divided into four
domains (SBEC 2006):
designing instruction and assessment to promote student learning;
creating a positive, productive classroom environment;
implementing effective, responsive instruction and assessment; and
fulfilling professional roles and responsibilities.
To demonstrate progress toward certification, students prepare a portfolio each
semester to document their knowledge and skills in social studies instruction. They are
asked to select five items from work in the class that demonstrate their competencies in
social studies education. Students then write a one-page reflection, including a
description about the assignment, an explanation of what they learned, and a relationship
between their learning and one of the competencies. A 20-minute individual conference
is held with the professor during final exam week to talk about the portfolio. The
instructor listens, makes notes, and asks questions to link learning theory and practice.
Fifieen of the 24 students involved in the NRHC project mentioned that
experience in conferences with their professor. These students explained that they gained
knowledge and skill in designing instruction, implementing responsive instruction, and
acting as responsive citizens in the community. One respondent explained that the prairie
dog lesson allowed participants to implement "what they had been learning in class" and
that it was a "great test to see if our teaching approaches and strategies would work."
Another respondent said, "We used a debate which was one of the most successful
activities of the day, but we thought it might be too difficult." The teaching team was
pleased to find that the children were able to engage in critical thinking about issues and
use resources the teachers had gathered for the lesson.
The teaching experience at the museum raised one participant's awareness of her
role as an active citizen in the community:
I decided I wanted to be part of this summer program again next
year. I would be providing a service to the community and be a part of
something important.
Students Visualize Themselves as Teachers
Reflective writing and focus group conversations made students more aware of
the teacher preparation process. As they thought about their learning, students grappled
with fears, doubts, and uncertainty as they taught children for the first time in a classroom
setting.
I was so nervous and wondered ifthe lesson we prepared would be
appropriate for the children. Would we have enough material for an hour
and a halfsession?
As they worked together, the students recognized the importance of the support
they received from their peers and the leadership team. They also gained confidence and
a sense of independence as educators:
When we got started and began talking with the kids, I was okay.
Having Jan there each day helped us get acquainted with the kids. Each
person on our team had prepared well and we could play off one another
ifwe got into a tight spot.
Another student's reflections echoed similar feelings:
I was excited and frightened about teaching this lesson. I feel
better about my abilities as an effective social studies teacher after having
taught this lesson. I believe this teaching experience was one of the most
effective lessons I learned in this course because it helped me work hard
and I was able to see the fruits of my labor in process and working.
From the project, a sense of self-efficacy emerged. One participant stated:
Because I was able to participate in this great project, I now feel
more comfortable with my teaching skills and more confident with myseg
I understand how crucial it is to develop thorough plans, even though
sometimes it is necessary to change the plan ifstudents are not
responding.
Those who had chosen not to participate in the service-learning project observed
their classmates and described their frustrations and feelings as they saw themselves
excluded from an important aspect of acquiring teaching skills. The disappointment is
evident in the comments of three students:
Reflecting on the project, I wish I had participated in this unique
experience. An outsider, looking on, saw excitement among that teaching
group. It was like they walked into class with a new side to them. Each
group seemed to gain a unique perspective on the whole teaching
experience.
We really felt left out. I am sorry I did not choose to do the prairie
dog project. I thought it would take too much time, but everyone talked
about the kids and how much fun they were having.
I feel like I missed out on a great opportunity to 'practice
teaching. " I do not have a lot of experience in a teacher-student setting.
This would have been good practice toprepare me for what is expected of
me when I teach.
Museum Educators' Perspective
When planning summer programs, a common challenge for museum educators is
to find instructors who have experience working with children and the ability to create
exciting lessons for the one-week class. Instructors most often are drawn from a cadre of
museum volunteers because they have educational training, experience working with the
public, and knowledge of ranching history. However, because most volunteers also work
full-time jobs, securing 12 teachers for a week from 9 a.m. until noon was quite difficult.
By using university students to conduct the courses, the museum was able to avoid this
employment challenge.
The lessons developed by the teacher certification candidates provided elementary
students meaningful learning experiences through a variety of multisensory activities. By
incorporating real objects in an authentic environment, the university students created a
variety of learning techniques to communicate the subject matter. The children explored
the social interaction and natural habitat of the prairie dog, learned about predators and
prey through theme-based games, and debated the idea of the prairie dog being a friend or
foe to local farmers and ranchers. At the end of the week, "Bacon," a real prairie dog
from the local science museum, visited the class.
From the perspective of the museum, the partnership provided a vital service
during the summer (Sheppard 1993, Crawford 1999). "There's nothing like the real thing.
No textbook account, video image, computer simulation, or recorded sound can ever
match the wonder of the real. When students enter a historic site, gaze at a distant star, or
stand before a work of art, they encounter the object, place, or experience described on
the pages of their texts. This is the 'magic' of museums, the special ingredient museums
bring to the educational experience" (Sheppard 1993,5).
Authentic evaluation came from the museum's educational director. She included
College of Education certification students in planning for next summer's classes.
Teacher Preparation for the Long-Term
Though the short-term benefits the university-museum project provided-helping
students meet teacher preparation course requirements and state standards for
professional competency-are important, the greater long-term benefit is the confidence
and commitment the students gained. These traits correlate with four aspects of self-
efficacy identified in competent teachers (Freedman and Johnson 2004'9):
Confidence. Attitudes, willingness to participate, level of active
participation, willingness to collaborate, risk-taking, critical thinking, and
questioning.
Independence. Work habits, initiating questions, problem posing, and
willingness to seek answers and solutions and help others.
Metacognition. Depth of self-reflection, ability to think about and
verbalize strategy used, knowledge of self as a learner and user of literacy
tools, and willingness to try new strategies.
Stamina. Sustained reading, sustained writing, sustained discussing
without direct and continuous prompting from the teacher or peers, self-
regulation of time use, and ability to organize time.
Conclusion
Education students seek opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in
teaching and learning environments with children. In many instances, universities offer
students the opportunity to teach in a classroom setting-an exercise which contributes to
their competencies as educators. However, in alternative certification programs, post-
baccalaureate teacher education courses, and in summer preparation courses, classroom
teaching may not be available. In those instances, teacher educators can offer
opportunities for active engagement with children in service-learning partnerships in the
community. Teacher educators recognize that by being engaged in informal educational
programs with children, certification students can obtain the practical application of
teaching knowledge and skills they need, contribute to the community, and learn from
partners. For community agencies, student participation extends their ability to reach out
to children in the community in informal educational services.
For the NRHC and the College of Education, the service-learning partnership
described in this paper met each parties' needs and provided a useful service to the
community by providing quality programming for children during the summer. These
benefits continued into the fall semester. At least four participants used aspects of the
prairie dog project in classrooms where they student taught. They became ambassadors
for the museum by taking information about the museum to teachers and schools in the
region. One student teacher led a prairie dog lesson with all third-grade classes (more
than 100 children) at her school.
Future studies should focus on the effects the museum experience had on the
practices of certification teachers as they were employed in area school districts. Once
teachers, do they continue to volunteer to teach sessions at the museum and do they
engage their students in museum programs? Are they participants in other civic activities
in their communities?
With a clear vision for the desired outcome, successful museum-school
partnerships are possible for institutions of any size. Whether local schools partner with
their county museum or larger schools partner with a big-city metropolitan museum,
these entities are in the business of education and these efforts benefit the community as a
whole. As Frankel (1996, 10) stated:
The common thread is this: when a partnership is developed in
response to an expressed need, the result is a transformative experience.
Teachers, students, and museum educators never think about learning the
same way again.
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Reese H. Todd, Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University, teaches social studies in
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research on presewice teacher education, service-learning, geography education, and
community studies.